What is Sauna Theatre? A look at the Edinburgh Fringe’s newest venue

I first heard about Sauna Theatre during a sauna session I went to a week ago. Someone mentioned that this year’s Edinburgh Fringe was getting a Sauna Theatre and, as soon as I got home, I looked it up.

The idea immediately made sense to me, but only because I went to the UK Aufguss Championships in April and experienced Aufguss for the first time.

When people asked me what it was like afterwards, the easiest way I could describe it was, “It’s like being in a theatre… but the theatre is a sauna.”

Each session felt completely different, with its own style and atmosphere. At the end of every one, the audience applauded before stepping outside to cool down.

So before we look at Sauna Theatre, let’s start with Aufguss.

What is Aufguss?

If you’ve never come across Aufguss before, it’s a guided sauna session led by a trained Sauna Master. Using towels, steam and carefully chosen scents, they control how the heat moves around the sauna, making each session feel very different from simply spending time in a sauna on your own.

No two Aufgusses are the same. Every Sauna Master has their own approach, creating an experience that’s unique to them. That’s one of the things I enjoyed most at the UK Aufguss Championships.

If you’d like to learn more about what Aufguss is and what happens during a session, I’ve written a full guide ‘What is Aufguss?‘.

You can read about my day at the UK Aufguss Championships in my article ‘My Day at the UK Aufguss Championships 2026 — What it was Actually Like’.

So, what is Sauna Theatre?

Sauna Theatre is a new pop-up venue coming to this year’s Edinburgh Fringe. It arrives at a time when sauna culture is booming in the UK, with the number of public saunas reported to have doubled year-on-year since 2018.

Created by Sauna Sessions Arts Club, it brings together sauna culture and the performing arts inside a purpose-built sauna at Summerhall, an arts centre in Edinburgh.

Rather than hosting a single show, Sauna Theatre will present a programme of different experiences throughout the Fringe.

Alongside Aufguss, the programme includes theatre, music, literature, dance and even a morning sauna rave. There’s also a literary performance inspired by Virginia Woolf, showing just how varied the programme is.

It’s an opportunity to experience sauna in a way that many people probably haven’t before.

From the UK Championships to the Fringe

One of the Sauna Masters appearing in the programme is Meg Hopkinson, winner of this year’s UK Modern Classic Aufguss Championship.

I was lucky enough to experience one of Meg’s sessions during the UK Championships, so it was great to see her name in the programme.

More than just this year’s Fringe

Behind Sauna Theatre are Lucy and James, the founders of Sauna Sessions Arts Club. Their aim is to bring together sauna culture and the performing arts, creating experiences that introduce new audiences to both.

What I particularly like is that Sauna Theatre isn’t intended to be a one-off. It’s been designed as a touring pop-up venue, with plans to take it beyond this year’s Edinburgh Fringe and bring the experience to new audiences in the future.

I’ll be interested to see where it appears next.

Planning a visit

Whether you’re already part of the sauna community or simply curious to experience something a little different during the Fringe, it’s certainly one of the Fringe’s more unusual venues.

I’m looking forward to experiencing Sauna Theatre for myself and will be sharing a follow-up once I’ve visited.