Days Out NI
Spas & wellness Craigavon

The Hot Rocks Sauna

A hand-built Finnish wood-burning sauna on the Lough Neagh shore at Gawley's Gate, with guided sauna rituals.

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Fri–SunFriday evenings and weekends. Check the liv…
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CraigavonSpas & wellness
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£15.50Entry
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The Hot Rocks Sauna — A hand-built Finnish wood-burning sauna on the Lough Neagh shore at Gawley's Gate, with guided sauna rituals.

  • What you'll enjoy: Wood-burning sauna, freshwater cold plunge, Lough Neagh dips, guided rituals with whisks, oils and sauna hats.
  • How long: One hour for a communal or textile-free session. Two hours for the Slow Sauna, three hours for the guided ritual.
  • Book ahead: Pre-book online at thehotrockssauna.co.uk. Private sessions need full payment 48 hours in advance.
  • Cost: Communal or textile-free session £15.50 per person. Slow Sauna £25.50. Guided ritual £56. Private hire £155 per hour for up to 15 people.
  • When: Friday evenings and weekends. Check the live booking calendar before you travel.
Plan your visit

This is a taught session, not just a hot box

Hot Rocks calls itself Northern Ireland's first sauna offering guided sauna rituals, and that's the point of coming. Andrea shows you the correct use of the traditional kit: the sauna hat, the essential oils, the German Aufguss towel technique that drives the heat around the room. You cut your own whisk from fresh branches and use it for a gentle massage in the heat.

Hand-built Finnish wood-burning sauna Lough Neagh shore at Gawley's Gate Freshwater cold plunge or a dip in the lough Guided sauna rituals with sauna masters Sauna hats, essential oils and Aufguss towel work Make your own whisk from fresh tree cuttings
Good to know before you go:

Alongside the communal sessions, Hot Rocks runs guided rituals, the longer Slow Sauna, and private hire for groups of up to 15. Seasonal specials have included a steak and sauna package for two at £77 a couple.

Before you set off

What to bring

  • 🩱SwimwearOn under your clothes saves you fussing in a small changing space.
  • 🧖Two towelsOne to sit on in the heat, one dry for after the cold plunge.
  • 🩴Flip-flops & a warm layerYou’re outdoors between the sauna and the water — you’ll want both.
  • 💧A bottle of waterHeat and cold together will leave you thirstier than you expect.
Good to know

Everything before you go

Type
Hand-built Finnish wood-burning outdoor sauna on a lough shore
What you'll enjoy
Wood-burning sauna, freshwater cold plunge, Lough Neagh dips, guided rituals with whisks, oils and sauna hats
How long
One hour for a communal or textile-free session. Two hours for the Slow Sauna, three hours for the guided ritual
Cost
Communal or textile-free session £15.50 per person. Slow Sauna £25.50. Guided ritual £56. Private hire £155 per hour for up to 15 people
Booking
Pre-book online at thehotrockssauna.co.uk. Private sessions need full payment 48 hours in advance
When
Friday evenings and weekends. Check the live booking calendar before you travel
Questions

Before you go

Do I need to book?
Pre-book online at thehotrockssauna.co.uk. Private sessions need full payment 48 hours in advance
What does it cost?
Communal or textile-free session £15.50 per person. Slow Sauna £25.50. Guided ritual £56. Private hire £155 per hour for up to 15 people
When is it open?
Friday evenings and weekends. Check the live booking calendar before you travel
Getting there

The Hot Rocks Sauna is in Craigavon. Tap below for directions.

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The story

Built by hand, opened in 2024

Andrea is from Armagh. Her husband Jacek Ramus is from Poland. Together they opened The Hot Rocks Sauna on the Lough Neagh shore in 2024, and Jacek built the thing himself using local raw materials, in the rough, rustic style you find in traditional Finnish saunas.

What they added on top was the teaching. Most saunas hand you a towel and a timer. Here you learn the rituals: how the hat works, what the oils do, how the Aufguss towel moves the heat, why the whisk matters. Then you take all of it into cold Lough Neagh water and find out what your body does about it.