A generous and open sauna culture

We work for…

a generous and open sauna culture,

In the sauna, we're all the same. You can't tell people apart when you're wearing little or no clothes. The Norwegian Sauna Association works to create a sauna culture where everyone can be who they are and feel safe, whether you're looking for alone time and silence or socialising and good conversations. With respect and openness, we create a community with room for everyone.

promoting health effects of sauna,

Sauna bathing does wonders for your health. It is particularly good for the heart and circulation, for mental health, and for a number of physical ailments. The Norwegian Sauna Association is working to inform the general public about the health benefits of saunas and to inspire and initiate further research.

giving everyone access to sauna.

A sauna is good public health and a social meeting place. We believe that more saunas in Norway mean better local communities, and a higher quality of life for the people who live there. That's why the Norwegian Sauna Association is working to ensure that more saunas are established and that saunas are genuinely accessible to everyone, regardless of finances and functional ability.

Our purpose

The purpose of the Norwegian Sauna Association is to promote and strengthen sauna culture and public access to saunas, thereby contributing to good public health and low-threshold outdoor recreation.

The Norwegian Sauna Association is open to all companies, clubs and people who support this purpose.

Our history

The Norwegian Sauna Association was founded in 2017. A group of sauna enthusiasts based at Farris Bad in Larvik saw a wave of saunas washing over the country and felt there was a need for a national sauna association, as is the case in many other countries. The aim was to create an organisation that could develop and strengthen Norwegian sauna culture as more and more publicly accessible saunas emerged in Norway.

In 2023, the Norwegian Sauna Association received funding from Sparebankstiftelsen DNB to hire its first secretary general, with the task of building a solid and sustainable organisation that could fulfil its mission statement. Since then, the Sauna Association has experienced great growth. More than 120 sauna operators and several hundred private individuals across Norway are now members.

Who keeps the steam up

Secretary general

Stig Arild Pettersen is the Secretary General of the Norwegian Sauna Association and is responsible for daily operations and contact with members. Stig Arild has been a sauna enthusiast all his life and lives on a small farm in Isfjorden in Møre og Romsdal.

You can reach him via post@norgesbadstulaug.no

Styrelederen

Lasse Eriksen is chairman of the Norwegian Sauna Association and a board member of the International Sauna Association. On a daily basis, he is Development Manager at Farris Bad in Larvik. For many years, Lasse has shared the joy of saunas with the whole world through courses, lectures and competitions.

Board members

  • Ragna Marie Fjeld

    Generalsekretær Oslo Badstuforening

  • Erik Stange Ankre

    Styreleder og gründer Pust

  • Arve Vannebo

    Styreleder Ælvebadstua

  • Knut Lerhol

    Vang i Valdres

    Forfatter av 'Badstufolk' og aktiv i Badstufestivalen.

  • Monica Milch Gebhardt

    Horisontti Sauna, Vadsø

    Kunst- og kulturkurator med erfaring fra stedsutvikling.

  • Bjørnar Skaar Haveland

    Bergens Laugerlag (Leder)

    Arkitekt og ekspert på stedsutvikling.

  • Martine Holth Rønneseth

    Smeigedag Sauna

    Siviløkonom med bakgrunn som revisor og konsulent.

  • Marius Severin Syversen

    Syversen Badstumagi, Fredrikstad

    Badstumester og frivillig i flere badstuforeninger.

  • Caroline Aaserud Basberg

    Svai Sauna, Ålesund

    Medeier i Svai og operasjonssykepleier.