Saltglass Bathhouse · end of the Stone Pier · Port Wren

Hot cedar. Cold sea.

Two wood-fired saunas and an iron ladder down into the harbor. Sweat, climb down, come back up shouting, then sit with a blanket until the world goes quiet. Do it twice more.

← Brain Melt

Since 1928, give or take a storm

The sea off Port Wren is cold all year. That is the whole idea. You heat up in cedar, you go down the ladder, and for about ninety seconds nothing else exists.

2wood-fired saunas, fed with driftwood and ash logs
1iron ladder straight into the North Atlantic
3rounds of hot, cold and rest is the house habit
0phones past the gate. There are lockers.

The cycle

Heat, cold, rest. Three rounds.

The line is the temperature around you through one round. Scroll and walk it.

One round: about 88 degrees Celsius in the cedar room, 11 in the harbor, 20 on the rest bench one round, about 40 minutes start 88°C cedar room 11°C harbor 20°C pier bench
  1. 1 · Hot10 to 15 min

    Cedar room

    around 88°C, higher on the top bench

    Sit high until your shoulders drop. Ladle water on the stones if nobody minds. Leave a minute before you want to.

  2. 2 · Cold1 to 2 min

    The harbor

    tonight 11°C at the ladder

    Down the ladder, or into the plunge tub when the sea is rough. Breathe out slow. Your body will argue. Let it.

  3. 3 · Rest15 min

    Pier bench

    a blanket, a mug of broth, 20°C in the lee of the wall

    This is the part people skip, and it is the part that works. Watch the boats. Then go round again.

Rituals and prices

Pick how long you want to be quiet.

Every ritual includes a robe, a towel, the plunge tub, the ladder and broth on the pier. Tap one for the full plan.

Book a session

Your token for the pier gate.

Pick a ritual, a day and a time. The token on the right fills in as you go. Pay at the gate.

1 · Ritual
2 · Day
3 · Time
4 · How many
2people
5 · Name on the token

Pick a ritual to start.

Saltglass · pier gate token
Choose a ritual
Day
not picked
Time
not picked
Party
2 people
Total
$0
SG-····Not booked yet

Thursdays at dusk, October to March

Lantern swims.

Lanterns along the pier, both saunas lit, and a short guided swim out to the green buoy and back for anyone who wants it. Everyone else watches from the warm side.

Book a lantern swim

Finding us

Walk to the end of the Stone Pier.

Saltglass sits where the pier stops, past the lobster crates and the harbormaster's hut. Park on Quay Street and walk the last four hundred feet. Listen for the stove.

We lend robes, towels and wool hats. Bring a swimsuit and something warm for after.

Open 7 am to 10 pm, every day but Tuesday.
Tuesdays the stoves get swept.
Lantern swims Thursdays at dusk, October to March.
Do I have to go in the sea?

No. The plunge tub on the pier is fed with sea water and sits about the same temperature, with a rail and steps. Plenty of people never use the ladder.

How cold is it really?

Between 4°C in February and 17°C in August. The number at the top of this page is tonight's best guess at the ladder, and the staff chalk the real reading on the board at the gate.

What if the harbor is rough?

The ladder closes when the swell is over a meter or the wind is coming straight in. The tub stays open and nobody gets a refund lecture. Rough-sea sessions are half price.

Can I bring kids?

Over 12 with a grown-up, in the afternoon sessions. The cedar room is hot enough that small bodies get uncomfortable fast.

Is anyone checking on swimmers?

Always. There is a lifeguard on the ladder from opening to close, and nobody swims past the green buoy except on lantern nights with a guide.