We’re done talking about the hottest trends sweeping the capital. Instead, we’re ready to focus on the coldest. From rooftop chill-outs to icy buckets in Hoxton, here’s where to get your dopamine hit and brave London’s coolest dips.
To quote the Poet Laureate of the noughties, Outkast’s André 3000: what’s cooler than being cool? Ice cold.
And Londoners are leaning into it — swapping Aperol spritzes for polar plunges, ice baths and other bracing cold therapies in the name of wellness.
Often paired with a steamy sauna session, cold plunging is said to bring a whole icy bucketload of benefits: tighter skin, soothed muscles, faster workout recovery, boosted energy, sharper focus and a serious mood lift thanks to that sweet, sweet dopamine hit.
Ready to swap your comfort zone for the cold zone? Here’s where to take the plunge in London.
Read more: ‘I braved a cold sauna and couldn’t believe the benefits’
BXR, Marylebone
Elite boxing gym BXR doesn’t just train champions — it chills them out, too.
Come for a sweat session, stay for the restorative shock of an ice bath. Or skip the punches and head straight for the plunge.
Either way, it’s one way to feel truly alive.
Intro sessions cost £45 for 45 minutes.
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Read more: These are the best affordable saunas in London
Rooftop Saunas, Brixton and Hackney
Sauna, skyline, and a splash of sub-zero — all in one hit.
These rooftop retreats mix panoramic views with private plunge pools, icy waterfall buckets and cool-down rooms, so you can get your thrills and chills while gazing over the capital.
Choose from 30-, 60- and 90-minute options, with prices starting from £11 per person.
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Banya No1, Hoxton
This is hot-cold therapy the proper way — just like they do it in Russia, Finland and the Baltics. Steam, sweat, dunk, repeat.
At Banya No1 Hoxton, you’ll go from intense heat to bracing cold baths and bucket showers in one 90-minute hit. You’ll emerge pink-cheeked, buzzy and smug.
Rebase, Marylebone
Ancient practices meet modern cool at Rebase, where breathwork and guided cold plunges are on the menu.
Feeling brave? Step into the Powercab Cryotherapy chamber, where the mercury drops to a frankly ludicrous -110C. Yes, that’s colder than Antarctica.
Enquire about single-use bookings or memberships online.
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Read more: This countryside spa hotel is the perfect weekend getaway — less than one hour from London
Sauna and Plunge, Shoreditch
3D-printed plunge pools made from recycled materials? Very Shoreditch. With three temperature settings — 10C, 8C and 6C — you can ease yourself in or go full penguin.
Prices start from £30 for a 30-minute session.
Little Healing, Ealing
Tucked away in leafy Northfields, this two-person sauna and one-person ice bath is run by two pros in sports medicine and elite athlete performance.
It’s private, peaceful and about as far from the chaos of Zone 1 as you can get without leaving London.
Prices start from £22 for a one-person private session.
Feature image: Unsplash
