Our Impact

Every time you sauna, you support real access to wellbeing.

As a not-for-profit Community Sauna our mission is
to make sauna and cold plunge affordable and accessible to everyone in London. Through our community initiatives, we offer free and discounted sessions to those who need it most.

Our Mission

Pay it forward

At Community Sauna Baths, every pound you give directly helps someone experience warmth, rest, and connection who might otherwise be excluded. When you donate, you're not funding a business - you're opening the sauna door for someone who needs it most.

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“Before coming to the baths, my mental health had been bad, and I was isolated. I was feeling very negative and extremely anxious about somewhere I didn’t know. I wouldn’t have come on my own, but being with a group from Core Arts helped, so I literally took the plunge.”

— Fraser (he/him), Hackney Wick

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“Before finding the sauna, I was living with C-PTSD and struggling to feel safe in my body, which affected my movement and independence. Sauna and cold water supported me to reconnect physically and emotionally, gain confidence and rebuild trust in my body.”

— Mindy (she/her), Stratford

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“Before coming to the sauna, my whole body hurt from the cancer - my shoulder, neck and hips. I was in despair. But when I first came to the sauna I said ‘oh my god, this for me is like heaven’. I’ve got bronchitis too and even my breathing is better.”

— Amarjit (she/her), Stratford

“Before coming to CSB, I was feeling emotionally tired and disconnected from myself. I didn’t realise how much I needed this space. The warmth, the cold water and the presence of other women felt deeply healing. It’s more than wellness, it feels spiritual.”

— Isabel (she/her), Camberwell

Photography by @emilygeorge.me

1. Pricing and Fairness
We believe sauna should remain affordable for all.
Your support helps us:
- Maintain accessible pricing
- Offer concessions and free sessions
- Run community-led events at cost
- Avoid raising prices to sustain outreach work
You help us protect fairness.
2. Affordable access for those who need it most
Your donation helps us offer concession pricing so cost never blocks someone from the sauna.
This includes:
- People on low incomes
- UK university students
- Over-65s
- NHS staff
- Blue Light workers (Fire Service, Teachers, Emergency Services)
- Those living with chronic illness or disabilities
Access to heat, rest and connection shouldn’t depend on income.
3. Building Accessible Infrastructure
We operate accessible sauna sites across London.
Your support helps us:
- Maintain accessible changing and shower facilities
- Provide free companion/support assistant tickets
- Continue improving the infrastructure for disabled bathers
Sauna should be physically accessible, not just financially accessible.
4. Fully Funded Social Prescribed Sauna
We run the UK’s first social prescribing sauna programme.
Your donation helps us provide:
- 10 free sauna sessions per referral
- Swimwear for those who don’t have it
- Companion tickets
- Booking support
- A welcoming cup of tea
We work with NHS teams and community organisations to support people facing:
- Trauma
- Displacement
- Chronic illness
- Isolation
Over 700+ individuals have already been supported - and we’re growing!
5. Outreach & Safe Spaces
Each site has a dedicated outreach officer working with local communities to design sessions for underrepresented groups.
These include:
- Black Carers
- Muslim Women-focused sessions
- Addiction Recovery sauna
- Mothers Recharge sauna
We create sober, welcoming spaces where people can connect without pressure or exclusion.

We invested an estimated £29,600 per year in free weekly community group sauna sessions*

*Calculated using the off-peak session rate of £9.50.

We gave 5,750 free sauna sessions to socially prescribed referrals.

3,120 people attended free community group sauna sessions funded by us.

We funded between £32,800 and £56,900* in free sessions to individuals supported through social prescribing.
*Figure varies depending on whether participants attended quieter off-peak sessions or peak-time sessions.

2 people supported into employment
Through our outreach-to-work pathway, we create longer-term stability and opportunity.

3 dedicated Community Officers
Offering tailored support, booking help, and warm welcomes.

We had 575 socially prescribed referrals who had access to 10 free sauna sessions, access to swimwear, booking support, a free companion/carer pass and a hot drink.

260+ outreach attendances per month
Providing consistent, trusted spaces for connection and care.

15 partner organisations
Working alongside us to widen access and reduce barriers.

2025 Community Sauna Baths Survey
In our most recent annual survey with over 3,000 customers, we found that:

88% of respondents said that sauna improves their mood.
54% said the sauna helps with their mental health resilience.
87% said the sauna helps them feel a sense of belonging.

Want the longer story?
Continue reading for more of why we exist, what we’re building and the future of CSB. Or head to Our Story page to hear from our founders.

Why it matters

In 2021, we came together as sauna enthusiasts with a simple vision: to bring authentic, affordable communal sauna to London.

There was nowhere in the city offering traditional sauna culture at a price ordinary people could access.

So we built it.

Today, we operate outdoor saunas across Camberwell, Hackney Wick, Peckham, Stratford and Walthamstow as a not-for-profit Community Interest Company (CIC).

All profit goes back into access, outreach and community programmes - because access matters.

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Sauna, Social Connection and Ritual Research

Community Sauna Baths was proud to support research led by Rachael McGrath (The London Interdisciplinary School) and Dr Martha Newson (University of Greenwich) it explored the impact of shared sauna rituals on wellbeing and social connection. The research, now published in Social Science & Medicine, examined how communal sauna experiences influence feelings of belonging, emotional synchrony and overall wellbeing.

With support from researchers at the Institute for Lifecourse Development, as well as the British Sauna Society, the study drew on data from 1,907 participants attending a range of sauna sessions at Community Sauna Baths, including traditional practices such as aufguss.

The findings suggest that improvements in wellbeing were strongly linked to how connected participants felt to others during the session. Regular sauna use was associated with greater benefits, and participants from lower socio-economic backgrounds and minority groups were especially likely to report positive effects.

The research highlights the role communal sauna rituals can play as a meaningful, community-based wellbeing practice, with potential relevance for modern public health and social prescribing initiatives.

As Rachael McGrath reflects:

“Sauna is having a moment, especially here in London. While it’s exciting to see its growth, I hope this research nudges the conversation deeper. Sauna isn’t just about optimisation or longevity protocols. It’s about ritual, belonging and emotional synchrony. What happens to our wellbeing when we sweat, sit and connect together.”

At Community Sauna Baths, this reflects the heart of what we do. Sauna is not just about heat or recovery. It’s about shared space, collective warmth and the wellbeing that emerges when people come together.

Read the Full Paper

Sauna and Sleep Research

Exciting Research (subject to approval of the ethical committee) at Community Sauna Baths!

Community Sauna Baths is collaborating with the University of Portsmouth on a new study led by PhD researcher NaëlleCasterman, under the supervision of Dr. Ant Shepherd, Prof. Jo Corbett, and Dr. Thierry Middleton.

The research will explore the effects of sauna use on sleep, heart health and blood vessels. The study will take place at our Community Sauna Baths sites.

Participation lasts for one month, We’re really looking forward to recruiting participants and contributing to research that could shine new light on the health benefits of sauna use!

Care4Calais Film

Carla Grande's short film 'Men in Towels' was featured at the London Refugee Week Film Festival.

The film offers a glimpse into our sessions with men from Care4Calais, showing what's possible when sauna is made accessible, welcoming and inclusive.