Desperate for a wholesome and transformative way to spend a Saturday night in London, L360’s Evelyn Richards replaced the pub with a wellness activity that’s growing in popularity across the UK.
Saturday evenings in London usually mean neon lights, clinking glasses and the inevitable queuing for a kebab to inhale on the night bus home. But last weekend, my friend Molly and I swapped cocktails for cold water and honestly? I’ve never felt better.
Arc Community, the contrast therapy specialist, has teamed up with Barry’s Bootcamp in Canary Wharf to offer a ‘performance + recovery duo’ — one Barry’s class and one Arc session for £45. A bargain, sure. But what we got in return was far more than a budget-friendly wellness deal. It was connection, clarity and a surprisingly hilarious cold bath.
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The fire
Barry’s was just as intense as you’d expect. Sprints that pushed us to the edge of sanity, dumbbells that felt personal and 60 minutes of sweat that might as well have been an exorcism. By the time we left the red-lit studio, our cheeks were flushed and our energy weirdly elevated — half-wrecked, half-revived.
Then came Arc.
Walking into Arc was like stepping into another reality. Soft lighting. Cedar-scented air. Zero pressure to look cool or perform. Just a space to be.
The sauna was already heated to a toasty 88C, its stones glowing gently as we settled onto the wooden benches.
Arc recommends a protocol: 15-20 minutes in the heat, followed by two minutes in a 5-10C cold plunge.
Do that four to seven times a week, and you might just improve your heart health, reduce your dementia risk and basically live forever… or at least feel like you could.
Inside the sauna, time slowed down. The heat pressed into my skin, loosening something internal I hadn’t realised was wound so tight. Beside me, Molly exhaled and for once, neither of us reached for our phones. We just sat. And talked.
You know the kind of conversation that usually only happens after a bottle of wine? It was like that, only better — our minds were clear, our words unfiltered and we remembered everything the next morning.
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The ice
Then it was time for the plunge. Molly and I opted to share the bath — one pristine tub of glacial, almost mischievously cold water.
The breathwork coach led a short breathing exercise and then counted down to the plunge. Molly sank in like a goddess entering a sacred spring. I, on the other hand, lasted about 30 seconds before bursting back up, gasping and laughing and trying to find feeling in my toes. Molly stayed perfectly still for the full two minutes, eyes closed, breathing slow. It was a struggle not to giggle at the uncharacteristically Zen-like state my friend was in.
We couldn’t stop laughing afterwards. It was oddly euphoric — like we’d completed some strange endurance rite and come out shinier on the other side.
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The aftermath
We stepped back into Canary Wharf’s midnight quiet, skin tingling, minds oddly alert. There was no thumping bassline, no drunk texts, no greasy regrets. Just a sense of lightness I hadn’t felt in weeks.
The next morning, Molly texted me: “Ever wonder if cold water really lives up to the hype? One plunge and it was an instant dopamine explosion. Like, forget sugar, forget wine… this was transcendence. My worries? Gone. My insecurities? Evaporated.”
And honestly? She nailed it.
There’s something quietly radical about choosing clarity over chaos on a Saturday night. About replacing the usual noise with intention, conversation and just the right amount of discomfort to wake you all the way up.
Are saunas the new pub?
What really set the experience apart, though, was the communal element. Our session was led by Arc’s co-founder, Alanna Kit, who made it clear from the start: even if you come with a friend, talk to someone new. Say hello. Share the space, the silence, the struggle.
And people did.
Between rounds, strangers swapped tips (“Breathe through the cold!”), encouragement (“You’re doing great, seriously!”) and even the occasional ice bath joke. It felt like the best parts of going to the pub — the warmth, the camaraderie, the shared moment — without the hangover or 1am chips.
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There’s something uniquely disarming about sweating next to someone you’ve never met or plunging into freezing water together. It strips away pretence. You’re all there, physically vulnerable, doing something weird and wonderful together. And that creates an instant sense of connection — no alcohol required.
It turns out communal saunas aren’t just for Scandinavians or spa weekends. They’re a brilliant, wholesome alternative to the pub — a new kind of social ritual for people who want to feel better, not just buzzed.
Barry’s x Arc costs £45 per person and runs until June 30. Only available at the Canary Wharf branch. Buy your credit here.
Feature image credit: Arc Community
