The best saunas in London

Found across London, the Community Sauna Baths offer a rejuvenating retreat for anyone seeking relaxation and wellness in a natural, outdoor setting. The not-for-profit organisation combines affordable sauna bathing and cold plunges with modern amenities and a neighbourhood-oriented approach, also hosting regular events, such as sound baths, breathwork, queer poetry, and more, in addition to their regular offering. Hip and popular, they're especially great for anyone looking to soak up the heat in the company of like-minded individuals.

The Skuna pods offer a range of facilities you usually wouldn't find bobbing on the water, including sauna bathing. Their floating, wood-fired sauna pods offer seating for up to six or 16 people, with both private and shared sessions available, accompanied by DJ-curated music. For a more grounded experience, you can also book a session in the modern waterside sauna village in Canary Wharf, complete with rooftop plunge pools.

Pairing soothing steam baths with panoramic views of London, these urban sauna retreats can be found atop buildings in Brixton and Hackney. You can book a 30, 60, or 90-minute session in a private cabin, followed by a plunge into cold water or a brisk outdoor bucket shower. A mini bar with refreshments and complimentary tea and coffee are available as well.

With all due respect to the other Scandi nations, but if there's one country that's synonymous with saunas, it's Finland. A focal point for the Finnish expat community in London, the Finnish Church leans into the stereotype by offering an actual Finnish sauna on its premises, letting you soak up the löyly steam as it rises from the hot rocks. While there, you can learn more about the Nordic country, try Finnish treats like cinnamon buns, or attend a religious service.

Able to fit up to 65 guests at a time, Arc boasts the largest (and very designer) steam room in the country. That's not all that differentiates it, however. Updating the timeless cycle of steam baths and ice water for the 21st century, this modern London sauna has designed a science-based contrast therapy approach that rotates between hot and cold immersion, with related wellness techniques such as aromatherapy or breathwork deployed for added effect.

If you prefer the gentle broiling of infrared light to the all-out assault on the senses of a steam bath, join the SweatLounge. Brought over from the US by a UK tech entrepreneur after she experienced the benefits first-hand, London's flagship infrared light therapy studio promotes an innovative approach to recovery and relaxation. Making biohacking and healing therapy accessible on a daily basis, the boutique studio is fitted with cutting-edge technology and offers both solo and two-person IR sauna pods.

Drawing on traditional Nordic and Eastern European wellness customs, the Banya No. 1 bathhouses are one of the few places in London where you can try parenie – the traditional technique where steam is guided to and around your body with the help of bundles of leafy twigs, helping it reach the areas that need it most. Various other treatments are available here as well, including aroma steams, scrubs, and massages, letting you compile a comprehensive spa day.

Listening bars are all the rage in London these days, so it comes as little surprise that someone crossed that concept with a sauna – and successfully, we might add. Sauna Social Club in Peckham pairs soothing steam with hi-fi sound and a curated DJ line-up, amplifying the calming vibes of a classic steam bath with deep audio immersion. There are communal areas for chatting to people during your session as well, making for a welcome difference to the usual night out.

Based in Marylebone, Rebase adapts classic wellness techniques to the area's high-end clientele. The stylish venue features serene chambers clad in natural materials and lit with soft, moody lighting, all the better to enhance your self-care sessions. In addition to modern advancements such as cryotherapy, Rebase offers different sauna experiences – the traditional steam bath, an infrared sauna, and contrast classes.

Biome at the prestigious Corinthia hotel is widely regarded as one of the top spa experiences in the world. A full range of wellness services is available here, combining traditional practices with contemporary discoveries, all set within luxurious designer interiors. Their sauna is best enjoyed as part of their heat and water circuit, alongside a refreshing swimming pool, brisk ice baths, relaxing hydrotherapy, and other indulgences. If you're only going to go to the sauna once in your life, you should definitely make it this one.