Why this one made the list
Not-for-profit CIC, £8.50 drop-ins, NHS social-prescribing referrals, regular Aufguss/sound bath/queer poetry nights — flagship of London's community-sauna movement. Three saunas + multiple wood/stone plunges 5–12°C.
Practical
- Address
- The Bath House car park, 80 Eastway, Hackney Wick, London, E9 5JH
- Postcode
- E9 5EN
- Cost
- £9.50 off-peak / £11 peak (1 hour)
- First visit
- Read the First Time? page before booking. Bring swimwear, two towels and flip-flops; concession rates available from £5.
- Website
- https://community-sauna.co.uk/locations/hackneywick
What you'd want to know
Open-air sauna village in the car park of The Bath House on Eastway, Hackney Wick — the flagship Community Sauna Baths site. Six cedar-and-pine wood-fired saunas plus one electric, arranged around a central courtyard with timber decking and gravel between. Four cold plunge tubs (whisky-barrel and rectangular) hold water between 3–15°C; an open log brazier burns at the centre on cold evenings. Coat racks and timber benches along the perimeter; a small reception kiosk by the gate. The whole site reads as a working community space: scuffed timber, exposed flues, no luxury polish. The Bath House's brick walls rise on one side; the Lea River and Hackney Marshes lie a short walk beyond.
Overheard
- book the morning drop-in if you can — quieter, cheaper, and the staff have time to actually walk you through the plunge sequence.
- weekend slots fill up well in advance, so don't rock up hoping for a same-day. midweek evenings still have room.
- bring a towel to sit on inside and a sauna hat if you've got one. the hat keeps your ears from cooking.
- the wednesday aufguss nights are the entry point — someone walks you through the cycle, you don't have to know what you're doing.
- the regulars cycle through three or four times and rest by the firepit between. don't try to push the heat on round one.