A new lakeside community sauna is set to open in east London

East London is fast becoming the UK’s sauna capital. According to Saunamap, there are 68 verified saunas in the area, including the floating sauna boats in Canary Wharf, rooftop saunas in Hackney and infrared saunas in West Ham. One major player in the East End’s sauna boom is not-for-profit organisation Community Sauna Baths (CSB) – and it’s got plans for yet another steamy site. 

CSB already has venues in Camberwell, Hackney Wick, Peckham, Stratford and Walthamstow, and has franchises outside of London in Glasgow and Bristol. Now, it’s got its eyes on Waltham Forest. Specifically, on a former boathouse in Highams Park. 

After standing on the park’s lakeside for five decades, the two-storey boathouse was destroyed in a fire in September 2025. It was subsequently demolished and in March this year the City of London Corporation invited organisations to submit proposals for leasing the site for community uses.

It now looks like the corporation has chosen CSB’s proposal, though nothing has been formally submitted for planning yet. Before that happens, CSB wants to know what locals think of its plans. If you live near Highams Park, you can share your opinions here. 

CSB’s design for the new sauna can fit around 30 people at a time. Like at its other saunas, membership would be £23 a month for half-price sessions (£8 at peak time, £5 for off-peak). For non-members, sessions are typically £12. 

Highams Park isn’t the only place that CSB has plans for. Another sauna at a ‘castle’ in Stoke Newington was approved last month and the organisation is currently awaiting a decision on plans for a sauna complex in Crystal Palace Park. 

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