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.”
Greater Manchester’s heritage railway issues statement as it’s forced to cancel services this week
Emily Sergeant
Greater Manchester’s iconic heritage railway has been forced to cancel its services this weekend due to the heatwave.
In case you hadn’t heard, Amber Extreme Heat warnings and heat-health alerts have been issued by the Met Office and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) through to Thursday this week – with temperatures widely exceeding 35°C nationwide, and in some areas – particularly on the south coast – potentially even reaching 38°C.
Heatwave conditions in the UK are met when a location records a period of at least three consecutive days with temperature values meeting or exceeding the heatwave temperature threshold for that location.
It does seem, however, that northern parts of the country – especially the North West – are missing most of the extremely hot conditions.
Current forecasts indicate that the peak temperatures for Greater Manchester this week will be tomorrow and Thursday, with highs of 33°C in the city centre.
Despite not reaching the heights of the south, East Lancashire Railway (ELR) has still had to act in advance and has taken the decision to cancel its scheduled services for the next two days as the forecast is ‘too severe’.
Taking to social media to share its decision today, ELR wrote: “Due to the current weather warning for the UK, the decision has been taken to cancel all services on Wednesday 24th and Thursday 25th June 2026, including the afternoon tea and mid-week luncheon dining experiences.
“The welfare of both staff and customers is paramount to the ELR, and we believe that the risk in the extreme heat that has been forecast is too severe to allow for the running of our ordinary services.”
As things stand, ELR says its current plan is to have services resume with the evening dining train on Friday 26 June, but this will still be ‘subject to review’, and further updates on this will be issued later in the week.
Visitors who have already pre-booked services over the two cancelled days will be contacted via email to have their options explained to them.
“We apologise for any inconvenience,” ELR closed out its statement.
Featured Image – ELR
Travel & Tourism
Legendary buffet restaurant could close as plans for ANOTHER Deansgate hotel are revealed
Daisy Jackson
Plans have been revealed for another hotel on Deansgate – and if it goes ahead, it could mean Manchester’s legendary buffet restaurant may close.
Maybrook House stands on a prominent corner in the city centre, where Deansgate crosses with Blackfriars Street.
It’s functioned as offices for years, but now there are proposals to change the building into a ‘vibrant, high-quality new hotel’.
If it goes ahead, the new hotel would provide 240 rooms as well as a new bar and lounge spaces.
Plans for the new Deansgate hotel include a two-storey extension on top of the building, which would bring it to an eight-storey building (still well below the height of neighbouring structures, like the 20-storey Treehouse Hotel).
The team working on the new hotel have said that its design will ‘respect the character of the surrounding area while improving the appearance and experience of the building’.
Other plans include repainting the existing brickwork, refurbishing the concrete panels, and installing more efficient windows.
As for the cafes and restaurants already occupying Maybrook House, most will be able to stay – the plans say that the ground-floor occupiers can remain in place throughout the construction period.
But if it all goes ahead, Cosmo, the world buffet that has been here for almost a decade (and was previously Red Hot World Buffet) would need to vacate the premises.
Maybrook House said: “We recognise that Cosmo is a valued and well-established venue in the city, and are engaging with them directly.”
A hotel operator for the building hasn’t been announced yet, but they said that they are ‘currently in advanced discussions with a prestigious hotel operator’.
Daisy Jackson -
13th December 2024 
