Full steam ahead: hotel saunas leading the way in wellness travel
As the centuries-old healing and social benefits of heat therapy continue to capture the global wellness market, we round up our favourite hotel saunas – from woodland hideaways to palatial spas, which blend bathing traditions with thoughtful design
Sauna bathing is one of the biggest wellness trends of 2025, as entrepreneurs, A-listers and fitness gurus alike extol the revitalising and near-spiritual benefits of sweating it out. A search for the sauna hashtag on Instagram yields more than 5.2 million results, while the global sauna market is expected to be worth 1.27 billion USD by 2030.
A sauna experience lingers long after you leave: the sizzling crackle as water hits hot stones; rising steam, rich aromas and light by flickering flame. A regular sweat has been shown to reduce stress, improve sleep and support cardiovascular function.
“There are no hierarchies in a sauna,” Jasper Pääkkönen has said. The Finnish actor is co-founder of Löyly, a unique sauna restaurant on the edge of the Baltic Sea in Helsinki. “For many Finns, it is like going to church.” In Finland, sauna bathing is engrained in everyday life and there are 3.1 million of these therapeutic spaces across the country. Diplomats regularly meet in one, asserting that it promotes open and deeper conversation.
A sauna is traditionally built from wood that can withstand high heat, such as spruce, aspen or cedar. It is recommended that these be heated to around 80°C and sessions can last between 5 and 20 minutes, depending on how hardcore you are. Not all saunas are created equal, however, and a damp bench won’t cut it. The best examples demonstrate skilled craftsmanship, sleek design and are next to a cool plunge, thus balancing intense heat with bracing cold water for an invigorating natural high.
The popularity of sauna bathing has risen in line with wild swimming, ice baths and other tech-free wellness activities that promote temperature contrast therapy and have a close connection to nature. They are also increasingly viewed as a space for socialising, in the Nordic tradition, with many choosing communal saunas over the pub on a Friday night.
Hotels are embracing the trend, building wooden cabins quicker than you can say hot stones. Whether you prefer to sauna solo or bathe en masse, these are the best hotel saunas for sweating in style. Swimwear optional.
Hotel saunas in the UK and Europe
Another Place, The Machrie, Islay, Scotland
Best for: Recharging on one of Scotland’s most enthralling islands
Address: Port Ellen, Isle of Islay PA42 7AN
Price: From 225 GBP per night
Another Place, noted for its lauded Lake District hotel, took over The Machrie on Islay in 2024. The hotel combines original details – world-class golf links, single malts, family lodges and dramatic six foot windows – with refreshed interiors, including an art collection that mixes Scottish talent such as Peter Howson and John Bellany with Grayson Perry and Tracy Emin. Nestled in the dunes, the newly built wild garden features wood-fired outdoor hot tubs and a spacious sauna created in partnership with Kirami, a Finnish manufacturer. Guests recharge beneath Islay’s expansive sky, while the clear, calm water of Laggan Bay is a short walk away for a post-sweat dip in the sea.
Gilpin Hotel & Lake House, Lake District, England
Best for: A private sauna
Address: Crook Road, Windermere LA23 3NE
Price: Spa Suites priced from 970 GBP per night
Gilpin Hotel & Lake House is a family-owned wellness retreat in the Lake District National Park. Suites and lodges are dotted across the estate and guests can also book the six-bedroom Lake House, which has a heated indoor swimming pool. The pampering pièce de résistance, however, is a night in a sprawling Scandinavian-style Spa Suite. The first of its kind in the UK, it comprises a spacious lodge with its own private sauna, steam room, infrared lounge bed and massage chair for the ultimate in R&R. It is perfect for those who would prefer for the sauna to come to them.
Hotel Union Øye, Norway
Best for: Remote Fjord views
Address: Norangdal 41, 6196 Norangsfjorden, Norway
Price: From 312 GBP per night
This unique hotel sits in the historic hamlet of Øye, cradled by the Sunnmøre Alps. It is part of the 62° Nord portfolio, a sustainably-driven collection of luxury hotels that offer a gateway to Norway’s most beautiful and dramatic landscapes. Guests stroll to the shores of Norangsfjorden for a traditional Finnish sauna experience. Perched on the tip of a pier, it creates the sensation of floating on water, while a glass wall frames fjord views and soaring pyramid peaks. Brave an icy plunge afterwards or in between sessions, or simply breathe in the crisp, fresh air.
Hôtel Balzac, Paris, France
Best for: A French-Japanese fusion
Address: 6 Rue Balzac, 75008 Paris, France
Price: From 464 GBP per night
The Ikoi Spa at Hôtel Balzac in Paris draws influence from traditional Japanese techniques, with a range of treatments that take place on tables or tatami mats in one of three wooden cabins. Guests can then retreat to a low-lit sauna or cool plunge pool, built in a serene palette of pine and natural stone. You may be mere moments from the Champs-Élysées, but you’ll feel like you’re in Kyoto.
Arctic Bath, Harads, Swedish Lapland, Sweden
Best for: The ultimate contrast therapy experience
Address: Ramdalsvägen 10, 961 78 Harads, Sweden
Price: From 538 GBP per night
Swedish sauna culture and cold bathing are central to Arctic Bath, an ethereal and remote spa hotel floating on Sweden’s Lule River in Lapland. Topped by a stack of logs, the architecturally striking circular hotel is designed to resemble floating timber on the river. Saunas and the spa surround an icy bath and guests are encouraged to embrace a 45-minute hot and cold therapy experience. There are 12 cabins for sleeping, while the restaurant serves a tasting menu shaped by local ingredients and culinary traditions.
Six Senses Douro Valley, Samodães, Portugal
Best for: A sauna circuit (followed by a glass of sweet Port wine)
Address: Quinta Vale de Abraão, 5100-758 Samodães, Portugal
Price: 1,508 GBP per night
Douro Valley was the European debut from Six Senses, rising above the region’s verdant hills and vineyards. Wine and wellness coalesce here: guests can shake off last night’s glasses of port with a session in a Himalayan salt, infrared or herbal therapy sauna. There is also a classic Finnish sauna that overlooks the surrounding forest, to give the illusion that you are perched in the trees. Try all four, with cold bucket showers in between.
Hotel saunas in the US
Aman New York
Best for: A supreme Banya sauna
Address: 730 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10019
Price: 1787 GBP per night
New York has a rich history of bathhouses. Today’s luxe iterations include Bathhouse Williamsburg and AIRE Ancient Baths. And for the ultimate hotel experience, Aman New York has two private Spa Houses, which are each equipped with a spacious Banya. This traditional Russian sauna differs from its Nordic counterpart in that it runs at a lower temperature and higher humidity. Spa House residents can also make use of a marble steam room and outdoor terrace with a hot bath and cold plunge. It shares inspiration with the thermal suite that features in Aman CEO Vlad Doronin’s home in the Barvikha Forest near Moscow.
Urban Cowboy Lodge & Resort, Big Indian
Best For: A wilderness setting
Address: 37 Alpine Road, Big Indian, NY 12410
Price: Double room from 275 USD
Antler chandeliers, Pendleton fabrics and wildly patterned Clint van Gemert wallpaper set the tone at this flamboyant mountain lodge, positioned on the side of a mountain in the Catskill Forest Preserve. An Estonian Iglucraft sauna is hidden in the trees, defined by its chimneyless curved roof. Instead, smoke circulates the space for a detoxifying sweat. Guests can also partake in forest bathing, stargazing and swimming in the outdoor pool, before a cocktail by a crackling fire.
Hotel saunas in Canada
Nimmo Bay Wilderness Resort, British Columbia
Best for: A floating sauna with a side of bear-watching
Address: 100 Little Nimmo Bay, Mackenzie Sound, Mount Waddington A, BC V0N 2R0
Price: 5,977 GBP per person for 3 nights on an all-inclusive basis
This family-run retreat lays claim to some of the most luxurious remote lodges on earth. It rests on the shores of Nimmo Bay, a saltwater channel in the heart of British Columbia’s Great Bear Rainforest. Guests arrive by air or water and sleep in red-roofed cabins, while a hydroelectric plant provides clean, renewable energy for the majority of the year. Smoke rises dramatically from a floating sauna, which can be reached by boat, kayak or paddleboard. Each one is handcrafted from local red and yellow cedar and scented with a custom aroma that mixes vetiver, rose and fir essential oils. Elsewhere, look out for grizzly and black bears on guided tours through ancient cedar trees; forage for sea kelp with a chef and submerge in steaming jacuzzi baths by rushing fjords.
Hotel saunas in East Asia
Hakone Suishoen, Japan
Best for: A luxury ryokan
Address: 519-9 Kowakudani, Hakone, Ashigarashimo District, Kanagawa 250-0406, Japan
Price: 524 GBP per night
Japanese sauna culture is similar to the Finnish equivalent, but the difference lies in the ritual: Japanese variations are typically silent, can be intensely hot and are often accompanied by onsen bathing. Those looking for an authentic experience won’t go wrong at Hakone Suishoen, a luxury ryokan housed in a former aristocratic villa from the Taisho era. It sits in a tranquil garden, where ancient trees are met by birdsong and Chisuji Falls is a short walk away. Each suite has a private outdoor hot spring bath and some have mist saunas. The public bath is accompanied by a pine-scented dry sauna, allowing guests to switch easily between hot and cold. The aim is to achieve totonou – the feeling of deep relaxation that comes after a sweat and icy plunge.
