It’s hot sauna summer in the Bay

The Bay Area’s sauna scene has never been hotter.

From pop-ups in the Marin hinterlands to a literal floating sauna in Sausalito, social sweat rooms are exploding. 

Consider this your sauna starter pack. Whether you’re chasing longevity, inner peace, or just a good excuse to get half (or fully) naked with strangers, we’ve rounded up the best Bay Area saunas where you can get your sweat on.

2310 Marinship Way, Sausalito

The hottest ticket this summer is Fjord, a floating wood-fired sauna, soft-launching this month. Created by two Marin-based aficionados who left marketing and tech careers to chase their West Coast sauna dreams, the project has been a year in the making.

Built atop a salvaged concrete wave attenuator (the low sea wall that deadens chop and swell), Fjord has two six-seater Finnish-style saunas, made from repurposed steel shipping containers. Picture windows provide sweeping bay views. “We see this as a third space that allows you to commune with friends and with nature,” said cofounder Alex Yenni. The saunas are kept at  a toasty 190 degrees, and guests are encouraged to cold-plunge in the bay via ladders on the dock. “It’s a pick your own adventure,” said Yenni. “The endorphins you get from this experience trigger people to be more open.”

Crane Cove Park, 701 Illinois St. 

This waterfront, four-person barrel sauna, which opened in April, is the perfect no-frills, low-cost way to sweat it all out or wind down post-paddle. Temperatures reach 190 degrees, and Adirondack chairs are at the ready to take a breather between rounds.

“Everyone loves a sauna,” said Adam Zolot, CEO of Dogpatch Paddle, noting that it’s a side hustle to the company’s kayak and paddleboard rentals that  “brings in people and vibes.”

Coming soon: Thursday-night sauna sessions, with pros offering breathwork sessions, sound baths, and guided meditation next to — or inside — the sauna. Attendees will rotate between the sauna and a cold plunge (in the 53-degree bay if you’re brave; the cold showers if you’re not). The sauna costs $25 an hour, or you can snag a membership: $75 a month for unlimited use and $99 a month for sauna plus paddle gear. 

Bay Area-wide rentals and pop-ups 

This adorable wood-fired option brings something new to the sauna-sphere: mobilility. Built from cedar and mounted on a trailer, this traveling sauna pops up across the Bay at creeks, pools, and parties. It reaches 212 degrees, seats up to 10, and glows from within thanks to a color-shifting Himalayan salt bar. A classic ladle-and-bucket setup lets you summon your own löyly (Finnish for “soul-soothing steam”). 

“People prefer the traditional wood fire,” said co-CEO Joelle Annette, who designed the setup with her Finnish cofounder and often adds eucalyptus and sage for an extra sensory lift. “That’s how it’s been practiced for thousands of years.” The sauna squeezes into a single parking spot. You have to get on their text list to learn about the next popups, so check out the Instagram page to learn how. 

466 Eddy St., Tenderloin 

In the heart of the Tenderloin, you’ll find the newly reopened Onsen SF bathhouse. The 3,200-square-foot urban oasis includes a redwood sauna, as well as a steam room, cold-plunge rain shower, and 104-degree, 15-person soaking pool. 

Robes, towels, sandals, and deliciously scented lotions and hair products are included with admission, and there’s herbal tea on tap. Swimsuits are optional at gender-specific sessions (coed is clothed).

Onsen also offers a projector for private rental movie nights. A 25-seat restaurant is set to open this summer with yakitori, sashimi, and bento boxes for those post-sauna munchies.

939 Post St. 

Still technically in beta, Alchemy Springs, a not-so-hidden gem in Lower Nob Hill, is the hottest thing to hit the social sauna scene since Archimedes Banya broke ground in 2012.

Alchemy Springs boasts the largest freestanding sauna in the U.S., a 40-person circular enclosure featuring tiered seating and immersive lighting. It’s set in a 2,500-square-foot garden with a fire pit, cold-plunge tubs, rain showers, and thermal benches; outdoor in-ground soaking pools are planned.

A rotating selection of programming includes contrast therapy, in which experts guide you through sauna, cold plunge, and breathwork, plus sound baths, yoga, and the odd matchmaking session.

Long-term plans include a second 200-degree sauna, a greenhouse lounge, and a tea bar. The folks behind Alchemy Springs see the space as a social sanctuary that extends beyond work, home, and coffee-shop culture. For now, the garden alone is enough to make you giddy. 

Point San Pablo, Richmond

Nestled behind a scrapyard in an active East Bay industrial park, you’ll find Good Hot, a stripped-down but serene pop-up. Its five hand-built saunas, each fitting eight people, are heated to 175 degrees by locally sourced propane. Each sauna has its own quirks, such as skylights, portholes, or bleacher-style seats with views of the bridge or mountains. Clothing is optional inside, but keep it covered in public. 

A commitment to inclusivity is baked into the business model: Good Hot offers 50% discounts and Uber reimbursement to low-income QTBIPOC, the goal being to make saunas welcoming to everyone. It’s rustic, but that’s the point — sometimes showing up is enough.

748 Innes Ave. Bayview

You can’t discuss social saunas in the Bay without a nod to the OG, Archimedes Banya, which opened 13 years ago. This all-genders, all-ages, clothing-optional bathhouse packs serious heat. Its four stories include two Russian saunas, each centered around an imported 22,000-pound stove that cranks out air heated to up to 210 degrees and a dry cedar sauna that rockets to 220. There’s also a steam room, cold plunge, jacuzzi, two soaking tubs, a roof deck, and a full-service restaurant. For an extra treat, time your visit around one of the Aufguss rituals (free with a pass), in which aromatherapists use essential oils and herbs to stimulate the senses.

1750 Geary Blvd. Japantown

Opened in 1968, this claims to be the largest urban Japanese bathhouse in the U.S. The bamboo decor and dim atmospheric lighting provide a serene experience. (Silence is heavily enforced.)

The bathhouse features hot pools, cold plunges, a steam room, and a cedar dry sauna that reaches 104 degrees. Between rounds, guests can help themselves to hot tea, cucumber slices, flavored waters, and refreshing cool towels. The vibe is strictly unplugged: The goal is to be present.

There are  even more saunas around the Bay. They’re everywhere — from a school bus equipped with a working sauna (undergoing repairs) to the Traveler Surf Club in Pacifica, whose delightful cedar sauna is open to all. In Oakland, Go Sauna provides mobile on-demand steam parties, and SF Sauna Rental loans the units to apartment dwellers.

Infrared saunas are having a moment. Sweathaus, a nationwide chain with branches in San Mateo and Daly City, is opening at 2298 Lombard St. in the Marina this year. Perspire Sauna Studio, another infrared chain, has two Bay Area franchises in the works to meet “robust local demand.”