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River Thames
Yes you can actually swim in the Thames now, and no not in the section that runs through central London. A spot on the Thames between Kingston and Ham has become first official bathing site on the river as part of a plan by the government to increase the number of official bathing sites in England to 464. Pollution has affected the Thames for decades, with the river even being declared biologically dead in the 1950s, so this designation represents a “vast transformation” in water quality.
Sea Lanes, the team behind Brighton’s National Open Water Swimming Centre, is behind a 50m natural water floating lido in Canary Wharf. The six-lane, 50m natural water lido floats within Eden Dock, benefitting from its EU-rated “Excellent” water quality. Open 364 days a year for all levels of swimming competencies, the lido is designed to act as a stepping stone between pool and open water swimming. Alongside it, there are two saunas powered by 100% renewable energy, a community clubhouse with fitness classes and events, plus food, drink and courtyard seating – making this the perfect year-round swim and wellbeing destination.
The Banya No.1 website promises “something entirely different”, and honestly, we’ll give them that – it’s definitely different. Banyas are designed to make you sweat properly, mixing dry heat and steam to push your body into a deep sweat and flush out waste products and tended by a banya master – topless, naturally. Other treatments include parenie – rhythmic waving and gentle tapping with hot, fragrant branches inside a superheated room, followed by a bracing cold-water plunge – and mud masks. It might sound crazy, but Banya No.1 has developed a dedicated fanbase, including Kate Moss, Renée Zellweger and Justin Bieber, whose go-to order from the on-site restaurant is 150g of garlic bread sticks.
SOAK is a floating sauna and cold plunge set aboard a canal boat that cruises through the city, moving between Haggerston, Hoxton, Angel, King’s Cross, Paddington, and Little Venice every two weeks. Bluebell is a restored 56-foot vessel with a wood-fired sauna, two stainless steel cold plunge pools, shower, a bar (where you can get a custom hydration drink made by A Bar With Shapes For a Name) and a rear deck space, with room for twelve people and sessions running at 75 minutes. It’s also completely off-grid, with canal water filtered, purified and treated on board to be served to guests.
Set inside a Grade II-listed former bank opposite Buckingham Palace, The Bath House – Banya London combines old-building grandeur and oak-lined heat with enough polish to feel more Belgravia than brutalist sweatbox. The whole thing revolves around the hot-cold-hit-repeat rhythm. You sweat it out in the banya, plunge into icy water, then head to your table in the restaurant for Eastern European fare, from plates of pickles to bowls of dumplings, alongside healthy house-made juices or ice-cold shots of voddy. The signature treatment here is parenie, where a banshik works with bundles of soaked oak, birch and eucalyptus leaves to push heat and fragrant steam across your body in a way that’s part massage, part ritual. Come for the heat therapy, stay for the food, and leave wondering why every spa doesn’t involve beating around (with) the bush and carb loading in between.
Sauna Mamas was founded by two friends whose love of sweat bathing is their strongest connection. With this East London bathhouse, they’re on a mission to help you have the best sweat possible. It’s the perfect place to pause, relax and take a moment for yourself, or if you’re looking for something more social, the Vyner Street Sessions on Friday and Saturday evenings bring album listening parties and DJ sets to the sanctum of a sauna.
Sweat it out by the water at Sweheat Sauna, the outdoor sauna experience at Western Beach in Royal Victoria Dock. The family-run biz has an inclusive and nurturing approach to sauna, working with emerging and established practitioners, artists and creatives. As well as the wood-fired saunas and cold plunge (which can also be booked for private experiences), Sweheat curates a cultural programme featuring events like storytelling, Aufguss, full moon rituals, women’s bath nights and more.
If you don’t mind sharing your sauna with a lot of other people, then Arc might be the one for you. The Canary Wharf wellness club boasts the largest sauna in the UK, with capacity to run contrast therapy classes for up to 50 people. You can partake in your own self-guided sessions or you can opt for one of the different classes, like Dopamine Reset, Happiness Hack, Breathe and Ground, and Morning Warrior. And if you wanna swap the club for the cold plunge, you can do that at Arc too with After Dark sauna parties.
This non-profit organisation runs outdoor saunas and cold plunges in Hackney, Stratford, Peckham, Camberwell and Walthamstow with the aim being to make saunas more accessible and affordable. Off-peak entry is £9.50 and peak entry is £16.50, with each site having a number of different communal saunas and cold baths. Community Sauna Baths also runs a regular programme of events, including sound baths, trans nights and aromatherapy experiences.
Sauna & Plunge in Shoreditch describes itself as a “social wellness experience” where you can improve your wellbeing through heat exposure, cold exposure and breathwork. The studio looks the part too with both steam and infrared saunas, 3D printed plunge pools made with eco recycled materials and a boutique coffee lounge.
Get a sweat on and enjoy cracking views over London at Rooftop Saunas on top of Netil House in London Fields and |nternational House in Brixton. The saunas here are for private use only (you can book up to groups of 4) and also include use of the cold plunge pools and waterfall buckets. There are three session lengths available – 30 mins, 60 mins or 90 mins – so you can pop in if you want a quick refresh or stay for a more in-depth sauna experience featuring essential oils and skincare botanicals, hot showers and private cool down rooms.
Sauna Social Club in Peckham runs four different types of sauna sessions across the week, so it’s a great place for newbies or to try out different sauna experiences. You can move at your own pace with the quicker Essential or longer Social sessions; make a night of it with the Ambient sessions, where DJs provide the soundtrack; or focus on wellness with the Wellbeing sessions, which include activities like meditation, breathwork, yoga and deep listening.
Revitalise Urban Spa
One of the newest saunas on the scene, Revitalise Urban Spa in Hackney is home to both traditional Lithuanian and high-spec infrared saunas as well as copper ice baths. As well as different types of sessions, including upbeat gatherings with music and more serene morning experiences, Revitalise hosts a number of wellness workshops such as Aufguss rituals (where essential oils and heat are circulated in the sauna with fans) and breathwork.
High-tech infrared saunas are the name of the game over at Sweat Lounge in Chiswick. Unlike traditional saunas, which heat the air around you, infrared saunas heat your body directly so you can experience a more detoxifying sweat from these sessions. You can hit the IR saunas for a solo sweat or combine the sauna experience with added red light therapy for an even bigger wellbeing boost.
If you’re after a retro night out, head to the bingo. Buzz Bingo Tooting has all the games you could possibly want, with sessions running across the day, all week long. What really sets this place apart though is the building – it’s housed inside a Grade I-listed 1930s Art Deco former cinema, that looks almost like a cathedral inside. You won’t find many more stunning places for your sweet sixteens and dancing queens.
Photo credit: @floristo
Step back in time by going for a dance at the Rivoli Ballroom, which you’ll have seen before even if you’ve not visited yet – it’s been used a location for films like The Avengers and Legend, and music videos from Tina Turner and Elton John. The South London venue is one London’s last remaining 1950s-style ballrooms, complete with original interior and exterior fittings, and a sprung maple dance floor. If you’re looking to boogie, there are regular Northern Soul, reggae, disco and rare groove events running.
The interior and exterior fittings have remained the same, creating an authentic 1950’s and 1960’s vintage look. Which is why it is used as a TV and film location for huge productions such as BBC’s Stictly Come Dancing, The Muppets and The Avengers, the movie. As well as Legend featuring Tom Hardy, Legend.
We also have hosted music videos and gigs such as Florence and the Machine, White Stripes, The Kings of Leon, Damon Albarn and Noel Gallaghers High Flying Birds.
Obvs you come to a library to borrow books or to work, or even for a coffee (yes this library has its own baristas) but the other main draw of Kensington Central Library is the architecture. The exterior is English renaissance but the interior is a mid-century dream (it was opened in 1960 after all).
Photo credit: Wheree
Known as the Tricycle Theatre from 1980 until it was renovated and re-opened under its new name in 2018, the Kiln Theatre is a real reflection of Kilburn and its diversity. Home to a 292-seat theatre, a 291-seat cinema and two rehearsal spaces, plus a bar and restaurant, Kiln is space that welcomes the whole community, nurtures talent and removes barriers to world-class theatre, both in therms who gets to make it and who gets to see it. It’s produced plays by the likes of Lolita Chakrabarti, Colman Domingo, Florian Zeller, Zadie Smith, Alexi Kaye Campbell and Abi Morgan.
