The Badstu Boom with Stig Arild Pettersen | Sauna Talk Episode 112

This episode of Sauna Talk comes to you from London, England—on the morning after the British Sauna Summit.

I meet up with Stig Arild Pettersen, Secretary General of the Norwegian Sauna Association, at Hackney Baths. It’s the perfect setting for a conversation about what’s happening in sauna culture right now—not just in Norway, but across borders.

Stig is also the host of Badstuprat, Norway’s version of Sauna Talk, and together we compare notes on what many are calling the “Badstu Boom.”

From Britain’s emerging bathing renaissance to Norway’s deeply rooted sauna traditions, we explore how sauna culture is evolving in different parts of the world—and what connects it all.

Stig and I share a common appreciation for good heat, authentic sauna experiences, and the positive energy that comes from a culture rediscovering itself. We talk about how sauna lives in the DNA of Norway, much like Finland, and how new generations are helping carry that tradition forward.

We also touch on pockets of strong sauna culture in North America—places where climate, water, and heritage have long supported the practice—and how those regions compare to what’s happening across the Atlantic.

Just hours after this conversation, I’m on a flight from London to Oslo to experience the Badstu Boom firsthand—something special about talking sauna in one country, then stepping directly into it in another.

The Sauna Talk global series continues. Good heat knows no borders.

From the bench at Hackney Baths, please welcome Stig Arild Pettersen.