- Feel Good
- 16th Oct 2026
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Scenic saunas in the North East: why they’re the new local pub
Searching for a sauna near me? You’re not alone, because scenic saunas in the North East have become the place to meet up.
Where you’d once have messaged the group chat about a pint after work, it’s now a sunrise sauna on Saturday and a dip in the North Sea.
A shared session costs roughly what you’d spend on a round, you leave feeling brand new rather than a bit fragile, and the views beat any beer garden going.
So, we’ve rounded up the region’s saunas with the most stunning settings. Whether you’re after the sea, a lake or the woods, there’s an outdoor sauna with your name on it.
GETTING A NEW TYPE OF ROUND IN
In sauna culture, a round is one cycle of heat followed by cold, and most sessions involve three or four of them. Sound familiar? It’s the same social rhythm as a night at the pub, minus the queue at the bar and the headache the next day.
Communal sessions are where the real community magic happens. You’ll sit shoulder to shoulder with strangers, phones left in the changing area, and somehow end up chatting about everything from tide times to where to get a proper pumpkin spice latte. Private hire is made for birthdays, hen dos and catch-ups that need more than a coffee.
What really sets saunas in the North East apart is the scenery. Dunes, castles, spring-fed lakes and sunrises over the North Sea horizon make every round feel like a mini break.
BEACH SAUNAS IN THE NORTH EAST: HEAT WITH A NORTH SEA CHASER
Most of the region’s saunas sit right on the coast, with the North Sea doubling as the coldest plunge pool you’ll ever meet.
STEAM & SALT, TYNEMOUTH
Where: Grand Parade, East Side, Tynemouth
Opening times: Tuesday – Sunday, 7am – 4.45pm (October – April) and 7am – 8.45pm (May – September)
Price: £16.50 for one hour | £198 for one-hour private hire of Iso for up to 12 | email to book Pikku private hire for up to eight
Set on the lower promenade at the southern end of Longsands, Steam & Salt runs two Nordic-inspired, wood-fired saunas (Iso for 12 people and Pikku for eight) with sea views through the glass. It reopened in upgraded form in January 2026, and if you’re new to the scene, it’s the easiest beach sauna in Tynemouth to start with, being just footsteps away from the sea. The award-winning community sauna runs women-only and silent sessions, and offers private hire too.
TYDE SEA VIEW SAUNA, WHITLEY BAY
Where: Promenade, Whitley Bay
Opening times: Monday – Thursday, 7am – 9pm (can vary)
Price: £16.50 for one hour | £165 for one hour five minutes private hire for up to 12
TYDE makes the view part of the experience. Its purpose-built Scandinavian-style saunas have large sea-facing windows and skylights, so you can watch the waves roll in under the clouds drifting overhead without leaving the heat. They’re fired with locally sourced wood, and you can book communal or private sessions.
SNUG SAUNA, SEATON SLUICE
Where: Fountain Head Car Park, Seaton Sluice
Opening times: Friday 8.30am – 12.30pm, Saturday 8.30am – 2.30pm and Sunday 9.30am – 2.30pm
Price: £14 for 55 minutes | £60 for 55-minute private hire for up to five
Snug calls itself simply a wood-fired sauna by the sea, and it’s a cosy one. Expect regular community sessions alongside private hire and the odd sauna-and-yoga or sound bath event. Seaton Sluice’s harbour, coastal walks and much-loved chippy make it easy to stretch a session into a full afternoon. Fish and chips after a cold dip? Don’t mind if we do.
SAUNA HETTA, DRURIDGE BAY
Where: The Barn on the Bay, Hemscott Hill Farm, Druridge Bay
Opening times: Friday 8.30am – 12.30pm, Saturday 8.30am – 2.30pm and Sunday 9.30am – 2.30pm
Price: £15 for one hour | £90 for one-hour private hire for up to six
Tucked among the dunes at Hemscott Hill Farm, Sauna Hetta feels miles from anywhere despite being an easy drive from Newcastle. As well as community, women-only and private sessions, it runs dip, book and social clubs, plus ritual experiences shaped around the tides, the moon and the morning light.
From October to April, pop-up café Coffee in the Cowshed serves hot drinks, cakes, pies and soups. You won’t leave hungry.
BAMBURGH WYLD WELLNESS, BAMBURGH
Where: Bamburgh Under Canvas, Glororum, Bamburgh
Opening times: Monday (private hire only), Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday (times vary)
Price: £15 for one hour | £80 for one-hour private hire for up to eight
One of the newest arrivals, Bamburgh Wyld Wellness opened at Bamburgh Under Canvas in July 2026. It pairs a wood-fired sauna with an optional cold plunge and outdoor yoga, with shared social sessions or exclusive private hire on offer.
With Bamburgh Castle just down the road, it’s a strong contender for the most scenic sauna in the North East.
SALTBURN’S WILD TRAILER SAUNA, SALTBURN
Where: Hazel Grove, west end of the promenade, Saltburn-by-the-Sea
Opening times: Thursday – Monday (times vary, October – January)
Price: £13 for one hour
On the Teesside coast, Whitby Wellbeing’s wood-fired trailer sauna sits at Hazel Grove, a sheltered valley at the far end of Saltburn’s promenade, just beyond the pier. Saltburn Steam, meanwhile, has close links with the town’s surf crowd, so expect plenty of post-session chat about the swell.
LAKESIDE SAUNAS: SWAP THE SURF FOR STILL WATER
Not keen on waves? A lake gives you all the cold-water thrill in a calmer, quieter setting, and these are some of the most scenic saunas in the North East.
MEG’S LAKE: A HIDDEN LAKESIDE SAUNA IN NORTHUMBERLAND
Where: Beacon Hill Farm, Morpeth, Northumberland
Opening times: Monday – Sunday 9am – 6:50pm
Price: £50 for 90-minute private hire for up to four people
Hidden in the Northumberland countryside, Meg’s Lake is the kind of place you’d never find unless someone told you about it. So consider yourself told. The spring-fed lake covers two and a half acres within 20 acres of rewilded land on a 360-acre estate, and the water’s strikingly clear.
Beside the water sits a traditional wood-fired sauna, so you can move between the heat and a dip in the lake for the full hot-and-cold ritual. It’s £50 for up to four people, which works out at £12.50 each if you fill the spots, and the whole place is yours for the session.
Night-time sessions are on the way once lightings fitted, and a starlit sauna in the middle of Northumberland sounds unbeatable to us.
Meg’s Lake is open all year and releases slots three months in advance, while guests staying at Beacon Hill Farm Cottage get their own booking option.
HLN TOP TIP: Why not make a weekend of it and book a stay at cottages, a tree house or a glamping pod at Beacon Hill Farm?
LAKESIDE SAUNA AT SALTMOORE, SANDSEND
Where: Saltmoore, Sandsend Road, Whitby
Opening times: TBC
Price: £65 for a 45-minute private hire for up to six
It’s worth the drive down the coast for this one. Saltmoore’s new Lakeside Sauna sits beside a tranquil lake in Sandsend, just north of Whitby, and it’s designed as a ritual for two. Floor-to-ceiling glass runs across the front of the timber-framed sauna, framing the water while the heat does its work.
Step outside to the adjoining shower for your cold blast, then head back in and repeat. Prefer company? You can bring a few friends along too, with the sauna and outdoor shower all yours for the full 45 minutes.
Pair it with dinner at Calluna, Saltmoore’s newly opened restaurant led by Executive Chef Adam Maddock, and you’ve got one of the dreamiest date nights on the Yorkshire coast.
NORTHUMBRIAN SAUNA, HIGHAM LAKES
Where: Higham Lakes, near Ponteland
Opening times: Tuesday, Thursday – Saturday (times vary)
Price: £20 for one hour
Run by self-styled Sauna Master Fenwick Ridley since 2023, Northumbrian Sauna has its home at Higham Lakes near Ponteland, where the sauna trailer sits right by the water. It’s the go-to for big groups, with tents and a trailer that handle 20-plus people, and Viking-themed sessions are a regular feature.
Got a birthday that needs to be a bit different? Sorted.
WOODLAND AND COUNTRYSIDE SAUNAS: HEAT AMONG THE TREES
LANGLEY TRACKS, NEAR HEXHAM
Where: Langley Tracks, Langley on Tyne, Hexham
Opening times: Wednesday – Sunday (times vary)
Price: one-hour private session £50 for one or two people, £60 for three and £70 for four
For a Northumberland sauna with a difference, head to Langley Tracks. It occupies a restored Victorian station on the old Hexham to Allendale railway, where the last train left in 1950.
Today it’s home to pottery classes, events and a Nordic-inspired barrel sauna among the trees, with room for up to four and a cold plunge pool alongside.
ELEMENTS SAUNA, BARNARD CASTLE
Where: TCR Hub, Shaw Bank, Barnard Castle
Opening times: Tuesday – Sunday (times vary)
Price: £15.50 for 50 minutes | £19 for evening Full Moon and Light Up sessions | £105 for a 10-session pass
Set beside a spring-fed lake in the grounds of the TCR Hub in the North Pennines, Elements is a traditional Finnish wood-fired sauna and one of the few in the region approved by the British Sauna Society. It’s friendly and unpretentious, with community sessions all year round, plus special Full Moon events and female-only and calm sessions.
Build a half day around it with a wander through Barnard Castle’s indie cafés and The Bowes Museum.
WILD SWIMMING SAUNA SAFETY: READ THIS BEFORE YOU STRIP OFF
Cold water is a genuine shock to the body, so ease in slowly, keep dips short and never go out of your depth. Don’t swim alone, check the conditions and follow any lifeguard or RNLI advice on the day.
Saunas and cold plunges aren’t for everyone. If you’re pregnant, have a heart condition or any other health concerns, speak to your GP before booking. Drink plenty of water, skip the booze beforehand and listen to your body.
New to cold water? Our guide to wild swimming in the North East is a good place to start.
A toast to staying toasty this season – see you in the sauna.
Rachael Ellis
Head of Content
After gaining a first in her BA Media and Journalism degree at Northumbria University, Rachael worked at Newcastle’s leading regional newspaper with her stories being picked up in national and global newspapers. She spent two very successful years giving a voice to those communities across the North East who otherwise…
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