Itinerary Location: London Fields | Duration: 3.5 Hours
Saunas are hot right now.
So the news that East London’s only rooftop sauna cabins have finally reopened is one we should all welcome with open, slightly clammy arms.
And if you’re looking to find your zen on a bright spring weekend, we can’t think of a better place to do it – especially when it’s bookended by coffee and pastries at one of the city’s finest bakeries, a mooch around a sun-drenched market, and lunch at a canalside café.
But planning doesn’t feature in anyone’s zen handbook, so we’ve taken the liberty of plotting out your perfect relaxing Saturday right here…
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➊ E5 BAKEHOUSE
Sitting right next to London Fields overground station, you’ll probably smell E5 Bakehouse before you see it. This independent bakery has been turning out quality bakes in its railway arch home since 2011. They’re big on sustainability here: they grow their own organic heritage wheat down in Suffolk, and mill it into flour themselves. Long story short: they really care about what they’re doing, and you’re going to want to get a slice of that. Grab a coffee (they roast it themselves, obviously), some of the house-made chocolate for later and a crisply laminated pastry for the walk, and make your way down Mentmore Terrace towards:
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➋ NETIL CORNER’S ROOFTOP SAUNAS
The team behind Netil360 have really raised their sauna game. After a lengthy pause, their private rooftop cabins have finally made a comeback. Hand-crafted from aspen wood, they’re cosy little spaces boasting floor to ceiling views over the industrial skyline of East London. You’ll get the whole place to yourself for 30, 60 or 90 minutes, and each cabin has its own changing room and cool-down space – complete with minibar – where you can soak up more of those views around a fire-pit.
Feeling rejuvenated, come down from the clouds and swing round the corner towards:
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➌ NETIL MARKET
Netil Market is the ultimate Saturday browsathon. The yard is a total suntrap (well, for 10% of the year, anyway), there’s a lively atmosphere thanks to the Netil Radio soundtrack, and there’s dozens of stalls sending things you absolutely don’t need, but absolutely will consider buying anyway. And given that it’s less well-known than neighbouring Broadway Market, you’re less likely to trip over a whippet. The best time to come is Friday – Sunday, when every trader rolls up the hatch on their stall and the air sizzles with the hiss of street food grills. Check out Brother’s clothing-slash-prints-slash-objects shop, Aurum’s weighty gold jewellery, and Hackney Muse’s rustic ceramics, before topping up your flat’s bottle stock at Wingnut Wines.
Heavens threatening to open? On the other corner by Netil House is Mare Street Market – an airy, open-plan hangout with coffee, food, drink & a roof – as well as vinyl merchants Stranger Than Paradise, and florists Rebel Rebel.
At this point, you may be thinking ‘gee, this is turning out to be the perfect Saturday. I wish I could capture this memory in a uniquely stylish, one-of-a-kind memento‘. And excellent news! Right outside Netil House you’ll find a restored vintage photobooth waiting to capture you in all your monochromatic, post-sauna glory.
From the booth, head right and swing a left onto Sheep Lane. Follow it all the way down towards the old Victorian gas holders, and take a right to find:
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➍ CAFE CECILIA
This canalside gem has been hot property since opening in 2021, and Max Rocha’s star shows no sign of waning. Cafe Cecilia is bright, minimalist, and subverts its rarefied atmosphere by serving up a menu that revels in indulgence. Rocha’s time at St John and The River Café is brought to bear in dishes like sage & anchovy fritti; smoked mackerel pâté on Guinness bread; a chunky apricot & ham hock terrine; and onglet steak with peppercorn sauce. But the pièce de résistance is the deep-fried bread and butter pudding; a joyously gluttonous creation which arrives sugar-dusted and swimming in a puddle of cold custard.
An hour’s stew in a rooftop sauna followed by a plate of butter is enough to induce a catatonic state for the rest of the weekend. But if you find yourself somehow revitalised by it all, you could go for a stroll along Regent’s Canal, or whack out the swimsuit again for a dip in London Fields Lido.
After all, that’s heated too…
The Itinerary:
➊ E5 Bakehouse | Arch 396, Mentmore Terrace, London E8 3PH
➋ Netil360 | 1 Westgate Street, London E8 3RL
➌ Netil Market | 11-25 Westgate Street, London E8 3RL
➍ Cafe Cecilia | Canal Place, 32 Andrews Road, London E8 4FX
Looking for more inspiration? Try these excellent London cocktail bars on for size