How a session works
Brighton's social saunas sell fixed-length slots, and you share the room with strangers. Most follow the same pattern.
- Book a slot, or turn up if the venue takes walk-ins. Slots are 30, 45, 55, 60 or 90 minutes depending on where you go.
- Arrive early. Sauna in the Lanes asks for 5 to 10 minutes, and Sauna Yard West Hove, so.sauna and Flame Sauna & Café ask for 10. Late arrivals usually can't extend, and at Sauna Yard West Hove they lose the session.
- Change into swimwear and take a towel to sit on. Several venues keep phones out of the sauna.
- Go in and find a seat. Staff or hosts at some venues walk newcomers through how it works.
- Leave when you've had enough, cool down, rest, and go back in as many times as the slot allows. The cooling part is a cold shower, a plunge pool or ice bath, or the sea at the two beach saunas.
The slot length is the only fixed limit; the venues below give guidance on timing, not rules.
What to bring
- Swimwear. Required at most. YOYO Yard says no underwear as swimwear. Beach Box shared sessions need you covered below the waist; tops are optional.
- Two towels. One to sit on in the sauna and one to dry off. Beach Box and Sauna in the Lanes hire towels for £2 if you forget. Luna Hut, Saunadelic, SO Sauna and Sauna Yard West Hove all ask you to bring two.
- Flip-flops or sliders. Wet floors everywhere, and pebbles at the beach venues. Beach Box lists sea shoes as essential.
- A water bottle. Beach Box has a refill point on site. Float Spa asks you to hydrate and not to take bottles into the infrared cabin.
- Warm clothes for afterwards. Saunadelic suggests them. A padlock is on its packing list too.
- Not much else. Venues ask you to leave jewellery behind (Flame, SO Sauna, Sauna + Stretch), phones outside (Sauna in the Lanes, Sauna + Stretch, Sauna Yard West Hove) and your own oils or products at home (Beach Box, Saunadelic, Sauna + Stretch). Beach Box also bans alcohol.
Beach Box's showers are cold and for rinsing only, so arrive showered. More on dress codes is in the etiquette guide.
How long to stay in
There is no single rule, and no venue here gives a minimum. The ones that offer first-timer guidance all start short:
- Flame Sauna: sauna 5 to 15 minutes, cool down, plunge, rest, repeat two or three times.
- Sauna + Stretch: start with rounds of 5 to 10 minutes.
- Coached Portslade: 10 to 15 minutes in the sauna, then 2 to 5 in the ice bath, and repeat.
- Cryobright (private infrared): first sessions of 10 to 20 minutes, and 30 at most.
- Luna Hut: book 60 minutes for a relaxed first visit.
Hot, cold and rest make a round, and a 60-minute slot fits two or three of them with time to sit down. Leave the heat if you feel dizzy, faint or unwell, whatever the clock says.
Booking and cancelling
Booking rules differ. Sauna Yard West Hove is booking only. Beach Box Spa runs through a Bookeo account. Saltdean Lido Sauna, so.sauna and YOYO Yard take walk-ins, and Luna Hut Sea Lanes keeps 15-minute walk-in sessions for when there is space. Cancellation windows differ a lot:
| Venue | If you cancel |
|---|---|
| Beach Box | 72 hours for a full refund, 48 for a credit, nothing inside 48 |
| Sauna in the Lanes | Full refund with 72 hours' notice, credit with 24 |
| SO Sauna | Full refund at 48 hours or more; 24 to 48 hours is 50% or a reschedule |
| Saunadelic | 48 hours; you can't swap people in and out |
| Sauna Yard West Hove | Non-refundable; move free up to 48 hours before |
| Luna Hut | Gift-card credit if more than 24 hours ahead; no cash refunds |
Check the venue's own terms before you pay. These were copied on the dates shown on each venue page and policies change.
Picking a first venue
The cheapest shared session we list is YOYO Yard at £7 for 30 minutes. Beyond price, it depends on what you want. Prices below are the cheapest standard shared session at each; checked 6 Oct 2026.
For a sauna with the sea next to it
£830 min
Sessions in 30-minute blocks, swimwear required, and the venue suggests 60 minutes for a relaxed first go. Ages 12+ (under 18s with an adult).
£12.5045 min
Four wood-fired saunas, sea, cool plunge and chilled tub. Bookeo account needed, 16+ at shared sessions, strict dress rules, no alcohol.
For somebody to show you the ropes
£830 min
Staff guide first-timers. Swimwear mandatory, no phones, shoes off in the vestibule. 18+.
£730 min
Hosts guide newcomers on arrival. A safety waiver is needed (QR code), card payment on site and walk-ins accepted.
For turning up on the day
£7.5030 min
Walk-ins welcome, online booking also available. Bring a sitting towel and rinse before the plunge. 16+.
£830 min
Booking recommended but walk-ins accepted, cash too. Barefoot inside the sauna. Silent sessions as well as community ones.
Looking for quiet sessions, women-only slots or private hire? The Brighton & Hove list flags each, and private sauna hire in Brighton prices a whole sauna by group size. To see what a session costs everywhere, use the Brighton sauna price index. Families can use Saunadelic family sessions or Sauna Yard West Hove (under 18s with a parent or guardian).
Health
Saunas are hot. If you have a heart or blood pressure condition, are pregnant, take regular medication or have any doubt, check with your GP before your first session. Recovery Room Hove states its sessions aren't suitable in pregnancy, and Cryobright publishes a contraindication list for its infrared sauna, so ask the venue if you're unsure. If you plan to go into the sea afterwards, read the sea swimming guide, and have a look at sea temperature by month to know what to expect.
This guide is general information from venue rules, not medical advice.
Questions
What happens in a social sauna session in Brighton?
You book a fixed slot, usually 30 to 60 minutes, arrive a few minutes early, change into swimwear and share the sauna with other guests. Most people go in and out in rounds: a few minutes in the heat, a cool-down in a plunge pool, cold shower or the sea, a rest, then back in.
What should I bring to a sauna in Brighton?
Swimwear, two towels (one to sit on, one to dry off), flip-flops or sliders, and a water bottle. Some venues add warm clothes for afterwards, a padlock, or sea shoes if the venue is on the beach. Leave jewellery, phones and your own oils behind: several venues ask for that.
How long should a first sauna session be?
Venues that give guidance suggest starting short. Flame Sauna suggests 5 to 15 minutes in the sauna per round, and Sauna + Stretch suggests rounds of 5 to 10 minutes. Luna Hut recommends booking 60 minutes for a relaxed first visit. Step out whenever you want to.
Do I have to be naked in a Brighton sauna?
No. Shared sessions at the Brighton social saunas require swimwear or cover below the waist. At Beach Box shared sessions everyone covers up below the waist and tops are optional; nudity is only for private hire or clothing-optional events. See the etiquette guide for venue-by-venue rules.
Can I just turn up without booking?
At some, yes. Saltdean Lido, SO Sauna and YOYO Yard take walk-ins, and Luna Hut offers 15-minute walk-ins when there is space. Sauna Yard West Hove and Beach Box are booking only. Booking ahead is safer at weekends and evenings.
Is a sauna safe for everyone?
Not necessarily. Anyone with a heart or blood pressure condition, who is pregnant, or who takes regular medication should check with their GP first. Recovery Room Hove says its sessions are not suitable in pregnancy, and Cryobright has a contraindication list for its infrared sauna. Leave the heat if you feel dizzy or unwell.
How much is a sauna in Brighton?
Shared social sessions start at £7 at YOYO Yard for 30 minutes. Sessions of 55 to 60 minutes run from £10 to £20. Prices were last checked 6 Oct 2026.
Sources
- Brighton & Hove sauna venue pages Prices, rules and first-time information copied from each venue's own site; oldest check 6 Oct 2026.
- Brighton & Hove City Council: sea swimming safety Medical conditions and cold water.
- RNLI: cold water shock For the sea-dip part of a session.
Compare venues
- Brighton sauna pricesEvery shared session price in one table, with the median.
- Beach saunas in BrightonThe saunas with direct sea access, side by side.
- Private sauna hire in BrightonA sauna to yourselves: total price and cost per head.
- Saunas in HoveEverything between Portslade and the Brighton border.
More guides
- Brighton sea temperatureLive reading and the average for every month.
- Sea swimming in BrightonWater quality, sewage alerts, currents and cold water shock.
- Sauna etiquetteWhat to wear, towels, silence, Aufguss.
- All Brighton & Hove guidesSea, safety and sauna manners.
- All Brighton & Hove saunasPrices, sea dips, cold plunges.