Londoners have quietly developed a serious sauna habit. What began as coastal pop-ups and horse-box conversions has matured into a full-blown city wellness scene — Scandinavian-style bathhouses, communal contrast therapy classes, even a sauna on a moving canal boat — and Condé Nast Traveller UK has rounded up the 11 best spots to sweat out the stress of city life.
The most novel entry is Soak Bathhouse, an off-grid wood-fired sauna aboard a repurposed canal boat that changes moorings every fortnight, with planned stops including Little Venice, Paddington, King's Cross and Hoxton. Expect custom-built ice baths ringed in mint-green tiles, complimentary tea and towels, and a tiny bar pouring Lucky Saint and a bespoke SOAK Sour mocktail.
In Walthamstow, Arvo (Australian slang for afternoon) offers two Finnish saunas — one social, one silent — plus three ice baths set at 10°C, 7°C and 5°C. Small classes cap at eight people, and the house running club finishes every 5k with a muscle-soothing sauna stint. Over in East Dulwich, Oru Space has added a nine-person infrared-and-traditional sauna to its co-working and café complex; sessions include men's, women's, queer and silent slots, with a staff member ringing a bell when your time is up. The open-air shower hits a bracing 3°C.
Newcomer Lowlu — the phonetic spelling of the Finnish word löyly, meaning steam — launched this year in Wandsworth and Kentish Town, the latter built on a former carpark with five spruce-and-alder saunas and six barrel plunges, designed by Finnish architect Sami Rintala. In Peckham, the Sauna Social Club pairs sauna heat and ice baths with a listening lounge, meditation sessions and live DJ sets on Friday and Saturday nights.
For something more theatrical, Arc in Canary Wharf is the UK's first 'social wellness club', inspired by founder Alanna Kit's Ukrainian banya heritage. Guided classes alternate sauna rounds with eight stainless-steel ice baths, layered with breathwork, poetry and sandalwood-scented Aufguss rituals — while after-dark sessions add DJ soundtracks. Central options include Rebase Recovery in Marylebone, with infrared saunas at 70-80°C and traditional ones at 85-95°C alongside cryotherapy and breathwork, and Sauna & Plunge in Shoreditch, whose plunge pools were 3D printed from recycled materials.
Rounding out the list: Sweat Lounge in Chiswick for infrared pods, Rooftop Saunas with east London views from Hackney's Netil Corner (a Brixton site opened in 2025), and the gloriously ramshackle Hackney Community Saunas, with its fire pit garden, silent sauna and women-only and trans sessions.
Why it matters: sauna-going is no longer a gym afterthought — it's become a social pastime and a genuine reason to explore a new neighbourhood. Health-wise, regular heat-and-cold therapy is linked to muscle recovery, better circulation and lower cortisol over time. Whether you want solitude, community or a party in a towel, there's now a London sauna to match.
