The Urban Sauna, a £2.5m outdoor wellness retreat, opens today, Saturday, November 14, in Anfield, North Liverpool, after its co-founder said it has been 'a lot of late nights'.
Shane Hanley, from Galway but living in Liverpool city centre, is co-founder of the venue, which is part of a wider 24,000 sq. ft wellness and commercial hub on Cherry Lane. Regeneration and development company Seven Group has transformed the once-neglected site into an urban sanctuary designed to promote relaxation and wellbeing.
Facilities at the new retreat
Surrounded by trees and greenery, the facility features two bespoke Scandinavian-style, wood-fired saunas, each accommodating up to 16 people, alongside two 10-person hot tubs and a range of cold-water therapy facilities. The offering includes an 8°C cold plunge pool, as well as two individual ice baths maintained at 5°C and 3°C.
Visitors will also have access to outdoor showers, changing facilities and warm ambient lighting. Completing the outdoor retreat is a covered pergola with seating arranged around log-burning fire pits, creating a space for visitors to unwind before and after their sauna sessions.
Investment and development
Gary, 45, told the ECHO: "What makes us stand out is that we're bringing a large outdoor space and garden into a city location. A lot of these wellness venues are indoors, but we've managed to secure a fantastic outdoor site. It's incredibly tranquil, with all the trees and open space. It's a really special outdoor amenity."
Hanley added: "We've put a phenomenal amount of investment into this project. We bought the wider building, warehouse and site and redeveloped it, and once we'd done that, we had this land left over. We decided we wanted to create an outdoor sauna garden, but there's still a lot more investment planned for the wider business park."
Reaction and future plans
"We've had so many compliments from people who've visited. Everyone has been stunned by what we've managed to create in such a short space of time. At night, with the mood lighting, the atmosphere and the stars above you, it's just an unbelievable setting," Hanley said. His background is in office furniture, fit-outs and property, rather than the sauna industry, but after research and a trip to Ireland, the team ordered the saunas by April.
The site has undergone significant redevelopment over the past two years. An existing unit has been renovated as a children's nursery and play centre, while a former college building has been remodelled into seven modern trade units, now occupied by businesses. A further £6 million of planned work and investment will bring container storage facilities to the site, alongside leisure and lifestyle additions including a golf simulator, swimming pool and gym.
