☆ Honest thoughts on the new London wellness club, a hot Pilates event drop, a healthy girl dinner to try

Hey lovely,

Jasmine here, Editor of Daily Rituals!

After not-so-subtly hinting about this on Instagram yesterday - I'm so excited to share our next London community event. We're teaming up with our friends at Move & Meet for an afternoon of extra-spicy hot pilates followed by a brunch social. With both communities invited, tickets will move fast, so if you're free on Sunday March 30th, come join us - we'd love to meet you! And as always, you'll leave with a curated goodie bag of some of my wellness faves.

A quick note before we get into it - we just hit 14k subscribers this week! I'm incredibly grateful for every one of you. Thanks for being here.

Enjoy xo

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Honest thoughts on London’s new social sauna

I'll admit, I was slightly apprehensive about visiting Arc, Canary Wharf's new social sauna & ice bath "community". After an obligatory stalk of their tagged Instagram photos, it seemed everyone was in their best swimwear looking very put-together - the complete opposite of my usual gollum-like aesthetic in my gym's sauna.

Full disclosure - I'm not that girl who goes through life bikini "ready", I need at least 2-3 business days notice. Without giving too much away, I (still) haven't invested in laser, so, you know, there's work to be done. Plus in winter, I'm only tanning the body parts that actually see daylight. Cut to me, 7 hours before Arc, attempting a full body glow-up that included making my body one consistent colour and I even washed my hair? This felt entirely unnecessary for my usual sauna with the naked 70-year-old ladies at the gym, but Arc had me feeling like I needed to look slightly more acceptable.

First impressions? The communal changing rooms somehow set the tone perfectly - it's shared, it's social, and somehow it works (side note: there's plenty of single cubicles and showers, which everyone seemed to use). You get two towels on arrival - one for in the sauna, one for drying off after. The lockers were all taken (they hadn't anticipated how popular the sessions would be), but the team kept our things safe in their staff room. In most London venues this would be a hard pass, but here it felt completely fine.

Then it was time to see what we had signed up for. You enter into the main lounge area - it's inviting, dimly lit and warm enough that you're not freezing in your swimwear. We spotted a DJ in one corner (naturally) and plenty of tea and sugar-free drinks to help yourself to. While attempting to work the hot water tap, a guy giving major FinTech CEO energy came over to help - a friendliness you definitely wouldn't find at your average gym.

The sauna itself was busy but not uncomfortable, with about 30 people chatting away on different levels. It's definitely louder than your usual spa experience, but that's exactly the point - no one's listening in on our conversations about wedding plans or work drama. Mid-chat, the room suddenly filled with eucalyptus as someone started doing what I can only describe as a towel dance, which was much less awkward than it sounds.

Then came the moment we were all admittedly dreading - the ice baths. Despite having a Lumi at home (which hasn't seen much action lately), it felt intense. Just as I was ready to tap out, one of the staff came over with breathing techniques and encouragement that helped me get another minute in. Later, after another lounge - sauna rotation, another team member guided us through a full 2-minute plunge, starting with breathing exercises outside the bath, holding our bellies and hearts to find a pace of breath we could return to in the tub. Again, doing this in front of a crowd of Londoners felt totally normal, and actually encouraged. 

Before we knew it, two hours had flown by and we'd had a proper catch up without having to commit to a meal we didn't want or drinks we didn't need. We left feeling high on life, and ready for the weekend after having thoroughly debriefed our weeks.

★ THE DR VERDICT:

Social wellness spaces like Arc are onto something. It's basically a night out, minus the hangover and with some actual health benefits. And single girlies, the crowd's not bad either. Good news - all my pre-visit fussing over tan lines and hair was entirely unnecessary. It's dark in there, so realistically none of it made any difference, especially after one sauna rotation when my squeaky clean hair looked exactly as it would have had I left it. Would I go alone next time? The fact that this terrifies me probably means I should. Single sessions are £35, or you can grab an intro pack of 3 for £45 - which feels like a steal considering most spa day passes with similar facilities cost upwards of £100.

Liked this? Hit reply and let me know where I should review next.

• 👀 A hot take on Alo: This viral video has everyone questioning everything... Although BoF reports "exceptional growth" in 2024, in 2025, the stakes are higher than ever. New brands are entering the space that are pushing innovation and telling stories that resonate - which isn't Alo's usual go-to. Credit where credit's due, they're investing in community events around their stores (see here), but it still feels a little at odds with their influencer-only gyms and Alo Oasis pop-ups. Time will tell, but with sportswear set to outpace fashion growth this year, those who win will win big.

• 👟 The perfect match: Last week's NikeSKIMS announcement pushed Nike's stock up 6% (a much-needed boost after hitting a 5-year low). Dan Miller from Sociology of Business breaks it down perfectly - SKIMS gets that athlete credibility only Nike can offer, while Nike levels up their womenswear game to compete with Lulu and co (see above!). Their first drop this spring will undoubtedly sell out faster than you can say "Kimmy K".

• ⌚ It's giving prison chic: Apparently wearing your Apple Watch on your ankle gives more accurate workout readings... do with that information what you will.

• 🌊 The future of periods: Berlin's Vyld just launched the world's first seaweed tampon - aptly named the Kelpon. It's 100% sustainable, free from plastics, chemicals & fragrances, and apparently "microbiome-friendly". Are we the only ones that never considered our vaginal microbiome before?

• ✨ Hot drops worth knowing about:

  • Lashes: Sabrina Carpenter's MUA Carolina Gonzalez just dropped customisable cat eye lashes. Sadly it turns out they won't turn us into Sabrina herself, but the self-stick tech makes them easily wearable for novice MUAs.

  • Gut health: Jerms' new Biotic Energy just gave hot chocolate a nutritious upgrade. Heat-resistant probiotics, cordyceps, lion's mane and plenty of vitamins make this a solid choice for your 2pm caffeine-free pick-me-up.

  • Shoes: On's Cloudsurfer 2 look bouncier than ever (a very technical term) with refreshed construction, designed for your "easy runs" (do those exist?). This colourway is our favourite. 

  • Kitchen: Ninja's new Swirl by CREAMi soft serve machine is quite frankly a need, especially with summer en route. 

  • Sets: Monday Body x The Pilates Class launched their new sandstone colour way, and we’re loving this crop. Meanwhile, Lulu's new Glow Up leggings are giving their Aligns some serious competition. They're thicker, more sculpting and stay put during training. PSA: size up one from your usual Align size if you aren’t ready to fight with them to get them up.

• 🏎️ Didn't see that coming: Aston Martin F1 x ELEMIS announced their multi-year partnership last week. What's skincare got to do with F1, you ask? Well, 41% of fans are women and the fastest growing fan base is 16-21 year olds (who, as we know from those Sephora haul videos across TikTok, are all skincare obsessed). ELEMIS is launching limited-edition trackside collections, so we can sit back and relax as we watch Charles do his laps.

• 🌞 This will make you smile: If your Monday is Monday-ing, we invite you for some guilt-free scrolling in this TikTok’s comments. Faith in humanity = restored.

• 🥑 Healthy girl dinner: Try this hot honey chicken sweet potato bowl & prepare to start adding hot honey into, well, everything.

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