by It’s 5pm on a Thursday in the heart of the City and various groups of finance staff and PR executives are celebrating the last day in the office before the weekend. The links are off, the chat is flowing easily and someone has joked about asking ChatGPT to rewrite their Hinge profile.
But there’s no pint on hand or cheese and onion crisps in this post-work hangover. Here at Sauna & Plunge on Shoreditch’s Tabernacle Street, the air is filled with the scent of waxed earthwood, floor-to-ceiling plants line the room and there’s a pair of ultra-chic ice baths in the corner for when the heat gets too much . . Sticky floors and overpriced drinks are out, fluffy white robes are in. Saunas are no longer, it seems, a footnote at the end of a gym session – they’re London’s hottest new hangout.
“People are crying out for ways to gather and socialize,” says Rob Rea, performance coach at Sauna & Plunge who believes saunas are the new pubs, or even golf courses, as Londoners look for new spaces to come. up outside the office. . “I sat in a sauna the other day and heard a business deal being made.”
Sauna & Plunge – an Instagrammable yoga studio (yoga classes are actually available downstairs) just around the corner from Old Street station – isn’t the only new spot attracting a buzzy London crowd looking for a social space with benefits proven health. “Our sauna events include storytelling, sound baths, queer poetry, aromatherapy, breath work, life drawing and singing,” says Grace Church, events manager for Community Sauna Baths, a not-for-profit organization that runs accessible saunas in Bermondsey, Peckham, Hackney Wick and Stratford.
New centers are springing up across the capital, from Barnes to the Docklands. And Hackney recently hosted the UK’s first sauna festival, Saunaverse, for the second year in a row, with hundreds of Londoners alternating between saunas and ice-cold plunge baths, beer in hand, to the soundtrack of bands and DJs (if you happen to be in Hackney Wick at the end of April, you’ll he probably noticed clouds of steam evaporating in the air above the art studios and craft breweries). “What’s interesting is that the sauna in the UK seems to be less about optimizing health and more about enjoyment and social connection,” says Mika Meskanen, chairman and founder of the British Sauna Association. “We would be better off with less social media and more social saunas.”
So why are so many Londoners choosing to strip down and steam themselves like dumplings together? The answer, according to experts, could be more like the pub than you might expect. “With short-term exposure to stress like the high heat in saunas, you can achieve a ‘natural high,'” says neuroscientist Lana Powell. Max Reynard, co-founder of Sauna & Plunge, agrees. “The sauna lowers inhibitions – while driving productivity,” he says. “We’re waking up to the fact that social interaction doesn’t have to happen with a drink in hand. Maybe we didn’t have many good options in the UK for social interaction outside of pubs and restaurants because that’s ingrained in our culture.”
Many converts now swear by the Finnish tradition that they are finding a rare connection in a lonely, often lonely city. “I have really interesting conversations in the sauna that I would never normally have in another context,” says Ella, a regular community sauna user. “I actually feel more confident chatting in the sauna with strangers because everyone is in such a friendly and enthusiastic headspace.”
Chevy Rough, a regular at Sauna & Plunge, agrees. And for him it is the attention aspect that draws him the most. “There’s nothing better than dumping my phone in the locker and going to the sauna,” he says. “It’s often in these moments, as my body comes down through the gears, that I think of ideas and solutions to all the everyday problems I might be trying to escape from.”
The health benefits of saunas are, of course, a big draw. In Nordic countries like Finland, the happiest country in the world for the seventh consecutive year, saunas have become part of their DNA thanks to their proven respiratory, cardiovascular and mood-boosting benefits. “Regular sauna sessions are associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, respiratory conditions, and even mental health disorders,” explains Carlos Urrutigoity, general manager at luxury members’ wellness club, Gray Wolfe. “Sauna use is associated with improved mood, better sleep, and reduced levels of stress markers such as cortisol.”
Here in London, social saunas may not have reached the stage of nudity, but a more innovative, less traditional approach to saunas certainly fosters a new kind of social element. Community Sauna Baths run regular creative sessions such as grief saunas, life drawing classes and social circles for the trans community; Sauna & Plunge offers yoga and breathing classes alongside the infrared saunas and ice bath facilities; and Saunaverse – expected to return next spring – offers everything from gluten-free food trucks to dance workshops and local DJ performances.
“Operators in the UK see saunas more as creative platforms rather than faithful replicas of the original,” says Meskanen. A pint in the sauna may not yet be a London ritual, but it might just be a matter of time. Grab your dress.
London’s hottest social saunas
Community Sauna Baths
With locations across London, this not-for-profit community project puts the social aspect of sauna culture front and centre. Prices are affordable and accessible, so show up and meet like-minded people for a sweaty and lively fun crash.
Price: From £8.50
Locations: Bermondsey, Peckham, Hackney Wick, Stratford
community-sauna.co.uk
Church of Finland
Providing a central point for Finnish expats living in the UK, the Church of Finland offers both public and private sauna sessions. With public sessions costing as little as £10, this is a traditional and accessible way for anyone in London to experience authentic Finnish sauna culture.
Price: From £10
Location: 33 Albion Street, Rotherhithe, SE16 7HZ
britannia.merimieskirkko.fi/en
New Docklands Steam Baths
The sauna experience at New Dugthailte is truly old school. With Russian-style steam baths for an authentic ‘schvitz’ and a cedarwood sauna as well as a cold pool, this is known as “the best steam in London”.
Price: from £23
Location: 30a Stephen Street, Canning Town, E16 4SA
newdocklands.uk
Sauna & Plunge
Sauna & Plunge offers a fully immersive experience with infrared and steam saunas as well as ice plunge pools to complete the hot and cold therapy treatment. Her studio in Shoreditch is modern and stylish, conveniently located just around the corner from Old Street station.
Price: From £30
Location: 124 Tabernacle Street, Shoreditch, EC2A 4SA
sauna and plunge.life
Gray Wolfe
Gray Wolfe’s private members’ club offers a full range of wellness treatments, from Swedish massage and reflexology to wellness mapping and even a hyperbaric oxygen chamber. As part of this, members have unlimited use of their infrared sauna.
Price: Price on inquiry
Location: 71 White Hart Ln, Barnes, SW13 0PP
greywolfe.co.uk
