London's Best Social Saunas For A Winter Sesh

Bobbing Along #11

New look Bobbing Along who dis?

Our post-rebrand era is off to a flyer so a big thank you to everyone who's given it the thumbs up. Has all felt very smooth & natural (which was, in fact, the plan).

I've been sauna-ing a lot recently and realised I've got a thing or two to say about London's burgeoning social sauna scene (+ a few reccos). If fun for you means chatting away while fighting for your life in 90°C heat then read on...

The Best & Most Social Saunas In London

As with most things my approach to saunas is pretty simple. I want the vibes to be good, I want there to be freezing cold plunges and, most importantly, I want to chat.

For me sauna is less a wellness activity and more a social one (although socialising does = wellness of course). Like our social swim club I've found saunas to be a brilliantly disarming place to meet new people and strike up the most random conversations.

There are a few saunas in London which do this very well, starting with the obvious...

Community Sauna Baths (@communitysaunabaths)

A couple of pics from our social sauna eves at the Community Sauna Baths. Join our social swim club if you'd like to come along to the next one.

Community Sauna Baths' Hackney Wick loco is hands down my favourite sauna in London. I've been about a million times now (+ held several of our social sauna eves there) and there's a reason why.

Yes the saunas are great and yes the plunges are cold af, but the real magic is in the vibe. It's like entering a fairy-lit bohemian grove where everyone has left the London stress & aggro at the door and is just there for a good time. They also do 1.5hr sauna sessions which for me is perfecto.

Post-sauna sesh you can retire to the lounge in The Bath House to carry on the chats with a tea (or something stronger). There's usually some kind of social event going on which you can get involved with if you so fancy.

CSB now have saunas all over London with the same vibe & quality as Hackney Wick. 10/10 couldn't recommend more.

Sauna Social Club (@sauna_socialclub)

The hint's in the name with this one. Sauna Social Club down in Peckham is another really unique spot, combining sound & music with sauna to create a pretty vibey social space.

Their saunas & plunges are excellent but for me the main event is the cosy lounge area where you can chill before and after your session. Proper lounge room vibes which really sets the tone when you walk in.

They've got two saunas — one downstairs with an in-built sound system for silent listening, and one upstairs for chatting & meeting new peeps. Perfect for whatever kind of mood you're in.

After your sauna sesh I would highly recommend wandering down to BAR D4100 for a pizza (& red wine). It's pretty noice.

DRIP Sauna (@drip.sauna)

Location, location, location.

DRIP Sauna is pretty idyllic, situated on the River Thames right next to Battersea Power Station with views all the way down to The City. Three wooden saunas, three 4°C ice baths, one happy boi (me).

They've been on a bit of a tear recently with a bunch of social events and collabs — INCLUDING, I'm pleased to say, our Crimbo Sauna Sesh tomorrow night (Wed, 10 Dec) with @coldclubuk.

Might be some tix left here if you want to come (/ check out the link in our bio if you are seeing this on socials).

The Cabin Sauna (@thecabinsauna)

The new kid on the block. The Cabin Sauna recently opened up on Clapham Common, turning the mini water park on the Common into a sauna haven. I sadly missed their launch event a couple of weekends ago, but have heard v good things from peeps who were there.

I'm a big fan of finding ways to use spaces that fall into disuse over the winter months, so this one gets a big thumbs up from me. Will be visiting soon.

Upcoming Social Swims & Side Quests

Our COLD HARD FUN winter swim campaign is rumbling along with a bunch of peeps having already completed their stamp cards with 4x swim stamps. Very high IQ to have secured the early stamps because it's only going to get harder from here...

Our last social swim of 2025 is on Sunday, 14 December @ the West Reservoir (kicking off from 10:30am as per usual). Then we'll be off until the second weekend of January (+ plenty of side quests in the works for the start of 2026 (TBA soon)).

As always, if you'd like to get involved with our social swim club just drop us a DM on socials @swim_peeps (or click here) and I'll add you into our swim club group chat.

That's all for now, see you sauna peeps tomo.

Sax