Roaming Sauna Settles at Larkwood Lakes: £17 an Hour

A mobile sauna in Suffolk has found a permanent home this week, and one in Wales has planning permission. Not every plan is going smoothly: neighbours of a proposed forest sauna in Worcestershire want it moved, and a beach sauna on the Kintyre peninsula is now with the planners.

The Roaming Sauna settles at Larkwood Lakes, near Bury St Edmunds

The Roaming Sauna, a wood-fired horsebox sauna with cold plunge tubs, has taken a permanent spot at Larkwood Lakes Nature Reserve in West Stow, about ten minutes’ drive from Bury St Edmunds, the East Anglian Daily Times reported on 12 October. Sophie McLaren and Joe Ashford started the business 14 months ago and have moved it between sites in that time, including the Rougham estate and Wyken Vineyards.

The new base adds a shower block, cold water tubs and access to the lake for swimming, plus a fire pit and a small woodland lodge for hot drinks. There is a weekly programme of sauna with sound baths, yoga, full moon sessions and retreats, and the owners say they are working with local running groups and rugby clubs. Sessions start at £17 per person per hour and are booked online.

A fixed site matters more than it sounds for a horsebox sauna: it means a shower and a proper place to cool off rather than a bucket in a field. If you are thinking of something similar for your own garden, our guide to sauna trailers covers hiring versus buying and the towing rules, and wood-fired versus electric saunas explains the heat difference you will notice on the bench. Report at the East Anglian Daily Times.

Wyre Forest neighbours object to two sauna cabins at the visitor centre

Residents living beside the Forestry England visitor centre at Callow Hill in the Wyre Forest have objected to plans for two mobile sauna cabins, cold plunges and showers there, the Kidderminster Shuttle reported on 13 October. The application, submitted to Wyre Forest District Council in July, is from You Can Sauna, which Forestry England appointed after a tender.

The neighbours in Forestry Houses say the site is 35 metres from their boundaries and next to a horse livery. Their main worries are wood smoke from saunas running 7am to 9pm six days a week, and fire risk to timber-clad houses. Forestry England says the spot was picked because it has an unused building for changing, plus electricity and water, that alternatives were unsuitable, and that it “takes fire risk extremely seriously”. The council has not decided yet, and comments go through its planning portal.

The smoke point is a fair one for anyone planning a wood-fired sauna near a boundary. Our wood-fired sauna buying guide covers the planning and Building Regulations rules for a flue, and outdoor versus indoor saunas looks at where to site one. Report at the Kidderminster Shuttle.

Four sauna pods and cold plunges approved at Dare Valley Country Park

Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s planning committee approved a new gym building and a sauna area with four sauna pods and cold plunges for Commando Fit at Dare Valley Country Park, Aberdare, on Thursday 8 October, Herald.Wales reported on 13 October. The gym has run from a marquee since 2024; the new building replaces it.

Two councillors had asked for the application to go to committee over its location outside the settlement boundary and access to utilities. Officers recommended approval, saying the park is an established leisure site and the plans would have no significant impact on neighbours. No opening date or prices have been given. For what to expect from a pod session followed by a plunge, read our guide to sauna and cold plunge. Report at Herald.Wales.

A beach sauna planned at Torrisdale, on the Kintyre peninsula

Niall Macalister Hall has applied to Argyll and Bute Council for a moveable sauna on beach land south of Sore Cottage Bothy at Torrisdale, the Helensburgh Advertiser reported on 8 October. The application, reference 26/01532/PP, also closes an old private access onto the B842 and creates a new one. The agents say it will create one part-time job, support the Torrisdale Castle holiday lets, and save people in Torrisdale, Carradale, Saddell and Peninver from travelling to Oban or Tarbert for a sauna.

Council officers are expected to decide by early December, and the plans are open for comment on the council’s planning portal. Our page on Finnish sauna culture explains where the outdoor sauna habit came from. Report at the Helensburgh Advertiser.