A change of perspective in Porthtowan
17th March 2026
Overlooking the rolling waves of the north Atlantic, the immersive blend of hot and cold therapy at Soul Sweats offers more than wellness…
“I’m German, so I grew up with sauna,” says Soul Sweats co-founder Jana, but there wasn’t a sauna culture by the sea when Jana and her partner Sam used to take their mobile sauna and “park up on beaches all over Cornwall” a decade ago.
Now, the team offer “experiences that blend sauna, cold water immersion, breathwork, yoga, sound healing and community connection” in their clifftop retreat space at the Eco Park and at a beachside sauna in Porthtowan.
“Our work is all about helping people to regulate their nervous systems and connect to themselves, to others and to nature,” says Jana.
“The coastline is rugged around Porthtowan. It’s elemental. It’s wild. We’ve got dramatic cliffs. We’ve got the winter swells coming in”, says Jana. “That’s Porthtowan for me. It’s magical, inspiring.”
FEEL THE IMPACT
The hot and cold contrast of sauna therapy can have an even greater impact during the colder months – sharp relief for tied muscles and minds.
Jana explains, “The sea just feels invigorating. And the contrast between hot sauna and crisp ocean, it’s just even more powerful.
“The beaches are quieter. The air feels a bit clearer. And when the sun does come, the light I think can be incredible.” All together for Jana, Secret Season helps her to feel like “there’s more space mentally and physically.”
SURF AND SAUNA
The excellent surfing conditions around Porthtowan are a big part of what inspired Soul Sweats. Jana and Sam’s appreciation for hot and cold contrast therapies was born from their cold water to sauna experiences.
“It stemmed from a passion of loving sauna after surf and all the holistic therapies that my partner and I practice ourselves”, Jana explains.
Over the past decade “it’s grown into a beautiful community here in of locals and visitors.” And for those seeking connection with nature it’s hard to beat.
“The coastline is rugged around Porthtowan. It’s elemental. It’s wild. We’ve got dramatic cliffs. We’ve got the winter swells coming in”, says Jana. “That’s Porthtowan for me. It’s magical, inspiring.”
“The heat and the cold has always a way of changing perspective. And, without a doubt, you never regret going in the ocean or going in the sauna.”
GLOWING AND GROUNDED
Seeking solace, escape or community, there’s a range of holistic therapies or experiences available at either Soul Sweats locations, booked through their website.
Following the traditional German style, weekly sauna experiences include “meditation in the sauna combined with scent and intention and steam, then followed by either restorative yoga or breathwork and sound.”
Jana and Sam also run a monthly sauna and women’s circle, and a range of retreats, mostly over the weekends, combining heat contrast therapy with their other holistic health offerings.
Their aim is to inspire a sense of calm and confidence in visitors, who are guided by Sam through ice baths, restorative yoga, sound healing and “all of the wonderful things”.
“Seeing people come with dysregulated nervous systems and stressed, not connected to themselves, and then leaving glowing and grounded, energised is definitely the most rewarding thing,” says Jana.
But Soul Sweats “isn’t just about wellness”, Jana adds. “We want people to remember how good it feels to be human in nature, especially when life feels heavy around us.”
Soul Sweats is “a reminder to connect to our beautiful coastline, the sea. The heat and the cold has always a way of changing perspective. And, without a doubt, you never regret going in the ocean or going in the sauna.”
Find your secret reason to be by the sea during Secret Season on Cornwall’s north coast. Stay in Portreath or Porthtowan.
Sauna images by @risen_wild_photography
Ocean images by @atlantic_surf_photography
