Hi, I’m Kelly, founder of Social Sauna Book Club & Chapter 34 Bookshop
I live in Shoreham-By-Sea on the south coast with my family, between Worthing and Brighton, I own a little indie bookshop and event space called Chapter 34, and I have a sauna addiction. Recently I discovered there are lots of people who love to read and love to sauna, people who want a break from screens and noise and to spend time with others that enjoy the stillness of saunas and the joy of a great book. In fact I’ve noticed that lots of sauna conversation is about books, what people have read recently and what they can recommend.
Other things I love, include good coffee, dogs, a pint of Guinness, live music, pickles, camp fires, yoga and time with loved ones.
How on earth did this idea come about? Surely you can’t combine books and saunas?
These are two questions I’m hearing a lot at the moment and I totally understand why. This idea was sparked after I hosted Emma ‘O Kelly with her new book Wild Sauna, at my shop, Chapter 34, back in May 2025. I sold out 2 nights in a row of sauna lovers wanting to hear all about Emma’s adventures around the saunas of the UK and I realised there and then that there is a crossover of people who love to read and people who love to sauna. I have hosted social book clubs before, they are not your average book club, they are more relaxed, a chance to socialise with people you have something in common with, that thing being the book you’ve all been reading in the weeks leading up to the event. Currently we host a Breakfast Book Club Social, same idea, just over breakfast.
And no, you can’t combine books and saunas, I’ve tried, the glue melts, and your eyes sting, so when you book your seat at the Social Sauna Book Club you will be sent the book of the month to your home, ideally you give yourself a few weeks to finish the book but even if you haven’t got time to finish it, it’s no problem. This is a chat, not a structured book club with questions. Simply read the book, arrive at the sauna session you’ve booked and you’ll find a group of people there who have read the book.
Read • Sweat • Chat