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SAUNAS HAVE “EXPLODED in popularity” in recent years, according to one small business owner.
Tom Connolly has been running a sauna in west Kerry since March 2024 after identifying a gap in the market along the scenic coastline.
Sona Sauna is a wood-fired barrel sauna that heats up to about 100 degrees and is based by the sea in Ceann Tra/Ventry, a few minutes outside Dingle, Co Kerry.
“It’s based on the Lithuanian barrel sauna, which is a traditional sauna that has no insulation.
“A lot of modern saunas would have insulation and be quite fancy, where this is kind of more ‘back to basics’ – I guess like a shed with a stove in it, which is the way saunas traditionally were.”
Sauna attendance is on an upward trend, especially when combined with the popularity of sea swimming.
Mentally, it feels great. It totally blows away the cobwebs.
Connolly said sauna usage has a range of health benefits associated with heat-shock protein development.
Speaking to the PA news agency, he added: “It’s good physically and mentally, it feels great. It totally blows away the cobwebs.
“If you’re in any way stressed or or hungover, hop in the sauna for half an hour, 45 minutes and you just kind of feel like you can take on whatever your day has in front of you a bit more.
“Or if it’s in the evening, you can decompress.”
Connolly, originally from Dublin, moved to Dingle “spontaneously” with his partner three years ago.
At the time, he was able to continue working in the creative department of an advertising agency on a remote or manageable hybrid basis, which saw him return to Dublin occasionally.
However, Connolly said that he “really missed” having access to a sauna when he arrived in Dingle as he was used to going to one after a sea swim several times a week in Dublin.
After initially thinking about opening one on a part-time basis, a change in his work circumstances allowed him to pursue running the sauna as an almost full-time role.
“Basically since St Patrick’s weekend last year, it’s just been full on.”
I speak Irish every day now, it has improved to a level it has never been before. Everyone has been super friendly and accommodating.
Connolly said the sauna is used as both a local amenity and a tourist attraction.
“They both complement each other. Sauna culture has grown so much in Ireland, it has kind of exploded in popularity over the last number of years.”
There is also some evidence of an ancient Irish tradition of “sweathouses”, suggesting that our relationship with a type of sauna culture is not entirely new.
Connolly explained that there are observations from the 18th century of Irish people using heat therapy in small stone huts to treat a range of ailments.
Sona Sauna is located in the heart of the Gaeltacht, but Connolly admits he had a very low level of Irish when he started the business.
However, he said he made a concerted effort to learn Irish over the last year, adding: “I speak Irish every day now, it has improved to a level it has never been before. Everyone has been super friendly and accommodating.”
Connolly frequently posts humorous business updates on the sonasaunaventry Instagram, including turning his trials and tribulations into song, along with announcements on availability and weather developments in Irish and English.
I think regardless of what you’re doing or selling, people just want to laugh when they’re on a break on social media.
He added: “I felt that diving into it would be the best way and I use social media because if I’m online, I can ask people ‘what’s the best way to say there’s a blanket of snow on the ground’ or whatever and it’s very interactive.
“I think regardless of what you’re doing or selling, people just want to laugh when they’re on a break on social media.”
On a fresh, frosty, windless morning under clear blue skies, Connolly said he has become a “sabshsai” – an Irish word for a person who works outdoors in all weather.
“You’ve caught me on a high because this is sauna season – it looks like Finland today.
“But if it was four days ago, I would be in a different mood because it was just lashing rain and intense – so a difficult part of it is that I am constantly analysing the weather on an hourly basis.”
Sona Sauna opened on Christmas Day as part of a fundraiser for Kerry Hospice and West Kerry Care of the Aged.
Connolly said one of the greatest joys he gets from the sauna is seeing people enjoy something he set up and the “sense of community” he has developed.
“It’s just been slowly building a sauna community, which is what I wanted because it’s what I really missed in Dublin.”
He added: “We have people who base their week around coming to the sauna, which is just really nice.”
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I wouldn’t exactly be excited to be endorsed by Taylor Swift. Pass the bucket..
@Andrew Kenny: I’d be on the same page as you but there’s a 300 million younger vote in the US so her word will definitely impact on Trumps campaign so it definitely carries weight.
@Tony Skillington: 300million ?
@Tony Skillington: 300 million? Did everyone get Botox?
@Andrew Kenny: I would if I welcomed support from her huge fan base.
@Tony Skillington: average age of her concert goers is 40+. Taylor has outlined her reasons and research behind the decision to endorse Harris, not that any of you would care to read them.
@Tony Skillington: In 2020 there was 168.31 million people registered to vote in the US. Sure the total population is around 345 million…… Did you get mixed up with the amount of worldwide followers she has or something?…..
The general jist of what you’re saying is right
@another one? what’s going on is the semi state sec: No. It’s completely wrong.
@Brendan O’Brien: Are you a numpty Trump supporter? In which case everything that anyone says against him is wrong, not just anyone on here!
@Brendan O’Brien: Good man Brendan. Get out of the wrong side of the bed this morning?!?!
@Andrew Kenny: It’s great to see even as a non-Swiftie! Not my bag but hugely influential. The Trump’s of the world have had the run of the place for too long. Male, stale and beyond the pale, in his case. Stick together sisters and bring the old guard down! I don’t agree with everything Harris stands for but she’s not so much an upgrade as hi-tech cutting-edge futurism beside the cat-crazed mob.
See comments closed on fine gael always open for the shinners how come
@John Kenny: the Churno is a mouth piece for FFG, no mystery really
@John Kenny: Because I said so.
@John Kenny: they closed the article where FG want to bring in public-funded childcare!!! Socialist childcare!!! From a party that’s supposed to be for privatisation/capitalism!!!
@Brendan O’Brien: no just your mammy
@John Kenny: why type words can make no sense question mark.
Means little. Americans with a brain like Elon Musk are voting for Trump in November.
@cup of tea: the only winner of last nights debate was Vovager 1, the furthest thing from Earth.
@cup of tea: You mean most Americans with half a brain will vote for Trump. Elon Musk may be intelligent but he has no compassion or empathy, which may be part of his autism. Just watch the way he fired people at Twitter – there are even videos of him doing it. If he is the type of leader which encompasses Trump thinking then Attila the Hun would be considered a nice chap.
@Con Cussed: musk has Asperger’s not autism. And they way he fired those twitter employees was proven right. Twitter still ran without a hitch.
@Shane Kinsella (Kinsey): Aspergers was classed as a type of autism.
Twitter has lost half its value since Muskys takeover.
And Twitter even DDoSed itself.
@cup of tea: What’s wrong with his brain
I knew she was trouble when she walked in
Not supporter of trump or Harris but if a person young or old need to follow some pop star to help them to decide who to vote for well that is a sad state of affairs for that person who can’t think for themselves.
@Ned: If you actually read her statement she did not tell people to vote for Harris. She told people to look at what both candidates and decide for themselves who to vote for. What she recommended her followers was for them to make sure they register to vote.
@Patrick Hamill: her intent was to drag her fans who can’t think for themselves to vote for Harris that is so obvious even you should see that
Genuine question: if a man gets a woman pregnant should the man have a say in what happens to the foetus, unborn child, sprog, spawn, or whatever people want to label the result.
@AnthonyK: No: it’s the woman’s body, she she ultimately decides.
@AnthonyK: ‘so she’, I meant.
@AnthonyK: “or whatever people want to label the result’.” Wow.
@Brendan O’Brien: Stay on topic.
@AnthonyK: Yep, as soon as men get pregnant…
@AnthonyK: no
@AnthonyK: Genuine answer: Ideally the man should be allowed state his case. But be shouldn’t ever be allowed to dictate what a woman does with her body.
@AnthonyK: No, it’s the womans body.
@AnthonyK: what if the man feels like he’s a woman now surely that’ll give him rights he can argue he has very same rights as a woman then with equality crap.
She was criticised because she’s friends with someone who “liked” a Trump comment on social media. So there are sad people who actually check on what comments people like. The inquisition has returned.
Meanwhile being endorsed by a singer is a major thing! Granted Harris is a better choice than Trump (so is my cat). But the dumbing down of politics is rather worrying.
@Frank: It was probably forced into peoples “news” feed by the algorithms used on these social media platforms.
Haven’t seen any posts from buster this morning
@Michael o Dwyer: that’s probably him pretending to be Brendan O Brien
@Michael o Dwyer: Trolls gonna troll. He’ll be the first to whine like his Daddy when trolling closes down more comment sections.
@Jack Hayes: You’re the only one whining here, lady.
@Michael o Dwyer: probably gone to bed to cover his head. Can’t believe what happened last night.
@Mike: So you don’t understand the meaning of ‘whining’ then?
@Jack Hayes: Keep on moaning, girl. It’s entertaining.
@Mike: Add moaning to the list of things you don’t understand. Calling me ‘girl’ is great. You’re another low IQ, low info Dim Bulb and you’re not afraid to hide it.
@Jack Hayes: Fix me a sammich, lady! And hurry t fk up.
I wish trump would clear up one thing? Are the Dems talentless, incompetent bunglers or are they complex, genius, masterminds?
I bet the Trump supporters onhere believe they are both.
@Louis Jacob: You just reminded me of this paragraph from an article I read recently about Trump supporters – Boebert took the opportunity to boast on Trump’s behalf about one of his favorite topics: his supreme intelligence—as evidenced by the fact that, as Trump loves to mention, he allegedly once “aced” some cognitive test.
But here’s what Boebert actually said: “President Trump, when he was in office, underwent testing for his cognitive dissonance.”
You couldn’t make up those types of slips…….
@Tricia G28: Lol. I have to say I’m addicted to Boebert videos. She’s straight out of Monty Python.
@Louis Jacob: Sounds like she’s a lot smarter than yourself!
@Con Cussed: Good one.
Taylor Swift, well, maybe. Let’s hope she doesn’t get endorsed by Bouncey, Pinky, Dolly and the other pretentious “feminists”. That would sink her with a lot of voters!
@Padraig O’Brien: Ok. You’re one of those types of people ….
It never stops amazing how so called alfa males worship every hateful lie the crying orange thing spouts out ,
have your say