Best Saunas in London.

London’s sauna scene splits three ways. The not-for-profit community-sauna movement — Community Sauna Baths across Hackney Wick, Peckham, Walthamstow and the Royal Docks — runs wood-fired cabins in car parks and lidos from around £9.50 a session. The traditional banya (Banya No.1 Hoxton) brings venik oak-leaf treatments and parilka rituals with tea between rounds. And the new wave of floating and rooftop saunas (TEMZ on the water, Rooftop Saunas at Netil House and Brixton) has pushed the cabin outdoors.

The community question for a sauna isn’t how hot the cabin runs. It’s whether the heat is shared. A sauna becomes a place you return to when there’s a bench you sit on with the same faces — the shared rhythm of hot cabin, cold plunge, rest, repeat puts strangers on the same bench, and the cooldown is where the talking starts. Spas that sell private slots by the hour skip that. Community saunas, banyas, and guided Aufguss sessions build it in.

Prices range from £9–15 off-peak at community saunas (Community Sauna Baths from £9.50) to £30–60 at banyas and spas with treatments. Floating and rooftop saunas sit around £20–30. Most sell 90-minute or two-hour slots; the community sites are the cheapest way to go weekly.

If you've never been to a sauna in London, start at a community sauna or a banya — they're built for first-timers. Arrive 10 minutes early with a swimsuit and towel. The rhythm is 10–15 minutes in the heat, then a cold plunge or shower, then rest — repeat two or three rounds. Sit on a lower bench first; it's cooler. No need to talk — the cooldown does that on its own.

A swimsuit, a towel, water, and flip-flops are all you need. Leave jewellery and your phone in the locker — the heat is hard on both. Don't buy a membership until you've visited twice to see if the vibe fits. Community saunas are the most forgiving entry point: they run open sessions, Aufguss slots, and have regulars who remember being new.