World Sauna Forum Returns to Finland in June 2026
The global sauna industry's signature gathering heads to Jyvaskyla, with Sauna Region Week extending the programming to nine days.
The World Sauna Forum, organized by Sauna from Finland, is heading to Jyvaskyla for its 2026 edition. The three-day event (June 9-11) bills itself as "the most relaxing business event in the world," and based on past years, it delivers on that promise. The organizer has also been expanding its European B2B footprint through a new media/community partnership, covered in our note on the Sauna from Finland x PoolBiz.eu alliance.
What to Expect
The forum brings together sauna manufacturers, wellness operators, architects, researchers, and enthusiasts from around the world for keynote talks, panel discussions, and what is probably the highest concentration of different sauna types you'll find in one place. Past speakers have included Professor Jari Laukkanen, the University of Eastern Finland researcher whose longitudinal sauna studies have been published in JAMA Internal Medicine.
This year's event is part of a broader Sauna Region Week (June 6-14), which extends programming across the Jyvaskyla region with public sauna experiences, from the world's largest smoke sauna to traditional Finnish saunas with full bathing rituals.
- April 25: World Sauna Day (global)
- June 6-14: Sauna Region Week (Jyvaskyla, Finland)
- June 9-11: World Sauna Forum (Jyvaskyla, Finland)
- September 24-26: XIX International Sauna Congress (Oslo, Norway)
- October 6-8: Interbad 2026 (Stuttgart, Germany)
Why It Matters
For anyone in the sauna business, the World Sauna Forum is the closest thing the industry has to an annual gathering of its global leadership. The networking alone is worth the trip. Tickets and details are available at worldsaunaforum.com.
Arlene Scott
Senior Wellness Correspondent & Hospitality Consultant
Arlene Scott brings over fifteen years of reporting and consulting experience across energy infrastructure, sustainable design, and thermotherapy-focused hospitality.
Full byline
Arlene Scott is a Senior Wellness Correspondent for SaunaNews.com, bringing over fifteen years of experience at the intersection of energy infrastructure, sustainable design, and thermotherapy. Her work focuses on the physiological benefits of passive heat therapies and the sustainable integration of sauna culture into modern wellness routines.
Arlene's background is rooted in the clean energy transition. She was a founding writer at MicrogridMedia.com, where she covered the technical and economic viability of desalination projects, microgrid deployments, and distributed renewable energy systems. During the mid-2010s, she was a regular contributor to Greentech Media (GTM) during its independent era — prior to the Wood Mackenzie acquisition in 2016 — reporting on the early integration of thermal energy storage and sustainable infrastructure.
Transitioning her focus from macro-energy systems to human-scale wellness, Arlene now applies her technical background to the hospitality sector. She operates as an independent consultant, advising boutique hotels and eco-resorts on the design, energy efficiency, and historical authenticity of commercial sauna and thermal spa installations. Her consulting work ensures that high-end wellness facilities balance traditional Nordic bathing principles with modern sustainable engineering.
Arlene holds a specialized certification in Applied Thermic Wellness from the Nordic Institute of Passive Heat Studies (NIPHS) and is a recognized associate member of the International Sauna Association (ISA). When she isn't reviewing the latest innovations in infrared technology or consulting on a new resort project, Arlene can be found tending to her own traditional wood-fired sauna in the Pacific Northwest. You can read her complete archive of essays on energy, wellness, and sustainable living at www.arlenescott.com.
