STAYING SAFE
Health and safety
Sauna is generally a safe and enjoyable experience for many people, but spending time in high heat and moving between hot and cold places puts extra demands on your body. Please listen to your body and take things at your own pace.
Before your session
Please do not use the sauna or cold plunge if you are feeling unwell, dehydrated or under the influence of alcohol or recreational drugs.
If you are pregnant, have a medical condition, have concerns about your heart or blood pressure, or take medication that may affect how you respond to heat or cold, please speak to your GP or healthcare professional before using the sauna or cold plunge.
If you are unsure whether sauna or cold-water exposure is suitable for you, please ask a healthcare professional before booking.
During your sauna session
Stay hydrated and drink plenty of water. It's better to hydrate before your session.
Take breaks between sauna rounds and cool down at your own pace.
You don't need to stay in the sauna for a set amount of time.
If you feel uncomfortable, leave the sauna and cool off outside.
You do not have to use the cold plunge.
Never push yourself to stay in the heat or cold longer than feels comfortable.
Tell your sauna host if you feel unwell or need assistance.
Please follow the instructions given by your sauna host and any safety guidance displayed on site.
Feeling dizzy, nauseous, unusually weak, confused or unwell can be a sign that your body is struggling with the heat. Leave the sauna, cool down and tell your host immediately.
Alcohol and drugs
You must not use the sauna or cold plunge while under the influence of alcohol or recreational drugs.
Alcohol can increase dehydration and can make the effects of heat more difficult for your body to manage.
Cold plunge
Cold water isn't compulsory. You can enjoy your sauna session without using the plunge.
Our cold plunge is maintained at approximately 7–13°C.
Water at these temperatures is cold enough to cause a cold-shock response. This can cause an involuntary gasp, rapid breathing and increases in heart rate and blood pressure. Cold-water shock can occur very quickly when entering cold water.
If you choose to use the plunge:
Enter slowly — never jump or dive in.
Take a moment to allow your breathing to settle.
Keep your first dip short.
You do not need to stay in the water for a set amount of time.
Never hold your breath or try to see how long you can last.
Take care when entering and exiting, as the area around the plunge may be wet.
If you feel dizzy, faint, confused, unusually short of breath, numb or unwell, get out immediately and tell your sauna host.
Dry off and warm up gradually after your dip.
Follow any instructions given by your sauna host.
Cold plunge safety
Cold-water immersion is not suitable for everyone. If you have a heart or cardiovascular condition, blood pressure condition, a condition affected by sudden changes in temperature, are pregnant, have epilepsy, Raynaud's phenomenon or open wounds, please speak to your GP or healthcare professional before using the plunge.
Children and young people
Our age requirements apply to all sessions. Please see our Age Requirements for details of open and family sessions.
Parents and responsible adults are responsible for supervising children and young people in their care.
Slips and falls
The areas around the sauna, shower and cold plunge can become wet.
Please walk, don’t run, take care when entering and leaving the plunge, and use any handrails or steps provided. If you notice a spill or anything that could cause someone to slip, please tell your sauna host.
If you become unwell
If you feel unwell at any point, stop what you are doing and tell your sauna host.
Our staff will provide appropriate assistance and contact the emergency services where necessary.
Signs of serious heat illness, including confusion, loss of consciousness or seizures, require urgent medical attention.
Our responsibility
We will provide safety information before and during your session and maintain our equipment and facilities appropriately.
Our cold plunge water is routinely monitored and treated, and we maintain records of our water-quality checks and cleaning procedures.
Sauna and cold-water activities carry inherent risks. Please follow our safety instructions, listen to your body and let us know if you need help.
If you have any questions about whether sauna or cold-water immersion is suitable for you, please speak to a healthcare professional before booking or contact us at hello@octopussauna.co.uk.
DATA PROTECTION
Privacy Policy
Last updated: 14 October 2026
At Octopus Sauna, we respect your privacy. This policy explains how we collect, use and protect your personal information when you visit our website, book a sauna session, purchase a membership or gift card, or get in touch with us.
1. Who we are
Octopus Sauna is the trading name of Horizon Wellness Limited, which operates a wood-fired sauna and cold plunge facility in St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex.
Horizon Wellness Limited is the data controller responsible for your personal information.
If you have any questions about this policy or how your information is handled, you can contact us at:
Email: hello@octopussauna.co.uk
2. What information we collect
We may collect the following types of personal information, depending on how you interact with us.
Contact information
Your name, email address and telephone number.
Information you provide when contacting us with a question or enquiry.
Booking and membership information
Your bookings, session dates and attendance.
Membership details, gift card purchases and redemption records.
Information needed to manage cancellations, refunds and customer support.
Payment information
Transaction details and payment records relating to your purchases.
Payment information is processed through our payment provider. We do not intentionally store full payment card details ourselves.
Health and safety information
Relevant health information you choose or are asked to provide to help us manage sauna and cold plunge safety.
Information relating to a safety concern or incident, where necessary.
Health information is particularly sensitive and is handled in accordance with applicable data protection requirements.
Marketing preferences
Whether you have chosen to receive marketing communications from us and your preferences regarding those communications.
Website and technical information
Technical information about your visit to our website, such as device and browser information, IP address and cookie data, where collected by our website or third-party services.
3. How we use your information
We use your personal information to:
Process and manage bookings, memberships and gift cards.
Take payments, process refunds and maintain transaction records.
Send booking confirmations, reminders and important service updates.
Respond to enquiries and provide customer support.
Manage customer safety and respond to incidents.
Send marketing communications where permitted by law.
Operate, maintain and protect our website and business.
Meet our legal, accounting and regulatory obligations.
We only use personal information where we have an appropriate lawful basis.
4. Our lawful bases for processing
Under UK data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for using your personal information.
Depending on the circumstances, we may rely on:
Contract: where processing is necessary to manage your bookings, memberships, payments or other services you have requested.
Legal obligation: where we need to retain records or use information to comply with applicable legal requirements.
Legitimate interests: where we have a legitimate business reason to use information, such as responding to enquiries, maintaining security or managing our services, provided those interests do not override your rights.
Consent: where you have given consent for a particular purpose, such as receiving certain marketing communications or the use of non-essential cookies where consent is required.
Where we collect or use health information, we will also identify an applicable additional legal condition for processing special category data.
5. Health and safety information
We may need to collect limited health information where it is necessary to help us manage the safety of sauna and cold plunge sessions.
We aim to collect only the information we genuinely need, restrict access to those who require it and retain it only for as long as necessary.
Health information will only be processed where we have an appropriate lawful basis and meet the additional requirements for special category data under UK data protection law.
Please contact us if you have questions about how health information is collected or used.
6. Who we share your information with
We may share relevant personal information with trusted service providers where necessary to operate our business. These may include:
Our booking and membership platform.
Payment processing providers.
Website hosting and technical service providers.
Email and communication service providers.
Accountants, insurers and professional advisers where necessary.
Public authorities or other organisations where required by law.
We expect service providers handling personal information on our behalf to protect it appropriately and use it only in accordance with their responsibilities and our instructions.
We do not sell your personal information.
7. International transfers
Some of our service providers may store or process information outside the United Kingdom.
Where personal information is transferred internationally, we will ensure that any transfer complies with applicable UK data protection law and that appropriate safeguards are in place where required.
8. How long we keep your information
We keep personal information only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including our legal, accounting, safety and business requirements.
Different types of information may need to be kept for different periods. For example, financial records may need to be retained to meet legal obligations, while booking enquiries and health information may not need to be kept for as long.
When information is no longer required, we will securely delete it or anonymise it where appropriate.
9. Marketing communications
We may send you information about Octopus Sauna, including new sessions, events, offers and memberships, where permitted by law.
Where consent is required, we will ask for it before sending marketing communications. You can withdraw your consent or unsubscribe at any time by using the unsubscribe link in an email or contacting us at hello@octopussauna.co.uk.
We may continue to send essential messages relating to your bookings, memberships, payments or changes to our services where necessary, even if you have opted out of marketing.
10. Cookies and website analytics
Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to ensure it functions correctly and, where applicable, to understand how visitors use the site.
Some cookies are necessary for the website to operate. Other cookies, such as those used for certain analytics or advertising purposes, may require your consent before they are placed on your device.
Where consent is required, you can choose whether to accept or reject non-essential cookies through the available cookie controls.
You can find further information about cookies through your browser settings and any cookie information or preferences provided on our website.
11. How we protect your information
We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against accidental loss, unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure or misuse.
Access to personal information is limited to people and service providers who need it for legitimate business purposes.
However, no method of storing or transmitting information electronically can be guaranteed to be completely secure.
12. Your data protection rights
Under UK data protection law, you may have the right to:
Access the personal information we hold about you.
Correct information that is inaccurate or incomplete.
Request deletion of your personal information in certain circumstances.
Restrict processing in certain circumstances.
Object to certain types of processing, including direct marketing.
Request data portability in circumstances where this right applies.
Withdraw consent where we rely on consent to process your information.
These rights are subject to certain conditions and exceptions under the law.
To exercise your rights, please contact hello@octopussauna.co.uk. We may need to verify your identity before responding.
13. Complaints
If you have concerns about how we use your personal information, please contact us first so we can try to resolve the issue.
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's data protection regulator.
Website: https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/
14. Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our business, services or legal obligations.
The latest version will always be published on our website, with the date of the most recent update shown at the top.
Contact us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal information, please contact:
Octopus Sauna
Operated by Horizon Wellness Limited
Email: hello@octopussauna.co.uk