Public sauna reinvented in UK with DJs, poetry. ‘The best' for mental health, one fan says
It may be winter and there may be a biting chill in the air, but the dozen men and women who have packed a small sauna room in East London are happily sweating away in their swimwear.
Advertisement
It is more than 90 degrees Celsius (194 degrees Fahrenheit) inside – and it is about to get even hotter.
As ice blocks infused with lavender oil melt over sizzling hot stones, releasing fragrant steam, 'sauna master' Oliver Beryl turns on some ambient music and starts to vigorously wave a towel in a circular motion above his head to spread overpowering waves of dry heat around the room.
'Now try finding someone and sit back to back with them,' Beryl suggests. 'Or, if you want, maintain eye contact with the person sitting next to you.' A brief hesitation, but most gamely oblige for a few minutes.
Visitors enjoy their sauna session at the Community Sauna Baths in Hackney, London. Photo: AP
Sauna bathing has taken London and the rest of the UK by storm, particularly among trendy twenty- and thirtysomethings interested in trying a new pastime that is healthier than nights out in pubs and bars.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
10 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
How to get closer to someone as a friend, partner or family member? Take a walk with them
A friend once remarked, in the aftermath of her husband's death: 'I wish the people who offered to go on a walk with me would.' Perhaps they failed to come good on those offers because they worried they would not know what to say. They need not have worried. Had they joined her in a walk, they would have both enjoyed the health benefits that flow from being active – and may have found that conversation flowed easily, too. A simple way to get closer to someone, or to a group of people, is to go for a walk – or do another physical activity together. Shared experiences help individuals connect on a symbolic level, one expert says. Photo: Shutterstock One study found that walking together strengthens social attachment, so people are more likely to cooperate with one another despite differences between them.
The Standard
04-06-2025
- The Standard
Closure of Singapore-based 1880 social club in HK allegedly leaves members in prepaid pickle
Drug test kits to be introduced in schools next academic year to combat 'space oil' abuse
RTHK
04-06-2025
- RTHK
Million-plus pilgrims to begin hajj under blazing sun
Million-plus pilgrims to begin hajj under blazing sun Muslim worshippers walk at the Grand Mosque complex in the holy city of Mecca, ahead of the annual Hajj pilgrimage. (AFP) More than a million worshippers were set to join Islam's most important rite under a beating sun as the hajj pilgrimage kicked off on Wednesday, with authorities scrambling to avoid last year's 1,000-plus deaths in sweltering heat. In temperatures that are expected to climb to more than 40 degrees Celsius, robed pilgrims will slowly circle the Kaaba, Islam's holiest site, the black cubic structure at the centre of Mecca's Grand Mosque. About 1.4 million pilgrims arrived in Saudi Arabia ahead of the multi-day hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam that must be performed at least once by all Muslims with the means. Authorities have ratcheted up anti-heat measures such as extra shade to avoid a repeat of last year, when 1,301 people died as temperatures hit 51.8C. On Wednesday, pilgrims will perform the tawaf, walking seven times around the Kaaba, which Muslims worldwide pray towards each day. They then head to Mina, the site of a giant tented city, before the hajj's high-point: prayers on Mount Arafat, where the Prophet Mohammed is believed to have delivered his final sermon. Before entering Mecca, pilgrims must first enter a state of purity, called ihram, which requires special dress and behaviour. Men don a seamless shroud-like white garment that emphasises unity among believers, regardless of their social status or nationality. Women, in turn, wear loose dresses, also white, exposing just their faces and hands. Pilgrims arriving on buses were already trickling into Mina on Tuesday afternoon, greeted by staff offering them coffee and dates. "I am so happy, it's such an amazing feeling," said Reem al-Shogre, a 35-year-old Saudi national performing hajj for the first time. Hajj permits are allocated to countries on a quota basis and distributed to individuals by lottery. (AFP)
