Sauna Hetta pairs wood-fired heat with dune walks and sea dips at Druridge Bay

Tucked behind the dunes at Druridge Bay, Sauna Hetta has become a cosy gathering place on one of Northumberland's loveliest stretches of coast. The wood-fired sauna sits at Hemscott Hill Farm, where guests check in at The Barn on The Bay before heading out to the heat.

The heart of the programme is its community sessions, relaxed shared saunas designed to bring people together through heat, cold water and the outdoors. Guests can come alone or with friends, move between the sauna, the sea air and an optional dip in the North Sea, then warm up around the fire pit.

For those wanting a little pampering, the Sauna & Spa experience was created with Lady H Apothecary. After time in the sauna and the cold plunge baths, guests move to a spa bar where they are guided through a self-applied facial ritual: cleansing, a clay mask, a gua sha massage with vitamin C serum, and a nourishing balm to finish. In the winter months these sessions are based in the farm's stone Calico Barn.

The ritual sessions follow the rhythms of the sea, moon and morning light, with sunrise saunas, full moon gatherings under the Luna Club banner and Women's Wednesdays. Newer experiences include Hetta Glow, which combines sauna with red light therapy and guided relaxation, and Nest & Nurture, where guests wrap up in infrared sauna blankets with sound instruments and a mini facial.

What really sets Hetta apart is its welcome for people who simply want to belong. The team say they want it to be somewhere you can come "without needing an occasion, a group of friends or even a sauna booking". The free Hetta Dip Club meets for a slow, social dip with "absolutely no pressure to get your head under", followed by coffee and Sunday-morning craic. A Slow Run Club follows a gentle Couch to 5K-style approach along the coast, and dogs are welcome. There is even a book club around the fire pit in the barn.

The coming months bring a Women's Wellness Retreat Morning on Saturday 14 November, combining sauna, infrared meditation with sound therapy and a mini facial gua sha ritual, limited to just 12 places.

Sessions, community events and retreats can all be booked through the Sauna Hetta website.