First look inside UK’s Largest Beach Spa in Folkestone, Kent
Visitors can expect a large-scale, immersive wellness experience combining heat and cold contrast therapy
Sea Scrub Sauna’s custom-built spa at Folkestone Harbour Arm has opened, continuing the county’s growing offer of high-quality, outdoor, wellness saunas.
Whether you’re a seasoned sauna goer or a curious novice, everyone is welcome at this state-of-the-art beach spa, which is set directly on the shingle with uninterrupted views across the English Channel.
Visitors can expect a large-scale, immersive wellness experience combining heat and cold contrast therapy, with a Japanese Onsen inspired wellness café.
Inside the Spa
Two eco-friendly wood-fired saunas form the heart of the spa:
The Scandinavian Sauna: A purpose-built Aufguss sauna from one of Scandinavia’s most respected makers. The U-shaped interior fits up to 16, with the bench, framed by a small window above, facing the glass front of the sauna for uninterrupted sea views. The wood-burning stove throws a deep, even heat. This is a sauna designed to perform session after session, in all weathers, exactly as it should.
Shepherds Hut Sauna: Built by local hands in Kent, this is a truly unique and characterful seaside sauna, wood-fired, compact, and sitting right on the seafront. The kind of sauna that feels like it was made for this exact spot.
The Plunge Pools
It’s the two large scale, purpose-built plunge pools that are at the heart of what makes Folkestone’s beach spa unique. With each pool large enough to host multiple groups of bathers at the same time, experience the shared grimace, the collective exhale & the conversation that follows - it’s the oldest part of Nordic bathing culture. Both plunge pools are temperature controlled for true cold-water therapy; one pool is chilled for the adventurous and the other is ambient so that everyone can get the full experience.
The Hot Tub
The hot tub with jacuzzi jets rounds off the experience allowing guests to relax even further. Positioned between the two plunge pools, with panoramic views of the shoreline it is an ideal spot for a post work unwind.
Guests can pick their preference of sauna when booking which also includes access to both cold plunges and hot tub.
The Event Space
With an event space built into the site, the Folkestone spa could host everything from Aufguss masterclasses and seasonal celebrations to private wellness days and yoga classes. From spacious changing rooms to warm showers, the whole thing has been designed for people who want to stay a while.
The Japanese Onsen Inspired Menu
A Japanese themed wellness café is part of the set-up to ensure guests who have worked up an appetite can refuel and the Japanese lunch menu is no accident. Japan and Scandinavia share more than most people realise; a deep reverence for ritual bathing, for slowing down, for the restorative power of heat and cold. The café brings those two traditions together completing the spa’s holistic, restorative experience. From morning coffee to post-plunge espresso martinis, the café is open throughout the day.
Come for a session, stay for lunch, leave feeling like a different person.
Robin Bartlett, Co-founder of Sea Scrub Sauna, said: “We’re seeing an exciting shift in the UK from exclusive, high-end spa, to more accessible, communal, and "wild" sauna experiences and it’s brilliant to be part of this. We can’t wait to welcome new faces and grow a community of sauna enthusiasts in Folkestone, from regular locals to intrepid day trippers and holidaymakers. The views from the sauna are simply breathtaking.”
Sea Scrub Sauna Folkestone is open: Mondays: 4:30pm – 8:30pm, Wednesday – Sunday 8:30am – 8:30pm and closed on Tuesdays. One-off sessions can be booked online, priced from £20 for non-members or £17 for Annual Members for a one-hour social visit.
