Steam building activity: Saunas and ice baths emerge as business meeting venues

It’s one thing to learn about the morning routines of others that include jumping from bed directly into an ice bath to prepare for the “stress” of the day. But another thing entirely to learn that 7am business meetings are now taking place in saunas.

No, I haven’t been scanning Finnish newspapers or mixing reality with an episode of Succession.

Rather, I’ve engaged in reading about the morning routines of Australian businesspeople. It makes for classic, voyeuristic reading, once you move past any personal frustration about how your own care responsibilities would make replicating such routines impossible.

I learned about the sauna business meeting from an Australian executive quoted in the Australian Financial Review this week, who shared that his morning routine includes a 5.30am walk with his toddler (great) before getting a coffee, returning the kid home to his wife, going for a 5km run and then having a sauna and an ice bath. Five days a week.

This executive then shared that clients are increasingly moving on from dinners as the norm for business meetings and are taking the option to go for a walk (great idea), or actually go for a 7am sauna and ice bath. And so a few days a week, this executive shares his sauna and ice bathing experiences with others, while they talk through ideas.

Baffled by this and a little alarmed at the thought of being invited to a meeting in a sauna, I did a quick search for evidence of saunas and ice baths being a common place for business meetings outside of Finland.

It’s possible the COVID-19 pandemic put a swift end to any emerging trend, particularly for startups in Scandinavia, where in 2019 calls were made by women in the startup community for tech events to “stay away” from including saunas until the lack of diversity in tech was sorted. In 2012, the Financial Times shared an explainer on the etiquette of sauna networking in Finland, noting that “full nudity is particularly important if you are with business contacts”. Good to know. In 2023, an Australian-based sauna business offered a guide for business owners on creating the best possible setting for meeting and bonding activities, incorporating photos of attractive women wearing nothing but towels.

Business meetings in saunas before breakfast are not the ideal morning routine for everyone. Nor are routines that include journalling, complex teamaking, lifting weights, hanging from the pullup bar for three minutes, or even having just one minute to yourself in the morning.

Other routines shared by the business press these past few weeks include that of AICD director Mark Rigotti, who swims three kilometres (three kilometres!) every morning. Carla Zampatti CEO Alex Schuman says his morning routine is “entirely based around coffee”. Westpac digital strategy head Jessica Hallett says she likes an early morning walking meeting or coffee with a colleague. David Donnoli from Swisse Wellness had a refreshing take — he wakes before his kids so he can jump on his phone to check social media for ten minutes. Then he gets up and makes breakfast for the entire family – well everyone but himself, as he fasts 17 hours a day.

But as for saunas and ice baths, you don’t have to search too far to read about more businessmen swearing by the daily benefits, even if it’s costing them a small fortune to access them.

Entrepreneur Paul Hanney tells the AFR he is up at 4.30am and goes directly from his bed to his ice bath, already set at three degrees. “If I can’t handle cold water, how on earth am I meant to handle any stress throughout the day?” (Maybe the same way the rest of us do?) Hanney then goes to his personal training session at an executive gym, eats food formulated by his nutritionist, and finishes his day with a 30-minute meditation session in his personal infrared sauna. He tells the AFR he spends around $50,000 on his health every year, which equates to around two-thirds of the average Australian salary.

Morning routines really have evolved. Especially for those with the time and money.

As for the evolution of business meeting locations, I’m not convinced ice baths and saunas are the way forward for bringing together more diverse ideas and people.

This article was first published by Women’s Agenda.