Sauna & Cold Therapy News: July 2026

Cold water and sauna heat keep colliding in the UK news this month, from a peer-reviewed study on how a plunge changes what a sauna does to your heart, to a new lakeside wood-fired sauna and a national push on open-water safety. Here is what happened in July 2026 and why it matters if you are buying kit or planning a session.

Bangor study: a cold plunge in the cooling break eases the strain on your heart

Researchers at Bangor University published a study in Experimental Physiology on 2 July showing that adding a short cold water immersion to the cooling break between sauna bouts blunts the thermal and cardiovascular strain the heat puts on the body. In a crossover trial, 16 healthy adults did two 15-minute bouts in an 85C sauna, each followed by a 10-minute cooling break either seated in air or with a cold dip; the cold-dip breaks left core temperature and heart rate lower going into the next round. For anyone running a hot-cold circuit at home, it is useful evidence that the plunge is not just a hit of adrenaline, it measurably resets the body before you go back in. Our guide on how to combine the two safely is sauna and cold plunge, and the paper is on Wiley’s Experimental Physiology.

You Can Sauna opens a wood-fired sauna at Weston-super-Mare Marine Lake

You Can Sauna, which already runs wood-fired saunas in Devon, opened at Weston-super-Mare’s Marine Lake on Saturday 11 July, pairing sauna sessions with cold-water dips in the newly refurbished lake. First-week sessions were offered at £5 with a welcome code. It is another sign that the seaside sauna-and-swim circuit is spreading well beyond Brighton and Cornwall, and a reminder that a wood-fired cabin plus open water is still the cheapest way to try proper contrast bathing before you commit to a garden build. If a wood burner is what you are weighing up, start with our wood-fired sauna buying guide. Opening details are via Great British Life.

National water-safety push lands as cold-dipping keeps growing

The National Water Safety Forum coordinated a launch of the UK Drowning Prevention Strategy on 24 July, alongside World Drowning Prevention Day on 25 July and a “Find Your Float” campaign running 20 to 25 July. The messaging centres on cold-water shock, the involuntary gasp reflex that hits when you enter cold water fast, which is exactly the risk that catches out newcomers to open-water plunging. It is worth reading if you are moving your cold therapy from a controlled tub to a lake or the sea: enter slowly, keep sessions short, and never dip alone. The campaign is on the National Water Safety Forum site, and our best ice baths in the UK guide covers the safer, temperature-controlled route at home.