Your first sauna and ice bath: what to expect at Unfold
First time in a sauna, or just first time with us? Here's a first visit to Unfold Sauna Club, the wood-fired sauna and ice baths on Five Acre Farm near Bristol, start to finish: how booking works, what happens when you arrive, how to go between the heat and the cold, and what to pack. Short version: bring two towels, go at your own pace, and nobody's counting.
Quick answers
How much is a session? One credit, £12.50, for an hour in the sauna and ice baths. First-timers set up a bsport account and buy a pass on our Book page.
How long is it? An hour.
How hot and how cold? The wood-fired sauna runs at 80 to 95°C. The two ice baths are about 2°C.
What do I bring? Swimwear, two towels and water. We don't hire out towels.
When are you open? Wednesday and Friday evenings, and all day Saturday and Sunday.
Where are you? Five Acre Farm, Kellways, Backwell, BS48 3BQ, about ten minutes from south Bristol.
Booking: credits, and a pass for first-timers
Everything at Unfold runs on credits. One credit is £12.50 and covers an hour in the sauna and ice baths. Yoga, breathwork and fitness classes are two credits, and they include the sauna and ice baths afterwards.
If it's your first time, you'll set up a bsport account and buy a pass before you pick a slot. It takes a couple of minutes on our Book page. After that, booking is just a case of choosing a time and spending a credit.
Credits work across everything we do, and you can spend them on friends too. Three credits books you and two mates in. If you think you'll come back (most people do), bundles of 5, 10 or 15 credits bring the price per credit down.
Regular sessions run on Wednesday and Friday evenings, and all day on Saturday and Sunday. The schedule on the Book page is always the most up to date.
Arriving on the farm
We're on Five Acre Farm in Backwell, about ten minutes from south Bristol. There are a few parking spaces on site, and the X1 bus from Bristol city centre stops right outside, so it's an easy one by bike or bus too. Directions are on Find us.
When you get here, someone from the team will meet you, find your name on the list and show you round: the sauna, the two ice baths, the changing rooms and lockers, the showers, drinking water and toilets. Ask anything. There are no silly questions on a first visit, and most of us asked the same ones.
Then it's over to you. You've got the hour.
Heat, cold, rest: go at your own pace
The sauna is wood-fired and Scandinavian-built, and it sits somewhere between 80 and 95°C. Because it's a real fire, it moves around a bit through the session. The higher benches are hotter; if it's your first time, start low and work up.
There's a 15-minute sand timer inside. Treat it as a guide, not a target. Stay in for as long as feels good, and no longer. For a first round, a few minutes is plenty.
Then the cold. Our two ice baths are filtered and chilled to about 2°C. Most people find the first few seconds the hardest part: breathe out slowly, keep your hands out of the water if that helps, and get out when you're ready. Ten seconds counts. So does a cold shower instead, if the baths aren't for you today.
After that, rest. Sit outside, wrap up, have some water, look at the farm. That's one round. Most people do two or three in the hour: heat, cold, rest, and again.
A few things that make it easier:
Drink plenty of water before and during.
Take proper breaks between rounds.
If you feel dizzy or unwell at any point, step out, cool down gently and sit for a while. Tell whoever's hosting.
Everyone signs our waiver before their first session. If you have a health condition or you're pregnant, have a read of it and check with your GP first.
And a note on the vibe: there's no right way to do it. Some people chat the whole hour; some people close their eyes and say nothing. Both are welcome.
What to bring
Swimwear. Regular sessions are swimwear only.
Two towels. One to sit on in the sauna, one to dry off. We don't hire out towels or robes, so bring your own.
Water. There's drinking water on the farm, but a bottle of your own is handy.
Warm layers and a change of clothes, especially from autumn onwards. Flip-flops or sliders are useful for walking between the sauna and the baths.
Food and drink are fine to bring. Please leave the alcohol at home: we don't allow it on site, and we can't let anyone use the sauna after drinking. Phones are up to you, but we'd suggest putting yours away for the hour (heat isn't good for them either).
The showers are outdoor and cold for now. We're working on warm ones for the winter.
Coming with friends?
It works well as a group. Book spots together with credits, or if you'd like the whole place to yourselves, look at private hire: £100 an hour for up to 10 people.
That's everything. The rest you'll figure out in about five minutes, and by the second round you'll wonder why you didn't come sooner. Have a look at the FAQ if anything's still on your mind, or book your first session.
See you on the farm.
