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, in England, Ireland and Scotland: An Evening of Talks, Music, Food and Entertainment, with On-Site Sauna and Bar, in collaboration with Futtle Organic, at Bowhouse, Fife, Friday, 17th October, 6.00pm, til late.
Regular guests at all of our 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 entertainment, in collaboration with Futtle Organic, at Bowhouse, Fife, on the evening of Friday 17th October.
Book Talks
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 bok 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. 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.
Having these two knowledgeable authors, who have experienced so many different saunas, in so many different cultures, together is truly powerful. Especially when considering Rosanna’s deep knowledge of our own cultural past, and Emma’s curiosity for our present. This is a great opportunity to listen, learn, ask questions, and develop an understanding of what the future of the sauna might just be.
Julie Wilson-Nimmo & Greg Hemphill – Jules & Greg’s Wild Swim, 2025
On top of all this, we are fortunate to announce that the event will include a personal appearance by local wild swimming heroes, Julie Wilson-Nimmo and Greg Hemphill.
Jules and Greg, will be launching their book, Jules & Greg’s Wild Swim, fresh off the press and talking about their experiences of swimming in Scotland’s wild waters.
Jules & Greg have long been friends of Elie Seaside Sauna. Judith helped introduce Jules to sauna culture and Greg followed. Elie Seaside Sauna Featured in Series 1, of the couple’s TV Series, Jules & Greg’s Wild Swim and the couple went with Judith on Elie Seaside Sauna’s first overseas Sauna Retreat, in collaboration with Nadair Adventures, to Oslo, in February 2025.
Jules & Greg will be open to questions about their experiences of sauna-ing in Scotland, and in Oslo, as well as about their wild swimming adventures. Jules & Greg have remained friends of Judith’s and helped her open St. Andrews Seaside Sauna
PANEL DISCUSSION
A panel of Elie Seaside Sauna regulars, who are also medical practitioners, will discuss what they have learned from enjoying regular saunas, at Elie Seaside Sauna, and how they believe regular saunas 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 an on-site sauna provided by Scottish Seaside Saunas and a number of food options, including Baern Café, onsite Scottish/Nordic restaurant, at Bowhouse, Fife that can be booked separately:
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 and Saturday 18th:
Aufguss, with Fay, from Saunadelic,
Leaf Whisking, with Faye, The Dippy Hippy
Aufguss, Leaf-Whisking, and Sauna Yoga, with Scottish Seaside Founder and Director, Judith Dunlop.
More details to follow, but if interested, contact Judith at:
Or sign-up to the mailing list at:
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)