Liverpool business takes plunge with Anfield sauna hub
Seven Group has completed the latest phase in its turnaround of the Cherry Lane business park, where £2.5m has been spent creating a 24,000 sq ft wellness and commercial centre.
Declared as Liverpool’s largest sauna park, the facility close to Walton Lane and Queens Drive is due to be opened on 14 November.
Seven Group said that “what was once a neglected dumping ground is being turned into an urban retreat designed to promote calm and relaxation”.
Ater a four-month project, the site will feature two Scandinavian log-burning saunas, each accommodating up to 16 people; two 10-person hot tubs; a six-person ice bath; two single-person ice baths; and showers.
Seven said that 20 jobs will be created by the development.
Billed as The Urban Sauna, the facility sit within Seven’s wider development at Cherry Lane, which has so far seen upward of £2.5m invested over two years.
An existing unit has been renovated as a children’s nursery and play centre, while a former college building has been remodelled into commercial units, billed as Oakmere Business Park.
A further £6m of planned work and investment is planned, the firm said, potentially bringing container storage facilities to the site, alongside leisure and lifestyle additions including a golf simulator, swimming pool and gym.
Along with padel, sauna centres have been one of the most prominent trends in leisure development in recent years, with reports suggesting arouNd 100 venues a year are being added acrOss the UK.
Shane Hanley, director of Seven Group and co-founder of The Urban Sauna, said: “People lead busy, hectic and stressful lives, so I wanted to create an outdoor health and wellness centre where they can come for an hour a day, two, three or four times a week—to relax, unwind and take a break from real life.
“Over the last 14 years, I’ve done a lot of work in the city with charities and local businesses. I felt now was the time to do something special for Liverpool and give something back to the community.
“Saunas and cold plunges may support wellbeing in several ways, including relaxation and sleep. It could be a place for people recovering from injury, those looking for support with their mental wellbeing, or anyone who simply wants to relax.
“This is about bringing people back to nature. Once you’re here, it feels like being in the country. It’s Scandinavian—simple saunas and cold-water treatments inspired by how saunas were used hundreds of years ago, offering a wellness experience that’s a little different.”
