BUSINESS is booming for the company behind Avon Beach’s two new saunas.

Demand for the new Saltwater Sauna is so high that securing a sauna session over the Christmas period has been likened to ‘getting tickets for Glastonbury’ by customers.

The new facility officially opened on the promenade, near the Noisy Lobster, on Monday, October 14.

I joined Jane Witt, Saltwater Sauna’s resident sauna master and contrast specialist, to try it out.

On arrival, she showed me around the new building, which comprises of two Nordic saunas and spacious changing rooms.

It had been designed as a contemporary interpretation of the traditional beach huts along Avon Beach, with timber cladding on the exterior and black aluminium frames around the windows.

(Image: Saltwater Sauna) As Jane explained, it was important for the building to blend in with the coastal scene, especially as it had replaced a row of beach huts – and not everyone had approved of this.

But she said the feedback about its appearance had been positive, and in my opinion, it was smart, sleek and aesthetically pleasing.

We began with a dip in the sea, as recommended by Jane who detailed the metabolic health benefits of hot and cold contrast therapy.

We then headed into one of the saunas, where Jane guided me through a ritual aimed to take the body through heating and cooling to maximise the sauna's health and wellbeing benefits.

It involved salt inhalations, a body scrub, steam aromatherapy infusions and thermal leaf whisking using birch leaf whisks, plus another few dips in the sea.

(Image: Saltwater Sauna) Jane spoke with me in great detail about the benefits of the sauna and contrast therapy, which include reduced inflammation, reduced chronic pain, increased metabolism, and increased mood.

She explained that the communal sessions offered at Saltwater Sauna also offer social benefits, with many customers leaving having made friends with like-minded people.

After an hour of guided ritual and sea dips, I left the sauna feeling as if my body had been well and truly cleansed. 

It was an extremely calming experience – and one that I’d recommend to anyone looking for a little break from the hustle and bustle of life.

Visit the Saltwater Sauna website to book a session.