Latest news with #WildSauna
Western Telegraph
11-05-2025
- Western Telegraph
Sea and Steam sauna Saundersfoot makes Sunday Times top 20
Sea and Steam mobile sauna in Saundersfoot has been listed in a list of the UK's 20 best wild saunas, published this weekend in the Sunday Times. The Sunday Times highlights Sea and Steam as being 'one of the few saunas in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park to have a permanent site', and praises its 'large viewing window providing beautiful views of the sea' as well as its commitment to sustainability. (Image: Sea and Steam) The list drew from Emma O'Kelly new book Wild Sauna which showcases more than 200 saunas from across the UK. Sea and Steam supports local biodiversity projects in Saundersfoot Harbour. The sauna's lighting is solar powered and it uses locally sourced wood, with the ash being put to good use in the nearby community sensory garden. (Image: Sea and Steam) Sea and Steam, situated on the promenade above Saundersfoot Beach, opened last year and was set up by local friends Bryony and Kerry. The pair both live in Saundersfoot and are passionate about connecting people with nature and the health benefits of a sauna. By day, Bryony works with schools across Pembrokeshire taking children into the outdoors. Kerry is a mum of two, who has worked as a chef on super yachts and recognises that small details can make a big difference. The pair met at a wellbeing event and the spark of an idea that became Sea and Steam was ignited. (Image: Sea and Steam) 'We are delighted and shocked to have made the list,' said Bryony. 'I can't quite believe our little sauna in Saundersfoot has made the top 20. 'The sauna brings people together and seeing how much people enjoy and feel the benefits mentally and physically from the heat and blue therapy is massively rewarding. Sea and Steam offers a 25 or 50 minute session for up to six people to try a sauna, soak up the heat, embrace the benefits, all while connecting with nature and enjoying the view. (Image: Sea and Steam) 'We are both very proud of what we have achieved since opening in July 2024,' said Bryony. 'We appreciate the support of locals and visitors. 'As locals living in the village and having swum in the sea here for years it's amazing to now have a sauna business here to complement that and to share this experience with so many other people. 'Little did we think our little sauna by the sea would have such lasting effects and end up in The Times.' To find out more, visit linked above, or search seaandsteam on Facebook.
Scotsman
11-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- Scotsman
Discover Scotland's top seven wild saunas
As saunas pop up on beaches, riverbanks, hilltops and woodland clearings across Scotland, the writer of a new guide to the phenomenon chooses seven of her favourite locations Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... What is a wild sauna? Let's start by saying what it's not. A wild sauna is not tucked away in a forgotten corner of a gym – dark, smelly and claustrophobic. It's not an add-on to a costly spa, where guests in fluffy robes and disposable slippers sip prosecco. It's not a space where bathers with gadgets track their heart rates. Many wild saunas perch – sometimes literally – on Britain's untamed fringes; they battle unpredictable elements to offer a healthy hit of outdoors and an exhilarating blast of hot and cold – with the latter coming from sea, lake, river, ice bath or outdoor shower. West Coast Wellness's wild sauna on Loch Fyne, Argyll and Bute | Rosie Barge Often honed out of horseboxes or trailers, wild saunas are novel sanctuaries where you can while away an hour, semi-naked and sweaty, watching nature perform in glorious Technicolour. The wild sauna 'movement' (we can call it that now that there are more than 200 and counting such saunas around the UK), takes most of its cues from Nordic bathing cultures, from Finland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, where sauna is a way of life, and steam, or löyly, the nations' lifeblood. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad At the helm is a new generation of pioneering 'saunapreneurs' who stoke wood-burning fires in all weathers in order to deliver a dose of health and happiness to others. These trailblazers cite studies that show how sauna reduces cardiovascular diseases, eases pain, boosts immunity and improves our mental health. They know that persuading bewildered authorities and undynamic councils to offer affordable 'wild wellness' for all is a form of quiet activism. It may also be the future for our nation's ailing health. I visited tons of saunas for my new book. On every trip, from Ayrshire to Argyll, no sooner had I boarded the train home, than another sauna opened behind me. I met a rich tapestry of bathers – women in wetsuits, teenagers, triathletes, recovering addicts, young, old, newbies and veterans. All of them told me how sauna helps them manage loneliness, pain, anxiety, depression; how they've made new friends, found new communities, grown less awkward in their bodies and learned to embrace the long, dark British winter. Wild Sauna by Emma O'Kelly, a guide to the UK's best outdoor saunas is published by Wild Things Publishing | Wild Things Publishing I hope this list will tempt you to try a wild sauna or two. When it does, the fire will draw you in, the warmth will feed your soul and the heat will wrap its arms round you like a long-lost friend. THE GREEN GODDESS WILD SAUNA, ARRAN The Green Goddess Wild Water Sauna, a converted vintage truck that operates from Drumadoon Farm Estate, at Blackwaterfoot Beach, Arran | Dave Bennett What better way to enjoy the Isle of Arran than through the steamy windows of a vintage truck converted into a sauna, especially when beaches, streams and natural pools offer cold dips in such abundance? One such location, Blackwaterfoot Beach, has direct access to the clean waters of Drumadoon Bay, and both the bay and the sauna truck belong to the 640-acre Drumadoon Farm Estate. The sauna moves around the estate as part of Drumadoon's travelling spa, a new concept that includes whiskey barrel cold plunges and Swedish Hikki hot tubs, a chill-out tipi with a fire pit, changing tents, outdoor showers and a composting loo. WEST COAST WELLNESS, ARGYLL & BUTE Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad West Coast Wellness's wild sauna on Loch Fyne, Argyll and Bute | Rosie Barge The renaissance of Evanachan Farm reads like a fairy tale. When all four Barge siblings came back to the family home on Loch Fyne during the Covid-19 pandemic, they swam in the loch and dreamed of how they could move back to Scotland and make successful lives on a much-downsized sheep and dairy farm. Pooling their skills – among them are a doctor, an architect, a caterer, a brewer, a boat builder, a fish farmer, a yoga teacher and a nonagenarian grandmother - West Coast Wellness was born, offering yoga, wild swimming, hill walking, nourishing food and community. The Lochside Sauna was a natural addition, built from reclaimed timber from the 350-acre estate. SALTBOX SAUNA, OUTER HEBRIDES Travelling between Lewis, Harris and Uig, Saltbox is currently the only wood-fired sauna in the Outer Hebrides. | Immerse Hebrides Travelling between Lewis, Harris and Uig, Saltbox is currently the only wood-fired sauna in the Outer Hebrides. It's the brainchild of Norma MacLeod, an STA Open Water Coach and ex-competitive swimmer based in Stornoway who co-founded Immerse Hebrides, which runs retreats, swim tours and boat trips around the islands and knows their most scenic spots. Servicing them with a mobile sauna was a natural next step. Now there's a permanent sauna, with space for ten, offering rituals and ceremonies at Bayble Beach on Lewis, with plans for saltboxes on other islands too. ARISAIG SAUNA, INVERNESS-SHIRE The view from Arisaig Sauna | James Gillies James and Rebecca opened Arisaig Sauna in 2024 and it has quickly become known for its intense heat, regularly reaching 90-100°C. Surrounded by trees and crystal-clear waters, guests enjoy stunning views of the Skerries, Eigg, and Rum, along with a signature coffee scrub; made with locally sourced grinds this is a by-product of the collaboration with Glenfinnan Coffee Co, started by James and his brother Iain. A tarp hanging from two trees constitutes a changing area, there's a suspended watering can shower and a saltwater and seaweed bath. And the sea. It's tricky getting in at low tide (rock shoes are a must), but at high tide it's perfect for an exhilarating ʻdook'. HOT TOTTIE SAUNA, ARGYLL & BUTE The Hot Tottie van at Luss, Loch Lomond. | Theodora Van Duin Full disclosure: a 'hot tottie' in Glaswegian is a hot jacket potato, and there's nothing untoward about Kieran Izzett and Conlan Nimmo's sauna on the shore of Loch Lomond. Located at Luss, on a private estate, it offers spectacular views across the loch to Ben Lomond while an adjacent river is great for a cold dip. The boys are cold-water swimmers, and they get plenty of Glaswegians stopping by along with locals and swimming groups from Luss. Their idea? To replicate the old bath-house tradition where people meet up, in a beautiful setting for modern times. NOWHERE SAUNA, PERTHSHIRE Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Nowhere Sauna, beside the Mill Pond at Comrie Croft, Perthshire | Seth Tinsley There's a secret activism in the sauna community against the go, go, go mentality – and Lauren Gentry and Susanna Macintyre, founders of Nowhere Sauna, encourage it. 'There's a pressure point in society, and the awareness of wellness is a response to where we are at,' says Susanna. 'There's a need to stop, a need for space for a different flow.' With their partners, they built a six-seater horsebox sauna and placed it beside the Mill Pond at Comrie Croft. This 231-acre farm near Crieff offers accommodation, home-grown food and drink, and activities and relaxation in the great outdoors. Nowhere Sauna draws a creative crowd of parents, artists, musicians and freelance workers who all want to connect with something bigger than themselves. SOUL WATER SAUNA, EDINBURGH Soul Water Sauna has wild saunas at Portobello and Granton in Edinburgh. | Marc Miller When she moved to Edinburgh, Kirsty Carver launched a 'time bank' and built a community that would exchange time and skills instead of money. Many of this community came with her when she opened Soul Water Sauna on Portobello Beach in 2022. It's still there, and such is its popularity that Kirsty opened a second, bigger Soul Water Wild Spa at the other end of Edinburgh in Granton in 2024. Here, one sauna named Big Bear holds up to 18 people and its sibling Little Bear holds up to eight. There are showers, changing rooms, cold plunges made from beer stills, a beach and windswept views of the Firth of Forth plus a range of sessions based on traditional sauna rituals. Beside it is The Pitt, a not-for-profit community-facing outfit that brings together a food market, coffee shops, bars and a music and events space.
Scotsman
10-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- Scotsman
Discover Scotland's top seven wild saunas
West Coast Wellness's wild sauna on Loch Fyne, Argyll and Bute | Rosie Barge As saunas pop up on beaches, riverbanks, hilltops and woodland clearings across Scotland, the writer of a new guide to the phenomenon chooses seven of her favourite locations Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... What is a wild sauna? Let's start by saying what it's not. A wild sauna is not tucked away in a forgotten corner of a gym – dark, smelly and claustrophobic. It's not an add-on to a costly spa, where guests in fluffy robes and disposable slippers sip prosecco. It's not a space where bathers with gadgets track their heart rates. Many wild saunas perch – sometimes literally – on Britain's untamed fringes; they battle unpredictable elements to offer a healthy hit of outdoors and an exhilarating blast of hot and cold – with the latter coming from sea, lake, river, ice bath or outdoor shower. West Coast Wellness's wild sauna on Loch Fyne, Argyll and Bute | Rosie Barge Often honed out of horseboxes or trailers, wild saunas are novel sanctuaries where you can while away an hour, semi-naked and sweaty, watching nature perform in glorious Technicolour. The wild sauna 'movement' (we can call it that now that there are more than 200 and counting such saunas around the UK), takes most of its cues from Nordic bathing cultures, from Finland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, where sauna is a way of life, and steam, or löyly, the nations' lifeblood. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad At the helm is a new generation of pioneering 'saunapreneurs' who stoke wood-burning fires in all weathers in order to deliver a dose of health and happiness to others. These trailblazers cite studies that show how sauna reduces cardiovascular diseases, eases pain, boosts immunity and improves our mental health. They know that persuading bewildered authorities and undynamic councils to offer affordable 'wild wellness' for all is a form of quiet activism. It may also be the future for our nation's ailing health. I visited tons of saunas for my new book. On every trip, from Ayrshire to Argyll, no sooner had I boarded the train home, than another sauna opened behind me. I met a rich tapestry of bathers – women in wetsuits, teenagers, triathletes, recovering addicts, young, old, newbies and veterans. All of them told me how sauna helps them manage loneliness, pain, anxiety, depression; how they've made new friends, found new communities, grown less awkward in their bodies and learned to embrace the long, dark British winter. Wild Sauna by Emma O'Kelly, a guide to the UK's best outdoor saunas is published by Wild Things Publishing | Wild Things Publishing I hope this list will tempt you to try a wild sauna or two. When it does, the fire will draw you in, the warmth will feed your soul and the heat will wrap its arms round you like a long-lost friend. THE GREEN GODDESS WILD SAUNA, ARRAN The Green Goddess Wild Water Sauna, a converted vintage truck that operates from Drumadoon Farm Estate, at Blackwaterfoot Beach, Arran | Dave Bennett What better way to enjoy the Isle of Arran than through the steamy windows of a vintage truck converted into a sauna, especially when beaches, streams and natural pools offer cold dips in such abundance? One such location, Blackwaterfoot Beach, has direct access to the clean waters of Drumadoon Bay, and both the bay and the sauna truck belong to the 640-acre Drumadoon Farm Estate. The sauna moves around the estate as part of Drumadoon's travelling spa, a new concept that includes whiskey barrel cold plunges and Swedish Hikki hot tubs, a chill-out tipi with a fire pit, changing tents, outdoor showers and a composting loo. WEST COAST WELLNESS, ARGYLL & BUTE Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad West Coast Wellness's wild sauna on Loch Fyne, Argyll and Bute | Rosie Barge The renaissance of Evanachan Farm reads like a fairy tale. When all four Barge siblings came back to the family home on Loch Fyne during the Covid-19 pandemic, they swam in the loch and dreamed of how they could move back to Scotland and make successful lives on a much-downsized sheep and dairy farm. Pooling their skills – among them are a doctor, an architect, a caterer, a brewer, a boat builder, a fish farmer, a yoga teacher and a nonagenarian grandmother - West Coast Wellness was born, offering yoga, wild swimming, hill walking, nourishing food and community. The Lochside Sauna was a natural addition, built from reclaimed timber from the 350-acre estate. SALTBOX SAUNA, OUTER HEBRIDES Travelling between Lewis, Harris and Uig, Saltbox is currently the only wood-fired sauna in the Outer Hebrides. | Immerse Hebrides Travelling between Lewis, Harris and Uig, Saltbox is currently the only wood-fired sauna in the Outer Hebrides. It's the brainchild of Norma MacLeod, an STA Open Water Coach and ex-competitive swimmer based in Stornoway who co-founded Immerse Hebrides, which runs retreats, swim tours and boat trips around the islands and knows their most scenic spots. Servicing them with a mobile sauna was a natural next step. Now there's a permanent sauna, with space for ten, offering rituals and ceremonies at Bayble Beach on Lewis, with plans for saltboxes on other islands too. ARISAIG SAUNA, INVERNESS-SHIRE The view from Arisaig Sauna | James Gillies James and Rebecca opened Arisaig Sauna in 2024 and it has quickly become known for its intense heat, regularly reaching 90-100°C. Surrounded by trees and crystal-clear waters, guests enjoy stunning views of the Skerries, Eigg, and Rum, along with a signature coffee scrub; made with locally sourced grinds this is a by-product of the collaboration with Glenfinnan Coffee Co, started by James and his brother Iain. A tarp hanging from two trees constitutes a changing area, there's a suspended watering can shower and a saltwater and seaweed bath. And the sea. It's tricky getting in at low tide (rock shoes are a must), but at high tide it's perfect for an exhilarating ʻdook'. HOT TOTTIE SAUNA, ARGYLL & BUTE The Hot Tottie van at Luss, Loch Lomond. | Theodora Van Duin Full disclosure: a 'hot tottie' in Glaswegian is a hot jacket potato, and there's nothing untoward about Kieran Izzett and Conlan Nimmo's sauna on the shore of Loch Lomond. Located at Luss, on a private estate, it offers spectacular views across the loch to Ben Lomond while an adjacent river is great for a cold dip. The boys are cold-water swimmers, and they get plenty of Glaswegians stopping by along with locals and swimming groups from Luss. Their idea? To replicate the old bath-house tradition where people meet up, in a beautiful setting for modern times. NOWHERE SAUNA, PERTHSHIRE Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Nowhere Sauna, beside the Mill Pond at Comrie Croft, Perthshire | Seth Tinsley There's a secret activism in the sauna community against the go, go, go mentality – and Lauren Gentry and Susanna Macintyre, founders of Nowhere Sauna, encourage it. 'There's a pressure point in society, and the awareness of wellness is a response to where we are at,' says Susanna. 'There's a need to stop, a need for space for a different flow.' With their partners, they built a six-seater horsebox sauna and placed it beside the Mill Pond at Comrie Croft. This 231-acre farm near Crieff offers accommodation, home-grown food and drink, and activities and relaxation in the great outdoors. Nowhere Sauna draws a creative crowd of parents, artists, musicians and freelance workers who all want to connect with something bigger than themselves. SOUL WATER SAUNA, EDINBURGH Soul Water Sauna has wild saunas at Portobello and Granton in Edinburgh. | Marc Miller When she moved to Edinburgh, Kirsty Carver launched a 'time bank' and built a community that would exchange time and skills instead of money. Many of this community came with her when she opened Soul Water Sauna on Portobello Beach in 2022. It's still there, and such is its popularity that Kirsty opened a second, bigger Soul Water Wild Spa at the other end of Edinburgh in Granton in 2024. Here, one sauna named Big Bear holds up to 18 people and its sibling Little Bear holds up to eight. There are showers, changing rooms, cold plunges made from beer stills, a beach and windswept views of the Firth of Forth plus a range of sessions based on traditional sauna rituals. Beside it is The Pitt, a not-for-profit community-facing outfit that brings together a food market, coffee shops, bars and a music and events space.
Daily Mail
02-05-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Pictured: The UK's best outdoor saunas - including a naked steam room where even the photographer had to strip off
Saunas have become a huge trend in the UK in recent years – with more and more opening all the time. In 2023, there were 45 public saunas around the country - in the Finnish style, with wooden walls, hot stones and cold plunge pools. But, by the time journalist and sauna enthusiast Emma O'Kelly had finished writing her new book, Wild Sauna, in February 2025, there were 189 dotted around the country. 'It just shows how quickly saunas have boomed!' Emma says in an exclusive interview with MailOnline. Emma travelled the length and breadth of the country, visiting repurposed horseboxes on windswept beaches and bespoke saunas nestled in ancient forests, detailing them all for her new coffee table book, out now. She even visited naked saunas and took part in a female-only 'textile-optional session' in Surrey. 'Saunas are all really different,' she says. 'They're like coffee shops. You think they're all going to be the same, but each one has its own atmosphere, and its own kind of feeling.' Here, Emma talks MailOnline through some of the UK's best, along with stunning photos from Wild Sauna, available to buy now … SLOMO SAUNA: Slomo saunas pop up all over the island at different times, but a floating sauna, handcrafted by Ben Revill of Rooftop Saunas in Hackney sits on a lake at holiday retreat, Tapnell Farm, along with two Nordic saunas and an ice tank THE WILDWOOD SPA, MAWGAN PORTH, CORNWALL: Crafted by one of the UK sauna scene's pioneering companies, Cornish spa owner and builder, Kernow Springs, the five-metre diameter space hosts up to 35 people for social gatherings, rituals and next-level steam adventures, and is run by the team behind Water & Stone THE WILDWOOD SPA: Tucked away in a secluded glade amongst the mixed woodlands of The Park Cornwall, a few minutes' walk from Mawgan Porth beach and a five-minute drive from Cornwall Airport Newquay, The Wildwood Spa also offers individuals and groups an outdoor pool, traditional copper, tin and brass ice baths, wood-fired hot tubs, a fire pit, drench bucket and outdoor hot showers STEAMY WONDERS, TRENARREN, CORNWALL: This bespoke sauna was created by designer Sam Ludgate and founder and host Jez Tozer, who also took this hilarious photo after persuaded all his sauna bathers to strip off for the book. Guests can wander through the three acres of private gardens and woodlands in between rounds and enjoy the stunning sea views from the sauna veranda POOL BRIDGE FARM, YORK, YORKSHIRE: For years, the lakes at Pool Bridge Farm were one of the best fisheries in the north of England. Today, these 137 acres of rewilded land outside York are one of the country's best wild swimming spots. Facebook group The Pool Bridge Farm Swimmers has more than 11,000 members, and to service them, discreetly situated around one of the four lakes, are four saunas WILD SCOTTISH SAUNA, ST ANDREWS, FIFE: In 2023, Jamie Craig Gentles and Jayne McGhie opened Wild Scottish Sauna on the stunning Kingsbarns Beach in St Andrews. This stunning two-mile stretch of coast is part of the Cambo Estate and features sand dunes, rocky outcrops and waves that are gentle (for the North Sea) WILD SCOTTISH SAUNA, CUPAR, FIFE: A second sauna with the same Scandi- influenced design followed at Eden Springs County Park in Cupar, where cold dips are serviced by a jetty and a loch BRAW, INVERKIP, RENFREWSHIRE: Tommy Ryan-Roche got into sauna when he started training for an ultra-marathon three years ago. He bought a barrel sauna from Latvia and christened it Braw, meaning 'fantastic' in Scottish slang. Tommy and Braw are now a firm weekend fixture at Lunderston Bay – the closest sandy beach to Glasgow and a popular spot for families KILN SAUNA, CORNWALL: Kiln sauna occupies a picturesque corner of Gyllyngvase beach (Gylly to locals), one of Falmouth's white sand, crystal-blue water jewels (left). Kiln was first launched at Kiln Quay, Flushing (right), and a second sauna has recently opened up there KILN SAUNA, FALMOUTH: Gylly is a tranquil swimming spot at sunrise, and a gathering place by night – as such, Kiln caters to a mixed crowd of all ages Wild Sauna: The Best Outdoor Saunas in Britain is available to buy now (£18.99, Wild Things Publishing)
