First seaside sauna opens in WA's Great Southern

By: Lisa Cook

Albany has some of the best beaches in the world, but if you've ever taken a dip there you'll know the water can be pretty cold. The good news is there's now a beachside sauna ready to warm you right up afterwards.

Perfectly suited to Albany's adventurous outdoor lifestyle of hiking, surfing, swimming, biking and climbing, STOKED Sauna has just opened by Albany's popular Middleton Beach.

Ideally positioning at Surfers Beach, home to Albany's new artificial surf reef, it invites the community to enjoy a local, relaxed and social sauna experience.

Visitors can warm up in the cosy timber cabin before cooling off with an ocean dip, an outdoor shower or simply some fresh air between rounds. Afterwards, they can grab a coffee from The Surfing Beach coffee van next door and continue the conversation.

The eight-person mobile sauna is the first of its kind in the Great Southern and was custom-built by Timberworks in Margaret River. Using a traditional wood-fired heater, it reaches temperatures of 80 to 90°C, creating an authentic sauna experience powered by nothing more than fire and timber.

After visiting Haut Hutt Sauna in Bright, Victoria, two years ago, owners Tegan and Jethro were inspired to bring a similar experience to the Great Southern. They first tested the concept through a private sauna experience at Middleton Beach called Sauna on the Corner, before taking the leap and commissioning their own custom-built sauna.

The sauna is currently operating under a three-month trial permit, with the possibility of extending to a year.

Looking ahead, the team plans to expand its offering with silent sauna sessions, family-friendly experiences, aromatherapy sessions and community wellness events.

STOKED officially opened on Saturday, 12 September, and operates Friday to Monday.

For Tegan, community and nature are key to the STOKED experience.

"There’s something pretty special about stepping from the heat of a traditional woodfired sauna straight out into the ocean, particularly when our Albany waters are cold for much of the year," she said.

"Most importantly, nature isn’t separate from the sauna experience, it’s a part of it."

"Whether it’s a post surf wind down, after work treat, post exercise recovery, a way to socialise or simply a reason to get friends together and do something different. For visitors, STOKED offers another way to experience Albany, not just seeing the coastline, but slowing down and spending time in it."

The STOKED team is also focused on minimising its environmental impact, sourcing local firewood and making use of fallen trees wherever possible. The business is exploring partnerships with local organisations, including Wattle Wonderful World, to make use of invasive species such as Sydney wattle.

Sauna sessions run for 60 minutes and are available as either private group bookings or communal sessions.

Bookings can be made online.