the ten best hotel saunas.
The ten rooms we’d plan a trip around. The heat is the reason you book, and the hotel knows it.
01 — new york · Dry / Finnish · $$$$
aman new york
three floors of spa inside the crown building, and heat treated with the seriousness of a religion — sauna and steam in the changing rooms, banya and hammam spa houses beyond. the rare midtown room where you genuinely forget fifth avenue is roaring twelve floors below.
Spa access only
02 — london · Dry / Finnish · $$$$
six senses london
the whiteley's spa is the most convincing argument in london that a hotel sauna can be a destination rather than an amenity. finnish and bio saunas, a proper cold plunge, and the good sense to keep it quiet.
Open to all guests
03 — chicago · Dry / Finnish · $$$$
the langham, chicago
chuan spa runs three kinds of heat off a 67-foot pool — herbal sauna, himalayan salt sauna, and steam. the most complete bathing ritual in the middle of the country.
Spa access only
04 — new york · Dry / Finnish · $$$$
equinox hotel hudson yards
the only hotel on this list built by people who clearly use the sauna themselves. an infrared dome, a hot-cold contrast circuit, and wood barrel saunas beside the outdoor pool in season — recovery as the point of the trip.
Open to all guests
05 — san francisco · Dry / Finnish · $$$$
the huntington hotel & nob hill spa
wood-lined dry heat, an indoor pool with the fog rolling past below. the best argument in san francisco for going up the hill rather than down it.
Spa access only
06 — new york · Dry / Finnish · $$$$
casa cipriani new york
cedar saunas and a eucalyptus steam room inside the restored battery maritime building — hushed, members-club in feel, and reached by a lift that makes you feel let in on something.
Spa access only
07 — los angeles · Dry / Finnish · $$$$
the langham huntington, pasadena
chuan spa again, this time under pasadena's grand old resort — sauna, steam and whirlpool right in the locker facilities, no session booking required. the honest open-access heat in greater los angeles.
Spa access only
08 — los angeles · Dry / Finnish · $$$
santa monica proper hotel
the recovery suites pair a dry sauna with cold plunges, booked as private sessions — heat as a considered ritual, two blocks from the beach, with the rooftop pool waiting after.
Day / spa fee required
09 — los angeles · Dry / Finnish · $$$$
four seasons los angeles at beverly hills
the spa keeps it simple and says it plainly: a sauna, an aromatherapy steam room, and poolside cabanas. beverly hills heat without the asterisks.
Open to all guests
10 — chicago · Dry / Finnish · $$$
intercontinental chicago magnificent mile
finnish saunas beside a 1929 junior-olympic pool in spanish tile — the most romantic swim-and-sweat in america. one honest note: the spa is closed for renovation until mid-september 2026, so book after.
Spa access only
