David Adamson braves the ice bath at the UK’s first floating sauna
I’ll start by saying that I hate being cold.
You won’t spot me rolling the dice on a chilly day with just a kagoul to hand. I’d rather lug around an extra layer than be caught out on a draughty afternoon.
So why, then, would I sit in an ice bath on Princes Dock in December? Well much like swigging down a smoothie the colour of a damp forest floor, sometimes what looks unpleasant can leave you feeling fantastic.
Wyld Sauna, the UK’s first floating sauna, has now opened on Princes Dock, complete with a 30-person sauna, four ice baths, two cold waterfall showers, four heated outdoor showers equipped with salt rubs, changing rooms and direct access into the water.
Created by long-time friends and sauna enthusiasts Jon Miller and Tom Berendsen, Wyld Sauna promises to “blend the serenity of nature with the urban vibrancy of the city, offering a space for connection and relaxation.”
So far, so Scandi, and with the trend for all things wellness now no longer a fad but a fully-fledged lifestyle, I paid a visit to Wyld Sauna to see if saunas and ice plunges could be for me.
The Wyld Sauna site itself is tucked away in the interior of Princes Dock, sheltered from the winds of the Mersey and the touristy buzz of the parade and Pier Head. In amongst the residential towers, hotels and office blocks, it manages to look genuinely like an inviting oasis of calm in tasteful wood panelling, rather than, you know, a hut by the side of some water.
This is testament to the effort put into the site by Wyld, who clearly realise that it’s the little details that combine to make a big difference. If the setting isn’t relaxing you’re hardly going to want to take your kit off and dive right in, are you?
In a way I provided the perfect test for the relaxing and restorative powers of a sauna and cold plunge. The parking situation on the parade had me turning the air blue, cursing the city council and reaching for my roll-ups. So how would Wyld Sauna fare against a very recent dose of cortisol?
The sauna itself is a tasteful room with raked seats, soft wood pannelling and a calming view out onto Princes Dock. I arrived in the late afternoon so, it being December, it was dark by the time I was changed. This made for an even more enjoyable experience as the soft lighting on the decking and the lights from the tower blocks created a sense of being sealed away from it all.
The simplicity of the sauna is definitely to its benefit; a changing room either side and a central sauna stove with buckets of water, all fronted by glass looking out onto the ice baths and beyond. If there wasn’t the risk of turning into a raisin I reckon you could spend hours in there.
I sat in amongst the keen and enthusiastic twentysomethings and thought that in years gone by they’d all be in the pub at this time, nowadays they’re in the sauna. Ultimately, it’s all socialising.
The heat of the sauna combined with meditative breathing had me slipping quickly into relaxation, my neck and shoulders loosening and my mind wandering into relative nothingness. But unfortunately it can’t all be a warm and soothing sit down. It was time to take a dip in the ice tub.
These are tasteful, ‘cooper’ style barrels with a few helpful steps to guide you in. After that, you’re on your own. There’s nothing to it but to get in and think of just how bloody good for you this all is.
After the initial shock, and providing you regulate your breathing, it’s remarkable how quickly you adjust to the cold. You feel your brain light up, your muscles flood out what feels like months of bad sleeping positions and a strange sense of calm. And as I said, I hate being cold.
With these sorts of things it’s helpful to have the carrot as well as the stick, so the prospect of being able to retreat back into the sauna means the idea of going into the ice tub several times isn’t that daunting. If anything it starts to become quite habit-forming.
You think, ‘I’ll spend five more minutes in here then I’ll jump into the dock’, a sentence I didn’t expect I’d be writing this year, or any for that matter. The repetition of this - warm up, cool down, warm back up, cool down again - might seem like sheer punishment but in reality seems to be lightly testing the limits of your body, which is not necessarily a bad thing.
I could really feel the benefit of the sauna and chilly December dip, along with the background murmur of people socialising, as soon as I was dressed and heading back along the parade. It’s an ideal addition to the area, tastefully laid out and crucially not trying to pile a hundred people into a small, hot room.
I felt lighter, looser and more alive. That is until I got stuck into the traffic out of the city. At least now I know there’s a working remedy for all the pointless stress of modern life; a sauna and an ice bath, repeated until relaxed.
Wyld Sauna is now open, seven days a week, and guests are able to book their preferred time slots for single visits or take advantage of Wyld Cards; exclusive pre-booking packages that offer flexibility and affordability.
For more information visit the Wyld Sauna Liverpool website.
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