King's Cross launches season of wellness with 'MANDAY' initiative to support men's mental health

Launching today (Monday, January 20) – known to many as Blue Monday and the gloomiest day of the year – MANDAY coincides with the highly anticipated return of Slomo Wellbeing’s saunas and forms part of an unmissable line-up of wellness and brain-boosting events and experiences.

Men are invited to recharge and open up about their mental health in dedicated men-only saunas and cold plunge pools, which are known to boost people’s brain and mental health.

Tickets are £9 with £1 from the sale of each ticket being donated to CALM, the suicide prevention and helpline service for anyone struggling or in crisis.

Professor Green, musician and CALM ambassador who attended the launch, said: "Mental health is vital, yet it's often misunderstood and stigmatized, especially for men.

"Suicide is the biggest killer of men under 50. We need to spread the word that it’s okay to talk. MANDAY celebrates men’s self-care - it's a safe space for men to recharge, reflect, and talk about their mental health. Let's break the stigma and support each other.”

MANDAY sessions will take place every Monday at 10am and 2pm for 50 minutes. Tickets can be booked here: www.slomo.me/slomo-kings-cross Mind Your Brain and Slomo Wellbeing

Returning for the second year, Slomo Wellbeing @ King’s Cross is part of the Mind Your Brain campaign, running from January 17 to March 2, 2025. This extended six-week initiative, curated by Slomo co-founders and wellness practitioners Rob da Bank and his wife Josie, promises a soothing retreat from bustling city life.

The experience features two wood-fired saunas, three cold plunge pools, and an ice tank that seats six people, all centred around a roaring fire. Visitors will have an hour to use the saunas and cold plunge pools, which can reduce inflammation in the brain, improve blood flow, and enhance cell function. Afterward, they can enjoy an exfoliating salt scrub and shower, leaving them feeling stress-free and relaxed.

In 2024, the sauna sessions sold out in just 48 hours. To ensure everyone has a fair shot at grabbing a slot this year, the organisers are running a tiered ticket system.

Prices are £9 for off-peak sessions and £12 for peak and programmed sessions. The saunas will be closed on Tuesdays. New for 2025 – dedicated sessions for all

As well as the MANDAY initiative, 2025 promises an unmissable new programme of wellbeing and brain-boosting activities, including warming hot yoga for those cold winter days; leaf whisking, body scrubs and the multi-sensory Aufguss ritual by experienced sauna masters; dedicated ‘Sauna Sisters’ sessions; and silent saunas for those who would like some much-needed quiet time.

Each Sunday, the week will close with a special Sunday Best sauna session. Sunday Best is the club and record label that Rob and Josie have run since the 1990s. Think regular sauna but accompanied by either a gong bath, a chillout playlist, an acoustic band, Aufguss, comedy or chanting around the fire.

Rob and Josie da Bank, co-founders of Slomo, said: “At Slomo we are all about creating social spaces and encouraging community through our wellbeing practices; the sauna environment is such a great leveller and we see people slowing down, chilling out and opening up to chat as a result. Which is why our male only sessions are a brilliant way to support King’s Cross’s MANDAY initiative, and they will run in addition to our regular Sauna Sister slots.”

The next wave of tickets is now live and can be booked here: https://www.kingscross.co.uk/event/slomo-sauna

Chrissy Cullen, place marketing director at King’s Cross, said: “MANDAY is a fantastic new addition to our Mind Your Brain programme which launches on Blue Monday. Last year’s campaign was a huge success, so we decided to take it one step further in 2025 with this new initiative that encourages men to open up to one another.

"We’re donating £1 from each MANDAY ticket sale to CALM so we hope many of our residents, our brands, Londoners and visitors from further afield get involved to support their vital work.

“As well as MANDAY, we are excited to also be offering women only sessions, hot yoga sessions and much more. For those not able to join us at Slomo Wellbeing @King’s Cross this year, we have plenty of all-year-round wellbeing options across the estate including Self Space, TEN Health and Fitness and Facegym.”

For more information, please visit https://www.kingscross.co.uk/