Elie Seaside Sauna – Sauna and Wild Swimming Book Festival, Friday 17th October 2025
(With Supporting Sauna Events at Elie Seaside Sauna and St. Andrews Seaside Sauna, Thursday 16th, to Saturday 18th October)
Main Event
The History, Present and Future of Sauna and Sweatbathing: An Evening of Talks, Music, Food and Entertainment, with On-Site Bar, in collaboration with Futtle Organic, at Bowhouse, Fife, Friday, 17th October, 6.00pm, til late.
Regular guests at all of Scottish Seaside Saunas have long being asking for a social event…. So, we have created one – and a good event at that!
We would like to invite you to an evening of book talks, music, food, sauna and wild-swimming chat, Christmas shopping opportunities and entertainment, in collaboration with Futtle Organic, at Bowhouse, Fife, on the evening of Friday 17th October.
Books on Sale
Emma O’Kelly – Wild Saunas: The Best Outdoor Saunas in Britain, 2025.
Elie Seaside Sauna has been drawing visitors from far and wide, curious to learn about this iconic sauna that helped kick-off the sauna movement in Scotland, when it opened early in the summer of 2023.
Two of those visitors were Emma O’Kelly and her husband, Mark Lamb. Emma and Mark visited in March 2024 to conduct research for her book, Wild Saunas: The Best Outdoor Saunas in Britain. Mark is a director of the British Sauna Society and a keen supporter of the greater sauna community.
Wild Saunas: The Best Outdoor Saunas in Britain, includes all of Scottish Seaside Saunas four saunas: Dune and Shore, at Elie Seaside Sauna, Cellardyke Seaside Sauna, and St. Andrews Seaside Sauna, East Sands, St. Andrews. The book includes many other wide and varied saunas, across the length and breadth of The UK.
Following their visit, Emma asked Elie Seaside Sauna Founder and Director, Judith Dunlop to speak at the inaugural UK Sauna Summit and Judith and Emma have remained friends, since. The pair have met regularly at sauna events, such as The World Sauna Forum, in Finland and Saunaverse, at The Community Sauna Baths, in Hackney Wick.
Now Elie Seaside Sauna has the pleasure of hosting Emma, to talk about her books, Wild Saunas: The Best of Outdoor Saunas, in Britain and Saunas: The Power of Deep Heat and answer some of your questions on all that she has learned, in the process.
Emma O’Kelly – Saunas: The Power of Deep Heat, 2024
Prior to writing Wild Saunas, Emma explored The Nordic Region’s traditions of sweatbathing, for her first publication, Sauna: The Power of Deep Heat.
Judith encouraged Emma to explore Scotland’s own ancient sweatbathing culture for Wild Saunas. Emma touches on this, in Wild Saunas, however, our next author goes deeper into our own ancient and cultural traditions.
Rosanna Cooney – Sweat House: The New & Ancient Irish Tradition, 2025
Looking at the way some individuals present saunas, you would be forgiven for thinking of sauna as a fad, or a trend.
Former Irish Young Journalist of The Year Rosanna Cooney dispels this myth in her latest publication, Sweat House. Cooney explores the rich ancient tradition of sweatbathing in Ireland and how it is finding its way back into our collective lives.
Judith first met Rosanna, at Bosca Beatha, an iconic sauna, in The Wicklow Hills. Judith was there to complete her Level 2 Pritis (Lithuanian Leaf Whisking) and Rosanna was there to discuss her progress in writing her book, with the legendary Shirley, who reignited Ireland’s sweatbathing culture, when she build Bosca Beatha, Ireland’s inaugural mobile sauna, back in 2012.
Judith returned to Ireland for Shirley and Rosanna’s Sweat House Festival, in 2025, where she participated in a Lithuanian Leaf Whisking Masterclass and built closer bonds with some of the key players in The Irish Sauna Movement.
Like Emma, Rosanna has travelled widely to Europe’s Borders, meticulously researching sweatbathing from a cross-cultural, as well as historic, perspective.
Unfortunately, due to family ill health, Rosanna cannot be with us on the evening, however her book will be on sale and we hope to host her for a special event on the history of sweatbathing, in 2026.
Julie Wilson-Nimmo & Greg Hemphill – Jules & Greg’s Wild Swim, 2025
The day before the event at Bowhouse, local wild swimming heroes, Julie Wilson-Nimmo and Greg Hemphill, otherwise known as Jules & Greg, will be launching their book, Jules & Greg’s Wild Swim and Harbour House, Elie will be selling copies, at the event, fresh off the press, for guests to buy as gifts, or for themselves!
Unfortunately, due to a prior engagement, that means that the inspiring duo won’t make it to Bowhouse, in time to make a personal appearance.
Those buying a copy of their newly published book, at the event, will have an opportunity to sign up for a cosy little chat with Jules & Greg, at Harbour House, on 25th October.
The A to Z of Sauna Bathing
We are extremely pleased to announce that British Sauna Society Council Member, Co-Founder and Former Chair, and Board Member of The International Sauna Association, Mika Meskanen, is in the process of writing a book, The A to Z of Sauna Bathing!
There is not much that Mika, an expatriate Finn, living in London, does not know about sauna.
Mika will take Rosanna’s place, on stage, to talk about his concept for his book and answer any of your questions.
Mika will then be joined, on stage, by Emma O’Kelly and other representatives of The British Sauna Society, to play a game, The A, to Z of Saunas, where we will all talk on an aspect of sauna, based on a random letter of the alphabet!
If you ever had a burning question on the subject of sauna, this is your opportunity to have it answered!
PANEL DISCUSSION
A panel of Elie Seaside Sauna regulars, who are also medical practitioners, who are also medical practitioners and a researcher into social prescribing will discuss what they have learned from enjoying regular saunas, at Elie Seaside Sauna, and how they believe regular saunas and cold-water swimming can support the nation’s health, in the future, including practical steps to make this happen.
The bar, at on-site brewery, Futtle Organic, will be open from 6.00pm, serving its own, locally brewed beer, along with a selection of ciders, organic wines and nonalcoholic drinks. Futtle Organic will also be providing music and creating a space to socialise and connect.
There will be a number of food options, including Baern Café, onsite Scottish/Nordic restaurant, at Bowhouse, Fife that can be booked separately:
The Medical and Research Professionals
Imogen Murray
Sexual Health Doctor and Specialist in Menopause, based at Ninewells Hospital, Dundee, one of Imogen’s main areas of research is how women are unconsciously using cold-water swimming and sauna to help manage Vasomotor Symptoms (VMS), or ‘hot flushes’ and ‘night sweats’.
Imogen is also a qualified open-water swim coach and an adventure tour leader.
Julie Syme
Clinical Director, NHS Forth Valley, Julie is a coldwater swimmer and regular at Elie Seaside Sauna.
Hannah Robertson
Fife-based General Practitioner and Fife Representative of The British Society of Lifestyle Medicine (BSLM) and Fellow of The BSLM, Hannah is a trained Yoga Teacher and regular coldwater swimming and sauna enthusiast.
Rachael McGrath
A graduate of The London Interdisciplinary School, who initiated a student sauna club, who’s research McGrath, R, Should Sauna Be Prescribed?, 2025, focused on the potential benefits to individuals and society, of prescribing saunas.
Members of The Community
We will also have a small group of representatives of the community, from within The East Neuk, talking about how the tidal pools, Cellardyke and Elie Seaside Saunas and getting in and on the water, have shaped and are continuing to shape, our communities.
Fringe Events
From Thursday 16th evening, through to Saturday 18th morning, there will be a number of different sauna events, at both St. Andrews Seaside Sauna and Elie Seaside Sauna.
More details to follow, but if interested, contact Judith at:
Or sign-up to the mailing list at:
These will include:
Thursday 16th:
Astrology Sauna Sessions, with Foxey, Inner Magik
Friday 17th
Folklore Sauna, with Faye, from Saunadelic & Fay (aka The Dippy Hippy)
The two ‘Fae’ sauna masters will lead you through ritual steam, botanicals, storytelling, and cold-water immersion for a truly magical experience.
A sauna like no other, where light meets shadow, beauty meets mischief.
TICKET PRICING
OPTION ONE - £24.50
Includes the following:
- Your ticket for the festival
- £10 credit redeemable on the purchase of one, or other of the books*:
- Sauna: The Power of Deep Heat and Wild Saunas: The Best Outdoor Saunas in Britain, Emma O’Kelly
- Sweat House: The New & Ancient Irish Tradition, Rosanna Cooney
- Jules & Greg’s Wild Swim
- £14.50 credit will be redeemable on a seat in Shore Sauna, or St. Andrews Seaside Sauna, up to and including Thursday 18th December.
OPTION TWO - £19.50
Includes the following:
- Your ticket for the festival
- £14.50 credit will be redeemable on a seat in Shore Sauna, or St. Andrews Seaside Sauna, up to and including Thursday 18th December.
OPTION THREE - £7.50
Includes the following:
- Your ticket for the festival
- No add ons
(All of these books and others will be available to purchase, on-site. Provided by Waterstones St. Andrews, and Harbour House, Elie)