A New Floating Sauna Has Landed At One Of WA’s Most Iconic Swimming Holes

There's a new way to unwind in the karri forest, and it involves fire, cold water, and serenity. A Floating Sauna has just launched on the Pemberton Pool, a nearly century-old swimming hole in WA's Southern Forests region that's about to get a lot more popular. The setup is refreshingly low-tech: two wood-fired sauna huts moored on the water, built for swapping heat for a cold plunge and back again, on repeat, until you've fully switched off.

Groups can book a shared hour for $55 a head, with each hut holding up to six people, or go all in on a private hour for $305, sauna master included, for a session that's entirely your own. Either option also doubles as a gift worth giving to someone who needs to slow down. What makes it worth the drive, though, is location: the pool sits inside 120 hectares of protected forest park, edged by mountain bike trails and fed by a brook that's home to marron and native fish, with kangaroos and birdlife not far away. It's the kind of spot that's been drawing locals since the swimming hole was first built for timber workers' families in the 1920s, long before "wellness" was a category.

It's a 3.5-hour drive from Perth, which makes it a genuine weekend-away destination rather than a quick detour: pack an overnight bag, bring the group, and let the forest do the rest.

Book your session now and swap your usual weekend routine for wood smoke, cold water, and the kind of quiet you can only find deep in the forest.

Main image credit: Floating Sauna Pemberton Pool | Instagram