St Martin's new wild sauna experience

Tucked away in the middle of the island is a new experience for those visiting St Martin's. Over the winter, islanders Jo and Dave Williams have dug, levelled, prepared and installed a wood-fired sauna. Although it is discreetly tucked away behind the barn in Middletown, it enjoys wonderful views over the flats towards St Mary's. This new business venture for Jo, who used to own and run the glass-bottom boat, is already up and running and being enjoyed by the community.

As you enter the sauna, there is a small entrance area where you can help yourself to a felt sauna hat if you wish. 'Why wear a hat in a sauna?', I thought but it really does protect frizz-prone hair from drying out and actually prevents you from feeling too hot. If you can cope with looking like a sauna gnome it's worth giving it a go! The sauna itself has two levels of benches and a huge picture window framing the view so you can sit back relax in the heat and enjoy the landscape. As I sat there slowly warming I realised that this was really quite a different type of sauna compared to those I had enjoyed in hotels and spas. The gentle crackle and scent of the burning wood, natural light flooding in through the large window, the sea view stretching into the distance and chatting with friends really enhanced the whole experience.