Neighbourhood sauna with bookable sessions

Local residents, gym and swim crowds, friend groups, couples, and teams or clubs wanting a social session.

Pay-per-session tickets, private group hire, memberships or session bundles, and sometimes add-ons like towel hire, drinks or guided sessions.

• Hosting and customer service
• Organising bookings and a cleaning routine
• Basic building and equipment upkeep
• Local marketing and building a community

• Planning permission or change of use may be needed, check with your local council before signing a lease
• Building regulations, fire risk assessment and safe ventilation for heaters and stoves
• Public liability insurance (and employer's liability once you hire staff), check the policy covers sauna use
• Running costs such as rent, heating fuel or electricity and water can be high, so test your numbers
• Hygiene, cleaning and a health briefing for guests, and clear rules on alcohol and capacity

Startup costs are typically around £15,000 to £60,000, depending on the site, the build or conversion, heaters, changing areas and insurance. These are estimates, so test your own numbers with real quotes before signing a lease.

Monthly revenue is typically around £3,000 to £12,000, depending on session prices, how full your sessions are and whether you take group bookings. That is revenue, not profit, and running costs such as rent and heating can be high.

Check with your council about planning permission or change of use before signing a lease. Also check building regulations, fire risk assessment, ventilation for heaters, public liability and employer's liability insurance covering sauna use, and hygiene and guest health briefing rules.