Contrast therapy is sweeping the capital
The Finns have been wise to the benefits of saunas for thousands of years; the ritual is an integral part of Finnish culture and there’s an estimated 3 million saunas in a country that has a population of 5.5 million. There’s even a sauna in the Finnish church in Rotherhithe in London. Now it seems like the rest of the city is catching up.
While saunas are not a new concept in the capital, being a common fixture at many spas and health clubs, steaming in a sauna and cooling off in an ice bath or cold plunge, aka contrast therapy, is booming. Moving between a hot sauna (whether a traditional steam one or an infrared one that uses light to create heat) and a cold bath has a range of health benefits, including improving circulation, reducing inflammation, improving sleep, easing chronic pain, accelerating muscle recovering, sharpening mental focus and lowering stress.
As well as more Londoners optimising their wellbeing by getting into contrast therapy, there’s also been an increase in community saunas in the capital. These communal facilities are designed to be affordable and accessible, making it easy for local communities to enjoy the wellness benefits of saunas, and socialise – even date – at the same time. Saunas are so big that there’s even a Saunaverse festival running in Hackney every March. Ready to get sweaty? Here are London’s best saunas…
Community Sauna Baths
This non-profit organisation runs outdoor saunas and cold plunges in Hackney, Stratford, Peckham & Bermondsey (two more locations are coming in 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.
Arc
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.
Slomo
Slomo, the wellness brand run by DJ and Bestival founder Rob da Bank, operates a couple of permanent sauna, ice bath and cold plunge locations in southern England and is also doing a London pop-up in King’s Cross until the beginning of March. You can sweat it out in a wood-fired Lithuanian saunas, take a dip in the 7-foot ice tank, join in a hot yoga session, enjoy a rejuvenating salt scrub or relax around the fire pit.
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.
Sauna Social Club
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.
Rooftop Saunas
Get a sweat on and enjoy cracking views over east London at Rooftop Saunas on top of Netil House in London Fields. 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 & Plunge
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.
Sweat Lounge
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.
