Open-water swimmers will never want to leave Pool Bridge Farm, with three mirror-like boating lakes and two beautifully restored wooden saunas in former shepherds’ huts right on the shore. Winter weather doesn’t stop people having fun: swim under the farm’s multi-coloured lights on dark mornings and cold winter evenings. In warmer weather, bring your tent – ​​the farm has a six-acre campsite surrounded by ancient oak trees – the perfect spot to watch the dark Yorkshire skies from your sleeping bag. Sauna and swimming lessons £6. Camping from £35 (poolbridge.co.uk)
Welcome to West Town in Dorset. Once a smuggler’s paradise for local fishermen, this part of the coast is now all about the beachside saunas. Book a sauna for private use, or time your visit to coincide with the full moon and join the nightly sauna parties on the beach. Across the road is the Anchor Inn pub, with three spacious bedrooms with clawfoot baths and sea views. The sauna costs £10 an hour, or £60 for private use (seasidesaunahaus.co.uk). Stay at the Anchor Inn from £220 a night (theanchorinnseatown.co.uk)
Take a sauna tour along the gorse-covered Gower Coast in South Wales and visit two popular seaside steam baths. Ty Sawna is Wales’ first beach sauna. This squat wooden barrel is the perfect place to warm up after a dip in cool Oxwich Bay. Further up the coast towards Mumbles, perched on the cliffs above the beach of the same name, are the two Caswell Saunas, complete with buckets of ice water, perfect for breathing exercises. After your trip, you can get a good night’s sleep in one of Caswell Bay Glamping’s two circular tents. Despite their simplicity, they’re in a very quiet location, close to the coast. The saunas cost £15 per hour or £60 for exclusive use. Bell tents from £120 per night at Caswell Bay Glamping (caswellsaunas.org; tysawna.co.uk; campsites.co.uk)
Nestled in a secluded corner of woodland, next to a chalk stream, the Hazel Tree Cabin sleeps two and has its own hot tub for soaking up the sun and stargazing. Your only neighbours are a small tent and a colourful yurt, while three cabins share a wood-fired barrel sauna and cold plunge pool, surrounded by the Chiltern Hills. Hazel Tree Cabin from £174 per night. The sauna can be booked for £25 per hour (canopyandstars.co.uk)
Head north to the edge of the Cairngorms to see the River Daye and the colourful cottages and huts dotted around the secluded valley. The Riverside Cottage is nestled among tall, rustling pine trees and is filled with books, games and other old-fashioned items. The best bits are outside: a Big Green Egg grill lets you cook up a feast, there’s a Nordic-style hot tub outside the cabin, and between dips you can soak up the sun and watch the swaying branches in the communal wood-fired sauna. River Cottage is for guests of Glendaye North House, a 19th-century home that sleeps six. North House has riverside cottages from £385 per night, and guests can book a three-hour sauna for £30 (glendyecabinsandcottages.com)
Join Rewild Swim Club. Hidden away on the edge of the Cotswolds is Madame’s Pond, a deep spring-fed lake surrounded by ancient oak trees and home to a stunning Danish sauna cottage. Stroll through the fields and spend the night in a Rewild Things treehouse, where glamping is at its finest. Each spacious treetop cabin has a double bed, wood-burning stove and sleek en-suite bathroom, while the wraparound balcony has an outdoor bath for soaking under the stars. Sauna and swim from £15. Rewild Things treehouses from £250 per night (rewildswimclub.com; rewildthings.com)
Saunas by the Sea has two exquisite black saunas, one at Baby Bay in Polzeath and one at Harlyn Bay in Padstow, offering ‘wood-fired wellness’. You can invite up to nine friends to the beach for a dip. Spend a week there and walk from Baby Bay to Highcliffe, home to a cluster of elegant holiday homes sleeping between six and 10 people. These modern resorts are ideal for active families with children and dogs running free – there are yoga, fitness and tennis classes on site, and North Cornwall’s beautiful ‘Golden Triangle’ of Rock, Padstow and Polzeath is right on your doorstep. Sauna sessions cost £17 per hour, with exclusive rates starting from £110 (saunasbythesea.co.uk). Prices for six-bed rooms at Highcliffe start from £735 a week (highcliffecornwall.co.uk)
Don’t fancy sharing a sauna? At the luxurious and cosy Homewood Hotel near Bath, each of the brand new ‘spa suites’ comes with its own barrel sauna and outdoor pool, so you can enjoy your own sauna without leaving your cosy sanctuary (dogs and children are also welcome if you fancy taking the whole family along). Spa suites from £475 per night (homewoodbath.co.uk)
Rent a cabin, renovate it and move to the peaceful shores of Lake Nile – and you’ve got yourself a wilderness lodge. The three cabins, each sleeping two, are a mix of luxury and rusticity. They feature luxury furnishings, a fireplace and pizza oven, plus off-grid electricity, eco-toilets and a cool outdoor shower. The communal lakeside sauna can be booked for half a day – perfect for unwinding after a plunge into the icy lake waters. If your swim has worked up an appetite, the chef can even turn up on your doorstep and cook you a ‘picnic’ over an open fire. Wilderness lodges from £200 per night (kiphideaways.com)
Half the fun of visiting Wild Water is finding it in the first place. This Scandinavian-style sauna is dotted around the Pembrokeshire coastline, stopping at a different beach each month. Huge floor-to-ceiling windows offer unobstructed sea views, while the brave can pop out of the sauna for a swim. Warm up after your sea bath at Llys Meddyg in Newport (the coastal town in Pembrokeshire, not the city), where eight cosy rooms feature log-burning stoves, king-size beds and free-standing baths. The restaurant serves gourmet food from its own smokehouse. Sauna use costs £15 an hour, with an exclusive rate of £85 (wildwatersauna.com). Llys Meddyg from £100 (llysmeddyg.com)
This article was last revised on March 13, 2024. As stated in an earlier version, River Cabin does not offer overnight accommodations. Guests are offered the same amenities as Glen Dye’s North Lodge.