Heating up Eastbourne: meet the owners of Luna Hut’s 5 Sussex saunas
A windswept beach in Ireland ignited a love for sauna – and now just a few years later, Laura Brown and Mike Lord, have 5 sauna sites across Sussex, welcoming hundreds of guests each month for a ritual to relax, reenergise and reconnect.
In 2020, the Brighton-based couple launched Luna Wave as a pop-up yoga studio at Brighton’s Sea Lanes, shaped by a shared belief in small, grounding rituals and the importance of slowing down. As yoga teachers and practitioners, they were already exploring how movement, breath and time in nature could support wellbeing – but it was an unexpected sauna experience on a wild Irish beach, in-between Covid lockdowns that shifted everything.
“Stepping from the wood-fired heat straight into the Atlantic was transformative, we felt grounded, energised, and deeply connected to nature,” Luna Hut co-founder Mike Lord says. “Amusingly, I had even gone in feeling a little grumpy, so the contrast of coming out feeling completely reset made it even more meaningful. The simplicity of it spoke volumes: natural wood, a glowing stove, sea air, and a sense of community,”
That moment sparked a deeper exploration into sauna culture, leading Mike to experience traditional sauna rituals across Finland and Scandinavia while touring with The Cure, where sauna was not a wellness trend, but a part of everyday life.
Back in Sussex, the couple then began experimenting with pop-up sauna experiences along the coast, towing wood-fired saunas to beaches and wild spaces and building a small but loyal community around them, including at a site next door to their Luna Wave yoga studio.
“It was amazing seeing guests gravitate towards the sauna and then the plunge pools or the sea for their contrast therapy.” Laura Brown explains. “We loved seeing them leaving feeling lighter, relaxed and revived; just like we had felt after that sauna session in Ireland, and knew we wanted to create permanent saunas for the Sussex community to enjoy throughout the seasons.”
In August 2024, Mike and Laura opened their first year-round sauna on Eastbourne’s beautiful Victorian seafront, near the iconic Wish Tower. This was soon followed by their Worthing site, located, nestled in the grounds of Splashpoint Leisure Centre but still boasting a stunning unspoilt panoramic sea views.
Then in May 2025, Luna Hut Brighton Cafe – Brighton’s first sauna cafe – opened its doors. The couple’s aim was to create a garden retreat tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the busy city centre, yet still on bus routes and within easy walks of the city’s train stations. It has become one of the most popular sites, so much so, demand has seen them increase the facilities for more people to enjoy a sauna session and a refreshing cold plunge.
Later that year, in autumn 2025, the latest Luna Hut sauna opened on Bognor Regis’ seafront, and as with the other locations, the community has embraced the sauna, with many visiting for regular sessions.
“There’s so many benefits around sauna use; from stress reduction and relaxation, to reduced inflammation and improved sleep quality, to name just a few,” Mike shares. “But the social aspect is also key. Sauna has traditionally been a shared experience, and that sense of doing something alongside others – rather than entirely alone – remains a big part of its appeal. We’re always naturally nervous about opening a new sauna and we’re always overwhelmed and humbled by how welcoming the local communities are. Within a few weeks, we find the sauna becomes a hub; a place for people to relax, get their contrast therapy and connect, which is so lovely to see.”
Each site follows the same principle: heat, cold, nature, repeat, with visitors moving between wood-fired or electric sauna sessions, cold plunges, sea dips and open-air showers, depending on the tide, the weather, or simply how they feel that day.
In just three years, Luna Hut has grown to a team of over 40 people across Sussex, but for Mike and Laura, Luna Hut is not just a business – it’s a deliberate way of life for them and their hundreds of monthly members, and visitors who take to the sauna regularly,
“For us, hosting and enjoying sauna sessions has taught us the importance of slowing down and adopting a more deliberate pace,” Laura says. “The gentle hiss of steam, the warmth relaxing muscles, the endorphins of a cold dip or plunge, witnessing nature unfold around you, and gentle conversation with others always brings us back to ourselves. The to-do lists can wait, the mind chatter quietens and we can just be, right there in that moment,
“Luna Hut saunas are far more than just something we run – they’ve become a huge part of how we choose to live. Creating these spaces and sharing them with our sauna communities across Sussex brings us such joy, and we hope others are able to experience the same mental and physical benefits that sauna has brought to our own lives.”
Luna Hut’s saunas can be found in Eastbourne, Brighton, Worthing and Bognor Regis. Luna Hut sauna sessions start from £8 for 30 minutes, while monthly membership (not fixed to one site) starts from £30.
