{"id":671343,"date":"2026-01-03T14:38:15","date_gmt":"2026-01-03T14:38:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/671343\/"},"modified":"2026-01-03T14:38:15","modified_gmt":"2026-01-03T14:38:15","slug":"contrast-therapy-the-best-spots-to-sauna-and-plunge-in-london","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/671343\/","title":{"rendered":"Contrast therapy: the best spots to sauna and plunge in London"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"STYLE\"<\/p>\n

Pre-Covid, twenty-somethings used to go down to the pub<\/a> to unwind after a day of work. Now, they get their social fix by packing into an 80-degree wooden box<\/a> with a load of strangers.<\/p>\n

Sauna<\/a> culture was all the rage last year<\/a>, but now it\u2019s all about contrast therapy \u2013 that is, alternating between a very hot space and an ice-cold plunge pool.<\/p>\n

The positive effects are well documented. \u201cSpending time in a sauna can make people feel euphoric thanks to the stress that sudden heat exerts on the body, causing the brain to release dopamine and endorphins,\u201d explains Stephanie Holland, Creative Director at David Lloyd Clubs. Paired with a cold water plunge, it can boost energy levels<\/a> and provide \u201ca powerful physical and mental reset\u201d.<\/p>\n

While plunging into water as cold as three degrees<\/a> may feel counter-intuitive in the winter months, numerous studies have found that contrast therapy can stimulate circulation and boost the immune system<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Contrast therapy <\/a>dates all the way back to Ancient Rome, where public bath houses were kitted out with a frigidarium and a tepidarium, or cold and hot plunge pools. It has been a cultural keystone for centuries across Scandinavia, eastern Europe and Japan, where locals bathe in hot springs called onsens. <\/p>\n

There are an ever-growing number of wellness spots to practise contrast therapy across London<\/a>, ranging from affordable community spaces to decadent bathhouses. Here are the best ones. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Rebase in Marylebone<\/p>\n

Handout<\/p>\n

With its pink plaster walls and Scandi wooden plunge pools, Rebase looks a little like the inside of an Aesop shop \u2013 the vibe is very much elevated zen. The Marylebone wellness club<\/a> has both traditional Finnish saunas and infra-red saunas, which promote muscle recovery. Users can either plunge at their leisure or attend a contrast therapy and breathwork class under the guidance (and encouragement) of an instructor. <\/p>\n

Sauna & Plunge, Shoreditch<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Sauna & Plunge<\/p>\n

A pocket of calm off Old Street, Sauna & Plunge is where City boys and girls go to unwind. There are two saunas (classic Finnish and infra-red) and plunge pools ranging from three to nine degrees celsius. There\u2019s also a studio downstairs which offers a variety of classes including yoga and breathwork. <\/p>\n

\"ARC<\/p>\n

ARC sauna london<\/p>\n

ARC<\/p>\n

The Arc opened in January last year and boasts an enormous, amphitheatre-style sauna which fits up to 65 people, making it the largest in the UK. There are traditional contrast therapy classes on offer as well as after dark social events which feature soundscapes, DJ sets, and \u201cthe organic energy of like-minded kindred spirits\u201d. Sauna rave, anyone? <\/p>\n

The Bath House, Belgravia<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The traditional banya at the Bath House in Belgravia<\/p>\n

Handout<\/p>\n

Finland<\/a> is often seen as the home of contrast therapy, but it is an equally important part of Slavic culture, too. The Bath House in Belgravia opened in 2020, after its Ukrainian and British co-founders went on a bath house tour of Eastern Europe.<\/p>\n

The Bath House is set in a Grade II listed former bank, a stone\u2019s throw from Buckingham Palace. It features a traditional Russian banya, which is a steamier version of a sauna, warmed by a wood stove. There are also icy cold showers and a plunge pool \u2013 while traditional treatments are on offer, including parenie (a thermal massage where you are gently thwacked with fragrant birch branches). Afterwards, retreat to a little lounge area, where everyone is wrapped in towelling robes eating borscht and pierogi. <\/p>\n

Sauna Social Club, Peckham<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Sauna Social Club offers social sessions as well as quiet ones<\/p>\n

Handout<\/p>\n

Sauna Social Club is a hub for creative young south Londoners. One of their saunas is kitted out with a state-of-the-art hi-fi system which allows for ambient sessions soundtracked by DJs. There\u2019s ice baths outside and a second social sauna where chatting and friend making is encouraged, but if you think contrast therapy should be a ritual of calm and quiet, there are some silent sessions, too. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Pre-Covid, twenty-somethings used to go down to the pub to unwind after a day of work. Now, they…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":671344,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7757],"tags":[748,393,769,4884,257,81433,16,15,204347],"class_list":{"0":"post-671343","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-london","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-england","10":"tag-finland","11":"tag-great-britain","12":"tag-london","13":"tag-sauna","14":"tag-uk","15":"tag-united-kingdom","16":"tag-wellness-club"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115831682278465563","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/671343","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=671343"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/671343\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/671344"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=671343"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=671343"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=671343"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}