St Ives Beach Sauna - Saltings on Porthmeor, St Ives

The cornish sea is much more welcoming when you know you can jump into a steaming sauna straight afterwards.

There is no feeling better, in my opinion, than getting out of a sauna and running down the beach into the sea. The body tingles, the stunning setting, the sheer natural high. If you do anything on your St Ives holiday I recommend Mor Holan Sauna on Portminster Beach.

This December, we braved the grey skies and light rain and headed to the sauna for a morning session. It's about half way along Porthminster beach right next to the path that leads towards Carbis Bay. There are changing rooms next door and there is an attendant keeping watch, so you can leave your things there while you sauna. Once we entered the woody thick heat of the sauna we immediately forget all those fleece layers and raincoats. Our muscles relaxed, and we took deep breaths of hot dry air. We sat there chatting, baking ourselves and admiring the view: There are windows looking out over the water to St Ives Harbour in one direction and Virginia Woolf's lighthouse in the other. We were even graced with a rainbow that arced over the town and straight down into the water.

After 15 minutes of building heat we were ready: we discarded our sauna hats (provided by the venue) and ran across the sand down to the sea. I recommend going at high tide because we did not and it was quite a long way! But it was entirely worth it as we splashed into the waves screaming and whooping. If you don't fancy the sea there is also a cold shower and tin baths of cold water provided for that delicious freezing immersion. Then straight back into the sauna to warm up again. Not shivering in the wind, while trying to pull clothes onto your damp body makes winter wild swimming a much more attractive proposition.

The sauna is £12 per person and if you book six spots you can have the whole place to yourself.

Afterwards, I recommend doing as we did and going for a delicious lunch at The Cornish Deli.

rainbow-over-st-ives-and-happy-post-sauna-faces

Read what our guests are saying about Saltings on Porthmeor

Firsthand accounts of the unforgettable experiences at Saltings on Porthmeor.

Read More 5 Star reviews

This is the place from an early coffee throughout the day to talk life and the universe. Watching the changing light on the giant day bed hanging over the sand, is completely addictive. As dusk darkens reflections of friends making dinner get stronger in the glass and finally you turn from the sea to the nights festivities. Both living space at Old Saltings and Upper Saltings are the biggest rooms I have had the chance to enjoy. This means there is room for everything to happen all at once without friction. It’s like living in a film.

Cany

Saltings is truly special. Its beautifully presented and so worth every penny. The art around the house captured imagination and made for storytelling with our children. The kitchen is fabulous, if you want to cook you can, its got everything you need. The location and views are incredible. Pull up in your car, unload, and instant relax with a good glass of red. A perfect Cornish holiday retreat which we will most certainly return to.

Sophie Cunliffe

Amazing stay, fantastic location, and friendly hosts - we couldn't have asked for more. The sea views are to die for. We spent so many hours in that window seat, watching the dogs on the beach, the storm over the sea, and the sunset over the town. When you get bored of that, you can walk barefoot for the 20 meters to the beach, and wander across the rockpools searching for crabs. The property itself is really spacious and well set up. My mum walked in & her jaw dropped - it's just so much bigger & airier than the photos do justice to. You can tell that the family have used the property themselves for years, and have thought of everything - labelled drawers, well-equipped kitchen, and it even has fast Wifi (not expected at the tip of Cornwall!) Finally, you're in the middle of town. Turn the corner to a nationally rated art gallery (Penwith); 2 mins walk to the harbour; 3 mins walk to Fore street. Beautifully designed yet welcoming, with sea and town together. We'll be back!

Mark