Hot ticket: UK’s first sauna theatre draws swimwear-clad audiences

The 80-seat venue at Edinburgh fringe combines sauna rituals with theatre, music, storytelling ... and sweat

Tucked away behind the Summerhall arts centre is the hottest new venue at the Edinburgh fringe ... quite literally. The Sauna theatre has proved popular among theatregoers at the world's largest performing arts festival, with shows inside its purpose-built, 80-seat sauna drawing sweaty, swimwear-clad crowds.

Visitors may be forgiven for thinking the sauna is a gimmick, especially at the fringe where absurd, experimental and ludicrous performances are not uncommon. This year they include a man drinking his own urine, someone singing the same song over and over, physical feats of exertion and several fully naked shows.