Bondi Icebergs Sauna. An Honest Review
Most of the information featured on this website are reviews of the ocean pools I’ve visited and my first hand experiences there. On this particular occasion, I asked Sarah to put into words her visit to Bondi Icebergs, with a focus on her observations involving the sauna.
Sarah and I are both keen sauna bathers, and are lucky enough to live close by to Saunaus in Wollongong, one of the nicest saunas we’ve ever been to. The difference between a good sauna and a bad one is probably something you have to live through, rather than read about on the internet, I think I’ve had my fair share of both, but have asked Sarah to do a cameo write up, as I don’t quite think my story telling skills would do our experience justice.
I try to keep things pretty positive, but this time the reality did not live up to our expectations…
The day had been planned for around 8 weeks – a trip up to Sydney to indulge in an hour or two of hot / cold therapy using the sauna and plunging into the fresh sea water of the legendary Bondi Icebergs pool. We picked September so the ocean water would still have a bit of that fresh ‘take your breath away’ factor, but wouldn’t be so cold that we’d have to psych up for it. We chose a Friday because our research told us that the pool gets cleaned on Thursdays, and we went for the last day of the school term to avoid the crowds of the school holidays.
Well, this year’s Spring of Deception had well and truly sprung over the past three weeks with some balmy 28 degree days and a string of blue summer skies. The day before our trip to Bondi, the weather had reverted to heavy rain and the temperature plummeted to 16 degrees, but we decided to make the best of it, reassuring ourselves that the inclement weather would keep crowds to a minimum and made the 90 minute trip to Sydney.
Bondi Icebergs has been described as the ‘grande dame’ of ocean pools and the most famous ocean pool in Australia. We were expecting our visit to be quite the treat, knowing Bondi is home to a relatively affluent socioeconomic crowd and how heavily Instagrammed the venue is. The skies were grey and the wind was whipping the salt spray around when we arrived, but other than the weather conditions being unpleasant, I was excited about immersing myself in a little luxury with a sauna and a dip at Icebergs.
Bondi Icebergs Sauna Cannot be Beaten on Price
A $10 entry fee included access to the pool and sauna, which I was pleasantly surprised by – that’s a cheap entry fee, especially by Eastern suburbs standards! This was where my delight ended. The staff gave us one instruction on using the sauna, which was “Close the door quickly – it gets busy”. Fair enough – as a regular sauna user, I am well aware that there’s nothing more annoying than someone who is slow on the entry or exit- letting all the heat out, much to the dismay of the remaining sauna bathers.
*Not an actual photo of the sauna at Icebergs
My Experience at Bondi Icebergs Sauna
The Bondi Icebergs sauna has a glass panel single door, with a front facing window either side of it overlooking the pool and the ocean. Looking outwards from the sauna – it’s a great view, even on a rainy day. Looking into the sauna from the outside was a different story. The windows were lined with the clammy faces of half a dozen people shoulder to shoulder like a police line-up. My initial thoughts were that people were packed in like sardines and it was a hard “no” from me. As I turned away from the sauna, a young couple came out and headed for the pool. “How many people are in there?” I asked the woman. “Maybe 20”, she said. “There are people sitting down – it’s definitely not full.”
OK, I thought. Maybe those people at the window were just keen to gaze out at the view and everyone else was seated at the back. 20 people still sounds like a lot compared to what I’m used to, but not knowing how big the sauna was and after her reassurance that there was room inside, I decided to give it a go. We’d come this far, after all.
Ness and I decided to go in the sauna with Ed opting to punch out some laps instead. We entered, closing the door swiftly behind us as instructed, but could only move about a metre and a half into the sauna before turning around to face the door. It was standing room only – I’d describe it like stepping into a crowded elevator or a train carriage during peak hour. Almost instantaneously I was slapped in the face with the smell of boiled feet, an assault on my senses that I quickly tried to override by telling myself I would get used to it.
What Bondi Icebergs Sauna is really like
The sauna is about 4m x 4m with the usual timber bench seats around the edges. The throng of glistening semi-naked humans around me were packed in so that all the seating was taken up and those of us left standing would have inadvertently shared the same spot if someone momentarily swayed out of their self designated space. Despite a sign outside declaring users must have a towel, Ness and I were some of the only ones I saw bringing one in with us. No one else has thongs on either, so I’m guessing everyone else is cool with tinea and sitting and standing in other people’s arse crack sweat.
I’m not sure if the panting was heavy breathing due to the heat exposure or if it was people struggling not to gag with whatever that sweaty cabbage odour was. I had started taking slow, shallow inhales on entering, but I reckon I’d only taken a good three to five breaths before I started to chew the air as well as taste it. It had been sixty seconds at best when I declared, “Nope. I’m out – too many people. Sorry.”
I gasped for a lungful of fresh air as I exited the sauna, but I couldn’t get the taste out of my mouth – the good news about the nausea was that it made jumping in the cold water super easy as I felt so gross about being in the hot sanitary bin, I mean sauna.
*Not an actual photo of the sauna at Icebergs
From the Sauna to the Pool at Icebergs
Despite the sauna being crowded, the pool itself wasn’t. Most of the lanes in the big pool had one person doing laps and there were three or four people doing sprints in the smaller pool. Since I wasn’t planning on doing laps, I opted for the smaller pool and chose the end lane to stay out of the way of those training. I did some underwater swimming to try and purge my face holes out and then chilled in a corner of the pool by the edge. I decided to exit the pool when a group of three adults who appeared to be tourists started ‘swimming’ pretty much on top of me.
The big pool was due to be cleaned the day before we got there. Judging by the weedy sludge on the bottom and the slightly milky appearance of the water, I’m guessing that hadn’t happened. Add that to the fact that I am almost 100% sure that none of the sweaty sardines in the sauna had a shower to rinse before they jumped in the pool…ick.
The Honest Truth about Bondi Icebergs Sauna
Honestly, I don’t get the hype around Bondi Icebergs. The outlook is pretty, but so is the view from just about every ocean pool in Australia – that’s the whole schtick… they’re on the ocean, which is almost always beautiful. The natural rock formations that border the southern and western sides of the pool would be stunning, but they’ve been painted white, but are exposed to the elements, and have not been maintained, so now are covered with flaking and peeling paint instead (which I’m guessing, ends up in the pool).
The sauna was rancid -there’s no way that many people should be allowed in at once, and the change rooms were pretty disappointing as well. The showers had no doors, the lockers cost $5 for a single use and were really grotty inside.
*Not an actual photo of the sauna at Icebergs
I chatted with another sauna user at the end of my visit who affirmed that the sauna was not that busy today. “Some days” she said, “you stand so close to other people that your skin is touching”. Just, ew..
After our sauna and swim at Bondi Icebergs
After we left the pool, we headed upstairs for something to eat. I have been to Icebergs restaurant before, and was picturing an upmarket entree size snack and a cocktail to wash away our disappointment from the pool and sauna.
In typical fashion, the restaurant was shut for the next hour and we were confined to the Bondi standard of two-hour street parking, so we decided to eat in the club downstairs instead. A restricted menu was the only option because they were undergoing renovations, so were limited to whatever could be served from the pie oven, which meant my visions of a lavish brunch were reduced to a meat pie on a paper plate.
As we tucked into our pastries, I saw the pie warmer was now acting as a clothes dryer for one of the staff member’s uniforms draped across it. Disappointed with the underwhelming dining experience, we decided to head home.
Stepping out of the club, my nostrils were once again violated with the ill-timed garbage truck emptying the bins outside the building and I found myself holding my breath for the second time that morning and headed back towards the car crestfallen.
What I'd Rather do than Sauna at Bondi Icebergs
As someone who enjoys plunging in ocean pools and loves a good sauna, visiting Icebergs felt like a bit of a bucket-list thing to tick off. I’ve done it now, and I definitely don’t feel any desire to go back. One positive to take away was how grateful I feel for my beautiful ocean pools and sauna facilities in the Illawarra.
*The sauna at Saunaus Wollongong, the ultimate sauna destination. Photo credit Saunaus
*Wollongong’s equivalent of Icebergs, The Continental Pool
