About the International Sauna Association

The International Sauna Association (ISA) is an association of national and regional sauna societies, organizations and individual members. It was originally founded in 1958 with its office based in Germany. After 20 years of limited activity, the ISA was revived in 1977 in Helsinki, Finland, where the central office resides.

The founding members of the ISA were sauna associations from Austria, Germany, Finland and Japan. These four countries maintain continuous membership to this day. Over time, the ISA has expanded to include 20 other national members, comprising the major sauna-using countries globally. Since its re-establishment, the presidency of the ISA has been held by representatives from Finland.

The ISA and its member associations share the mission of promoting the sauna internationally, uniting supporters of sauna culture across different countries. This goal aligns with the ISA’s acceptance of the Definition of Sauna ratified in Aachen, Germany in 1999. The organization also advocates for scientific study of the sauna from perspectives including social history, folklore, medicine and technology. The ISA holds a special commitment to compiling and archiving the findings of sauna-related academic literature and writings.