10 of the Best Wild Saunas in Scotland

If ever there was a climate that made the heat of a sauna irresistibly appealing, Scotland surely has it – even more so if you can watch the weather swirl across the landscape from the comfort of dry warmth. 

Bronze Age Scots seemed to think so, given the discovery of an ancient sauna-like structure at Stronechrubie in Assynt. Neolithic folk on Orkney, too, where even earlier models have been unearthed, dating back over 4,000 years. 

It was this timeless instinct to seek heat that inspired Shetlanders Hannah Mary Goodlad and her husband, Callum, to create Scotland’s first wild sauna in 2020. ‘We were in Norway, sitting in one of the floating saunas in Oslofjord,’ Hannah recalls of their influential Scandinavian holiday. ‘I turned to Callum, and said: “You know, this would work so well – this idea of a typically indoor experience, but outdoors in Scotland.”’ 

A horsebox acquired from a farmer in Aberdeenshire set the stage – providing the base for a sauna that could travel anywhere. Once fitted with a wood- fired stove, Haar Sauna was born. Now with multiple awards under its belt, Haar usually sits on the white sands of St. Ninian’s Beach in Shetland, right on the edge of the crashing Atlantic Ocean. In the past few years, wild saunas like Haar have multiplied across Scotland (around 60 at the last count), offering a ritual of warmth, nature and simplicity which nurtures mental renewal alongside the proven physical benefits of heat therapy. (Studies show regular sauna use can help optimise the stress response, protect against cardiovascular and neurodegenerative disease, and even help preserve muscle mass.) But beyond the science, wild saunas deliver something harder to measure: a memorable sensory experience, deep connection with the outdoors – and a moment to simply stop. 

At the time, saunas in the UK were mostly confined to hotels and spas. ‘Norway had taken this leap,’ says Hannah Mary. ‘Scotland and Norway are so close culturally, geographically, nature-wise… the idea of an outdoor sauna wouldn’t leave our minds.’

A horsebox acquired from a farmer in Aberdeenshire set the stage – providing the base for a sauna that could travel anywhere. Once fitted with a wood- fired stove, Haar Sauna was born. Now with multiple awards under its belt, Haar usually sits on the white sands of St. Ninian’s Beach in Shetland, right on the edge of the crashing Atlantic Ocean. 

In the past few years, wild saunas like Haar have multiplied across Scotland (around 60 at the last count), offering a ritual of warmth, nature and simplicity which nurtures mental renewal alongside the proven physical benefits of heat therapy. (Studies show regular sauna use can help optimise the stress response, protect against cardiovascular and neurodegenerative disease, and even help preserve muscle mass.) But beyond the science, wild saunas deliver something harder to measure: a memorable sensory experience, deep connection with the outdoors – and a moment to simply stop.

Stonesthrow Sauna 

Isle or Arran

This black-painted, wood-fired sauna – custom-built from spruce – moves around Arran, the Firth of Clyde’s own miniature Scotland, with craggy mountains at one end and fi elds fading into sandy beaches at the other. Through Stonesthrow’s picture window you might see Lamlash Bay and Holy Isle – a spiritual retreat since the 6th century – or the Victorian seaside village of Whiting Bay, stretched along a mile of sandy coast. Wherever it parks up, the sea is never far away for a bracing plunge, no matter the weather. ‘There’s something very satisfying about stepping into our hot sauna while the wind and rain howl outside,’ says Andrew Sheppard, who founded Stonesthrow with his partner, Amy, in 2024. Since then, Andrew says it has become a social space, too: ‘If you go in alone, you’re sure to come out with a group of friends.’

TOP TIP 

The three-mile hike to Glenashdale Falls (Eas a' Chrannaig) in Whiting Bay – continuing up to the Giant’s Graves, two Neolithic chambered tombs – is a beauty. Or head to Kingscross to see the Iron Age fort and Viking burial site, with its sweeping views of Holy Isle.

West Coast Wellness 

Otter Ferry, Cowal Peninsula 

While hunkered down on their family farm near Otter Ferry on Loch Fyne during the pandemic, sisters-in-law Hailey and Rosie had an epiphany: movement, nature and community are essential to feeling healthy and whole. That philosophy became West Coast Wellness – a farm-based retreat offering yoga, day escapes, and a wood-fi red sauna with wide windows looking out over the Cowal Peninsula’s sleepy fi elds and onto the loch. Here, you might spot otters, seals and porpoises – and, if you’re lucky, sea eagles, dolphins and basking sharks. ‘Time stands still here,’ muses Rosie. The hand-built sauna has room for 16 and includes a freshwater plunge pool – or you can simply cool off in the sea.

TOP TIP 

Join a yoga class in the farm’s geodesic dome before your sauna session (weekend classes run before the public drop-in). Afterwards, head to Inver Restaurant & Rooms (a 15-minute drive) for an exceptional meal.

Soul Water Sauna 

Edinburgh 

On Edinburgh’s Portobello Beach, Soul Water Sauna offers the perfect pairing: steaming heat and bone-chilling North Sea dips. According to founder Kirsty Carver, this is the best way to feel present. Kirsty fell in love with saunas during a trip to Iceland over 20 years ago – and it wasn’t just the health benefi ts. For her, saunas are about ‘joy, fun and a sense of community’. Alongside her Portobello sauna, Kirsty runs Big Bear and Little Bear in Granton, north of the city. Big Bear has ‘the most beautifully gentle löyly’ (Finnish for the steam that rises from the stove), while Little Bear’s two- funnelled stove creates different kinds of steam: ‘one offers a sharp, intense hit; the other lingers longer and feels softer,’ Kirsty explains. Her mobile sauna, Wandering Bear, visits festivals and is available for private hire. Kirsty and her team also offer traditional sauna immersions, sound baths and seasonal rituals.

TOP TIP 

In Portobello, stop by Dook for handmade salt soap and French clay face masks, made in collaboration with Soul Water Sauna. Portobello Bookshop is perfect for a quiet browse and The Beach House serves a cracking breakfast. In Granton, head to The Pitt for some of Scotland’s fi nest street food and weekly markets. Or take the tide-dependent walk out to Cramond Island for views across to Fife.

Nowhere Sauna 

Comrie Croft, Crieff 

Tucked into native woodland of birch, oak, willow and rowan near the Mill Pond at Comrie Croft in Perth and Kinross, Nowhere Sauna is handcrafted, wood-fi red and designed around nature. ‘We take the running water from the stream to feed our outdoor bath, waterfall bucket and plunge pool,’ says co-founder Lauren Gentry. There’s no thermometer, so you have to listen to your body – which, in turn, helps you appreciate the rhythms of nature. ‘These so often get lost in the pace of everyday life,’ adds Lauren’s business partner, Susanna Macintyre – like the nuthatches and woodpeckers you can spot from the sauna.

TOP TIP 

Pop to Gorse Café, at Comrie Croft, for light bites made with local produce. Tomnah'a Market Garden is also on- site, growing a gorgeous selection of salads, fruit and fresh-cut fl owers – all available to buy from the Comrie Croft Farm Shop.

Braan Sauna 

The Taybank Dunkeld, Perth and Kinross 

Braan Sauna, on the banks of the River Tay, is powered by an award- winning stove. The beehive-shaped HUUM Hive offers eco-friendly wood burning, oozing cedar-scented heat as it fi res. The sauna’s stones include some hand-selected from the river, and the effect, according to founders Fraser Potter and Kim Grant, is like pressing pause on the noise of everyday life. ‘There’s the scent of woodsmoke and cedar, the River Tay rushing past the windows and through the arches of Dunkeld Bridge, and views of mist settling over the wooded Birnam Hill,’ describes Kim. The sauna, autumn- and winter-only, is equipped with cold showers and plunge tanks, and both community and private sessions are available.

TOP TIP 

Book a session that falls over sunset: it’s lovely catching the last light over the river before the old lanterns on Thomas Telford’s Dunkeld Bridge fl icker on. Afterwards, grab pub food and live music at The Taybank.

Woodland Sauna at The Treehouses at Lanrick 

Lanrick, Perthshire 

On the banks of the River Teith on the edge of the Trossachs National Park, Lanrick’s eco treehouses are high in the canopy of beech, birch and sycamore, like luxury human-sized birdhouses. It’s all a sensory bath in nature, and the retreat’s new woodland sauna takes the concept a step further. Its green roof features plants gathered from the surrounding woodland, and depending on the season, might feature snowdrops, bluebells or native ferns and grasses. The sauna is for guests only and does not need to be pre-booked. 

TOP TIP 

Book a table at The Gargunnock Inn for local food in a 17th-century setting.

Watershed Sauna 

Moray Firth 

Watershed Sauna, in a renovated vintage horsebox, is designed ‘to help people feel more connected with the natural world’, says Elle Adams, who opened the sauna in 2022 with her partner Rupert – initially not as a business but as a ‘winter survival strategy’ for staying healthy in their poorly insulated fl at. The sauna has huge windows – all the better for admiring Burghead Bay and the Moray Firth from its perch on the edge of the beach in Findhorn, not to mention the crowd of local wildlife: ‘seals, seabirds, dolphins, and even hunting osprey and basking sharks in the right season,’ lists Elle.

TOP TIP 

Grab a coffee and a pastry at the Bakehouse in Findhorn village. They also do special dahls for lunch, and stock local produce, wholefood supplies and their own range of bread, baked fresh every day in the village.

Wild Braemar Sauna 

Braemar, Cairngorms National Park 

This hand-built, wood-fi red sauna is mobile but favours one magical location: up Glen Ey on Mar Estate, beside a cascade of miniature waterfalls tumbling from the surrounding mountains. It’s only bookable for private use and runs as part of a guided wild swimming experience, with founder Annie Armstrong hosting guests throughout. ‘I provide towels, water shoes, and food and drinks if they like,’ she says. ‘But the location is our main standout feature, being beside a river with crystal-clear Scottish water, in a glen home to eagles, osprey, red deer and other mountain wildlife.’

Top Tip

Try Annie’s wild wellness day, including a guided hike with a picnic followed by a swim and sauna.

Dune (Elie Seaside Sauna) 

East Neuk of Fife 

Nestled in marram grass on the dunes beside Elie Beach, Dune – the original Elie Seaside Sauna – offers just-right views across Elie Harbour and the golden sweep of the bay. Sauna Master Judith Dunlop, who grew up locally, sees the sauna as a way of sharing what the landscape makes her feel. ‘I want to simplify things in a chaotic and overwhelming world,’ she refl ects. The sauna occupies a converted horse trailer, fi tted with fl oor-to-ceiling windows that frame sunsets, diving gannets and kite-surfers cutting across the waves.  Dune is private hire only – book well ahead – or try Shore, Judith’s shared sauna nearby. Her other locations (Cellardyke and St. Andrews’ East Sands) are equally soul-soothing.

TOP TIP 

Before your session, swim in the Pittenweem tidal pool or join one of Judith’s outdoor yoga classes (weather permitting). Afterwards, head to Baern Café & Bakery at Bowhouse for nourishing seasonal bakes.

The Woodland Sauna - Glen Dye Cabins & Cottages 

Banchory, Aberdeenshire 

Guests have access to Glen Dye’s woodland sauna for three hours – but this is a very long time to sit and swelter. It is an ideal amount of time, though, for practising a hot and cold ritual and letting the sounds of the woods work on your nervous system. The sauna, a glass-fronted wooden hut deep in fairytale-like forest, is conveniently set up with twin orange cold plunge tin tubs outside, and although originally wood-fi red, has been converted to electric – largely generated by Glen Dye’s solar panels – so you can preheat it.