Community Sauna Baths
Real Sauna. Radical Access.
Editor’s Take
Hackney Wick has the best setting. Peckham draws the liveliest crowd. Check the aufguss schedule and book those sessions specifically — they are the heart of the experience. Dress warmly for outdoor areas between rounds. Budget-friendly and proud of it. Proof that good wellness doesn't require deep pockets. Appointment required — no walk-ins. Plan ahead, especially for popular time slots.
About
Community Sauna Baths is arguably the most important wellness project in the UK right now. Operating as a Community Interest Company — meaning profits go back into the mission, not shareholders — it runs outdoor wood-fired saunas and cold plunges across five London sites: Camberwell, Hackney Wick, Peckham, Stratford, and Walthamstow. Each location is deliberately placed in a community that traditional wellness brands overlook. The experience is stripped back to the essentials: proper wood-fired heat, genuinely cold plunges, open sky above, and the company of your neighbours. Regular aufguss ceremonies bring the crowd together — a sauna master pours essential oils over the coals, works the towel, and orchestrates a communal heat experience that turns strangers into something closer to friends. The settings vary from canal-side in Hackney Wick to park-adjacent in Walthamstow, each with its own character. The NHS social prescribing partnership is what raises this from a nice idea to a genuine public health intervention. GPs can refer patients to Community Sauna Baths as part of their treatment for loneliness, anxiety, and depression — acknowledging what Nordic countries have known for centuries: communal heat and cold is medicine. At a time when London is plagued by isolation and wellness is increasingly the preserve of the wealthy, Community Sauna Baths is a radical, necessary corrective.
Treatments & Services
Signature: Aufguss ceremony with essential oils
Highlights
- ✓5 locations across London
- ✓Community Interest Company — not-for-profit
- ✓Outdoor wood-fired saunas
- ✓NHS social prescribing partner
- ✓Aufguss ceremonies and community events
Best For
Everyone — that is literally the point. Locals, NHS referral patients, sauna newcomers, experienced bathers, and anyone who believes wellness should not require a postcode lottery
Contact & Info
Address
Camberwell, Hackney Wick, Peckham, Stratford, Walthamstow
Website
www.communitysaunabaths.comHours
Varies by location — check website for each site
Languages
English
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