Home saunas are a superb addition to any home, no matter if you choose a traditional Finnish model or a modern sleek infrared one.
With so many different designs and types of sauna available, not to mention a raft of potential customisation options and additional extras, choosing the perfect home sauna can be a difficult task. Although prices have fallen over the past decade as technology has advanced, sauna installation remains a luxury addition and you want to make sure that you make the right decision
In this article we will examine some of the most important key features that you should be looking for when picking home saunas to buy that fit perfectly into your home whilst meeting all of your needs and coming in under budget.
What to look for in a sauna?
1) Good aesthetics
Saunas come in all shapes and sizes, from infrared one man pods that can be fitted inside your existing bathroom to cabins, and barrels that are installed in your back garden. You want your sauna to stand out as a centrepiece of your property, impressing guests whilst complimenting the aesthetic of the rest of your home.
The relaxation benefits that a sauna provides will be tempered somewhat if your sauna sticks out like a sore thumb and you are dismayed every time you look at it from outside.
2) Correct heating source
Choosing the sauna heating source you want powering your home sauna will determine the type of sauna experience you will enjoy and the health benefits that you will receive. Most home saunas nowadays use electric heaters, with the addition of a steam generator if desired. More traditional saunas, however, would use a wood burner, or generate steam by pouring water over hot rocks. Infrared saunas, as you could probably guess, use infrared waves to heat the body of the sauna user.
3) Lighting
One of the most customisable areas of any home sauna is the lighting source used inside the unit. From standard LED lighting to a colour changing chronotherapy light, this is an opportunity for you to stamp your personality on your home sauna and create the most relaxing and enjoyable atmosphere possible.
4) Indoor floor kits
Some saunas will simply use the existing floor of the room in your property in which they are installed as the floor of the sauna, but this is not always possible, or desirable.
Some floor types are unable to cope with high levels of moisture, for example, or you might simply decide that the aesthetic doesn’t quite match. To ensure a universal seamless look inside your sauna, look for a sauna that comes with its very own floor kit.
5) Stylish door
You want your sauna to make a statement and the entrance into it plays a major role in this. There are as many different sauna door types available as there are sauna designs themselves, from all glass and all wood designs to bespoke half and half options and frosted glass for maximum privacy.
6) Windows
If you decide to install your sauna in the garden, you may well want to enjoy views of the outside world whilst the heat treatment works its magic on your body.
Being in the great outdoors and sitting in a sauna have been proven time and time again by scientific research to two of the most relaxing experiences for humans, and by installing windows that allow fantastic vistas of your garden whilst enjoying a sauna treatment you will bring the two together in wonderful harmony.
7) Outside seating
Having a porch or small deck attached to an outside sauna allows you to sit and enjoy the scenery for a while longer before or after using your sauna and provides a nice transition between the solitude of a sauna session and the bustling world outside. You might decide that this isn’t a priority for you, but it is certainly a nice option to have and looks great.
8) Comfortable seating
You want your sauna to be somewhere you can’t wait to visit, not a place where you are constantly shuffling about trying to get comfortable. Make sure that you try out the seating in your sauna model before committing and only choose a design that is ergonomically suited to you.
9) Pick the right wood
If you decide to go for a traditional wood clad sauna, make sure to choose a durable and long lasting wood type for the walls seating and floors. The last thing you need is to have to replace it again in a couple of years due to mould or rot.
10) Wi-Fi control
Wi-Fi controlled heating gives you complete control over the temperature of the sauna at any time. It also allows you to control the Bluetooth speakers or customisable LED lighting if these are options you chose.