The rapidly growing sauna culture in the UK is not only offering a space to sweat and relax, but is also becoming a dating hotspot.

Sauna owners across the West of England have said dating in saunas is on the rise - as some head to the heated rooms for first dates, while strangers spark relationships too.

Jake Rocking, who runs a new sauna at Weston Marine Lake in North Somerset, said that "sauna is the new pub".

Other sauna owners are considering speed dating events and say the intimate space helps people connect and open up away from the distractions of phones and alcohol.

"The heat helps people drop their masks and you end up conversing with strangers," Rocking said. "That's why it lends itself to meeting people for the first time.

"I've seen people exchange numbers after meeting in the sauna and come back together.

"The cold contrast therapy feels really good and relaxes you so you are more receptive to being chatty and open," Rocking said.

Adam Merrell, co-founder of Suvi Sauna, who have sites in Easton in Bristol and next to Clevedon Marine Lake, is one of a number of companies exploring speed dating or singles nights in saunas.

"We are still in the process of fleshing out these ideas and finding the best way to make it work - it's definitely a good idea I think," he said.

"In a full sauna though your conversations will be overheard!"

Sauna culture has boomed across the UK, with more than 900 saunas available to the public, from beaches and lakes to rural settings.

Lexy Recurt, who set up Black Swan Sauna near Bradford upon Avon in Wiltshire last year, said the appeal is doing something different, getting away from our phones and being out in nature.

"It's a really unusual and shows a lot about a personality, instead of just meeting for dinner - let's loosen up a bit and see if we click," she said.

She remembers hosting a private first date over the summer.

"I'm not a matchmaker, but I had a feeling they were well-suited. I wanted to know if it developed into something."

She added that she has heard about couples even getting engaged in the sauna.

Kerry O'Neill, who spoke to more than 100 sauna owners her book The Sauna Guide to South West England, said that saunas often create new communities and attract people with shared interests and values.

"In these spaces, where social markers like clothing, style, and brand choices are left at the door, people can relax, shed that skin, and just be themselves," she said.

"This honesty can lead to unexpected friendships, communities, and even romantic relationships forming."

Costas Hadjipateras, who set up Bristol Community Sauna in St Anne's in Bristol, said: "We definitely see a lot of first dates happening with people getting to know each other.

"I have single friends who have met people in the sauna, they might exchange contacts if they get along - that's the respectful way, rather than being pushy," he said.

"It's similar to a pub, it's a third space, low lit with an ambient environment.

"It lowers your inhibition when you're doing an activity together - whether that's sweating or cold plunging."

Neema Abbassi, co-founder of Fire and in Westbury-on-Trym and Almondsbury, said: "It is absolutely a thing, we've had quite a few first dates.

"I know for a fact that relationships have sprung from Fire and Ice."

"People are moving away from pubs on a Friday and Saturday night and going to sauna instead," he said.

He said saunas also offer a more "organic" place to build relationships in the internet era.

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