Weekly sauna visits to build offline connections for 19–22-year-olds
Official title: Sauna for Offline Connections and Interactive, Authentic Living
Run by University of California, San Francisco · NCT07223099 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This pilot will test whether attending a 2-hour sauna once a week for eight weeks can help reduce loneliness in 19–22-year-olds by providing a relaxed social setting.
Quick facts
| Study type | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Ages | 19 Years to 25 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 15 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | University of California, San Francisco Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (San Francisco, California) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | April 20, 2026 |
| Main results expected | March 30, 2027 |
| Study ends | March 30, 2027 |
| Registry record updated | August 13, 2026 |
| Trial ID | NCT07223099 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
English-speaking adults aged 19–22 with elevated loneliness who can provide consent and attend weekly in-person sauna visits in San Francisco are ideal candidates.
✕Probably not a fit
People who have heat intolerance, are pregnant or lactating, use nicotine regularly and cannot abstain, already engage in frequent social sauna practices, or cannot attend weekly sessions in San Francisco are unlikely to benefit.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
This is a pilot interventional program that asks emerging adults aged 19–22 to attend a 2-hour sauna session once per week for eight weeks, either alone or with a friend. Participants will complete weekly online surveys and receive text-message contact to track attendance and acceptability. The study focuses on feasibility outcomes: how acceptable the design is to participants and how well they adhere to weekly sauna visits and survey completion. Clinical outcomes such as changes in loneliness are explored in this formative phase to guide larger future trials.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the program could reduce feelings of loneliness and increase social connection for participating emerging adults.
How similar studies have gone: Some research links sauna and other thermal therapies to improved mood and reduced depressive symptoms, but direct trials targeting loneliness in emerging adults are limited and this application is relatively novel.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Aged 19-25 * English-speaking * Able to provide written informed consent * Graduated from high school or high school equivalent * Elevated level of loneliness * Able and willing to receive study text messages * Able to attend weekly in-person sauna visits in San Francisco, CA Exclusion Criteria: * Self-reported heat intolerance * Pregnancy, active lactation, or intention to become pregnant during the study period * Regular use of any nicotine products, including cigarettes, vapes, chewing tobacco, or other forms of nicotine (if use is not regular, must be willing to refrain for 24 hours before and 24 hours after sauna visits) * Current social heat practices 2 or more times per month (e.g., visiting sauna or hot tub facilities with others present) * Unwilling to refrain from using marijuana products and alcohol for the 24 hours before and 24 hours after sauna visits * Unwilling to refrain from heavy exercise on the day of sauna visits * Any medical condition that, in the opinion of investigators, may increase the risk of sauna use or introduce excessive variance into physiological or behavioral responses to sauna visits * Use of any medication that might impact thermoregulatory capacity or that, in the opinion of investigators, would increase risk of study participation or introduce excessive variance into physiological or behavioral responses to sauna visits
Where it's running
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Osher Center for Integrative Health
San Francisco, California, United States Recruiting
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Ashley E Mason, PhD — University of California, San Francisco
- Study coordinator: SOCIAL Study Team
- Email: socialstudy@ucsf.edu
- Phone: 415-514-8445
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How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.