Stravaig Sauna : Crathie, Aberdeenshire

M
Feb 1
2 min read

Updated: Mar 3

This unique private wild sauna hidden in Royal Deeside has brilliant views of Lochnagar.

Person in a chair on a grassy field near a wild sauna with mountains and a clear sky in the background. Relaxed mood. — M drying off in the sun.

Our Wild Sauna Visit

We visited Stravaig sauna on a scenic trip through Aberdeenshire. You need to keep your eyes peeled for the entrance as it is a blink-and-you-miss-it turn off onto a farm road. Following the track up the hill we spotted the wild sauna just off to the side and pulled in to the layby area to park. While there was no host to greet us, the sauna was fired up and the tub filled ready to use. After a quick change we were straight in to the sauna. Our visit was on a glorious, bright day and this made the view from inside the sauna even more stunning as you could see Lochnagar clearly. It is one of the nicest saunas inside and it was a luxury having it to ourselves.

Guide to Facilities

Parking

The sauna is situated up a farm track just off the main road, with the parking being just next to the sauna. Our camper van made it up the hill with no issues.

Changing

There is a little changing area/cloak room just inside the first door of the sauna. Plenty of space to get changed in private and store your clothes.

Host

There was no interaction with a host on our visit, but they did message us before our booking saying everything was ready.

The Hot Bit

Deeside Timber Crafts run Stravaig Saunas and they built this bespoke sauna themselves. It is finished to a high standard. With the quality of the build and advantage of a double door, not a lot of heat was lost when entering and exiting the sauna. The seats inside the sauna face the window so you can't miss the views of Lochnagar and Royal Deeside. Two tiered seating for 6.

The Cold Bit

There are two options for cooling down, one is the outside shower and the other is the large tin bath. I preferred the shower but K enjoyed the cold plunge more.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/12078c_b573478b59034b9885f7f66d98d925c3/480p/mp4/file.mp4

K cooling off in the tub.