It’s a short walk from the Bristol-Bath cycle path
Estel is a Content Editor for Bristol Live. She joined Bristol Live in December 2019 after working at WalesOnline. She was a finalist at the 2019’s Regional Press Awards as well as the 2019’s and 2020’s Wales Media Awards. Born in Barcelona, Estel loves the countryside, yoga and a good bath.
The sauna only opened very recently
Being one of those people driving Bristol’s sauna boom, I was very excited when my friend said yet another one had opened – this time, in an industrial area of Fishponds in East Bristol.
Wild Sauna, described as ‘a sauna sanctuary for locals, by locals‘, opened at Filwood House last month, just a short walk from JD Gym and the Bristol and Bath Cycle/Railway Path. Despite living nearby, I had never been to that area of Fishponds but was not that surprised when my friend told me the spot had been earmarked for 2,000 new homes.
Reminding me of Bristol Community Sauna at St Anne’s House, in South Bristol, the Wild Sauna is by a rather old-looking block housing some businesses. Located in the car park itself, I am loving people’s creativity on where there could be a sauna – in Bristol, we have one by an ‘abandoned’ seal pool and another within some community gardens in East Bristol, for example.
Care has been taken to transform the spot – surrounded by greenery and bamboo canes – and you easily forget where you are. Despite not having been open long, the sauna was busy when we attended a mid-week evening; there were about six of us which felt about right for the size of the space.
There are also a couple of cold plunges and showers, as well as some lounge chairs to relax in. As usual in most saunas, conversation sparked between us after a while.
“A sauna in Fishponds – I never thought I would see the day”, said one man, which resulted in an interesting conversation on gentrification in the area.
There was also talk about restaurant recommendations – a recurring theme it appears, this being the second time I have been asked for them while in a sauna in the city. As a local journalist who loves to eat out, I am always more than happy to bombard people with suggestions of the city’s best restaurants.
We spent about an hour in the sauna, leaving with a much clearer head and feeling much more relaxed than we arrived. At £10, the Wild Sauna offers an affordable way to go to a sauna in Bristol.
I am so happy Bristol is finally developing a sauna culture and we no longer have to pay for overpriced spa days in order to be able to get into a ridiculously hot room. Long may it continue.