FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

First visit

  • Hackney Wick Sauna Baths @ The Baths, 80 Eastway, Hackney Wick, E9 5JH (Click for directions)

    Stratford Sauna @ Lighthouse and Gardens, Garden entrance on Penny Brookes Street, Stratford, London E20 1BL (Click for directions)

  • Hackney Sauna

    The sauna is closed on Mondays for regulars sessions. We do however offer this space for private events.

    Then we have sessions from*:

    •Tuesday 2pm-9:30pm

    •Wednesday to Friday 7am-9:30pm

    •Saturday, Sunday 8am-9:30pm

    •Open on Bank Holidays

    *last session running from 8pm

    Stratford Sauna

    we have the following opening hours:

    •Monday to Tuesday 3pm-9:30pm*

    •Wednesday to Friday 7am-9:30pm*

    •Saturday, Sunday 9am-9:30pm*

    •Open on Bank Holidays

    *Last session is a one hour session from 20.30

  • Hackney Sauna

    Single Bather 7am and Morning Drop in (1h) £8.5

    Wednesday to Friday 7am-11am

    Single Bather Weekdays (1h30min) £10

    Tuesday 2pm-4pm

    Wednesday to Friday 12pm-4pm

    Single Bather Evenings & Weekends (1h30min) £15

    Tuesday to Friday 6pm-9:30pm*

    Saturday and Sunday 8am-9:30pm*

    (*last session running from 8pm)

    Stratford Sauna

    The price of the sessions vary (all sessions are 1h30min long):

    Single Morning/Afternoon Drop-in (1h)

    Wednesday to Friday: 7am-1:00pm

    (*last session running from 12pm)

    Single Bather Weekdays (1h30min) £10

    Monday, Tuesday: 3pm-6:30pm

    Wednesday to Friday: 1pm-6:30pm

    (*last session running from 5pm)

    Single Bather Evening drop-in (1h) £10

    Monday to Sunday 8:30pm

    Single Bather Evening & Weekends (1h30min) £15

    Monday to Friday: 7pm-9pm

    Saturday and Sunday: 9am-9pm

    (*last session running from 7pm)

  • -Swimwear

    -Shower Gel

    -Towel to sit on in the sauna

    -Towel to dry off after plunge/shower

    -Pools sliders/ flip flops

    -Water bottle

    -Plastic bag for taking home wet belongings

    -Bathrobe (for using toilet and cafe facilities)

    -Sauna hat (optional)

    Due to new council and safety regulation, we do not permit the use of home-brought essential oils! Please ask at reception for more information.

  • Please refer to our Sauna Etiquette Page for more info on etiquette.

  • After much thought, we have decided not to allow the use of essential oils in our sauna.

    We have reached this decision due to several factors that impact the safety, well-being, and overall experience of our community:

    Quality Control: Unfortunately, we cannot make sure what is the quality and source of the essential oils brought in by individual customers. This is a potential risk to others in the sauna, as the purity and safety of these oils cannot be guaranteed.

    Excessive Usage: We were not able to check how much essential oil was being added at once. Adding too much can create an overpowering and uncomfortable atmosphere for other members.

    Allergy Concerns: We want to prevent the risk of allergic reactions. Without aromatherapy training, most customers did not know what essential oils could cause allergic reactions in others.

    Fire Hazards: On several occasions, the essential oils were put directly on the sauna rocks without previously diluting them. This could cause a fire and affect the safety of our facility and all individuals within it.

    Our trained practitioners can still use essential oils during their rituals, maintaining a secure and controlled environment.

    The exciting news? We are working on an improved solution that will allow customers to enjoy the benefits of aromatherapy in the sauna without compromising safety.

    This will provide an enhanced experience as the oils will release slowly without being burnt. We are hoping that this will be ready in the next few weeks. Watch this space!

Booking

  • If you’d like to book a session, follow the steps:

    1. Click here OR paste website below in your browser search bar:

    https://www.community-sauna.co.uk/book

    2. Scroll down to choose your appointment. Pick from the list the type of session you would like to attend.

    A regular session will be ‘single bather’ plus the either weekend, weekday, evening or morning, depending on the time you want to attend.

    3. Then, once you have selected the type of session, you’ll be directed to a Calendar

    Here you can click on the date you would like to attend and it will give you the options of times available.

    At this point, you will also be given the option to add another session – in case you were buying tickets for yourself and somebody else.

    4. Once you’ve selected to continue, you will be prompted to give your information.

    5. Then you’ll be asked for payment.

    6. Please ensure that you wait until the payment is completed by your bank.

    The website will let you know when your booking is complete.

    You will also receive an email confirmation of your booking.

    If you realise you’ve made any mistakes, or you would like to cancel or reschedule your appointment, you’ll be able to do that via link on the confirmation booking email.

    This will need to be done more than 24 hours before your session time AND if you booked for multiple people, you will have to re-schedule each session seat individually (even if you made it under one booking!)

    If you're still having problems making your booking you can contact us by emailing info@community-sauna.co.uk

  • If you are looking to cancel a group booking, please refer to the ‘Group’ section of the FAQs.

    For single cancellation, you can cancel and reschedule your appointment by referring to your booking confirmation email and finding the link for cancellations and rescheduling.

    If you find that you can no longer make the time you have booked, you can reschedule or cancel your booking up to 24 hours before the session time.

    Any later than this and we are unable to refund or reschedule the session (we are a small not for profit and late cancellations do impact us).

    Please note that refunds from cancellations take 5-10 days to process, and fees arising from the transaction will be deducted.

    If you do not turn up to your appointment and do not notify us in advance, we are unable to rearrange your booking to another time. As we so often sell out, doing so means we lose out on the cost for running the space, thus we cannot refund or reschedule appointments after the date of the session.

    Bear in mind sessions are transferable and can be given to a friend, or we can offer you space to someone who may not be able to afford regular saunas.

  • We do not run a waiting list for fully booked sessions.

    You can check back on our website for cancellations or try to walk-in.

    A walk-in means arriving prior to the session start time, asking the crew on site if they can accommodate your specific time preference; if available then, securing your space by paying for your timeslot with our reception team (we cannot do this over the phone!)

    This can be done any time of the day, though bare in mind that we work on a first-come first-served basis. We recommend booking in person as soon as possible.

    Though walk-in are often possible there is no guarantee.

    We do not offer concession prices for walk-in sessions. Concession rates are only available when booked in advance of the session, online.

  • Each session is 60-90 minutes long with half an hour site clean in between.

    If you arrive late to the session, you will be let in but you will lose that amount of sauna time.

  • See more info on our Gift Card Page

    Each voucher has a minute value. For example, the three hour gift certificate gives you 180 minutes of Sauna time.

    When you buy a card you are given a code.

    When making a booking, you’ll be prompted to input this code at payment. If you add your code, the booking will take off the length of time correspondent to the sauna session (options of 1h OR 1h 30min sessions), from the gift certificate.

    For example, if you have a three hours (180 minutes) gift certificate and book for a one hour and thirty minute (90 minutes) session on a Saturday:

    You would use the gift code at Payment.

    90 minutes are deducted from the gift code automatically.

    After this, there is 90 minutes remaining on the gift card.

    Because some of our Sauna sessions are one hour long (60 minutes) and others are an hour and a half (90 minutes), the gift certificate may have some remaining credit.

    Any remaining credit that can not be applied to an offered session, will not be redeemable.

Group Hire

  • Up to five person Sauna for £90-£100

    This can be booked via our website.

    The five person private sauna will only be available to your group. Please be informed that the sauna itself is placed in the main sauna area (does not have a private area) and facilities (toilets, showers, cold plunges) are shared with the other guest.

    There is only one 5 person sauna available for private bookings at any one time.

    If you would like to book a private sauna at Stratford OR the 5 person private sauna at Hackney Baths on a Tuesday (£100) please contact info@community-sauna.co.uk

  • Please read the information below to ensure that we are the right venue for your event/gathering:

    If the 5 person private sauna hire (see Sauna Booking Package in FAQ) is not appropriate for your group

    OR

    you want to make a booking of more than five people:

    1. You must contact us and let us know the nature of your event (email: info@community-sauna.co.uk)

    2. The sauna and facilities are alcohol free. We reserve the right to refuse anyone entering the sauna who appears under the influence as it is harmful to health and affects the social environment.

    The Sauna is a community space. Those hiring the private saunas should also be aware that the facilities and sauna space is shared with other guests and that the etiquette (as outlined in the confirmation email and on our website) is to be upheld.

    3. All sauna guests are to be respectful of other people using the facilities. We specifically ask hen, stag and work events to keep this in mind when booking the sauna as part of their event.

    Our CIC saunas are a community project and at its heart aims to serve the community. The site is for rest, rejuvenation and community connection. It is not a venue for parties.

    4. Commercial or public events are not to be run at CIC without permission from our managing director.

    Tickets for Sauna sessions cannot be sold for more than the price at purchase.

    If you are running an event as a host, you must inform us. We reserve the right to cancel your bookings without a refund inside of the cancellation period if this term is not met.

    5. The cancellation period for cancelling more that six sessions for a booking of over 5 people is 7 days.

    If your large group/event/gathering at CIC is in alignment with the points above, we look forward to welcoming you and your guests to the sauna.

    Booking:

    The full site: The full site is available for community events at our discretion. We only take on a hand full of full site private events a year. We ask for community donation on top the cost of rental.

    22 person: To book our large 22 person sauna (The Saunaverse) for £400 for 90 minutes with access to shared facilities.

    Email us on:

    info@community-sauna.co.uk

    In the email, please let us know:

    -Date

    -Time

    -Number of attendees

    -Nature of the event

  • In case you booked a session for more than one person, please be aware that when cancelling sessions with multiple seats (i.e. you booked for yourself and a friend, or you booked for many other people under the same name), you will need to cancel each appointment seat individually!

    How?

    1.When you click on the link for cancelling the appointment, it takes you to a new page which will have separate links for each appointment seat.

    2.You will need to go back and click on them each, individually, to ensure that each individual seat is cancelled.

    Please bear in mind that if you do not do this, you will be unable to re-schedule/be refunded those seats (after the 24 hour re-scheduling/cancellation period)

    Read more in ‘Booking - Cancellations/Reschedule/Refund’ section of our FAQ )

    We appreciate that it’s not the most intuitive system. We are hoping to change this in the future.

Accessibility

  • See more info on Accessibility Page

  • See more info on Accessibility Page

  • Hackney Baths Sauna

    The nearest station is Hackney Wick (step free access, 9 minute walk)

    The nearest bus stops are Bus stop P (Buses 236, 276, 388, N26) - 30 sec walk;

    and bus stop Hackney Wick (Buses 236, 276, 388, N26) - 30 sec walk.

    Stratford Sauna

    The nearest station is Stratford International (step free access, 1 minute walk).

    Bus stops in front of Lighthouse and Gardens: 97

    Bus stops on International Way: 108, 308, 339, N205

    From Stratford Station it is a 14 minute walk.

  • Hackney Baths Sauna

    The parking around the Baths is permit holders only.

    We do not have parking at The Baths.

    Stratford Sauna

    You can leave your car at Stratford Westfield car park for their daily prices. Our site entrance is on Penny Brookes St which is a 6 minute walk away from the parking.

  • Any one requiring a companion in the capacity of a caring assistant can email us to apply for a free assistant ticket

    info@community-sauna.co.uk

  • Please be aware the weather may be cold or rainy - sometimes we might have infrared heaters for warmth outside (and of course, you can take shelter in the saunas) but it is advisable to bring warm, dry clothes with you.

Concessions and Discounts

  • Please find all information on concessions on our Concessions Page

  • We do not offer concession prices for walk-in sessions. Concession rates are only available when booked in advance of the session, online.

  • Below is the code to give you £5 off CIC Sauna at Hackney Baths on Ecstatic Dance days:

    ECSTATICSAUNA

    When booking a session via our website, use this code when prompted at Payment.

    You can use this code one time only. After that, you can use this code, verbally on site with crew on the day of the event to gain the discount.

    It is possible we may be fully booked on busy days.

    If you wanted to secure a booking for that day, and you’ve already used the code online, you will need to pay full price for the session.

Regulars Club (Membership)

  • 50% off sauna entry

    Applicable for all standard single bather entries : morning drop in, weekdays, weekends, evenings.

    15% off sauna events

    Grief Sauna, Aufguss, Sound Bath, Yoga Sauna and more.

    15% off private hire for birthdays or retreats

    Five-person private sauna

    Members’ slots available for Peak Times

    On our busier times, we leave 3 slots available just for members: available on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays & Fridays at 6pm & 8pm as well as Saturdays and Sundays all day!

  • £20/month

  • You can receive a free membership that offers 50% off communal sessions weekdays 8am-2pm.

    Who can benefit?

    Students and/or those on universal credit/tax credits/job seekers/housing benefit.

    If you are on disability benefits, our 50% offer extends to all sessions!

    Read more on our Concessions Page

  • If you want to cancel your membership - no problem!

    You can email us at info@community-sauna.co.uk with your membership code and request.

    You’ll just be charged for the remaining month, and your discount code will be inactivated at the end of that period.

    If you choose to cancel your membership within the first month of joining, you will be charged for the following month's fee.

  • Please scroll through our Regulars’ Club Page for more information on how the membership works.

Children, Family and Pets

  • The Community Sauna CIC welcomes the presence of children, however anyone under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an appropriate adult.

    When children are accompanied by an appropriate adult it must be observed that we do not offer a childminding service and that the child/children must be supervised by a parent at all times, failure to do so will result in them being asked to leave the premises.

    There is currently no concession for children.

  • Each ticket allocates one guardian, and one baby (0-3). If you are booking an extra ticket for a partner or bringing multiple babies, please contact us on grace@community-sauna.co.uk

    We have dedicated tickets for partners.

    Please note we are not encouraging babies to go in the sauna (whilst some cultures practice this) - the onus of this session is on parents going in the sauna and babies playing in the adjacent supervised outdoor play area!

  • Info coming soon…

  • Guide/assistant dogs are welcome on site.

    We advise not bringing dogs or any pet to the sauna.

    You may be asked to remove the pet from the premises if necessary, which could result in you missing out on your session.

Facilities and services

  • We do not have ice plunge pools.

    We have plunges, barrels, tubs and a water cooling system that brings the plunges down to 6° in winter and around 10-12° in summer. You do not need to book for those. They will be shared among the guests at the sauna.

  • Check out available treatments on our Treatments Page

  • Lockers are available on site. You will need to bring your own padlock.

  • Please report your lost property via the form below. We will contact you by email if your item is found.

    Hackney Lost Property From

    Stratford Lost Property Form

    Due to the sheer volume of lost property we accumulate, I strongly suggest that you come into the Sauna and ask the crew on site to look for you.

    If not found or claimed:

    •Clothes, towels and water bottles are donated to charity after three weeks.

    •Jewellery, wallets, headphone etc are held on to for three months.

Other

  • Those are all operated by The Baths. If you would like any information on The Baths please email:

    Info@civicstate.co.uk

    We can only help you with Sauna enquiries.

  • Please look on our Work with us page for any available roles.

    We currently have no roles available, though we are happy to receive CVs in case anything becomes available in the future.

    Please email info@community-sauna.co.uk with your CV and why you are interested to join Community Sauna.