Forest Saunas

Forestry England is exploring an exciting opportunity to work with experienced, likeminded operators to develop high‑quality, sustainable, nature‑immersive forest spa experiences with sauna facilities across multiple locations within the nation’s forests. We are seeking partners who can help us expand our growing wellbeing and recreation offer through innovative, forest‑based spa/sauna experiences that complement our landscapes and enhance visitor enjoyment and engagement.

Forestry England manages the nation’s forests for people, nature and the economy. As England’s largest land manager, we care for over 1,500 forests and woods, including 40 key visitor destinations, welcoming around 300 million visits each year.

Our forests play a vital role in public wellbeing, offering extensive recreation opportunities including walking, cycling, running, play, and nature experiences. We work with hundreds of commercial partners - from national operators to local businesses - to deliver high quality visitor services that enhance the forest experience while supporting the long-term sustainability of the nation’s forests.

As we continue to diversify our income, to grow our resilience and respond to the needs of people, nature, and climate, we actively seek partnerships with organisations who can invest in and operate new recreation and wellbeing offers aligned with our values, landscapes, and audiences. Our ambition is to develop an all-year, all-weather, inclusive, and accessible offer that enhances wellbeing experiences and complements our wider recreation portfolio, while continuing to support our long term environmental, social, and commercial objectives.

At this early stage, we are seeking to understand which organisations may be interested in this emerging opportunity, and to gain a sense of what the market could offer. We are not requesting detailed proposals or fully developed concepts.

Instead, we would like to build an initial picture of: - Who is interested in providing forest-based spa/sauna experiences - What kind of spa, sauna or wellbeing offer you could envisage in a forest setting - At what level you could operate - national, regional, or local – and what your implementation capacity per year would be - How your organisation’s experience and values align with ours We are keen to gain a sense of the range of ideas within the market and welcome early thoughts on innovative, distinctive, or creative approaches that could bring something new to a forest-based wellbeing offer. We are particularly interested in hearing from operators with experience in sauna, spa, wellbeing, or outdoor leisure, who feel their approach could complement forest landscapes and support the wellbeing of our visitors by offering fresh, nature connected ideas that enhance the overall experience.

Above all, we are looking to engage with operators who share our values: caring for nature, enhancing public wellbeing, operating responsibly, and delivering offers that are both environmentally sensitive and commercially sustainable. Forestry England typically works through full third-party delivery, with operators responsible for planning, investment, design, installation, and operation, while Forestry England provides land access and brand association via a commercial agreement.