PAUS.
Toft Road, Cambridge, CB23 2TT
Meander up a hillside path festooned with lights to idyllic retreat PAUS. and you’ll discover an oasis of calm; a wondrous other world where wellbeing is key. Amid verdant wildflower meadows and brightly striped deckchairs, the unique outdoor bathing and breathing space in Bourn is inspired by the Scandinavian philosophy of balance.
Think premium wood-fired, red cedar hot tubs, authentic Finnish barrel saunas, invigorating cool pools, hot and cold showers, and a 1,000m barefoot sensory trail to indulge your inner child as the glorious mud squelches between your toes! There’s also a lovely Hilltop Bistro serving wholesome, seasonal food to warm the soul, incorporating fresh veggies and edible flowers from their ‘no dig’ garden.
PAUS. is the brainchild of Alexandra and Bart, Czechoslovakian-born partners in life and business, who bought their first hot tub in 2010 to start rental business, Bathing Under the Sky. Their luxurious touring operation grew after they were booked to take their hot tubs to Wilderness Festival in 2011, inventing and perfecting new features each year, and by 2014 they had launched the world’s first Double Decker Hot Tub Bus. Alexandra says that witnessing the transformative effect of hot and cold bathing on physical state and mood prompted her and Bart to find an open-air space to offer ‘this fantastic remedy from Mother Nature’ permanently.
Whilst the warm waters of the hot tubs can calm and detoxify, cold water immersion causes a serotonin and endorphin boost which can revitalise and energise.
Since PAUS. opened in July 2018, it has welcomed thousands of bathers keen to take time out from daily demands, experience uplifting workshops, enjoy a sauna stretch class, savour the Bistro’s famous Hungarian goulash (made to Alexandra’s Mum’s secret recipe!) or simply spend a few slow hours in fresh air surrounded by unspoiled green countryside, come rain or shine.