If you’re big on wellness, chances are that you have indulged in the luxury of a sauna. The restorative activity has been around for centuries, but has experienced a new rush of popularity in recent years. It’s the perfect way to indulge during the harsh winter months, when everyone seems a little stressed and busy.
While there are several dedicated community saunas, there has been an uptick in people seeking relaxation within their own homes.
Rick Hill and Nikki Adcock are the owners of a custom sauna business, Made by Hideaway and believe that the convenience and privacy of a home sauna is tempting homeowners to invest in the wellness product. “Not everyone likes to communally sauna bathe, so this way you can have complete control over your own experience.”
Hot in here
To begin the process of installing a home sauna, you must first decide what style is best suited to you and your preferences. There are multiple variations of the sauna experience, but there are two key categories: dry and wet saunas. From there, there are different heat types – most notably infrared, electric, wood-burning and steam.
The dry saunas – think infrared – are low-humidity, and the heat is gentle and easy to control. Wet options, on the other hand, generate steam to create a moist and hot environment.
Infrared tends to be the most common choice for a home sauna. Panels emit infrared light and heat the body directly. Traditional saunas use hot rocks to heat the room, while electric and wood-burning saunas control the heat through manageable outlets.
Location, location
The type of sauna you want can affect its location on your property. While we would all like to sit in a sauna with an outlook of the rolling hills, it isn’t always possible.
“For an electric-heated sauna, you just need to be within distance of a power supply, but a wood-fired sauna gives you full freedom to be in nature,” say Rick and Nikki. “We have built saunas under people’s existing deck, lifted into back gardens and built in-situ in the remotest of areas.”
If you’re working with a smaller space, such as a bathroom or a corner of a room, a compact infrared option might be your best bet. These units can be easily installed in existing rooms without requiring extensive renovations. For larger indoor spaces, it’s a chance to create a dedicated sauna room.
Many saunas now come with built-in sound systems and chromotherapy lighting, offering the ability to further customise the experience with soothing music and mood lighting. If it’s big enough, you could even allow space for hot yoga. For outdoor saunas, treat them as an architectural feature and select the best location from a landscaping and practicality point of view. It’s essentially the home spa of your wildest dreams.
The details
Having a sauna at home creates a purposeful and intentionally secluded experience. They are often designed for no more than a few people at a time, with many only accommodating one person.
Installing one is not a cheap experience – the cost can range anywhere from around $700 for a portable steam sauna to $40k for a multi-person traditional sauna. Infrared saunas tend to be the more affordable option and are readily available in DIY kits or pre-made.
A place to relax
Quality details are crucial to consider for the longevity of a home sauna – the wrong type of wood will rot under the intense heat. Rick and Nikki, for example, use red cedar. “While expensive, it is the most stable and naturally moisture/rot-resistant timber on the market. It not only looks amazing with its beautiful tonal variance, but most essentially, the scent is unmatched.”
A perfect sauna is one where everything has been thought over. You want your mind to relax while in there, not discover imperfections. Treat it as an investment for your property and yourself.
“It’s not as simple as just building a sweaty box. An experience is built from everything physically surrounding you, and ultimately all your senses,” say Rick and Nikki. “The aesthetic of the timber, the smells of the warmed cedar, the crisp hot air you’re breathing in, the low-level lighting, the outlook of your seated position – so many things to take into account.”
The art of the sauna has reminded us to slow down and take a moment to unwind. Having access to one in your own home is a game-changer. After work, exercise, or just to keep up the habit, slotting one into your day-to-day life is a worthwhile investment. In a perfect world, we’d be pairing it with an icy plunge pool for the ultimate experience.
“A sauna used to bring people together as a way to bring communities closer together and reconnect,” say Rick and Nikki. “Now a sauna is also a place to meditate and find quiet, away from ever-growing stresses and strains of an over-connected and noisy world.”
The health benefits of a sauna:
- Relieving and reducing stress.
- Improves cardiovascular health.
- Helps to relax muscles after exercising and reduce muscle soreness.
- May help reduce the symptoms of some skin conditions (like psoriasis).
- Can aid sleep and quality of life.
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Bathroom updates for small spaces and tight budgets
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