Sea Lanes brings year-round open water swimming and saunas to Canary Wharf

Canary Wharf is better known for office towers than for swimming, but this year a new kind of pool arrived in Eden Dock. Sea Lanes Canary Wharf is a 50-metre, six-lane natural floating pool, set right in the dock water among the skyscrapers.

Plans for the lido were approved in January, with a promise that it would stay open 364 days of the year. Sea Lanes director Joe McNulty said it would be "more than just a swimming pool" and "an urban oasis for health and wellbeing". It opened in June, and more than 13,000 swimmers came through in its first month.

"Welcoming more than 13,000 swimmers in our first month has been an incredible milestone," said director Harry Smith. "From day one, our ambition was to create a destination where people could reconnect with nature, build confidence in the water and enjoy the physical and mental wellbeing benefits of open water swimming."

The pool uses the dock's own natural water and is not heated. On the morning of 2 November the water stood at 12.8°C. Swimmers can choose between fast, medium and slow lanes, and there is also lifeguarded open water swimming in the dock itself.

After a swim, two waterfront saunas overlook the pool. Hand-crafted by Heartwood Saunas, they have floor-to-ceiling windows that frame the Canary Wharf skyline. This winter Sea Lanes has added a Festive Sauna, Dip and Dine experience, with up to two hours of sauna and cold plunge time followed by a Christmas feast in a heated dome by the water.

A swim costs £10, and a swim and sauna ticket costs £18. Concessions are available for under 24s, over 60s, people with disabilities and children aged eight to 16. Sauna-only visits are not offered, so everyone gets in the water first.

Sustainability is built in. Eden Dock was created by Canary Wharf Group in partnership with the Eden Project, with planting and floating habitats for wildlife. The site runs on renewable electricity with solar panels on site, and the modular pool, timber walkways, changing rooms and saunas are all designed to be reused or relocated in future. It is also single-use plastic free.

Accessibility has been considered from the start, with step-free social spaces, wheelchair-accessible saunas and assisted access into both the pool and the dock. Sea Lanes Canary Wharf is at 15 Newfoundland Place, E14, a short walk from the Jubilee line, Elizabeth line and DLR.