Into the Wild: Why Outdoor Saunas Feel So Good

Wild outdoor saunas have been popping up around the coast and country like snowdrops in spring. It was the main topic of conversation when meeting up with friends recently.

Myself and the husband like nothing more than to head out on a Saturday morning once or twice a month to explore the latest local sauna location. Such a wholesome activity!

Sauna, ice baths & nutrition: a powerful trio for metabolic health

Heat and cold exposure can support circulation, strengthen resilience, improve insulin sensitivity, and boost mitochondrial health. If you can sit in 2-degree iced water and control your breathing for upto 2 minutes, you can get through anything else the day throws at you, but they’re not magic on their own.

Nutritional therapy provides the foundations for balanced blood sugar, adequate protein, micronutrients, and anti-inflammatory foods which help your body adapt, recover, and thrive. Think of sauna and cold exposure as tools, and nutrition as the framework that makes them work.

During a guided fire and ice session we were reminded by Dale from Conscious Breath of the job of brown fat. Brown fat is the good fat it is metabolically active, unlike white fat which stores energy, brown fat is stimulated by the cold to burn energy to produce heat (thermogenesis). It is brown because of the cells being packed densely with many mitochondria which hold iron molecules and give the colour.

Mainly found in new born babies, adults only retain a small amount of brown fat around the neck and chest, this is why it is important to get your shoulders right under the cold water!

Brown fat helps your body in different ways including:

• Maintains your body temperature.

• Produces and stores energy.

• Burns calories.

• Helps control blood sugar and insulin levels.

How to stimulate brown fat:

Regularly exposing yourself to cooler temperatures, such as keeping the bedroom temperature around 16-degrees, taking cold showers, or just stepping outside in a tee shirt for a few minutes on a winter evening!

Physical activity may trigger signals that activate brown fat, exercise resistance or cardio a couple of times a week.

Some studies suggest certain dietary components, such as capsaicin found in chili peppers, might activate brown fat

Aside from all the science an outdoor wild sauna in the British winter can feel almost primal—in the best way.

There’s something magical about stepping into deep heat surrounded by nature: the scent of oils, wood and steam, the quiet of trees or open sky beyond the door. As the heat builds, I can feel my muscles soften, my breath deepens, and stress melt away.

Then comes the contrast—cool air on your skin, a plunge into cold water. Step into the cold water control your breath 4 in 6 out pause repeat. Sink down on the out breathe and breath, some people hum for vagus nerve activation try not to scream! Your body tingles, your mind feels clear and alive, and you’re suddenly very present in the moment.

It’s both grounding and energising: a mix of deep relaxation, connection to nature, and that euphoric post-sauna glow that makes everything feel lighter, calmer, and more vibrant for the rest of the day.

You might be thinking what does getting hot and cold have to do with nutrition. Well without nervous system regulation it is hard to make any headway towards healing and improved wellbeing.

Each of the personal nutrition plans I create for clients will have a lifestyle element and I have personally benefitted from the use of breathwork, ice baths and sweaty saunas as important triggers in my metabolic health journey.

More on my Buteyko breathwork training in the next post…