A Shift in 'Drinking Communication' Culture!? About half of people in their 20s prefer 'sauna' over drinking parties. Over 60% of people in their 20s and 30s say 'sauna has a positive impact on work,' revealing the true feelings of Gen Z, such as 'flat conversations regardless of position or age.'

TAMADIC Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo / Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture) has been promoting a workplace environment that supports the mental and physical health of its employees since 2017 by establishing the "TAMADIC Health Declaration" and considering necessary measures to understand and address employee health issues. Against the backdrop of a new office operating from 2026 with the concept of "All for Well Engineer Life*", the "TAMADIC Health Management Research Institute" was established in 2025 as part of its health management efforts to create a better working environment for engineers. As an activity of this institute, a "Survey on Work and Sauna" was conducted targeting 800 company employees aged 20 to 50 nationwide. Our company has introduced office saunas that employees can use as part of its health management measures, such as "LUOVA SAUNA" – an office sauna certified by the Finnish Ambassador to Japan, installed in the "TAMADIC Nagoya Building" completed in November 2021. This time, the TAMADIC Health Management Research Institute conducted a "Survey on Sauna and Work" to investigate the impact of saunas on work and the desire to use office saunas. *In 2021, Pekka Orpana, then Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Finland to Japan, certified it as a hub for office sauna culture. 1. In their 20s, the "Sauna faction" surpasses the "Drinking party/Dinner faction" for internal communication. When asked whether "sauna" or "drinking party/dinner" is more appealing for internal communication, among those who use saunas, 46.9% of people in their 20s preferred saunas, compared to 38.9% who preferred drinking parties/dinners, indicating that the sauna faction surpassed the drinking party/dinner faction. Comments included, "I can speak my true feelings in a relaxed state without the influence of alcohol," and "I can have flat conversations regardless of position or age." 2. Over 60% of people in their 20s and 30s have experienced saunas positively impacting their work. 50.8% of sauna users said that saunas had a positive impact on their work, with over 60% in their 20s (60.5%) and 30s (60.1%). In addition to "improved fatigue and stiff shoulders" and "refreshment after work," comments also included "new ideas came to mind" and "communication was facilitated." 3. Over 60% of people in their 20s want to use office saunas. When asked about their desire to use employee-only office saunas, 49.0% overall and 65.3% of those in their 20s responded "want to use." Over 60% of both men and women in their 20s showed keen interest in office saunas among the younger generation. 1. In their 20s, the "Sauna faction" surpasses the "Drinking party/Dinner faction" for internal communication. When asked, "Which do you feel is a more appealing communication method for deepening relationships with work-related people inside and outside the company, 'drinking parties/dinners' or 'saunas'?", among those who use saunas, 46.9% of people in their 20s preferred "saunas" and 38.9% preferred "drinking parties/dinners," indicating that the "sauna faction" surpassed the "drinking party/dinner faction." Overall, 32.3% were "sauna faction," 46.5% were "drinking party/dinner faction," and 21.1% said "neither," revealing that a certain number of people consider "sauna" as a communication method, not just the traditional "drinking parties/dinners" for internal communication. Especially against the backdrop of "young people moving away from drinking parties," it became clear that younger generations tend to prioritize saunas as a new business communication method replacing drinking parties and dinners. Furthermore, among those who answered that "saunas have had a positive impact on their work," the "sauna faction" exceeded the majority at 56.6%, suggesting that many people, based on their own experience, believe saunas contribute to increased communication and relationship building at work. When asked about the reasons why saunas are appealing as a communication method, common responses included "I can speak my true feelings in a relaxed state without the influence of alcohol" (57.9%) and "I can have flat conversations regardless of position or age" (38.8%), indicating that saunas, where people can converse in a relaxed and flat manner, are sought after as a place for communication. 2. "Saunas positively impact work" - 50.8% overall, 60.5% in their 20s. When asked, "Have you ever felt that saunas had a positive impact on your work?", among sauna users, 50.8% answered "yes." By generation, this was 60.5% in their 20s and 60.1% in their 30s.