Select Foundational Sources

Select Foundational Sources on the Science of the Sauna and Cold Plunge — Relating to Physical Health. This book focuses on the potential of the sauna and cold plunge for emotional health and connectedness between people. But it draws on the more established science around physical health. For the sauna, start with these two recent reviews: “Does the Combination of Finnish Sauna Bathing and Other Lifestyle Factors Confer Additional Health Benefits? A Review of the Evidence” (Kunutsor, and Laukkanen, 2023) and “Sauna Use as a Lifestyle Practice to Extend Healthspan.” (Patrick and Johnson, 2021). Rhonda Patrick (who co-authored the latter paper) also offers excellent ongoing coverage of sauna and health on her podcast and website FoundMyFitness.

Other key papers include “Saunas’ Salutary Effects—A Heat Shock Response?” (Laukkanen et al, 2023) and the original flagship papers from Jari Laukkanen’s longitudinal study in Finland: (Laukkanen et al 2015); (Laukkanen et al 2018).

For cold-water immersion, look for this 2024 paper: “The Untapped Potential of Cold Water Therapy as Part of a Lifestyle Intervention for Promoting Healthy Aging.” (Kunutsor et al, 2024). For cold-water swimming in particular (again with the lens of physical health, not mental health): Susanna Søberg’s Winter Swimming: The Nordic Way Towards a Healthier and Happier Life (2023).

Select Foundational Sources on the Science of Sauna and Cold Plunge — Relating to Emotional Health. For Charles Raison’s studies testing sauna-level heat as a depression treatment, look for “Whole-Body Hyperthermia for the Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial” (Janssen et al, 2016) and “Whole-Body Heating: An Emerging Therapeutic Approach to Treatment for Major Depressive Disorder” (Lowry et al, 2018); as well as “Feasibility and Acceptability of a Whole-Body Hyperthermia (WBH) Protocol” (Mason et al, 2021) 

For Mark Harper’s study on cold-water swimming as a treatment for depression, look for “Sea swimming as a novel intervention for depression and anxiety - A feasibility study exploring engagement and acceptability” (Burlingham et al, 2022). Also, Mark Harper’s book, Chill: The Cold Water Swim Cure (2022) is readable and scientifically grounded. For instructions on the breathwork and mindfulness that make cold-water immersion possible, if not exactly pleasurable, look to the iconic breathing exercises from Wim Hof.

Select Foundational Sources for the Cultural History of the Sauna. Two essential books to begin with: Mikkel Aaland’s classic, Sweat: The Illustrated History and Description of the Finnish Sauna, Russian Bania, Islamic Hammam (1978). It’s out-of-print but available used, and as a PDF.  Joseph Bruchac’s The Native American Sweat Lodge: History and Legends (1993) offers essential perspective, unavailable elsewhere.

For additional cultural history on Ireland: Rosanna Cooney’s Sweathouse: The New and the Ancient Irish Sauna Tradition (2025). Also, these papers build a greater picture: Aidan Harte’s “The Leitrim Sweathouse Project: Report on the Documentation, Preservation, and Cultural Significance of Irish Sweathouses” (2022); Katie Kearns and Timo Ylimaunu’s “The Sweathouses of Ireland: The Disappeared Folk Tradition of Sweat Bathing” (2021) and Anthony Weir’s speculative “Irish Sweathouses and the Great Forgetting” (2021).  

For additional cultural history on North America: The Sacred Pipe: Black Elk’s Account of the Seven Rites of the Oglala Sioux (1953), by Black Elk and Joseph Epes Brown (North America); The Lakota Ritual of the Sweat Lodge, by Raymond A. Bucko. For additional cultural history on Europe and Russia: Ethan Pollock’s Without the Banya, We Would Perish: A History of the Russian Bathhouse (2019); Siim and Silja Nellis’s Sauna: History, Culture, Health & Construction; and the Estonian Sauna Magazine.

For recent cultural history, look to the new streaming video series from Mikkel Aaland, titled Perfect Sweat, which captures the modern resurgence; also Jane Withers and Ria Hawthorn’s Social Sauna: Culture of Bathe-ing (2025); Emma O’Kelly’s beautiful Sauna: The Power of Deep Heat; and the Culture of Bathe-ing website. Also, the film, Smoke Sauna Sisterhood from Estonian filmmaker Anna Hints. And the song “Bara Bada Bastu” (“Just take a sauna”), from the group KAJ, Sweden’s entry in the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest (It finished fourth).

Select Foundational Sources on the Science of Trauma Therapy. The books to read include The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van der Kolk; The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture, by Gabor Mate (2022); Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma, by Peter Levine; The Trauma Map: Five Steps to Reconnect With Yourself, by Karol Darsa. 

For a book that looks at the underlying causes of depression, including trauma: Johan Hari’s work of journalism, Lost Connections: Why you’re depressed and how to find hope. For a memoir that untangles one person’s path to heal trauma: Jane Chen’s excellent memoir, Like A Wave We Break.