Every Sauna in Hackney: The Complete Guide

Hackney has more saunas than any other London borough. Fourteen at last count, and the number keeps climbing. That's more than Westminster, more than Camden, more than the whole of south-west London boroughs like Richmond or Wandsworth.

What makes it interesting isn't just the quantity. It's the range. Within a few square miles you've got a seven-sauna community bathhouse, a rooftop sauna with views across the Lee Valley, a floating barge on the canal, a Russian banya with birch twig beatings, and a clutch of boutique spas tucked into railway arches and converted warehouses. There's nowhere else in London — possibly nowhere in the UK — with this kind of density and variety.

Here's every one of them.

The Social Saunas

These are the places built specifically around communal heat and cold. No gym membership required, no hotel stay needed. You book a session, you sweat, you plunge, you sit around afterwards feeling unreasonably good about life.

Community Sauna Baths, Hackney Wick

Community Sauna Baths is the flagship site of London's most important sauna organisation. Seven wood-fired saunas — the largest collection at any single London venue — plus cold plunges in whisky barrels, plunge pools, and copper bathtubs. Sessions start at £8.50, which makes it one of the most accessible saunas in the city.

The vibe is distinctly community-first. They run a Social Prescribing Scheme with free sessions for NHS referrals, and the programming includes everything from breathwork to queer poetry readings. If you've never been to a social sauna, start here.

Rooftop Saunas Hackney

Rooftop Saunas is exactly what it sounds like — timber sauna cabins on a rooftop, with two cold plunge pools and views across east London. National Geographic named it one of the top 20 global travel adventures to book in 2026, which tells you something about how far London's sauna scene has come.

Four saunas in total, all private cabins. The atmosphere is less communal than Community Sauna Baths and more "friends birthday session on a Saturday afternoon." Good for groups.

Saunos

Saunos is a floating barge on the canal. A Scandinavian-inspired, wood-panelled sauna sanctuary that runs sessions at 75–95°C. It's one of the more unusual sauna experiences in London — the gentle rocking of the barge adds something to the meditation that a fixed building can't replicate.

Banya No. 1

Banya No. 1 is the authentic Russian option. Proper steam rooms, ice-cold plunges, and parenie — the traditional practice of being beaten with bundles of birch or oak leaves by a banschik (bath master). It's intense, theatrical, and nothing like any other sauna experience in Hackney. They also have a plunge bucket for the brave.

Sauna & Plunge, Shoreditch

Sauna & Plunge sits on the Hackney-Shoreditch border and leans hard into the recovery side of things. Two saunas, one steam room, and six graduated ice plunge pools at 3°C, 6°C, and 9°C. If you're serious about contrast therapy and want to dial in your cold exposure precisely, this is the place.

Stoke Newington Sauna

Stoke Newington Sauna is a newer addition — a purpose-built social sauna and contrast therapy hub in Stokey. A 12-person Finnish sauna, a 4-person infrared sauna, and two cold plunge pools. High-spec build, neighbourhood feel.

The Recovery Hub

Revitalise Urban Spa, Hackney Downs

Revitalise is an independent wellness sanctuary near Hackney Downs. Three saunas — one large traditional and two Clearlight infrared units — plus three custom copper ice baths. It bridges the gap between the social saunas and the boutique spas, with a focus on recovery and regular use rather than one-off experiences.

The Boutique Spas

These are smaller, more private, and generally more expensive. They're good for date nights, special occasions, or when you want the sauna experience without sharing a bench with twelve strangers.

Aethos London, Shoreditch

Aethos is a hotel spa with a dedicated wellness floor. One dry sauna and a cold plunge pool. The appeal is the setting — it's a design-led hotel in Shoreditch, so the sauna sits within a broader spa experience. Good if you're combining it with a stay or a treatment.

The Private Spa

The Private Spa is a luxury private-hire concept. A Finnish sauna, an Onyx steam room, and a heated lounge — all exclusively yours for the session. It's the most private sauna experience in Hackney, priced accordingly.

Aura Organic Spa & Aura Organics Spa

There are actually two Aura venues in Hackney Wick — Aura Organic Spa and Aura Organics Spa. Both are private-hire boutique spas with infrared saunas and aromatic steam rooms. Aura Organic Spa runs a "Movie Night" package with a 100-inch screen, which is either genius or ridiculous depending on your sauna philosophy.

Shoreditch House

Shoreditch House is the Soho House members' club. A Cowshed spa with a sauna and steam room, plus an infrared sauna in the gym. Members only, so this is either your regular or entirely irrelevant to you.

The Leisure Centres

Don't overlook these. They're cheap, they're consistent, and they're open to everyone.

Britannia Leisure Centre

Britannia is Hackney Council's flagship. A modern health suite with a dry sauna and steam room inside a state-of-the-art facility. It's not glamorous, but it's a proper sauna that costs a fraction of the boutique options.

Clissold Leisure Centre

Clissold in Stoke Newington is a solid "Better" health suite with two saunas, a steam room, and a Jacuzzi. Reliable, affordable, and the kind of place where you'll see the same regulars every week.

Where to Start

If you've never been to a sauna in Hackney:

• On a budget: Community Sauna Baths. Sessions from £8.50, no membership needed, the best introduction to social sauna culture in London.
• With friends: Rooftop Saunas. Book a cabin, bring a group, enjoy the views.
• For recovery: Sauna & Plunge. The graduated ice pools are the draw.
• For something different: Banya No. 1. The parenie ritual is unlike anything else in the borough.
• Just regularly: Clissold or Britannia Leisure Centre. Cheap, local, consistent.

Hackney's sauna density is only going to increase. The borough has become the gravitational centre of London's sauna scene — a place where Finnish traditions, Russian rituals, Scandinavian design, and British community spirit have all found space to coexist within a few postcodes of each other.

Browse all 14 venues on our Hackney area page, or explore the full London sauna map.