Dip into Wyld sauna: Liverpool's floating Finnish-style destination for lovers of extreme heat

For years, British bathers have looked longingly at cities like Oslo and Helsinki with their buoyant waterfronts offering swim spots and saunas. Why, oh why, with our long, dark, cold winters, do we not have such distractions to warm the soul and lift the spirits?

Well, now we do, thanks to Wyld sauna which has pitched up permanently at Princes Dock in Liverpool. This Finnish-style floating sauna seats 30, has access into the sea, two ice baths, cold barrels and heated and unheated outdoor showers. Views from a giant picture window take in shiny skyscrapers clean, spacious waterways which have been granted an ‘excellent’ rating by the Environment Agency thanks to four oxygen pumps and regular testing.

Wyld: a Finnish-style sauna in Liverpool

Wyld’s exterior features Japanese shou sugi ban charred wood and interiors are clad in thermally treated alder and spruce. Lockers, swimsuit dryers, underfloor heating, mirrors, basins, hairdryers and eco-friendly salt scrubs give it a luxury feel and an aesthetic that fits within the dock's historic, modernised character. This vast network of waterways is Unesco-recognised and fundamental to Liverpool’s identity.

‘Convincing the authorities that a floating sauna could enhance rather than detract from this legacy was a delicate task,’ says Wyld’s co-founder Jon Miller. ‘It required diplomacy, creativity and a clear vision of how the project would blend into its surroundings.’ Miller, an architect with a background in luxury developments, created a modular design that was assembled on the water and ticked all the boxes when it came to environmental impact, engagement with the local community and compatibility with local infrastructure.

And keeping with the Scandinavian sauna cultures that inspired Miller and his co-founder Tom Berendsen, Wyld is affordable too. An hour-long sauna costs £12.50 and membership deals and off-peak sessions come with hefty discounts. Everything is automated; access is gained via a code sent to your phone and an hour before a booking, the sauna turns on, and it goes off when it’s empty.

Liverpool is the first port of call; Manchester is next and the pair are constantly scoping potential sites on lakes, rivers and city waterfronts all over the UK. As committed wild swimmers and sauna lovers themselves, they see their ‘floating health hubs’ as a way to encourage more people to embrace hot and cold therapy and raise awareness around water cleanliness.

‘We want to democratise sauna and cold-water therapy in the urban environment,’ says Berendsen, who is half Dutch and grew up with sauna culture. ‘It shouldn’t be a luxury, but part of everyday life, at reasonable prices.’ Wyld is just the sort of inclusive, vibrant addition to Liverpool’s waterfront that other British cities are crying out for.

wyldsauna.com