Folkestone Harbour has announced its latest plans to collaborate with Sea Scrub Sauna in the opening of Kent’s largest beachside sauna.
If planning is successful, works to bring “Scandinavian sauna culture with a British twist” to Folkestone Beach, just a stone’s throw from the harbour, are set to begin towards the end of this year.
This will be Sea Scrub Sauna’s biggest space to date. Existing sites in Kent include Margate, Whitstable and Faversham.
The new development will be entirely custom built, set right into the shingle, and will feature a large sauna space, wellness café, cold plunge, hot tub and direct access to The English Channel.
Robin Bartlett, co-founder of Sea Scrub Sauna, said: “We’re thrilled to share our plans to bring Sea Scrub Sauna to the beach near Folkestone Harbour. Partnering with Folkestone Harbour gives us a unique opportunity to create something really special, drawing on everything we’ve learned over the past three years to build a richer, more expansive experience.”
Paulo Kingston-Correia, general manager of Folkestone Harbour & Seafront Development Company, added: “We’ve been impressed by Sea Scrub Sauna’s spaces in both Margate and Whitstable for some time.
“We are delighted to be collaborating closely with the team to develop an expansive offering that not only brings a whole new dynamic to the range of experiences at Folkestone Harbour, but allows the Sea Scrub Sauna team to be ambitious with their plans to bring wellness to our site”.
The sauna will be the newest addition to the popular food, drink and leisure destination at the harbour, which marks 10 years since it was transformed from a derelict former ferry port by Sir Roger De Haan.
Folkestone Harbour has been continuously developed to accommodate many independent businesses. Today, it plays host to a large outdoor screen with regular free cinema programme and street food vendors in The Goods Yard, 11 new restaurants and bars with indoor seating, a social gaming venue, a 12-hole adventure golf course on the beach and a boardwalk linking the Harbour to the Leas Lift and the Shoreline apartments.
Events have been at the heart of the regeneration, with a quirky Folkestone Harbour take on traditional events such as its nationally acclaimed Festive Market and its own Bavarian celebration, Wunder Harbour.
The most notable event in the calendar is The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever, where hundreds of people dressed in red take part in a coordinated dance to the famous song by Kate Bush.
