Dunck began life as something rather unusual — a horse sauna.

Found on eBay at a bargain price, he was living in an elegant Nottinghamshire showjumping stable where elite horses were once treated with heat therapy for their post workout recovery. Despite the owners investing heavily in a German-built equine sauna, it’s use diminished and instead the sauna became a warm sanctuary for stable hands escaping cold winter mornings.

Years earlier, the installation had even featured in Horse & Hound magazine due to its rarity and eccentricity.

When we discovered the Sauna the vision was immediate: recycle the structure, preserve its character, and transform it into a portable wood-fired sauna that could bring authentic sauna culture to communities around the UK.

At the time, horsebox sauna conversions were beginning to emerge thanks to pioneering projects like Warmth Sauna — an Arts Council-backed mobile sauna experience that appeared at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival before evolving into the now well-known Beach Box Sauna Spa. But Dunck was something entirely different. Rather than converting a horsebox into a sauna, we were converting an actual horse sauna into a travelling sauna.

To this day, it remains the only one of its kind that we know of.

Dunck was rebuilt during the lockdown years, crafted slowly and carefully while the world stood still. When restrictions finally lifted, his first outing was to the beautiful Divers Cove in Godstone, Surrey. Open-water swimmers, wild dippers, and curious first-time sauna bathers arrived in droves, eager to reconnect through heat, cold water, and shared experience.

That first weekend carried a strange kind of magic. Beneath a Halloween full moon, moments of joy, connection, and release unfolded — alongside the sad passing of Dunck’s namesake, Duncan.

Duncan was a warm-hearted, humorous man who had supported the project from its earliest beginnings. Naming the sauna after him felt fitting for something that would go on to hold space for thousands of people over the years to come.

Dunck’s second journey took him to Warleigh Weir and now the home of Aether Sauna, near to the old Spa town of Bath, just before the second lockdown began. Open-water swimmers and houseboat dwellers welcomed him with open arms, gathering together for a final weekend of communal sauna culture before the country once again closed its doors.

Between travels, Dunck spent time in Glastonbury, where he became woven into the town’s alternative and spiritual communities. He appeared at locations including Bride’s Mound — asacred site connected to Brigid, keeper of the sacred flame and wells — alongside stays at the Isle of Avalon campsite and Bob’s Field.

For several months, travellers, artists, and local characters cared for him lovingly, decorating him with offerings, symbols, and adornments that slowly transformed the sauna into a living artwork as much as a bathing space.

Dunck enters the UK festival scene.

At Soul Circus Festival in Gloucestershire, he worked alongside early pioneers from the British Sauna Society, helping introduce authentic sauna culture, Aufguss rituals, and communal bathing traditions to wider audiences across the UK wellness scene.

Soon after came the Armchair Adventure Festival at Mount Edgcumbe in Cornwall, where Dunck teamed up with Sarah from Seaside Sauna Haus. Cold water buckets flew over delighted guests while festival founders Matt and Reece shared stories of discovering Russian Banya culture during their travels across Eastern Europe and Siberia.

Dunck Arrives in London

By late 2021, Dunck arrived in London for what would become one of the most important chapters in his journey: a long residency at Community Sauna Baths in Hackney Wick. From November 2021 until February 2023, Dunck became part of the foundation of a movement that helped reshape modern sauna culture in London and beyond. Thousands of bathers passed through his doors during that time, experiencing wood-fired heat, Aufguss ceremonies, cold plunges, and communal wellness in the heart of East London.

Three sauna stoves, countless ceremonies, and several layers of street-art paint later, Dunck was still standing strong.

In 2023, after a short period of rest and restoration at the legendary New Docklands Steam Baths in Canning Town, East London, Dunck finally arrived at his current home: Sweheat Sauna in the Royal Victoria Dock.

Here, he continues his journey as a space for ritual, creativity, and connection. He has hosted sound journeys, immersive ceremonies, and artistic collaborations including “Sauna as Studio” with artist Barry Sykes — exploring the relationship between heat, creativity, and altered states of presence.

The Growth of Sauna Culture in the UK

As sauna culture continues to grow rapidly across the UK, Dunck remains a symbol of something deeper than wellness trends alone: community, resilience, ritual, and the simple human act of gathering together around heat.

https://www.britishsaunasociety.org.uk/

In 2025 we finally pulled the plug on the original build and had the sauna rebuilt whilst keeping some of the original features like the diamond windows and Horse Sauna Horse shoe. Dunck’s work is far from over and his legacy continues on at a good canter!

Dunck is available for private hire for up to 14 people, please send us an email with your

preference on dates and time to info@sweheatsauna.co.uk

You can book for our other Simply Sauna sessions (90 mins and 60 mins ) and private offerings

via the website.

https://www.sweheatsauna.co.uk/book

For the love of sauna.

About the Author

This article was written by Victoria Maddox, managing Director behind Sweheat Sauna and Sauna pioneer.

Previously Member Director of Community Sauna Baths CIC and Founding Trustee of British Sauna Society, Victoria has helped shape and influence community-focused wood-fired sauna projects across East London. She is currently based in London’s Royal Victoria Dock. Through Aufguss ceremonies, to traditional sweat bathing procedures and authentic European sauna traditions, Victoria and her team at Sweheat Sauna has helped introduce thousands of people to modern sauna culture in the UK.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoria-maddox?utm_source=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=member_ios