Community Baths Sauna CIC, who run popular sauna spots in Hackney Wick, Stratford, and Peckham, are planning to open their Blackhorse Road venue before May, reports Marco Marcelline

A community sauna fit with multiple cold plunge pools is set to open in Walthamstow in the Spring.
Community Sauna Baths, at Sutherland Road, will feature three saunas and multiple plunge pools.
The 1550 square-metre site is situated on a parcel of land that was formerly a car park and is roughly a 12 minute walk from Blackhorse Road. Construction has already begun ahead of council planning approval which is expected before 15th March.
Alongside six cold plunge pools situated in the centre of the sauna complex, there will be a plunge sauna, a traditional German aufguss sauna, and a garden sauna.
The sauna will operate for at least three years at which point it will be developed for mixed use, per agreed terms with the Greater London Authority, who own the land. The sauna has the option of prolonging their stay, if site re-development is delayed however.

According to planning documents seen by the Echo, the aufguss sauna will be housed inside a timber rotunda with a cedar shingle roof.
Once inside, sauna users will be able to experience the aufguss ritual which involves a “master” pouring water onto hot stones and waving a towel at bathers to circulate steam around the sauna.
Meanwhile, the sauna reception will be housed within a blue shipping container with a plant roof while the changing area will be fit with wire mesh lockers, three toilets, and ten cubicles.
Dimmed bulb lighting will be installed around the sauna complex in order to add ambience to the area.
In addition to the sauna facilities, there will be a community garden filled with native plants and flowers run in partnership with Nomadic Community Gardens CIC.
The community garden will be fully open to the public for gardening sessions on Saturdays and Sundays between 10am and 5pm. Visitors will be able to reach the garden via a pedestrian path from Sutherland Road that circumvents the sauna, allowing both to function separately during operational hours.

To celebrate the opening, planned for the end of March or start of April, Community Sauna Baths is offering pre-sale tickets, including unlimited access passes. These special offers include discounted 90 minute sauna and cold plunge passes, annual unlimited sauna access at the Walthamstow site and lifetime unlimited access across all locations.
Community Sauna Baths also operates sites in Hackney Wick, Stratford, Bermondsey, and Peckham, with the company having served over 250,000 visitors since it launched in 2021.
The flagship Hackney Wick location, housed in a 1930s former bathhouse, features seven saunas and nine cold plunges. It also puts on a myriad of events such as storytelling, sound bath sauna and life drawing, as well as Finnish leaf-whisking, massage treatments and private sauna bookings. These events are expected to also run at the Walthamstow site.
Standard pricing starts from £9.50 off-peak to £16.50 peak, alongside concessionary rates. Community Sauna Baths also works with local NHS trusts to provide free sauna sessions for NHS workers and people who have been prescribed sauna treatment but cannot afford it.
The sauna opening comes as ancient bathing practices are now being scientifically validated for their physical and mental health benefits by a growing body of peer-reviewed research. Academics are exploring its capacity to reduce the incidence of Alzheimer’s, cardiovascular disease, depression and addiction.

Rob Dumas, co-director of Community Sauna Baths, said: “We’re delighted that the GLA has given us the opportunity to establish a sauna in this meantime space at Blackhorse Yard. We believe that we can make a really meaningful impact on mental health, as well as physical and social wellbeing, across the borough.
“This is an exciting time for sauna culture across the UK, and we’re proud to be contributing to making sauna experiences more accessible by providing high-quality yet affordable neighbourhood saunas. We hope to be in a position to continue to open even more saunas, each reflecting the unique character of the area.
We’re thrilled to launch in this vibrant part of London, where the energy and enthusiasm from locals has been fantastic since we first explored the idea a year ago.”
Additional details about pre-sale tickets and how to purchase them can be found on Community Sauna Baths
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