Demand for baths, saunas, and spa services has surged across Russia as visitors turn to thermal complexes to manage emotional stress, market research firm NF Group reported. NF Group is a prominent real estate consultancy and market research firm tracking commercial property and leisure services. The shift marks a global transformation of bathhouse culture, turning conservative traditions into a modern lifestyle trend extending from wild saunas in Britain to steam rooms in the United States that are increasingly replacing traditional bars. In Russia, where traditional bathhouse culture known as the banya has deep historical roots, 70 percent of citizens now visit steam facilities regularly, while nationwide demand for spa services jumped 37 percent over the past year.
Interest in spa procedures across Russia jumped by 37 percent year-on-year in 2025, while demand for baths and saunas rose by 24 percent. These figures mark a record expansion for the sector, which historically recorded annual growth rates of no more than 15 to 20 percent. Meanwhile, attendance at thermal complexes grew by 8 percent over the same period, according to calculations published by NF Group.
Analysts attribute much of the growing fascination with bathhouse practices to a widespread effort to reduce personal stress. A survey conducted by the Public Opinion Foundation, a Russian polling organization known as FOM, showed that anxiety among Russians rose by 7 percent by early July 2026, reaching 55 percent. Researchers noted that emotional states are being influenced by multiple factors, including everyday household concerns, inflation, and global news coverage.
Ekaterina Sergeeva, a psychotherapist and neurologist, explained that people currently exist in a space where old maps of the terrain have stopped working while new ones have not yet been created. Under such conditions, she noted that the human brain attempts to protect itself by predicting the future, but a lack of factual information causes it to imagine catastrophic scenarios instead. This process leads to accumulated physical tension and elevated cortisol levels.
Sergeeva highlighted bodily sensation as a key mechanism for relieving mental overload. She stated that steam, heat, and temperature contrast procedures shift a person's focus back to contact with their own body, grounding them, lowering anxiety, and activating the parasympathetic nervous system to place the body into a state of rest and recovery.
Data from Avito, one of Russia's largest classified advertising and service platforms, indicates that 70 percent of Russians regularly visit baths and saunas. Among regular visitors, 40 percent attend several times a month, while 18 percent go on a weekly basis. Young people between the ages of 18 and 34 have emerged as the most active demographic segment in the wellness market.
Youth Trends and Social Connection
The popularity of steam rooms among younger generations is closely tied to healthy lifestyle choices, often referred to as ZOZH. Members of Generation Z focus heavily on both physical and mental well-being by avoiding overwork, engaging in regular exercise, and refraining from alcohol consumption. Visiting thermal complexes fits directly into this concept of mindful self-care.
Behavioral patterns differ between Generation Z and Millennials. Younger visitors prefer attending complexes in large groups to celebrate birthdays and socialise with friends. Conversely, Millennials seek quiet and solitude to restore their energy, using bathhouses as a refuge from work calls, project deadlines, and professional pressure.
Anna Kovaleva, co-founder of the content bureau Storm, began visiting bathhouses regularly three years ago at the age of 31, around the same time her female friends and acquaintances adopted the habit. She shared that the practice became a core part of her routine because someone can enter a bathhouse exhausted after a demanding workday and leave feeling relaxed and refreshed.
Sergeeva noted that young people acutely need structured rituals in a chaotic world, where the clear sequence of a bath session (steam room, swimming pool, rest, and tea) provides order and predictability. Furthermore, steam rooms are functioning as social glue in an era of isolation. In the United States, young adults aged 20 to 30 are increasingly choosing steam rooms over bars and pubs. Tired of forced conversations on dating applications, visitors find it easier to engage in light small talk with strangers in an unforced atmosphere, as extreme temperature contrasts act similarly to alcohol by reducing social anxiety and making people more friendly.
Sergeeva observed that while people in bars or restaurants often sit next to each other staring at their mobile phones, a steam room fosters an atmosphere of trust and openness where everyone is equal, allowing conversations to become genuine and personal.
Ksenia Kasyanova, vice president for strategy and new business at the communications agency CROS, noted that visible changes in visitor habits began in 2020 as Generation Z and Millennials entered the market, driving up average spending while the alcohol-heavy culture of the 1990s faded away. However, she emphasized that the foundation was laid in the 2010s when major industry players began systematically popularizing bathhouse leisure.
Kasyanova highlighted that the surge in interest reflects a long-term transformation requiring substantial investment and effort from facility operators. Restaurant operators introduced dining concepts aligned with current trends, while growing interest in Russian cultural heritage further boosted the sector. This evolution created a market niche offering a defined product encompassing steaming, self-care, socialization, and attractive design. Between 2015 and 2025, the number of modern thermal complexes in Russia expanded from just 1 to 63 facilities.
Pricing Models and Facility Formats
Thermal complexes differ from traditional bathhouses by offering a wider array of activities, including pine and citrus inhalations in hammams, heated pools, and mineral baths. While thermal complexes target families and visitors aged 20 to 40, traditional baths attract a broader demographic spanning all age groups.
The volume-weighted average price for a one-hour visit to a thermal complex increased by 14.4 percent in 2025 to reach 755 rubles, following sharper annual increases of 22.4 to 22.7 percent in 2023 and 2024. As of January, unlimited time passes averaged 2,800 rubles on weekdays and 3,400 rubles on weekends.
Vitaly Doroshenko, a bath expert and co-founder of the Forest complex, stated that operators of traditional baths do not view thermal complexes as direct competitors. He described thermal complexes as mass-market family leisure venues where total privacy is difficult to achieve, whereas traditional baths offer a deeper level of immersion based on a specific philosophy and culture of conscious rebooting.
At famous bathhouses in Moscow, a three-hour admission session starts at 4,500 rubles, with specialized rituals like four-hands steaming or therapeutic washing requiring additional payments that can exceed the base ticket price multiple times over. This pricing structure is evident at historic venues such as the Sandunovsky Baths, a Moscow architectural monument featuring halls in baroque, rococo, and renaissance styles, alongside a swimming pool designed as an ancient portico with marble columns and a glass dome. Historically, the venue was frequented by figures including Alexander Pushkin, Vladimir Mayakovsky, Fyodor Chaliapin, and Sergei Eisenstein. Across the broader market, prices averaged 3,400 rubles during the peak late-season period, representing an increase over 2024 figures.
Investment Expansion and Business Strategy
Commercial data from the research portal Kontur.Focus reveals that the total number of bath, massage, and spa establishments in Russia grew by 10.4 percent in a single year, rising from 19,900 facilities in March 2025 to 22,000 in March 2026.
Moscow led the expansion with 592 new wellness establishments opened over the past year, followed by Moscow Region with 433 and St. Petersburg with 217. Krasnodar Krai, also known as Kuban, registered 190 new venues, while the Republic of Bashkortostan added 186. Doroshenko observed that prominent entrepreneurs who previously focused on launching restaurants are now investing in large-scale bathhouse developments.
Doroshenko stated that initial capital investments for a bathhouse business start at 20 million rubles, with flagship and large thermal projects requiring hundreds of millions. Capital requirements depend on facility format (public, commercial, or family) and service class (economy to premium). He noted that an ideal payback period is three years, while five years represents a standard operational timeframe, adding that projects failing to achieve profitability within five years suffer from flaws in their business model.
Kasyanova stressed that long-term success requires operators to adapt external strategies by focusing on the customer journey from digital advertising to guest reviews. She added that as the market undergoes differentiation, businesses must establish unique brand identities, expand service offerings, and build customer retention strategies.
Global Trends in Cold Exposure and Biohacking
Internationally, steam rooms paired with cold plunge tubs have gained widespread popularity. In the United Kingdom, mobile wooden wild saunas installed near natural bodies of water allow visitors to experience sharp temperature contrasts. A young financier who regularly visits authentic steam rooms told Bloomberg that arriving at work proud after immersing himself in an ice tub felt far better than arriving disheveled with a hangover.
Contrast procedures have also aligned with the biohacking movement popular among investors and technology professionals in Silicon Valley, California, who seek methods to slow physical aging and enhance bodily performance. Following a presentation in Silicon Valley by Dutch extreme athlete Wim Hof, corporate executives began alternating hot saunas with ice baths. Technology workers report that extreme temperature changes mobilize cognitive resources and foster creativity during brainstorming sessions, a practice frequently highlighted by American podcast host Joe Rogan.
Operators are keeping admission affordable by building simple structures in low-cost locations. For example, Community Sauna Baths opened its first location in the backyard of a former public bathhouse in Hackney, East London, converting trailers and wooden huts into cozy steam rooms where peak-season tickets cost 17 pounds (about 23 dollars), alongside discounts for unemployed visitors.
Data from the British Sauna Society shows that the number of steam rooms in the United Kingdom grew from 540 to 640 during the early months of 2026. Industry analysts predict the UK could become Europe's largest sauna market by 2033, surpassing Finland and Germany. Meanwhile, wellness operator Therme Group raised an additional 1.2 billion dollars to construct new facilities across Europe and develop venues in the US cities of Dallas and Washington.
