Scotland’s first non-profit community sauna and cold plunge has opened in Glasgow Southside

POLLOKSHIELDS, GLASGOW – Glasgow Community Sauna CIC has opened for business in the Southside suburb, warmly welcomed by locals. In the first 8 weeks of operating, over 2,000 people have booked a hot seat in the 7-seater upcycled horsebox sauna.

Nestled in the back corner of Bowling Green Together in Pollokshields, Glasgow Community Sauna is a queer-led community project making the benefits of sauna and cold plunge affordable and accessible to everyone. As Glasgow City Council keep the public saunas closed post-Covid, Glasgow Community Sauna want to make the health benefits of sauna and cold plunge available locally.

As the wellness industry booms, saunas have exploded across the UK.

The community sauna model is a not-for-profit alternative with a positive impact, enhancing local communities through social initiatives, while offering free and subsidised sessions to those who need it most. Glasgow Community Sauna joins 15 other members of the Community Sauna Network.

The team have transformed a neglected back green of the former Pollokshields Bowling Club into an urban oasis. They have remodelled an old horsebox into a bespoke, 90c sauna; built spacious changing rooms and lockers from reclaimed wood; installed a cold shower and turned two whisky barrels into plunge pools filled with fresh, filtered, ice-cold water. There are cosy corners to hang out, and come summer there will be a lush sensory garden of herbs for use in the sauna.

In December last year, the sauna was welcomed by the Scottish Parliament in a motion submitted by Patrick Harvie MSP and was supported by Karen Adam, Colin Beattie, Stephanie Callaghan, Maggie Chapman, Ross Greer, Bill Kidd, Fulton MacGregor, Stuart McMillan, Mark Ruskell, Paul Sweeney, Mercedes Villalba and Elena Whitham. This month, the sauna will be featured on BBC 1’s Sunday Morning Live.

ENDS

Book Online at www.glasgowcommunitysauna.co.uk

For more information, visit our website or email info@glasgowcommunitysauna.co.uk

Schedule

Mondays and Fridays: 9.45am – 9.00pm

Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays: 5pm – 9pm

Saturdays and Sundays: 10am – 9.15pm

Times and Pricing

Weekday daytime sessions last 75mins and cost £10.

Weekday evening sessions last 60 mins and cost £10.

Weekend sessions last 75 mins and cost £12.

Monthly memberships range between £36, £48 and £66, saving up to 31% on sessions.