The lights are dim; there are sweaty bodies everywhere and music is flowing through the speakers. But it's not a thumping baseline reverberating through the atmospheric room; it's soothing spa sounds, and the sweat glistens from a 15-minute sauna session rather than from hours spent dancing.
In the capital, wellness clubs are popping up with the same fervour that nightclubs used to, with longevity-supporting sanctuaries replacing dancefloors as the hotspot to be seen for millennials and Gen Z, who are driving the £1.5tn global wellness economy.
Case in point, London's iconic Tramp nightclub. The venue, famed for debauched nights out for the likes of Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell and Rihanna, has recently launched a 'performance and optimisation-focused gym', offering breathwork sessions, saunas and IV therapy - quite the pivot.
© InstagramWhile it feels a departure from the hedonism of Tramp nightclub, Tramp Health's founder, Luca Maggiora, comments on the similarities between underground clubs and wellness hubs: "After years spent curating spaces where people come together, I realised the greatest luxury is feeling good and a sense of belonging. Tramp Health [focuses] on supporting how you live, move, and feel - every single day."
Tramp isn't the only wellness destination to crop up in the capital. Canary Wharf's ARC sauna is the ultimate self-care Sunday (or any day, for that matter) venue, with an amphitheatre-style chill-out zone with moody lighting and soft seating for you to recline post ice-bath and sauna.
The beauty of ARC is the buzz – there's no subdued silence in the sauna or any icy stares when you chat in the cold plunge. Conversation and connection are encouraged, creating a bar vibe with all the benefits of contrast therapy.
© InstagramAdding to the capital's booming wellness offering, Six Senses has finally arrived in London, opening its doors at The Whiteley in Bayswater, complete withthe brand’s first social wellness members' club. Rather than cigars and Champagne, as normally associated with private clubs, the location was designed as a contemporary gathering space, offering a programme of talks, workshops and experiences centred around creativity, self-development, and meaningful connection.
In West London, Notting Hill's Cloud Twelve spa's "wellness after dark" events invite guests to use their spa and wellness facilities (the mind-clearing hydrogen inhalation is ideal if you're suffering with brain fog), before attending insightful chats from wellness practitioners.
Of the Thursday night initiative, the spa's founder, Jenya di Pierro, says: "This is not your typical night out. Think of it as a new kind of happy hour, where cocktails are replaced with calm, restoration, meaningful connections and wholesome mind-body experience."
Created as an alternative to Thursday pub sessions, Jenya continues: "It's a movement toward healthier nights out and stronger communities. As modern life becomes increasingly digital and isolating, we're creating a powerful alternative to the pub culture, a place to unwind, connect, and experience the transformative effects of consistent wellness practices."
© Getty ImagesMaking connections
As Jeyna points out, community is key with the new wave of wellness clubs – Peckham's hottest (no pun intended) sauna destination is even called 'Social Sauna', demonstrating that connection is king, while Notting Hill's beauty destination Young LDN recently opened Frenchies, a cafe space designed to create connection, with guests encouraged to arrive early for their treatments, linger longer and treat their appointments as a ritual.
While in nightclubs, you'd make besties with the other girls in the bathroom, before promptly forgetting they existed when you returned to the dance floor, bonds formed amid wellness events allow for deeper connection.
Sound practitioner Nancy Trueman, who hosts group sound baths, explains why we feel deeply connected to those we attend wellness events with: "A regulated nervous system helps us to feel safe, present, and grounded, improving sleep, digestion, mood, and connection."
In a nutshell, the calm feeling that washes over us post-wellness practice switches our nervous system into a place we feel safe and open to making new friends. This concept explains why after a breathwork class or sound healing session we feel compelled to share in a way we would never normally with strangers.
While there will always be a place for nightlife, pubs and clubs, for meaningful friendships and a relaxed nervous system, you'll find us in a wellness club.
