Lerwick – a Wood-Fired Sauna by the Sea
A few hours.
The route
Haar Sauna's Lerwick sauna is a big wood-fired cabin for up to fifteen by the sea on South Road, looking over Brei Wick, with cold plunge pools on a timber deck outside.
Book a seat on the bench in a shared session or take the whole sauna with friends, then walk round the bay to Fjarå, the café bar on the point, for something to eat. It suits adults and children from eight, and it's warm in any weather.
Before you go
Book a community seat (from £13 at the time of writing) or a private session (from £135) at Haar Sauna's Lerwick sauna in its online diary, where the days and hours are posted: an hour and 20 minutes, no under-8s, cancel online up to five days ahead.
Book a table at Fjarå on its website or on 01595 697388 for after the sauna: it's open Tuesday to Saturday 8am to 10pm and Sunday 9am to 5pm, and shut on Mondays.
The day
Lerwick
Heat from a wood stove, a cold plunge between rounds and the sea in front, then a short walk round the bay to eat.
About three hours
Haar Sauna, Lerwick
Haar's Lerwick sauna stands behind the old Brevik House on South Road, a few minutes from the town centre, with free parking right outside. It's a large wood-fired sauna for up to 15, with two cold plunge pools and a cold shower on the deck, and seats outside looking over the bay. A community session is a seat on the bench for an hour and 20 minutes, from £13 at the time of writing, and a private session for your own group is from £135. Book a time in Haar's online diary, where the days and hours are posted. There's nowhere indoors to change, so arrive in your swimwear about 10 minutes early, with a towel, warm clothes for after and a water bottle, and don't eat in the hour before. Nobody under 8 may come. You can cancel online up to five days ahead, less a £15 fee, and a Met Office weather warning means a new date rather than a refund.
8 min on foot
Fjarå Café Bar
Lunch
Fjarå is about 8 minutes' walk round the bay, on its own small point into Brei Wick, with big windows over the water where seals and otters are sometimes seen. It serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, with baking made each morning, and opens Tuesday to Saturday from 8am to 10pm and Sunday from 9am to 5pm. It's shut on Mondays. Families are welcome, and a table can be booked on its website or on 01595 697388. If it's full, the Peerie Shop Café on the Esplanade in the town centre does breakfast and lunch from Tuesday to Saturday until 4pm.
If it rains
The sauna is warm in any weather, and the site is in a sheltered spot; Haar moves a session when a Met Office warning is out. Fjarå is indoors.
Photograph by S V via Google