ACCESSIBILITY
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Accessibility
Hello. We want Sauna Theatre to be a welcoming and inclusive space for everyone. Whatever your access requirements, we welcome you, and hope to make your visit as enjoyable as possible.
We know saunas (and theatres) can often be inaccessible and excluding. We really want to change that. This is our first time running Sauna Theatre and we know we won’t get everything right immediately. There will be lots more we can do, and want to do. Our promise to you is that we will do everything we can to respond to any questions or requirements you may have, and that we genuinely welcome any feedback, advice and ideas that will help us make Sauna Theatre more accessible now and in the future.
Contact Details
Please do drop us a line. You can contact Polly Bullock-Anderson and a team of helpful Box Office staff at Summerhall on boxoffice@summerhallarts.co.uk, or James Grieve at Sauna Theatre on james@saunasessionsartsclub.com. We will always be happy to hear from you and will aim to respond to you within 24 hours.
Booking Tickets
Please book tickets via this link https://festival.summerhallarts.co.uk/venues/sauna-theatre-summerhall-arts/. If you require any assistance please email boxoffice@summerhallarts.co.uk.
Personal Assistance Tickets
Complimentary personal assistance tickets are available for guests who would otherwise be unable to attend the venue. Please contact boxoffice@summerhallarts.co.uk to arrange.
Medical Requirements
We welcome guests who need to bring medicines, food or drink to manage a medical condition, or medical equipment. Please feel free to contact us in advance if you have any requirements or concerns.
Arriving at Summerhall
You can find information about reaching and accessing Summerhall, and toilet facilities on site, on the Summerhall Arts Website here.
Arriving at Sauna Theatre
Sauna Theatre is located in the rear courtyard at Summerhall. From the main courtyard head down the passage to the left as you are facing The Royal Dick. Here is a map…
MAP
To find Sauna Theatre via What3Words: ///image.drops.summer
Welcome Desk
At the end of the passage you will see the Sauna Theatre Welcome Desk. Please come and say hello. Our Sauna Hosts will be on hand to provide assistance and answer any questions you may have. You can identify Sauna Hosts by their Yellow T-Shirts with the Sauna Theatre logo on the front and ‘Team Sauna’ on the back, or you can ask at the Welcome Desk to be introduced to a Sauna Host.
At the Welcome Desk we will come to you to check your ticket by scanning it with a handheld scanning device. If you need to hire towels or buy swimwear, or a sauna hat, or a drink or snack, you can do so here.
Changing
A Sauna Host will then show you to the changing area. The changing rooms are a selection of sheds, like beach huts. All changing spaces are all-gender. There is one large communal changing space, and multiple individual changing spaces. There is one changing space which is ramped and large enough for a wheelchair user and a companion if necessary.
Lockers
In the changing area you will find lockers in which to place clothes and valuables. The lockers are locked by a key on a wristband which you can then keep with you. If you require any assistance with the lockers, or if you have personal items which are too large to fit inside the lockers, please ask a Sauna Host.
Showers
We have a shower block on site. Access to the shower block is ramped. We have a shower chair available for anyone who wishes to use it. Please just ask a Sauna Host.
Cold Plunge
We have cold plunge baths on site. The temperature of the water in each bath will be clearly displayed beside it. If you require any assistance entering or exiting the plunges please just ask a Sauna Host.
Entering Sauna Theatre
Access to Sauna Theatre is via two ramps, one on each side of the structure. At the top of the ramps are hooks for clothing and space to leave any footwear or water bottles. The main entrance door is 1100mm wide. There are two further entrance / exit doors at the other end of the sauna which are both 1070 wide. Seating in Sauna Theatre is unreserved, and arranged over three levels with steps up from the bottom bench to the middle and top benches. The lowest bench is the coolest temperature, the top bench is the highest temperature.
Wheelchair users
We have not yet found a wheelchair that is sauna compatible. Our ambition is to have one in the future. For this Fringe, we are able to offer a transfer-to-seat option. There is a dedicated seat on the bottom bench for you to transfer to. The seat has a back rest and arm rests. There is a space adjacent for a companion. Once you have transferred to your seat, a Sauna Host will take your wheelchair back outside the sauna, and be on hand to return with it whenever you need. We will discuss the process for this – and emergency evacuation protocol – before your sauna session.
The Sauna Theatre experience
We have nine different sauna theatre sessions every day. They all have different formats. Below we briefly explain what happens in each session so you can decide which feels best for you.
0900/ GET SET FOR THE DAY SAUNA SESSION
This is a straight up sauna session. There will be music playing throughout, and ambient lighting. You are free to come and go from the sauna as you please. At intervals during the session an Aufguss master will enter the sauna and perform for approximately 3 minutes at the time.
1030/ MORNING SAUNA RAVE
This session has a DJ playing throughout from within a booth in the sauna. You are free to come and go from the sauna as you please.
1200/ MYSTERIES OF THE PICTS
This is a storytelling and sauna ritual show performed by to actors speaking text and two sauna masters performing rituals involving scent, smoke and Aufguss towel waving. It happens in three ‘acts’ of 10-12 minutes each with intervals in between.
1330/ LUNCH BREAK LUXURIATE LIT SALON
This session features authors, poets and actors reading and performing text. There will be three of four guest performers every day. Aufguss masters will sometimes perform alongside the writers. Each block of performance will be a maximum of 10 minutes. In between each you can leave the sauna to cool down.
1500/ AUFGUSS X THE WAVES
This is akin to a radio play. You will listen to pre-recorded actors perform the text. Aufguss masters will perform live in the space, interacting with the audio. The show is dvided into three acts of around 12 minutes each. In between each act will be an interval in which you can leave the sauna to cool down.
1630/ BUBBLE SCHMEISIS (REMIXED)
This is a promenade storytelling show. Nick – the writer and performer – and two musicians Josh & Dan will start the story in the changing area. They will lead the audience into the sauna where the story will continue. The temperature of the sauna will be decreased to allow a longer stay in the sauna of around 30 minutes before Nick leads the audience outside to cool down.
1800/ INTERNATIONAL AUFGUSS MASTERS
This is two different Aufguss performances every night. Each will last a maximum of 15 minutes. There will be an interval in between the two performances to cool down.
1930/ AUFGUSS x NILS FRAHM
This session happens in four ‘acts’ of 10 minutes each with intervals in between. Aufguss masters perform to the music of Nils Frahm.
2100/ SAUNA SESSIONS ARTS CLUB - THE HOTTEST CLUB IN TOWN
This is our evening cabaret. Each night a DJ plays in the sauna and different line up of artists perform. There are multiple acts during the event so this will involve entering and exiting the sauna multiple times if you wish to see every act.
Access Performances
In this first year of operation we regret we are not offering audio specific access performances with audio enhancement, BSL, captioning or audio description. We are committed to doing so in the future and would love to hear from you if you have ideas or contacts that might help us do that.
Strobe Lighting
Sauna Theatre is a strobe free venue. Certain sessions will contain flashing lights. Please feel free to contact us for more information or with any questions or concerns.
Assistance Dogs
Assistance dogs are welcome on our site, but not in the Sauna Theatre itself. It’s too hot for doggies!
Toilets.
The nearest accessible toilet is via the ramp, from the central Courtyard, into the Main Building (this brings you into the Café corridor. Turn right at the Café entrance, past the neon corridor – the accessible toilet is on the left.
After your session.
When your session ends, you return to the changing area to change back into your clothes. You are welcome to stay on site for a hydrating drink or sodium replenishing snack!
Any questions?
We know we won’t have covered everything in this document, so please do reach out to us with any questions. We will be very happy to hear from you.
We look forward to welcoming you to Sauna Theatre!