Where to Sauna

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Ice baths in London: where to find one, how cold, and what it costs

By the Where to Sauna team · Updated · 6 min read

Ice bath or cold plunge: is there a difference?

Not much, in practice. London venues use the words loosely. An "ice bath" is usually a single tub with ice added or a chiller set very low. A "cold plunge" can mean anything from a 3°C tub to a 15°C pool. What matters is the temperature, and only some venues publish it.

The coldest published plunges in London

These are the venues that publish a plunge temperature, coldest first. The rest don't say, so we don't guess.

SaunaAreaColdestWarmestFrom
Community Sauna Baths – Hackney WickHackney3°C15°C£9.50
Community Sauna Baths – StratfordStratford3°C15°C£11
Sauna & PlungeShoreditch3°C12°C—
Skuna Sauna BoatCanary Wharf3°C6°C£15
AndSoul Sanctuary – ShoreditchShoreditch4°C15°C£15
Revitalise Urban SpaHackney4°C10°C—
arvoWalthamstow5°C10°C£15
Community Sauna Baths – CamberwellCamberwell5°C10°C£9.50
Rooftop Saunas – HackneyHackney5°C7°C£20
Urban Heat Sauna – CamberwellCamberwell5°C10°C—
Kensal Haus – Kensal RiseKensal Rise7°C7°C£15
TEMZ Floating Saunas – TeddingtonTeddington8°C8°C£20

Every London sauna with an ice bath

  1. Contrast therapyChecked 12 Oct 2026

    AndSoul Sanctuary – Shoreditch

    Brick Lane / Shoreditch, Shoreditch

    from £15 per person

    Sauna-only sessions from £15 off-peak or £20 peak; any class with a sauna session £28; day pass £69; intro offer of 3 classes (with sauna each visit) for £49; sauna credit packs and unlimited memberships also sold

    • Cold plunge 4–15°C
    • Sauna 60–90°C
    • Aufguss
    • Private hire
    • Swimwear required
    View details
  2. Contrast therapyChecked 12 Oct 2026

    Arc

    Canary Wharf

    Price on the venue’s website

    • Ice bath
    • Showers
    • Swimwear required
    View details
  6. InfraredChecked 11 Oct 2026

    Revive Recovery – Tooting

    Summerstown, Tooting, Tooting

    The venue's own pages quote conflicting single-session prices: the infrared page shows an intro offer of £10, 'sessions start from £15' and 'Single session £20'; the ice bath page lists a single ice bath at £10. The homepage also describes Starter membership sauna/ice bath access both as unlimited and as once a week.

    from £20 per person

    Booking section lists a single session at £20 and a Hot & Cold Restore (sauna plus ice bath) at £20 for 30 minutes or £30 for 60; 4-pack £70, 8-pack £120, two-week trial £79, memberships from £99 a month

    • Ice bath
    View details

Saunas that call theirs a cold plunge are listed on Saunas in London under the cold plunge filter.

What does an ice bath cost in London?

You rarely pay for an ice bath on its own. It comes with a sauna session, and the cold plunge is included in the price. Community saunas are the cheapest: sessions start at £8. Guided ice-bath and contrast classes usually cost more; Arc in Canary Wharf sells new customers an intro pack of 3 classes for £49.

How long should you stay in?

Most people stay in for 10 to 60 seconds, according to Community Sauna Baths, and get out when their body tells them to. There's no prize for staying longer.

The first few seconds are the hardest. Cold water triggers a gasp and fast breathing, which passes in under a minute. In a plunge tub you can stand up at any time, so the trick is to get in slowly and keep your breathing steady until it settles.

What the research says

The best summary so far is a 2025 meta-analysis of 11 studies and 3,177 people by Tara Cain and colleagues at the University of South Australia, published in PLOS ONE. It looked at immersion in water typically 10 to 15°C, for at least 30 seconds (summary). It found:

  • Lower stress for about 12 hours afterwards.
  • Possibly better sleep, though that data came from men only.
  • A short-term rise in inflammation, which the authors say people with existing health conditions should be careful about.
  • Very little evidence for the popular claims that ice baths boost immunity or mood.

So it can feel good and may help with stress, but much of what you read online goes further than the evidence.

Who should check first

Community Sauna Baths asks anyone who is pregnant, has a heart condition or has other medical concerns to check with their GP before using the sauna or plunge. That's sensible advice for any venue.

Sources

Venue details in this guide come from the 70 London saunas we track and update automatically when a listing changes. How we check listings. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.

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