The UK’s first-ever public floating sauna, where you can go straight from luxury sauna to outdoor wild swimming, has opened just an hour from Manchester.
Wyld Sauna is home to a 30-person sauna, ice baths, luxury changing rooms and direct access straight into one of the North West’s most iconic bodies of water.
There are also two cold waterfall showers, four heated outdoor showers to salt rubs, and changing rooms decked out with Dyson hair dryers, lockers, mirrors and swimsuit dryers.
The unique experience has opened in the last month on Princes Dock in our neighbouring Liverpool, created by friends Jon Miller and Tom Berendsen.
The 42-year-old pair wanted to create a floating sauna that blends the ‘serenity of nature with the urban vibrancy of the city’.
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Wyld is bringing traditional Nordic saunas to modern life, in a communal environment that’s suitable for everyone from novices to long-time devotees of hot and cold therapy.
Wyld Sauna floats on the water with views of the Liverpool skyline.
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Princes Dock has grown in popularity as a natural swimming spot in recent years, with a growing community of open-water enthusiasts taking the plunge here.
Wyld, the UK’s first FLOATING sauna has opened just an hour from Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
Visitors to Wyld will have direct access to the water (which is regularly tested and has life guards) from a private pontoon.
Jon Miller, Co-Founder of Wyld Sauna, explained: “We’ve always believed in the power of saunas – not just for physical health, but for building community and creating moments of calm in our busy lives.
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“Wyld is our way of making that experience accessible to as many people as possible. Our mission is to bring the best of the Nordic sauna tradition to Liverpool, where anyone can come, unwind, and reconnect – whether it’s their first sauna or their hundredth.”
Tom Berendsen, Co-Founder, added: ”Princes Dock is the perfect setting for Wyld. Being on the water adds another layer to the experience, with the city skyline on one side and the calm of the dock on the other.
“It’s a place where nature and urban life meet, which is exactly what Wyld is all about. We’re very excited to be opening the UK’s first floating sauna, right here in the heart of this beautiful city that’s steeped in heritage and culture.”
Liza Marco, Senior Asset Manager for Liverpool Waters commented: “We are very excited for Wyld to open at Princes Dock next month. It is the perfect location for such a fantastic and luxurious experience on the water, surrounded by some of Liverpool’s most iconic buildings.
“Princes Dock is a popular and growing destination with more people now living and working there, and an increasing number of visitors to its bars, cafes, restaurants, and hotels.
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“Wyld Sauna will be a great addition to the Dock alongside the open water swimming, canoeing and yoga already on offer there and we look forward to seeing everyone enjoying themselves in this fabulous location.”
Drinks prices revealed as Manchester Airport’s first-ever Wetherspoons pub opens inside T2
Emily Sergeant
It’s official… Manchester Airport’s first-ever JD Wetherspoon pub has officially opened its doors inside Terminal 2.
The 300-seater pub – which welcomed its first customers earlier this week – is named The Belle Vue after Manchester’s historic showground.
Throughout the pub, you’ll spot design features that nod to the city’s sporting heritage – including vintage event posters and memorabilia, a ‘locker wall’ hosting trophies and other sporting exhibits, and a cricket-themed design in the carpets and bar panels.
Creating around 150 jobs in the process, The Belle Vue is the final planned new eatery to open in the airport’s redeveloped Terminal 2, marking one of the final steps in the super-terminal’s decade-long, £1.5bn transformation.
Manchester Airport’s first-ever Wetherspoons pub has opened inside Terminal 2 / Credit: Supplied
According to the MEN, pints are priced from £6.20 for Carling and Coors lager, £6.45 for Budweiser, £6.60 for Guinness, and £6.70 for Poretti and 1664 Biere.
Prosecco is £9.20 for 175ml glass and £37.10 for the full bottle, while spirts and mixers are £6.80 for singles and £10.20 for doubles.
There’s also the classic Wetherspoons tea and coffee machines, where you can refill as many times as you like for just £3.60.
“It’s a proud moment to see the final new retail unit opening in our new-look Terminal 2,” commented Richard Jackson, who is the Retail Director at Manchester Airport.
“To be rounding off this 10-year programme by adding such an iconic name as Wetherspoon to the terminal is particularly special and we know that it will prove extremely popular with passengers. We think they’ll love the nods to Manchester’s heritage in the décor and design – and of course the name.”
The Belle Vue will be open from the first flight to the final flight each day, and food will be served from opening until 10pm.
Featured Image – Supplied
Travel & Tourism
Etihad Stadium showcases City Hall, the new beating heart of Manchester City match days
Lonnie Bowes
There’s a particular kind of Manchester buzz you only get pitch-side. If you’re a seasoned Cityzen this one’s for you – one of three major new hospitality options for your next game day at the Etihad Stadium.
Tucked in the heart of the new Pep Guardiola Stand, directly behind the goal, we have the brand-new City Hall.
City Hall is built for people who actually want to watch football in comfort, and with a massive 500 capacity hall a stone’s throw from the pitch, it’s a hard one to pass up.
Doors open a full two hours before the match, and that early access turns the day into an occasion rather than a scramble.
There’s time to properly soak up the atmosphere in what is a genuinely lively, buzzing bar, and I have to say potentially one of the best I’ve come across on a match day.
Food and drink are where the local flavour really comes through. The street food menu leans into Manchester’s own identity with a modern twist.
The catering is relaxed and doesn’t take itself too seriously, let’s just say having a chip barm and chicken madras pie on the run-up to a kick-off is my idea of heaven.
Every guest gets an inclusive drink as part of your booking, too. You get to pick from a selected wine, beer or soft drink which you can claim at any point during your visit.
It’s a setup that suits everyone, whether you’re in it for a proper pre-match pint with your mates or meal with your family before a day of making pitch side memories.
The little touches matter too. A matchday programme is a nice, old-school addition in an era where so much matchday content has gone digital.
And crucially, the experience doesn’t end at the final whistle: with an hour’s access after the match, there’s no need to bolt for the exits the second the referee blows for full-time. You can sit and finish your drink, and let the ground empty out around you instead of fighting through it.
Put it all together and City Hall feels like hospitality done with an actual sense of place.
Manchester street food, a proper buzzing bar, and one of the best seats in the house, all wrapped around a schedule that respects the fact that match day is about more than just the 90 minutes.
For anyone looking to upgrade how they watch City this season, it’s well worth a look.
Have a look and make a booking at City Hall at the Etihad Stadium HERE.
Daisy Jackson -
13th December 2024 
