Rio's calls itself London's leading naturist health spa, and it has the fixture status to back the claim: a purpose-built spa on Kentish Town Road, open seven days a week for liberated people aged 21 and over — its own phrasing — rather than a club that opens on selected nights.
The facilities read like a full spa floor: three steam rooms, two sauna cabins, three large jacuzzis and a plunge pool, alongside a relaxation area, a television lounge, a host of relaxation rooms, an outdoor garden and a smoking area.
Hours are long: Monday to Wednesday from 12:00 to midnight (last entry 22:00), Thursday to Saturday from 12:00 through to 07:00 the next morning (last entry 04:00), and Sundays 12:00–22:00 (last entry 20:00). One rule stands out and is strictly enforced: on Saturdays between 18:00 and midnight, admission is mixed couples only.
There is deliberately no membership — Rio's calls central London too full of visitors for one to be fair, and runs pay-as-you-use instead: turn up, pay, and use the spa. Entry prices are on the spa's own site and at the door. Browse our London guide for the city's other saunas and clubs.
My Experience of Rios — Then and Now
I’ve been going to Rios for quite a few years, so my perspective is very much one of past versus present.
When I first started going, Rios felt like a very open-minded, naturist space. The staff were topless, which helped set the tone and encouraged visitors to relax into the naturist side of the experience themselves. That was one of the main reasons I enjoyed going. There was something wonderfully liberating about being somewhere where nudity was simply accepted as normal.
Over the years, though, things have inevitably changed. There have been complaints, increased regulations, the fire, Covid and various other factors that have meant Rios has had to adapt, particularly to ensure that it continues to operate within the requirements of being a spa. I completely understand that. The staff no longer go topless, and personally I don’t have an issue with that — nobody should feel that they have to expose themselves as part of their job.
The atmosphere has changed too. In the early days, the naturist element was much more obvious, although unfortunately some people didn’t understand the concept and things could occasionally become quite rowdy in certain areas. Perhaps things weren’t always monitored as closely as they could have been either. Today, Rios feels more like it’s trying to appeal to a broader, more middle-of-the-road audience.
That doesn’t mean nudity isn’t welcome. If you want to be naked, you can still be naked throughout the appropriate areas of the venue without it being an issue. However, you need to understand what you’re walking into. There are playrooms towards the back, and people may be completely naked and may engage in sexual activity there. If nudity or consensual adult sexual activity is something that makes you uncomfortable or offended, Rios probably isn’t the place for you. That’s simply part of understanding the environment.
There are also some practical changes. The smoking rules are now very strict. There is no smoking inside or outside the venue, and if you want to smoke you have to change your clothes and leave the premises onto the main road. I don’t drink much myself, so I’m less certain about the current rules regarding alcohol. In the past, you could bring a bottle of wine, leave it behind the bar and have it poured for you, but I’d recommend checking the current policy rather than assuming that still applies.
One thing I still really appreciate is the availability of the lockable private rooms at the back. I still go to Rios, I still relax there, and I still have fun. Despite the changes, there is something about the place that keeps me coming back.
One difficulty nowadays is that there aren’t really name tags or activity indicators, so you can’t necessarily tell who is there looking for an open-minded connection and who has simply come for a sauna, relaxation and the facilities. My advice is therefore quite simple: don’t assume everyone is there for the same reason you are.
If you’re going with friends or people you’ve already connected with, arrange to meet them there and enjoy the experience together. That’s actually been some of my best recent experiences at Rios — meeting people I’ve arranged to go with and then spending the time together.
Otherwise, my approach is to assume that everyone is simply there to relax, use the facilities and go home. If you get talking to someone and there’s a genuine connection, then great — take it from there naturally.
So, would I say Rios is what it used to be? No, it has definitely changed. But change isn’t necessarily the same thing as being bad. It’s still a place where I can relax, be myself, enjoy being naturist, use the facilities and have a good time.
Just go with realistic expectations, respect that different people are there for different reasons, and understand the nature of the venue before you visit. If you do that, Rios can still be a very enjoyable and liberating place to spend some time.
The black lady that works here is the rudest person I’ve ever met in my life. I myself am not white British and would think she would relate but she has no customer service and she speaks to all guests like trash. She has snapped at me for common mistakes & misunderstandings and gives me attitude every time I ask for something. I have been coming here for a while and I have a far better time when she is not around and the atmosphere is completely different when she is not around. She brings such bad energy to the place ! Yuck!!!!!!
Rio’s needs to get rid of rubbish staff with terrible attitudes. Customers deserve to be treated with respect, not shouted at or spoken to like children. If you can’t show basic manners and professionalism, customer service isn’t the right job for you.
The English lady who works the night shift at Rio’s should not be working in customer service. Her behaviour was completely unacceptable—shouting at customers, speaking to people like they’re children, and acting as if she owns the place. Terrible!
Has it's good points. But why, continually, year after year, do staff not address the problem with the guys that follow women around? It's easy to spot. You can differentiate between them and regular decent users in no time. I know why.. ££££s. It's a shame because other than this, this could be a really nice little venue.
Those guys annoy everyone else!
The coloured lady with dreadlocks working last night at the bar, Saturday evening, had disgusting behaviour and should not be working there without a proper customer service attitude.
Her behaviour was inappropriate. People go there as paying customers, and hearing her moaning and using unacceptable words is not acceptable.
How dare she say customers are disgusting in a nudist spa? Customers should be treated with respect. I hope management takes this seriously and deals with this behaviour appropriately.