On any given day, strolling along London’s leafy canal-side paths is a relaxing experience. You’re noticing birds flitting from bank to tree; the gentle movement of the glassy water; little pot plant gardens atop canal boats. How much more restorative would that be from a sauna on one of those boats? Soak – London’s first-ever sauna on a canal boat that’s completely off-grid – is making this a reality.
“Sitting in the heat whilst gazing across water is inherently calming,” Leo Sixsmith, Soak co-founder, tells Broadsheet. “In London, however, most saunas are inward-looking, and very few have a meaningful view across water or have a relationship to any nature or wildlife. We think this connection to landscape … is an important part of what makes saunas feel restorative.”
Soak will park up somewhere for two weeks, drop a what3words location, and be available for up to 12 guests at a time, offering 75-minute sessions for guests to move between a wood-fired sauna in the bow of the boat, two custom-built stainless steel cold plunge pools on the rear deck, showers and a bar.
The concept came to childhood friends Sixsmith (co-founder of architecture studio Badweather) and chef and former restaurateur Riccardo Codacci-Pisanelli in 2023. Codacci-Pisanelli was going through a difficult time, closing down his pasta business Stuffed and grieving the loss of his mother – and found visits to Hackney Wick’s Community Sauna Baths both a healing and a social experience. “That’s when I wrote Soak’s first business plan,” he explains.
The pair parked the idea for a sauna for a year. It wasn’t until one evening on Sixsmith’s houseboat that “it clicked that the canals might be the answer,” says Codacci-Pisanelli. “Through a series of serendipitous events and a dose of either naivety or madness, it wasn’t long before we found our dilapidated boat, Bluebell.”
Transforming Bluebell into a fully operational off-grid sauna and bar was a huge undertaking. It took the team an entire year to complete the renovation, incorporating clever technology like that from a company called Water Freedom, which built a bespoke system for Soak which draws water in from a canal and filters it into water that is cleaner than what comes from the tap.
The experience has been designed to feel as premium as possible. “To maximise overall comfort and adhere to the specific principles of a good sauna, every millimetre of space has to be used very carefully, which is difficult when integrating a very hot, humid environment within the irregular geometry of a 20-year-old boat,” says Sixsmith. His architecture firm Badweather (which recently designed new lighting for Fold nightclub and new studios for west London’s Kindred Studios) leaned into a stripped-back aesthetic for Soak. Exposed pipes, steel and timber give the space a contemporary feel, with light streaming in from large portholes.
“Our goal is to create a complete experience that feels thoughtful from beginning to end – through the design, the hospitality and special touches throughout the session,” says Sixsmith. The experience begins with tea or coffee waiting for guests on arrival, and towels are included. Guests can even complete their session with a drink at the bar, created exclusively for Soak by Haggerston cocktail den Bar With Shapes For a Name. The non-alcoholic Soak Sour blends hydrating coconut water with an aloe vera and agave sour Margarita float on top. Perfect for sipping while admiring those views.
“Because we’re moving, the experiences changes slightly wherever we moor,” says Sixsmith. “One week you’re surrounded by trees and reeds, the next it could be the bustle of Coal Drops Yard, watching swans, ducklings, or passing narrowboats drift past.”
Right now, Soak is docked in Bow, and will move onto Hoxton on June 15. Bookings are open now, either individually or in groups.
Soak
Locations and timings vary, visit website for details.
