there are even Thomas Crapper loos. I expected to find
Hercule Poirot seated in the sauna next to me.
The rooms are compact and contain a frigidarium or
relaxation room, a steam room and three heated cham-
bers: the tepidarium or warm room, the caldarium or hot
room, and the laconium or hottest room, each one sepa-
rated from the next by a thick curtain. The concept is
similar to that of a Swedish sauna, it is the materials that
differ. The changing rooms are built from dark wood; you
lie on a thick sandstone slab and rest your head on a small
wooden block with a groove in it. There are plenty of
showers and a beautifully designed ice-cold plunge pool.
The cost makes it accessible to everyone. I loved eaves-
dropping on the chatter of the local nurses and joking
around with the wonderfully no-nonsense staff. I just
wish I lived close enough to pop in more often.
From £19 for two and a half hours, single-sex sessions are
available. A take on the authentic hammam treatment can
be booked, £20; turkishbathsharrogate.co.ukNew Docklands Steam Baths
Once the guilt — and the smell of roses — had worn off
I decided to refocus on the original plan, and after exten-
sive searching (lurking in Reddit forums) I found the
New Docklands Russian Banya & Steam Baths, which
people either raved about or claimed was for swingers.
I hedged my bets and gave it a try. I can’t really convey
my creeping dread as I crossed the A13 next to Canning
Town, east London, snaked my way down the side of a
railway line and then walked through a large dump to get
to the front door. Nor did I feel any better when I saw the
large signs saying no booze and no knives.
Yet I persevered and I’m very glad that I did. This place
is one of the city’s best-kept secrets. It was established in
1977 with strong links to east London’s boxing commu-
nity. Today it is run as a charitable trust. On the inside
the building looks like a rundown gym. You put your
clothes in a locker upstairs and head down to the four
steam rooms, which range in temperature from 30C to
110C. I can’t tell you much more about them because
I couldn’t see more than a foot in front of my face. There
is also an ice-cold plunge pool and a sauna. An obvious
newbie, I was adopted by a group of south Asian women,
who encouraged me by only laughing a little bit when
I had to keep nipping outside for air. At the other end of
the scale were the Russians, who had settled into the
sauna with twig bundles, woolly hats and, most impres-
sively, a can of Kronenbourg. In non-Covid times you
can come here to be schmeissed — the Yiddish word for
whip — which involves being rubbed down with a
heated raffia brush, or a Russian venik treatment, when
you are struck by a bundle of silver birch or oak twigs
(which is supposed to improve the metabolism and
prevent premature ageing of the skin). There is also a
small restaurant that serves peri peri chicken and lamb
koftas, so you can make a night of it.
This place will not appeal to everyone — it really is
basic, and my advice is to bring shoes, towels and all the
products you want to use (one lady had brought along a
home hair dye kit). But if you like getting sweaty with
strangers, this is a lot of fun. ■
From £14. Places are limited so you will need to book,
especially for the men’s and the mixed sessions;
newdocklands.co.ukNEW DOCKLANDS
STEAM BATHSDOLPHIN
SQUARE SPA
The Spa in Dolphin Square
When it comes to copycat hammams and banyas we are
spoilt for choice in the capital, but finding one that feels
authentic and affordable is not an easy task. The Spa in
Dolphin Square does well on both fronts. When he set it
up, the general manager, Neil Miller-Chalk, wanted to
recreate the experiences he had had in Morocco but
adapt them for a busy urban environment. The result is
impressive. Dolphin Square’s mineral-rich water is
drawn from the only working artesian well in the city of
Westminster. There is a Moroccan hammam, a rhassoul
chamber and a salt-infused steam room. I confess that
I digressed a little from my brief and had a luxury
hammam. I was doused in warm water by my tellak (the
masseuse) and lathered in savon noir to wash away impu-
rities. I was then scrubbed with an exfoliating kessa glove
(which I was given at the end and am now fiercely
attached to) and rubbed with rhassoul clay and shea
butter. To finish it all I had a bucket of rosewater tipped
over my head. I don’t think I have ever smelt better. Yes,
it was expensive, but there is a pared-down version avail-
able, or you can opt for the rhassoul, which leaves you to
apply the lotions and potions yourself.
Standard hammam, £55 for 25 minutes, luxury
hammam, £90 for 55 minutes, and rhassoul, £70 for
55 minutes; spa.dolphinsquare.co.ukThe Sunday Times Style • 45