A new wild sauna with sweeping views over the Firth of Forth has opened at Dalgety Bay Sailing Club, with a “bonkers” number of landmarks visible from its front window.
The latest venture from The Wild Sauna Company combines a wood‑fired cabin on the shoreline with what owner Jenny Paterson believes is one of the most scenic outlooks of any sauna in the country.
“Through the window of the sauna I have Inchcolm Island, Arthur’s Seat, Edinburgh Castle, and then to the right‑hand side, the bridges,” she said. “There can’t be another sauna in Scotland that has all of those tick, tick, tick – I feel so lucky.”
The Dalgety Bay site is built around the company’s original eight‑person sauna, which first opened at the Lake of Menteith last August and has already welcomed almost 5,000 guests there.
“She’s less than a year old, but she’s had a lot of visitors,” Jenny said. “We sanded her all down, re‑oiled her, re‑waxed her and all that sort of stuff – she’s looking brilliant.”
She describes the sailing club as “a cracking spot” and says she has “really lucked out with the people and the location”.
“It’s so cheap to join the sailing club – it works out about a pound a week,” she added. “If you join as a social member you get £30 back to spend in the clubhouse, you can access boats and all the activities they have on offer, and there’s a discount for the sauna if you’re a sailing club member too.”
After opening on June 20, the launch weekend brought sunshine and high temperatures, which might sound like an odd time to persuade people into 80‑plus degree heat.
“Of course it was very warm and sunny and that seems a bit counter‑intuitive to encourage people to come to a sauna when we’re in the midst of a heatwave,” she admitted. “But sauna can still be really good for you because of the cardiovascular benefits – and you have the cooling of the water.”
Jenny, who runs a group called 'Wild Wimmin Swimmin', is a qualified STA Level 2 open‑water swim coach, and is planning to use the Dalgety Bay site to teach vital safety skills.
“I’m going to be running wild‑swimming and water‑safety sessions for children and young people over the summer,” she said. “I’m going to do that at the lake, but I’m also hoping to do that at Dalgety Bay… I just think the more young people and adults who understand water safety, the better – because all drowning is preventable.”
She sees sauna culture as a natural extension of the surge in outdoor swimming that began during lockdown. “I love that more people are spending time outdoors and spending time in the water,” she said. “One of the main benefits isn’t just about your physical health and that sauna science – it’s the social connections.”
Bringing strangers together in a small, shared space is part of the appeal.
“Some people come and they just want to de‑stress and be quiet and other people want to meet others,” the founder said. “I love the connection that happens almost instantly… being with other people who are doing something slightly different on a weekend, with very little clothes on, and just being comfortable with it.”
With dates already booked for yoga, sound‑bath and other wellbeing events that will use the sauna as part of half‑day retreats, she believes there is “lots of potential to bring in more people and diversify the range of people who feel that a sauna might be for them”.
With two saunas now in operation and a third planned for Broomhall Castle in Menstrie later this year, Jenny is clear she has no interest in growing at all costs.
“What I don’t want to do is jeopardise our reputation and the quality of the experience,” she said. “It’s not about empire‑building – it’s about creating the best possible experience that I can, at the right time.”
Sessions at Dalgety Bay can be booked through The Wild Sauna Company’s website and social media pages.
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