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Sweathouses in Ireland: saunas made of stone
Walking in Ireland, you sometimes come across small stone buildings with a tiny door. They are sweathouses – in Irish teach allais. More than 300 are known.
Updated: September 2026 · independent guide, sources linked
Like the Irish sweathouses by the stream, your garden sauna is best placed where you can cool off easily. Tips on location, water and foundation in our guide.
Location & foundation guide →At a glance
| Region | Ireland, especially County Leitrim (over 100) |
|---|---|
| Number | over 300: 258 recorded in the Republic of Ireland, 44 in Northern Ireland |
| Construction | drystone, some with lime mortar; single chamber, corbelled roof with smoke hole |
| Door | low and narrow to keep the heat in |
| Use | mainly against rheumatism and other ailments |
Construction
Sweathouses are mostly built using the drystone technique, some with lime mortar. They have a round, oval or roughly rectangular plan, a single chamber and usually a corbelled roof with an opening for the smoke. The door is low and narrow to keep the heat in.
They often stand beside streams or rivers – so people could step into cold water after sweating.
What they were used for
Sweathouses were mainly used for healing: against rheumatism, but according to tradition also against fever, sciatica, lumbago, sore eyes, gout and influenza. We report this as historical tradition, not as medical advice.
History at a glance
- OriginsUnclear: it is debated whether Roman missionaries or the Vikings brought the tradition to Ireland.
- 1796The French traveller Chevalier de Latocnaye gives the first recorded description of an Irish sweathouse.
- TodayMore than 300 sweathouses are recorded, most of them in County Leitrim.
Parallels
The alternation of heat and cold water links the Irish sweathouses to the Finnish sauna and the lakeside sauna cabin. For your garden this means: when choosing the location, plan how you'll cool off – shower, cold plunge or water connection.
Like the Irish sweathouses by the stream, your garden sauna is best placed where you can cool off easily. Tips on location, water and foundation in our guide.
Location & foundation guide →More sauna types: Finnish sauna · Smoke sauna · Wood-fired sauna · Electric sauna · Barrel sauna · Sauna cabin · Infrared sauna · Bio sauna · Steam room · Kelo sauna · Kota sauna · Mobile sauna
Sweat baths of other cultures: Banya (Eastern Europe) · Roman baths · Hammam · Sweat lodge (North America) · Temazcal (Mesoamerica) · Qargi (Yup'ik & Inuit) · Steppe nomads (Scythians) · Hanjeungmak (Korea) · Mushiburo (Japan)
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