Sea Scrub Sauna plans cliffside sauna and cold plunge venue in Broadstairs

A cliffside sauna and cold plunge venue overlooking Viking Bay would push Sea Scrub Sauna deeper into destination-wellness territory in Kent, with Broadstairs set to become its next coastal test case. The cousins behind the brand said they planned to submit proposals to Thanet District Council for a purpose-built site beside the existing café, set against the chalk cliffs.

If the scheme gets the green light, the building would rise as a two-storey venue designed around the view. The ground floor would hold changing facilities and a café, while the upper level would house a large social sauna, a barrel sauna and a cold plunge area looking out across the coast. That mix, part bathing house and part day-out stop, is exactly where the cold-plunge scene is heading next: less gym add-on, more full destination.

Robin Bartlett said Broadstairs has "a very special quality" and that the team wants to create something the town can be proud of. That language fits the company’s broader pitch, which leans hard into Scandinavian-style coastal bathing rather than a stripped-back recovery unit. Sea Scrub Sauna was inspired by time spent in Norway and by Nordic coastal sauna culture, and the business already runs sites at Margate Main Sands, Whitstable Harbour, Macknade in Faversham and Folkestone Harbour Arm.

Folkestone is the clearest example of how far the model has already spread. Sea Scrub Sauna describes that harbour-arm site as its flagship and "the UK’s biggest beach spa," with two saunas, a huge cold plunge tank, a hot tub, warm showers and a café. Third-party coverage has also linked the site to a community events space for yoga, private wellness events and seasonal gatherings. Macknade’s memberships start from £30 a month, which shows the business is now balancing one-off visits with a longer-term membership crowd.

Broadstairs would add something different again. Viking Bay is the town’s main beach and one of Thanet’s biggest tourist draws, with a cliff-top promenade and boardwalk already built into the visitor experience. A cliffside sauna here would not just add another place to plunge, it would fold sauna culture into a classic seaside setting and give visitors a new reason to stay beyond the tide.

The backdrop also matters. Thanet Council approved £1.2 million of sea-defence work in 2023 for Broadstairs Harbour, Viking Bay and the coastal path to Dumpton Gap, after reports warned the harbour defences were in poor condition and had an estimated residual life of around 10 years. Any new seafront business now lands in a place where tourism, access and coastal resilience are already moving together, and Sea Scrub’s Broadstairs proposal is another sign that cold-water culture is becoming part of that mix.