Pool Bridge Farm, York
Open-water swimmers will never want to leave Pool Bridge Farm, where there are three mirror-like lakes to paddle in as well as two wood-clad saunas, once old shepherd’s huts now lovingly restored, waiting on their banks. Winter weather needn’t stop the splashy fun, either: swim under the farm’s strings of festoon lights on dark early mornings and frosty winter nights. Bring your tent in warmer weather – there’s a six-acre campsite lined with ancient oak trees on site, great for gazing up at this corner of Yorkshire’s dark skies from your sleeping bag.
Sauna and swim sessions £6. Camping from £35 (poolbridge.co.uk)
Seaside Sauna Haus and Anchor Inn, Dorset
Welcome to Seatown, Dorset. Local fisherman once doubled up as smugglers on this part of the coastline, but now all the action down on the shingle beach is at the Seaside Sauna Haus. Book the sauna for exclusive use, or time your visit to coincide with the full moon to join a night-time sauna party on the beach. The Anchor Inn pub across the road has three airy bedrooms with rolltop baths and views facing back out to the sea.
Sauna £10 per hour, £60 for exclusive use (seasidesaunahaus.co.uk). Stay at the Anchor Inn from £220 per night (theanchorinnseatown.co.uk)
Ty Sawna, Caswell Saunas and Caswell Bay Glamping, Swansea
Go on a sauna safari along the gorse-clad Gower coastline in South Wales to tick off two popular seaside steam spots. Ty Sawna was Wales’s first beach sauna, and this squat wooden barrel is the perfect place to warm up after a dip in bracing Oxwich Bay. Along the coast towards Mumbles, the twin Caswell Saunas perch on the cliffs above their namesake beach, with ice-cold water barrels perfect for practising your breathwork in. Sleep tight after your safari at one of Caswell Bay Glamping’s two bell tents – they’re on the simple side but their location couldn’t be more peaceful, just inland from the coast.
Saunas £15 per hour, £60 for exclusive use. Bell Tents at Caswell Bay Glamping £120 per night (caswellsaunas.org; tysawna.co.uk; campsites.co.uk)
Canopy and Stars Hazel Tree Cabin, Buckinghamshire
Hazel Tree Cabin sits in a dappled, secret woodland next to a chalk stream. It sleeps two and has its own hot tub to soak and stargaze in. Your only neighbours here are a tiny tabernacle and a colourful yurt, and the three properties share use of a wood-fired barrel sauna and cold plunge bath tucked among the trees, the Chiltern hills around you.
Hazel Tree Cabin from £174 per night. Sauna bookable by guests for £25 for one hour (canopyandstars.co.uk)
Glen Dye Cabins, Aberdeenshire
Head north to the edge of the Cairngorm mountains to seek out the River Dye – and the clutch of colourful cottages and cabins dotted around a secluded glen. Nestled among tall, susurrating pines, the tiny River Cabin sleeps two and is stuffed with books, games and other old-fashioned delights. The outside is the best bit, though: a big green barbecue lets you cook up a feast. Next to the cabin is a Scandi-style hot tub and in between bathing sessions you can sizzle in the communal woodfired sauna with a view of waving branches.
River Cabin from £142 per night. Sauna bookable by guests for £30 for three hours (glendyecabinsandcottages.com)
Rewild Swim Club/Rewild Things Treehouses, Cotswolds
Come and join the Rewild Swim Club. Hidden on the edge of the Cotswolds is Madam’s Pond, a deep, spring-fed lake encircled by old oak trees with a gorgeous sauna cabin imported from Denmark sitting on its banks. Cross the fields to stay the night at the Rewild Things Treehouses, the poshest side of glamping. Inside each roomy treetop cabin is a huge bed, a wood stove and a smart bathroom, and their wraparound balconies host outdoor baths for a soak under the stars.
Sauna and swim from £15. Rewild Things Treehouses from £250 per night (rewildswimclub.com; rewildthings.com)
Saunas by the Sea and Highcliffe, Cornwall
Saunas by the Sea’s two smart black saunas, one on Baby Bay in Polzeath and one in Harlyn Bay, Padstow, offer “woodfired wellbeing”. You can bring up to nine friends for a bathe by the briny. Make a week of it and walk back from Baby Bay to Highcliffe, where a clutch of smart holiday homes sleep 6-10 people. These modern retreats are great for active families with free-ranging kids and dogs: yoga, gym classes and tennis are all on-site and north Cornwall’s gorgeous “golden triangle” of Rock, Padstow and Polzeath is on your doorstep.
Saunas £17 per hour, £110 for exclusive use (saunasbythesea.co.uk). Highcliffe from £735 per week for houses sleeping six
(highcliffecornwall.co.uk)
Homewood, Bath
Don’t fancy sharing a sauna? At the pleasingly posh Homewood Hotel near Bath each of the shiny new “spa suites” have their very own barrel sauna and plunge pool outside, so you can create your own sauna ritual without leaving your cosy hideaway (which will also welcome dogs and little ones if you want to bring the whole clan).
Spa suites from £475 per night (homewoodbath.co.uk)
The Wilderness Cabin, Oban, Argyll and Bute
Take a bothy, make it luxe, then spirit it to the shoreline of serene Loch Nell and you’ll have a Wilderness Cabin. These three tiny homes, each sleeping two, are a wild mix of bougie and basic. Expect plush furnishings, fire pits and pizza ovens but off-grid power, an eco loo and a bracing outdoor shower. The shared lochside sauna, bookable by the half day, is just the ticket after a plunge into the cold water of the loch. If you work up an appetite from your swim sessions, a chef can even hike in to cook you a “wild dining” feast over open flames.
Wilderness Cabins from £200 per night (kiphideaways.com)
Wild Water Sauna and Llys Meddyg Hotel, Pembrokeshire
Half the fun of a visit to Wild Water is finding it first. This Scandinavian-designed sauna roams up and down the Pembrokeshire coast, parking up on a brand-new beach each month. A huge picture window frames the ocean, and the brave can pop out for a fresh sea swim between sauna sessions. Warm up after your saltwater immersion at Llys Meddyg Hotel in Newport (the Pembrokeshire coastal town, not the city) where eight rooms get the snug treatment with log burners, huge beds and freestanding baths. The restaurant serves delights from the on-site smokery.
Sauna £15 per hour, £85 for exclusive use (wildwatersauna.com). Stay at Llys Meddyg from £100 (llysmeddyg.com)
