It’s the latest proof of a ‘community sauna boom’ among Brits right nowFarrington’s is a shopping village on a working farm

Bristol is now no stranger to a sauna, with many of them opening up across the city and the surrounding areas in what has been dubbed a community sauna ‘boom’. One latest opening can be found at Farrington’s Farm in Farrington Gurney, which already boasts a farm shop, cafe, play barn, and fish and chip shop, and which also hosts seasonal events throughout the year.

Following its popular pumpkin picking season, Farrington’s Farm posted a series of images of its brand new sauna venue to its Facebook page, writing: “Welcome to Wild Plunge. Wood-fired saunas and chilled ice baths are now fully in action at Farrington’s Farm, thanks to the Wild Plunge team.

“Friends Harrison, Harry and Charlotte have created a beautiful space to heat up, cool down and hang out. Their saunas and cold plunges are all about contrast – hot and cold, quiet and chatty, solo moments and shared laughs. It’s a place to shake off stress, boost your mood and connect with good people in the great outdoors.

“With glorious views across the surrounding countryside in a peaceful setting, it’s a little haven for anyone to enjoy.”

One hour slots for the experience are available at selected times throughout the day, seven days a week. It costs £12 a session and slots can be booked via the website, here. Photos showed a wooden barrelled-shape sauna in an idyllic woodland setting with fire pits and twinkle lights.

Taking to the comments section, fans and visitors were quick to share their excitement at the news. One wrote: “I went on Wednesday, it’s fantastic, well organised and a lovely way to while away an hour all in a beautiful setting.”

A second said: “What a fab idea… and local”, while a third commented: “Looks gorgeous! Nicely landscaped too!”

This latest sauna opening in the region comes months after BristolLive reported that more people are choosing community saunas over going to the pub these days. There are now well over 100 public saunas in Britain, which usually take on the shape and form of Nordic wooden saunas, and feature amenities such as plunge pools, changing rooms, showers, seating areas, compost toilets and even places to fill up water bottles.

A blog by AJA Botanicals earlier this year read: “Saunas, especially when complemented with cold dips, offer a cardiovascular workout that has been shown to improve circulation. In a comprehensive 26-year study led by Finnish doctor Jari Laukkanen, research tracking 2,000 men revealed that regular sauna users had a 50 per cent lower risk of developing heart and lung conditions, as well as significantly reduced incidences of strokes, pneumonia, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.”

The vice chair of the British Sauna Society Katie Bracher, also spoke about the mental health benefits of a sauna saying: “The beauty of the sauna is in the versatility of the offerings; it’s a great tool for wellbeing. Biohackers are drawn in by the scientific benefits, the stressed by the balancing and endorphin-boosting effects, sports enthusiasts for the recovery and capacity building, spiritual communities for the liminal space that opens up, and everyone likes feeling more embodied, happier and having better sleep.”