Elie Seaside Sauna Review
DO not be fooled by the glimpses of blue skies in these photos. On the day I visited Elie Seaside Sauna, there was a brisk (very brisk) westerly breeze blowing and the water temperature in the bay was estimated at 6°C.
To put this in context, my local swimming pool is heated to 27°C.
So I was prepared for it to be cold. And I’m no stranger to wild swimming, having swum in rivers, lochs and seas for a few years now. But – and yes, there is a but – the water temperature at Elie when I waded in on a sunny day in March was so cold, I thought my heart might stop.
Normally, swimming outdoors involves a minute or two of cold pain, which then subsides once the body becomes numb to it. In Elie, the pain did not subside – in fact, it was worse than any I’ve experienced before. So I confess, I didn’t manage a full swim, but instead, scurried towards the heat of the conveniently located sauna on the shore. And this turned out to be a far more enjoyable experience.
There are two saunas at Elie Harbour, and I was booked into the most recent addition, which is in an old shipping container. Beautifully converted, with a cosy log burner and walls lined with thermo alder wood, it has a large window overlooking the beach and the village of Elie itself.
The view is mesmerising, peaceful and ever-changing, with clouds floating across the sky and the sea colour constantly varying. The absence of phones, laptops and background music made it the perfect place to sit for an hour. I certainly felt very relaxed afterwards.
It’s just a pity that the cold water part of the equation was so very, very cold on the day I visited…
www.elieseasidesauna.com/about
One hour sauna – £12