18 of the best baths, hammams and saunas in the capital
By Lily-Rose Morris-Zumin and Sidonie Wilson
Published in The Times
https://www.thetimes.com/uk/london/article/best-baths-hammams-and-saunas-london-pd8vkvqdv
etting off steam in London used to mean evenings spent in the pub. Now, with the city’s wellness scene booming, the ritual looks a little different. From marble-clad spaces to hotel spas, these are the best baths, hammams and saunas in the city.
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Whether you’re after a historic setting or something more modern, the city’s hammams offer both. Rooted in Middle Eastern and north African bathing rituals, a hammam involves steam to open the pores, followed by exfoliation and cleansing, which are equal parts relaxing and restorative.
1. Banya No. 1, Chiswick and Hoxton
Based on Slavic banyas, this east and west London offering is an authentic experience with staff members telling you what to do. The sauna is hotter than average, causing you to sweat more. Not one for the faint-hearted, the parenie ritual involves an attendant rhythmically beating one’s legs with a bundle of eucalyptus branches to increase circulation.
With celebrity guests including Kate Moss, Renée Zellweger and Justin Bieber, Banya No 1 is worth checking out. Robes and felt banya hats are provided.
From £50; gobanya.co.uk
2. Porchester Spa, Bayswater
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While this council spa might not win awards for luxury, it is affordable at £30 for entry. Not only that, but Porchester is one of London’s oldest spas. It opened in 1929 and is now a grade II-listed building.
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Much of the original grandeur remains alongside a recently renovated sauna set-up, as well as three Turkish baths — tepidarium (the warm room), caldarium (the hot room) and laconium (the dry room).
From £30; porchesterspatreatments
3. New Docklands Steam Baths, Canning Town
One of the few remaining bathhouses in London, New Docklands is a no-frills affair. It’s BYO towel (or £5 to borrow one), but the lower price point reflects that. It is £27 for a booked slot and £30 for a walk-in session.
There are four Turkish steam rooms at increasing temperatures, a traditional cedarwood sauna, a cold plunge pool and parenie treatment.
From £27; newdocklands
4. Sauna & Plunge, Shoreditch
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Aimed at stressed City workers, this holistic wellness hub offers one-hour sessions (from £30), where Londonders can make use of a Finnish sauna, an infrared sauna and three plunge pools of different temperatures. There are no treatments but it does have a café.
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Bonus for the super-sporty: if you’re running a marathon and can prove it with your confirmation email, you’ll get access to free credits, exclusive discounts and special recovery offers.
From £30; saunaandplunge.life
5. Arc Community, Canary Wharf
This social wellness hub opened in 2025 and is hard to miss. Alanna Kit, the founder, drew on the Ukrainian banya traditions of her heritage when creating what is the UK’s largest sauna.
A session here might take the form of breathwork or something more somatic. Arc also hosts the more upbeat Arc After Dark, a sauna party with a DJ every Thursday, Friday and Saturday. This option could leave your Sunday mornings looking a little more relaxed, revived and hangover-free. One thing’s for sure: there will be towel-whipping (it makes the air hotter).
From £29; arc-community.com
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6. Temz Floating Sauna, Twickenham
Saunas are popping up around the UK’s coastline, but it’s harder to find somewhere on the water in London. Moored on the Thames in Twickenham, Temz offers exactly that: a floating sauna with river views.
Sessions move between hot and cold with the option to plunge straight into the Thames if you’re feeling brave. Otherwise you can cool off on deck. It’s more stripped-back than the city’s hotel spas but that’s the appeal — it’s part-Nordic ritual and part-wild swim, all without leaving the capital.
From £20; temzfloatingsaunas.com
7. The Spa at the Four Seasons, Tower Bridge
Tucked beneath the Four Seasons hotel near Tower Bridge, a traditional hammam ritual begins with a purifying exfoliation followed by a gentle cleanse with orange-infused shower milk. A rose spray then soothes and resets you. A facial cleanse and hair treatment are included in the optional longer session.
For something more indulgent, a couples’ hammam is on offer, which takes place in a private spa — think black soap scrubs, stretching and a body wrap to finish.
From £210; fourseasons.com
8. The Pink Room at Claridge’s Spa, Mayfair
Claridge’s hammam sits at the luxury end of the spa scale, but once you see the rose-petal pink onyx bed it takes place on, you understand why.
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Options in the Pink Room include the Omorovicza Signature treatment, which includes a massage “inspired by the graceful movements of ballet”, and the Signature Hammam, what they call “a modern twist” on the traditional hammam. The spa also offers the Bamboo and Silk treatment that uses warm bamboo sticks for body massage and herbal poultices during a facial.
The treatments begin with steam to open the pores. If you book a 90-minute treatment as a private guest you are granted access to the pool, sauna and steam room for two hours beforehand. A real treat.
From £300; maybourne.com
9. Hammam Spa, East Dulwich
There’s no need to venture into central London for a hamman. The Hammam Spa in East Dulwich has more than enough to offer with six packages ranging from £55–£165. And there’s the added treat of tea or coffee and Turkish delight at the end.
From £55; hammamspa.london
10. Limehouse Library Hotel, Limehouse
Here there are two choices of hammam. Go for the self-use option and you will get two hours to drift between steam, showers and sauna, with everything provided. Or go for the full ritual: 45 minutes on a heated marble slab, where a therapist works through an exfoliating scrub followed by a foam massage that feels equal parts cleansing and collapse-inducing.
From £80; limehousehotel.com/hammam
11. Akasha in the Hotel Café Royal, Piccadilly
The Akasha spa couldn’t be more central. Known for its 18m pool and meditative watsu pool (water shiatsu), if you’re looking for a high-quality break, this one will hit the spot.
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There is also a private hammam clad in Carrara marble, offering a more traditional treatment setting with a focus on well-executed scrubs and therapies. Alongside this, you will find a sauna, a steam room and relaxation areas. You can book in for the day, or try the two-day, one-night programme including a floating sound bath and nutrition workshops exploring gut health.
From £199; hotelcaferoyal.com/wellness
12. The Old Hammam and Spa, Edmonton
The Old Hammam and Spa is a low-key north London spot blending Turkish and Moroccan treatments with modern spa comforts. Expect full-body exfoliation using a kese mitt, followed by either a foam or oil-based massage. There is a heated marble slab surrounded by basins and bowls for rinsing. Founded in 2016, this family-run spa does the job.
From £90; oldhammam.co.uk
13. Aire Ancient Baths, Covent Garden
From the moment you enter, the atmosphere is set, guided by candlelight with the aroma of orange blossom You can enjoy different bath experiences at varying temperatures as well as steam rooms. Steeped in old-school London charm, but equipped with modern toiletries, this is a no-brainer.
From £175; beaire.com
14. Old Kent Road Sauna, Peckham
You can tell from its website that Old Kent Road Sauna is on trend. This spa offers more than just a Finnish-style sauna, with cold plunges and hot showers. The Sauna Supper Social is a £55 session that includes a 90-minute sauna and plunge, plus an eastern European-inspired feast and time to socialise.
For ordinary sauna and cold plunge use, prices start at £11, but if you want to take it a step further, there’s the Aufguss sauna experience where a sauna master leads an immersive ritual blending heat, aroma and music.
From £11; oldkentroadsauna.com
15. Wellness at The Newman Hotel, Fitzrovia
The Newman Hotel has a floor dedicated to holistic wellness with a focus on nurturing body and mind. Treatments range from recovery sessions to “CBD Swedish stillness”.
There is an ice lounge, a halotherapy salt room, designed for salt-infused breathing, and a sauna to help ease muscles and reset. Pair it with a stay upstairs and it easily becomes a full weekend reset.
From £175; thenewman.com/wellness
16. Rebase, Marylebone
Between Bond Street and Baker Street, Rebase positions itself as a hub for recovery. Behind the slick design is a range of services focused on restoration where clinical treatments sit alongside traditional practices.
Infrared saunas are kept at a lower temperature (about 70–80C), designed for longer sessions and a slower, deeper sweat. These can be paired with short ice baths or a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, which increases the amount of oxygen carried in the blood and is used to support recovery from injury.
Cryotherapy, lymphatic drainage and breathwork are available, alongside specialists including chiropractors, osteopaths and reflexologists. If you are looking for the next step beyond the sauna, this is the place.
Prices vary; rebaserecovery.com
17. WellNest, London Bridge
Under the shadow of the Shard, beneath one of the railway arches you will find WellNest: a space created for relaxation, recovery and movement. Spread over two floors, the wellness space brings together contrast therapy, Pilates, a spa, a studio and a café, as well as saunas and cold plunges. Switch between hot and cold to boost energy and mental wellbeing before jumping into the hot tub to finish.
The space is open to members on a monthly basis as well as non-members booking drop-in sessions.
From £28; wellnest.london
18. Sael Spa, Fulham
Sael spa (“sael” is an Old English word that means wellbeing) does exactly what it says on the tin. Billed as west London’s first members’ led spa and wellness club, it positions itself as more than just a place to switch off — it’s geared towards recovery.
At the heart of the experience is the Sael Spa contrast ritual, consisting of a succession of hot and cold immersions designed to regulate the nervous system. Guests move between sauna, cold plunge and heated hammam beds, creating a rhythm that is restorative and invigorating. As well as all this, you will find a 15m heated rooftop infinity pool with a view of the Thames.
Membership from £3,000; saelspa.com