The Best Saunas In Auckland To Work Up A Sweat At
Alice Rich
Contributor & Former Editor | Urban List NZ
Self-care is getting steamy and it's set to stay that way, with saunas coming full circle from the classic Scandi-reminiscent communal edits of our early sauna years, through to gorgeous private boutique situations, and then right back to communal—beachside and on wheels, even. And while hitting the sauna hasn't exactly eclipsed the gold standard coffee catch up (yet), it's easy to see how it might, especially when the biting winds of winter are out in full force.
Here are the best saunas to work up a sweat at in Tāmaki Makaurau.
Jump to:
- Auckland's Best Private Infrared Saunas
- Auckland's Best Communal Infrared Saunas
- Where To Find Traditional Saunas In Auckland
- Where To Work Out In A Sauna (We're Not Kidding)
Auckland’s Best Private Infrared Saunas
Hana
Grey Lynn & Parnell
Image credit: Hana | website
Sauna is just one of the experiences on offer at wellness sanctuary, Hana, but it’s also a fundamental one—'Hana' is the te reo Māori word for ‘to glow’ after all, so it’s only fitting to include working up a bit of a sweat in your self-care practice here. Choose from 45 minutes (Grey Lynn) or 60 minutes (Parnell) and enjoy a range of Sans Ceuticals body products while you’re there.
Insider Intel:
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Hana’s saunas can fit up to two people, so you can bring a friend for an extra $25.
Chill Wellness
Victoria Park Market, Unit 2/210-218 Victoria Street West, Auckland CBD
Image credit: Chill Wellness | website
Don’t be fooled by the name, Chill Wellness does hot very well indeed. Here the sauna is heated to a comfortable 40-60°C and emits three wavelengths of light (near, mid and far). Each session is 40 minutes and you can bring a friend for an extra $25. The best part? Chill Wellness’ central location means you can nip down during your work day for a well-deserved recharge moment.
Insider Intel:
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If you just can’t even with ice baths, Chill Wellness has something a little different: cryotherapy in something that suspiciously looks like a walk-in freezer. Yep, there’s no water involved but hot damn is it cold, and makes a nice wee bundle with your sauna.
Wyld.
Newmarket & Howick
Image credit: Wyld. | supplied
Wyld. is a hub of all things wellness, from massage and chiropractic, to physio and acupuncture. They also do saunas for up to three people at a time, as part of their contrast therapy practice in a minimalist fit-out with a tub, rainforest shower, and changing area. The team recommends spending at least 15-30 minutes in the sauna and then dialling into your breathing by counting to 5 as you inhale and exhale before sliding into the ice bath (which will be hovering around 4 to 6°C).
Insider Intel:
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The massages here make for a sensational add-on.
We Bliss You
Mission Bay and Remuera
Image credit: We Bliss You | website
Offering the full spectrum of relaxation and recovery, from hot stone massages to red light therapy and hyperbaric O2, We Bliss You is one of the best contrast therapy locations for when you’re hard-commiting to self-care and are hell-bent on making a day of it. The 60-minute sessions (which include an ice bath) take place in a spacious private suite which lends itself well to a self-led stretch or yoga session beforehand, if that’s your vibe.
Insider Intel:
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Best chased with one of We Bliss You’s gorgeous massages.
Sala
48 Brown Street, Ponsonby
Image credit: Sala | Instagram
Sala is a movement and wellness space that’s art-forward, from the stunning Chroma HIIT studio to their Angus Muir-designed reformer soundscape, and the recovery suites are no exception. Here, there are two options: a Hot Room for the sauna purist which offers a 40-minute session (bring a friend for an extra $15), or the Hot + Cold room which provides space for up to four people to experience the whole contrast therapy shebang.
Insider Intel:
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Help yourself to koha coffee afterwards and, if you’re working from home or freelancing, you’re welcome to set up on the long tables in their communal area for a welcome change of scene.
Auckland’s Best Communal Infrared Saunas
Genki Vitality
Level 2/58 Surrey Crescent, Grey Lynn
Image credit: Genki Vitality | Instagram
Genki Vitality is infrared sauna—the communal edit. You descend into the depths of an industrial-feel building and suddenly find yourself in an exquisite Bali-style aesthetic. Every element of Genki has been designed around the idea of connection with self and others. Even the name is a combination of two Japanese characters “gen” and “ki” which describes energetic beginnings. Co-owners Rebecca Greenough and Justin Edgar elaborate on that idea, describing the studio as “a sensory sanctuary where the practice of self-care expands to include community and shared experience.”
Insider Intel:
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All therapies at Genki are communal so you can create your own rotation of infrared sauna, red light therapy and ice bath.
Art Of Recovery
299 Ponsonby Road
Image credit: Art Of Recovery | Instagram
Art Green may have put ice baths on our radar but it was Icemunity, a regular community ice bath pop up, that kept them there. Now founder Phil Cui has entered the next iteration of his wellness offering with Art Of Recovery, a portable mobile contrast therapy experience that combines a spacious, softly lit infrared sauna heated between 80°C and 90°C with an ice bath experience held at a balmy 4°C to 8°C. Drop into Art Of Recovery in Ponsonby, Fridays through Sundays.
Insider Intel:
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Art Of Recovery can be hired for wellness-first brand activations, team bonding, private events, or recovery experiences.
Where To Find Traditional Saunas In Auckland
The Olympic Pools & Fitness
77 Broadway, Newmarket
Image credit: The Olympic Pools & Fitness | Instagram
Laying claim to being the city’s first 50-metre swimming pool and being the most historic venue on this list (they opened in 1940), The Olympic Pools also offers the original Finnish sauna experience. A session in the cedar-lined communal sauna, which has a dry heat between 70 and 80°C, costs a mere $11, and that includes access to the pools and spa too. Right next door, and also included with your entry, is an aromatic steam room which is spiked with eucalyptus, peppermint or lavender for added relaxation. Lush.
Insider Intel:
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Showering before taking a sauna isn’t just hygienic, if you’ve been swimming beforehand, the shower washes away the chlorine which makes for a more effective sweat.
O-Studio
Remuera & Takapuna
Image credit: O-Studio Remuera | website
O-Studio is the motherload of saunas with three styles to choose from. Their traditional sauna offering is communal and heated between 80 and 85°C. They also offer a slightly cooler communal aromatherapy experience (in eucalyptus, peppermint, lemon, lavender, rosemary, bergamot or sweet orange) and a private infrared setting that’s coupled with an ice bath.
Insider Intel:
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Along with a litany of other wellness treatments, both O-Studio locations have private float cabins for the ultimate aquatic bliss, the cabin ceiling studded with tiny lights arranged to mimic the actual constellations of the night sky.
The Sauna Project
Bucklands Beach
Image credit: The Sauna Project | Instagram
Taking the form of a cute wood-fired communal sauna on wheels, The Sauna Project was first dreamed up at the Mount back in 2022. It’s now nationwide, and in Tāmaki Makaurau they tend to pop up on the edge of the sand at Bucklands Beach. The idea is you shuttle between the sauna and the ocean for a more nature-connected contrast therapy.
Insider Intel:
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These folk run an annual multi-day, whānau-friendly festival called Sauna Fest.
Where To Work Out In A Sauna
OYF
Remuera and Takapuna
Image credit: OYF | Instagram
Maybe it isn’t enough to just kick back in the heat, maybe you want to up the ante with, say, a yoga, pilates, barre or strength-focused fitness class? If that’s a bit of you, you’ll want to make a beeline for OYF. The movement studio is heated with FAR infrared light to give you all the benefits of an infrared sauna plus all the endorphins of one helluva workout (or blissful candlelit stretch session).
Insider Intel:
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A drink bottle is a must here. Top up from their ice cold dispenser before and during the class, and knock back some electrolytes after class.
Red Room
City Works Depot, Auckland CBD & Takapuna
Image credit: Red Room | supplied
Possibly *the* most aesthetic infrared setting in Tāmaki Makaurau, Red Room is the spot to hit for pilates, flow, yoga and strength bathed in the rouged neon glow of Pantone 7653 C a.k.a. 'Femme Fatale'. For the full Red Room expereience, attendees are encouraged to book a post-class 10-minute red light therapy session three times per week which is said to boost recovery by easing muscle soreness and joint stiffness, decreasing inflammation, promoting circulation and increasing energy levels.
Insider Intel:
- Red Room's Takapuna location also has a private sauna, and just so happens to share a site with The Healing Room (which you simply must try if you're into mystical things like tarot and reiki).
Want more? Check out:
- Where To Get An Earth-Shatteringly Good Massage In Tāmaki Makaurau
- The New Beauty Products You Need To Shop This Month, According To Our Beauty Editor
- We Tried A Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Chamber And This Is What Happened
Main image credit: Genki Vitality | Instagram.