Health Update: Health Update: From social saunas to run clubs, why working out together gets better results – What Experts Say– What Experts Say.
It’s safe to say that the pursuit of wellness is no longer a solitary one. The sauna has quickly become a social spot. Run clubs are booming. And fitness classes, once designed as a solo effort, are now centred around forging connection. And with data pointing to its power for boosting performance, health and longevity, it’s easy to see why.
“Social wellness is growing because people crave community alongside their health journey,”explains Jenya Di Pierro, founder of Cloud Twelve, a wellness centre and club in Notting Hill. “Working out or practising mindfulness together transforms your wellbeing from a solo task into a shared experience that supports motivation, consistency and emotional balance.”
I can certainly attest to this. I would once run three to four times a week: not for the enjoyment of it, but out of sheer competition with myself. Fast forward to today and my weeknights often involve spin sessions with friends followed by dinner, power walks with my neighbour and, most recently, a ‘social sauna’ birthday party. It’s not a coincidence that so many of us are leaning into this; in an increasingly digital-first world, we are looking for new ways to forge connection beyond our screens.
There’s compelling research to support this. Experts use the term ‘collective effervescence’, a concept coined by Émile Durkheim, to describe the spark of synchrony that occurs when humans engage in a shared ritual. It can increase the frequency (just think of moving to the beat in a spin class) and even improve the length and efficacy of our workouts.
I’ve often scrolled past Instagram videos from Dr Mark Hyman, a leader in functional medicine, who has extolled the benefits of community, advocating for harnessing social activities as an antidote to the loneliness epidemic. His perspective is rooted in the concept of our ‘social genome’: the idea that health behaviours can be contagious, and that you are significantly more likely to reach your health goals if your social circle shares them.
Dr Rangan Chatterjee, author of The 4 Pillar Plan – in which he shares his advice for living a longer, healthier life – offers a similar theory, sharing how social and ‘3D’ connection (face-to-face connection) are as vital to our health as diet or sleep. He argues that when we run or sweat with others, we signal safety to our nervous system, shifting the body from a sympathetic fight-or-flight to rest-and-digest mode to help lower stress.
“From a naturopathic perspective, social connection has profound effects on both body and mind,” Di Pierro adds. “Engaging in wellness activities with others can lower cortisol, boost mood-enhancing endorphins and improve emotional resilience. When we connect with others while focusing on our wellbeing, we reinforce healthy habits, feel supported, and nurture our mental and emotional health alongside our physical health.”
The ‘social sauna’ is the perfect example. “Saunas were never meant to be solitary. The solo, self-optimisation-focused version is a modern invention,” points out Clare Walters, a master trainer at Third Space, a collection of luxury London health clubs. “If we look at Finland, which has a rich sauna culture, it’s very much geared around community and connection. Further back, ancient Roman bathhouses were loud, social, performative spaces.” According to a 2026 study by the British Sauna Society, shared sauna rituals can significantly boost wellbeing and lower cortisol levels.
“As life has shifted into more of a work-from-home culture, people are craving genuine connection and a sense of belonging,” Walters continues. “Communal contrast therapy inspires camaraderie, a shared experience that builds rapport in a way that other forms of fitness or socialising perhaps don’t. As traditional social spaces disappear, people are looking for connection that doesn’t revolve around alcohol or work,” she adds.
Wellness activities based on connection are now cropping up everywhere as a result. At Cloud Twelve, Di Pierro’s Wellness After Dark events combine mindful movement and social interaction. “This allows members to connect, recharge and prioritise their health in a joyful, communal way,” she explains. Wellness raves, transformational breathwork sessions and group cold-water immersions are all tapping into the same principle. And the research backs it up: moving together, especially to a beat, changes your body’s chemistry and increases feelings of joy.
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Run clubs have also taken on an entirely new meaning, fuelled by the rise of running dating events and women’s sports leagues, including padel, which has seen searches soar by 2,000 per cent. “It’s a sport built around connection,” shares Amy Hall of Serve Padel. “It reflects a much wider shift towards community-led movement, where people are prioritising experiences that feel social and enjoyable. We’re seeing more women drawn to community-led fitness because it feels inherently more inclusive and less intimidating,” she adds.
Instead of tracking, pushing and performing in isolation, working out is finally fun again.