The Best Saunas in Paris
It’s time to get sweating. Having totally conquered Britain in recent years, saunas now seem to be taking root in Paris.
Originally hailing from Nordic lands, where they’ve been around for millennia, and long popular in Ireland, saunas see participants perspire in heated rooms in order to enhance muscle recovery, to detoxify, to reduce inflammation and to boost circulation, sleep and cardiovascular health.
They largely fall into three categories. Traditional, dry Finnish saunas see wood or electric stoves warm rocks to create a high temperature (typically 80-110°C) and low humidity. Excellent for the skin, steam saunas — very similar to hammams — opt for 100 per cent humidity but lower temperatures (35-50°C), while infrared saunas use light panels to heat the body, not the air, and usually operate at 40-65°C. A full sauna ritual involves contrast therapy: combining your chosen type with a cold water dip or shower, and repeat, and repeat.
Courtesy of SANT ROCH
In Britain, growth has been furious. According to the British Sauna Society, the country had 45 public saunas in February 2023; just three years later, there were 600. And where once saunas were the sole preserve of posh health clubs or dubious places for single men to, er, meet, now dedicated sites featuring beautiful, beachside larch cabins or railway-arch dens in cities have become normalized.
Will the same craze recur in Paris? Snazzy new arrivals such as Sant Roch and Le Sōnïce are suggestive, while hammams have long been popular in France’s capital, powered by its extensive North African diaspora (read our list of the best here). Factor in the fact that health and beauty are permanent Parisian obsessions, plus that eternal amour for creating chic spaces, and c’est possible, decidedly so.
For now, Paris’s sauna scene remains in its infancy — but there are nonetheless some excellent options to investigate:
Courtesy of SANT ROCH
France’s largest sauna? That’ll be this new wellness destination, a high-end haven opposite the Tuileries. Opened in March 2026, its two floors combines a 60-square-meter Finnish sauna with cold plunge pools; immersive playlists, aromatherapy scents and crimson tiles further the soothing feel. If desired, you can opt for a guided experience which also incorporates breathwork and meditation. Sant Roch comes courtesy of Jules and Chloé Bouscatel, who have form when it comes to forward-thinking health spaces: they previously created the upstart Monday Sports Club and its 20 boutique fitness studios.
Expect to pay: Open (ie unguided) sessions cost €45
4-8 Rue Saint-Roch, 1st
Sauna et Bains Collectifs at Ground Control
Spawned from Britain’s successful Community Sauna Baths, Sauna et Bains Collectifs is a non-profit aspiring to make saunas safe, accessible, affordable and communal. Ahead of devoted Parisian spaces, they debuted in January 2026 with a long-term pop-up at trendy Ground Control, the warehouse turned multi-disciplinary arts and food near Gare de Lyon. Envisioned as an outdoor Nordic sanctuary and open from Wednesdays to Sundays, the sprawling space pairs three airy Finnish saunas — some crafted by a local metalworker — with cold baths, changing rooms, showers and an outdoor relaxation area where guests might mingle; expect it to be popular well into summer.
Expect to pay: 90-minute sessions cost just €20; for frequent visitors, make that €10.
81 Rue du Charolais, 12th
Meïso runs a pair of Japanese-inspired wellness centers around Paris offering flotation — effortlessly, in water infused with Epsom salts — treatment rooms and bamboo-decked “dojo” studios for group fitness workouts. Contrast therapy is additionally available at its oasis down in Quartier de la Gare thanks to Le Sōnïce, a sleek space whose denizens rotate between an infrared sauna’s intense heat and the invigorating chill of an ice bath. Compact but artfully designed, with black-painted bricks and a wall-mounted neon crystal, the space is bookable by groups of one to three people for hour-long sessions.
Expect to pay: €80 for 75-minute sessions
8 Rue Albert, 13th
Most hotel spas are subterranean — but not at Madame Rêve. Occupying the 19th-century building that once housed the Louvre Post Office, this classy design den instead situates its high-tech fitness suite, two treatment rooms and roomy Finnish sauna on the first floor. That sauna even has a view, over the Golden Triangle’s rooftops, to amplify its spacious feel. Non-guests are welcome; to gain access, however, you must book a treatment. Afterwards, where better to celebrate your newly-improved health than three floors up at the leafy rooftop bar and restaurant?
Expect to pay: Treatments start from €90
48 Rue du Louvre, 1st
In the basement (told you) of this fizz-themed Latin Quarter boutique hotel hides a small wellness area with a hammam and a blonde-wood Finnish sauna alongside its white-brick treatment room. Reservations are mandatory, guaranteeing you exclusive usage of the hammam and sauna. It’s unusually affordable, and, for full glam, you could follow up the experience by clinking rare vintages in Les Bulles’ glossy champagne bar.
Expect to pay: €25pp per hour
32 Rue des Écoles, 5th
Handily close to the Poissonnière metro station, this appointment-only haven operates on naturopathic principles. That extends across its reflexology treatments, its massages, its facials and its separate Finnish saunas for men and women. Lasting around 90 minutes, guided sessions in these combine a trio of sessions in the 90°C sauna with cold showers and, finally, 15 minutes in a dedicated relaxation room. You’re expected to be nude, as per the traditional sauna code, and should bring your own bathrobe, sarong or large towel.
Expect to pay: €35, or €260 for 11 sessions
83 bis Rue la Fayette, 9th
A hot stone’s throw from Place de la République, this exclusive-usage spa can be booked by up to six lucky zen-seekers for 90 minutes or two hours. The facilities include an infrared sauna — with a capacity of three — alongside a Jacuzzi, hammam and sensory shower, all of them sharing Nuance’s beautifully vaulted, low-lit stone basement. Towels, robes, and slippers are laid on, hotel-style, as are coffees and teas, while a home cinema system lets you play preferred music or videos. Factor in that manicures and make-up classes are available on the ground floor, and it’s no wonder that this is a popular option for hen parties.
Expect to pay: €127-€145pp for 90 minutes or €95-€175pp for two hours
4 Rue du Vertbois, 3rd
Alternative options:
In Paris, most bouldering (aka climbing) centers, such as those run by Arkose or ClimbUp near Porte d’Italie, include a simple dry sauna; entry is commonly €15-20 per day for access to everything to all facilities. For even more activity, consider Spark Club, whose small-group fitness classes — perhaps Pilates or cycling — take place in cabins equipped with infrared saunas to enable maximum uplift; for up to three people, all are guided by virtual instructors.
Lead photo credit : Les Bulles de Paris
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