We like the sound of pampering at Powfoot in Scotland – a spa for hire. Up to four people can share this log cabin for 2 hours from £35 (no towels, robes or drinks) to £135 (with towels, robes, chocs and champagne). It contains a sauna, small pool and hot tub. Best of all, you’re left alone to enjoy the facilities in peace.
Do you know a sauna for hire that you can recommend?
Really, glasses aren’t a good idea in the sauna. We recommend that you only wear them for your first session as you get used to where everything is.
Avoid taking your glasses off in the sauna as someone might sit on them – or they could get knocked undeneath the benches.
Generally, it’s better to take your contact lenses out, but it’s not essential. If you are using a particular sauna for the first time or if taking out your lenses would cut into the time available to sauna, you may wish to keep them in.
So firstly – let’s squash one myth. Your lenses are not going to melt in the heat! As your lenses are close to your eyes, they will remain closer to body temperature than glasses would – so they won’t steam or fog up as a result of the humidity or extreme temperature fluctuations.
The biggest concern is that drying of your eyes and lenses will cause eye irritation. You can help counteract the drying of your eyes by blinking a lot. If you feel discomfort, leave the sauna.
Your after-care guide will give details, but many are advised to avoid saunas for a few weeks before and after surgery.
You’re looking at Version 1 of our roundup of the saunas in Birmingham city centre. We think it’s ready enough for sharing, but we’d really appreciate feedback from people who know the area better!
Church Street Birmingham B3 2NR
Previously disused Birmingham Eye Hospital. Contains Health du Vin spa – see below.
Contains Amala Spa and club – see below.
Formerly Radisson SAS.
12 Holloway Circus, Queensway, Birmingham B1 1BT
Website
People staying at the hotel can use the 18th floor Health Club free.
Gym, fitness area, sauna, spa.
70 Broad Street, Birmingham B1 2HT
Mixed sauna, officially swimwear compulsory.
Sauna, jacuzzi and fitness centre.
As of February 2010, the fitness centre is being refurbished but the sauna is available.
1 Piccadilly Arcade, Birmingham B2 4HD
This is a women-only health club. Sometimes falsely called Riviva. Unfortunately they’ve forgotten to renew their .com and someone else has grabbed their domain. We believe it has a sauna. Also offers yoga and massage.
Hyatt Regency Birmingham, 2 Bridge Street, Birmingham B1 2JZ
Gym, 16m heated indoor swimming pool, sauna, solarium, steam room, whirlpool and a cold water plunge pool. Plus treatments.
Sauna is mixed and a costume or bikini is required.
42-44 The Priory Queensway Birmingham B4 7LA
Formerly a LivingWell. One of two Bannatyne’s clubs in Birmingham.
Pool hall includes hydrotherapy spa, sauna and steam room. There might be multiple saunas.
Gym and beauty treatments available.
Mon-Fri 6:30am-9:30pm, Sat-Sun 10am-5pm.
We don’t know for definite that you can go as a day visitor, but we expect that it is possible.
60 Broad Street 3, Brunswick Arcade Birmingham B1 2JF
Formerly a LivingWell Premier.
Mon-Fri 6:30am-10pm, Sat-Sun 8am-8pm.
Pool, hydrotherapy spa, sauna and steam room.
We don’t know for definite that you can go as a day visitor, but we expect that it is possible.
55 Temple Row, Unit 5, Birmingham B2 5LS
Mon-Thu 6am-10pm, Fri 6am-8pm, Sat 9:30-3pm, Sun closed.
Sauna, steam room, jacuzzi. Gym, treatments. No pool.
You can usually get a trial membership fairly easily, but day passes are not typically available from this chain.
Church Street Birmingham B3 2NR
“A secluded sanctuary in which to relax and recharge, incorporating a vast, state-of-the-art gym, with sauna, steam and powerful drench showers, plus five treatment rooms.” Although it might not have a sauna, as there’s only one reference to it! Can anyone help us out?
“Swimming costumes should be worn in the unisex steam rooms.”
There are many venues that lack a sauna. We list here only ones where there may be confusion.
126 New Street, Burlington Arcade, Birmingham B2 4JQ
Sometimes listed as having facilities, but in fact does not have a sauna or leisure facilities – they suggest you visit Bannatyne’s.
Sometimes still listed as having facilities, today this hotel only has a gym, with no pool, sauna or steam room facilities.
“Health/Fitness Center On-Site” turns out to just be a Cardio vascular fitness room.
Offers access to Bannantynes Gym in Brindley Place at discounted rate of £5.00 per day, but it’s off-site.
12 Hagley Road, Five Ways, Birmingham B16 8SJ
Has pool, spa and steam room – but no sauna.
“Peppermint Palace” and “Ambassador Sauna” in Digbeth both turn up under Saunas, but they’re not what we consider real saunas.
So, hopefully this saves some people some time when they’re looking for a place to enjoy a sauna in Birmingham – but we do need your help to improve this data! Comment below or email editor@realsaunas.co.uk
We’re putting together a post answering some of the most common questions about sauna dress codes. In the meantime, you could check Wikipedia.
Wikipedia’s English-language sauna page has a few contradictory statements about clothing in the sauna.
Of saunas at swimming pools in North America, Western Europe and Russia, it apparently depends on the location of the sauna. “This may be a separate area where swim wear may be taken off or a smaller facility in the swimming pool area where one should keep the swim wear on”.
If you’re with the same family, mixed gender nudity is we’re told, common. If you’re on a cruise ship, or in a hotel, you’ll probably have to wear a towel around your waist when having a drink by the sauna. Clearly vital information.
Above all, the consensus on what you should wear depends on where in the world you are and whether you’re in a mixed or same-sex sauna. So an entire section on Wikipedia’s page is devoted to “modern sauna culture around the world”. From this we derive the following table.
Countries are in the order in which they are listed on Wikipedia. A “?” denotes a fact that is not stated on Wikipedia.
| Country | Etiquette | Which are most common? | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-Sex | Mixed | ||
| Finland | Garments rarely worn | Garments rarely worn | Single-gender times more common, but mixed bathing does happen. |
| Estonia | ? | ? | Both |
| Latvia | ? | ? | Both |
| Lithuania | ? | ? | Both |
| Russia | ? | - | Strictly single-sex. |
| Sweden | ? | ? | Public saunas generally single-sex. |
| Germany | Nude | Nude | Single-sex rare, most both women-only and mixed-gender. |
| Austria | Nude | Nude | Single-sex rare, most both women-only and mixed-gender. |
| Benelux | Usually Nude | Usually Nude. | Single-sex rare, most both women-only and mixed-gender. Some bathing suit days/mornings. |
| Switzerland (German-Speaking) | Nude | Nude. | Single-sex rare, most both women-only and mixed-gender. |
| Switzerland (French-Speaking) | Most often Nude. | Often choice nude/clothed. | Both common. Some places offer nude single-sex, nude mixed-gender AND clothed mixed-gender. |
| France | Nudity tolerated | Nudity usually forbidden | Single-gender most common type. |
| UK | Nudity tolerated | Nudity usually forbidden | Single-gender most common type. |
| Much Of Southern Europe | Nudity tolerated | Nudity usually forbidden | Single-gender most common type. |
| Northeast Italy (Friuli and Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol) | Nude | Choice nude/clothed | ? |
| Slovenia | Nude | Choice nude/clothed | ? |
| Croatia | Nude | Choice nude/clothed | ? |
| Croatia | ? | Usually Swimsuits, nude tolerance rare. | Single-sex rare. |
| Portugal | ? | ? | ? |
| Hungary | ? | ? | ? |
| Central America (southern Mexico, Guatemala) | ? | ? | People use temazcals indidvidually |
| Africa | ? | ? | ? but lower temperature to Europe. |
| Korea | ? | ? | ? but saunas are public bathhouses. |
| Japan | - | Nude | “almost always” single-sex “often required by law” |
| US (Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa) | Choice nude/clothed | Clothed | Widespread due to Finnish American population. |
| US (Other) | Choice nude/clothed | Clothed | Not widespread. Single-sex uncommon, most saunas in gym/club changing rooms. |
| Australia | Nudity not tolerated | Nudity not tolerated | Most often mixed. |
So, does this ring true with you? What’s your experience in the above countries? What’s your experience in other parts of the world? Share your thoughts by posting a comment.
So, this site’s been on the air for a few months now, and we’re getting a steady stream of people looking for sauna information. Quite a lot of you are looking for saunas where you can go naked, or mixed saunas – or both – and we’ll be bringing you information on this soon.
Our planned searchable database of UK saunas won’t be ready until nearly the end of the year. In the meantime, we’ll be bringing you our research in handy digests like our Manchester hotel saunas post, and also guides to various situations and dresscodes. The next one will be our overview of Birmingham city centre saunas.
But if our site hasn’t answered your questions, this post serves as a general mailbag. Post your questions in the comments – and requests for areas for us to focus on next.
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