By Kampala has embraced the sauna lifestyle with an almost religious devotion. Every week, a new steam room pops up in a corner of the city behind arcades, inside shopping malls, in makeshift structures, and in lavish spas. What was once a niche wellness service has become a booming, unregulated empire.
But behind the clouds of steam and the talk of “detoxing,” a darker truth has settled over the city: many of these saunas have quietly transformed into breeding grounds for prostitution, infidelity, and moral decay. And while we loudly celebrate the supposed health benefits, we whisper if at all about the families falling apart because of what really happens behind those fogged-up doors.
It is time we stop pretending.
The modern Kampala sauna is no longer simply a health facility. In too many places, it has become the new night club, the new hookup spot, the new hideout for cheating couples, and the latest battlefield for marriages on the brink.
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Anyone who frequents the city’s saunas knows the pattern. Mixed-gender steam rooms where bodies brush too closely. Dark corners where attendants turn a blind eye. Rooms that stay open past midnight. Whispered arrangements. Secret rendezvous. A growing number of so-called “special sessions” that have nothing to do with wellness.
This is not moral panic it is the uncomfortable reality. “okwetega kufuuse Okwetega”
Women and men alike admit, privately, that they go “for more than sweating.” Married individuals slip off their wedding rings. Relationships have ended because partners found receipts, messages, or unexpected sauna hours. Some establishments are openly known as brothels disguised in herbal steam.
Yes, saunas can offer stress relief, muscle relaxation, and better sleep. But for many, they have become the new front line of temptation. Partners suspect one another. Families argue about late-night steam sessions. Trust erodes. And behind the advertisements of eucalyptus steam and “Swedish detox,” there is an open secret that many operators exploit: they know what some clients are really looking for.
In a city struggling with unemployment, some young women have turned saunas into their new workplace “OKWETEGA”, offering services far beyond sauna packages. Some male attendants are part of the same trade. It is a problem we tiptoe around, yet it is happening in broad daylight.
The absence of regulation has created a dangerous free-for-all. No health oversight. No operational standards. No monitoring of mixed-gender policies. No accountability for what happens inside cubicles and backrooms. Kampala’s sauna boom is profit-driven, not wellness-driven.
Our society cannot keep pretending this is just “relaxation.” It is shaping behaviour, eroding values, and destabilising marriages. And yet, because it is wrapped in the language of “self-care,” people are more comfortable admitting they go to a sauna than to a nightclub.
If Kampala’s sauna culture is to exist, it must be confronted honestly. Regulation is overdue. Hygiene standards are only the beginning moral and ethical standards matter too. The Ministry of Health, KCCA, and local leaders must face the uncomfortable truth: unchecked sauna operations are quietly feeding prostitution, normalising infidelity, and tearing families apart.
We can enjoy wellness without destroying homes. But first, we must admit what these steam-filled rooms have become.
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