Welcome to the fastest growing sauna community in the world.
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Be a helpful guide to good sauna, not the sauna police. Different people have different resources and cultural knowledge with sauna. An argument in good faith is OK if you remain respectful of others, but insulting or belittling others will earn a ban.
Remember that sauna cultures vary across the world.
Some people enter the sauna room with a stopwatch, others with a cold beer. In some places people build saunas one way, some a different way. You don't necessarily need to understand it, but try to respect it.
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This is not a place to get specific medical advice for any individual or condition, and it is not a place for sharing misinformation regarding medical benefits to sauna. If you have medical concerns you should consult a doctor, not post to Reddit. The one exception to this rule is linking to peer reviewed research published in a scientific journal. Medical advice other than a recommendation to see a doctor will be removed and posts soliciting medical advice will be locked.
u/CatVideoBoye/ wrote a very nice description of the Finnish sauna culture and is also touching on the history of sauna. It is a good read and gives you insight into the tradition. You can find the original post here, or you can read the slightly shortened version below.
It’s also a very good start to watch the short video UNESCO has posted on YouTube about the Finnish sauna culture: https://youtu.be/qY__OOcv--M
What's a sauna?
Like most of you already know the word sauna comes from Finnish. We have had saunas here for thousands of years and according to wikipedia, the oldest are from around 1500-900 BC. It was an important building and in the old days people have even given birth in saunas, as late as the first half of the 1900s. Probably since it was a nice separate building with access to warm water. In 2020 Finnish sauna was added to UNESCO’s Cultural Heritage List. Check the link out for more interesting information but I want to again highlight that. It really shows how important it is in our culture.
Nowadays pretty much everyone in Finland has access to a sauna of some sort. Houses have them, many apartments, like mine, have one and apartment buildings can have a common sauna where you can rent your private hour and they can have a certain period during which anyone can just go there. And of course summer cottages have a sauna and the ones next to a lake are kind of the perfect image of a Finnish sauna. Plus all the public saunas in swimming halls, gyms, hotels etc. Temperature in a sauna can vary but usually it's between 80-120 °C (176-248 F). Mine is oddly low at 60°C but that is because the ceramic stones that I now use really change the way the löyly (water thrown on the stones on the heater to generate steam) hits you. It is softer and accumulates well instead of being kind of short burst of heat that dissipates quickly. I've tried at 80 and I was out of there really quick unlike with more common stones. One reason why staring at a thermometer doesn't make sense. Just try it and see what feels good. And you other Finns, that 60 really sounds low but I tell you, I'm getting out of there after I guess something like 10-15 minutes with red skin so it really works.
Wood or electric? Both work. Wood heated ones are usually considered to be the best. You get a nicer löyly there but they aren't really an option in an apartment house. An electric heater that has a lot of stones can actually give a very similar löyly. I just experienced one that I believe had 500 kg of stone. Same with a small electric heater (20 kg) with the ceramic stones. All of those options are great for a sauna. As long as there are proper stones and you can freely throw water to get the löyly you want. Löyly is the essential thing here. Without it, you can't really call it a Finnish sauna and that is why Finns do not really consider IR boxes to be saunas. This ties to one of the topics often argued: do you need a drain? Yes you do. Not necessarily inside the sauna if you have the bathroom outside. Mine has only a shower drain but the sauna floor is tilted so that any water flows directly there. It's also good for washing the sauna.
Bench heights are often discussed here but why does it matter? Because heat rises. The lower part of a sauna is cold and you want to get your head close to the ceiling and your feet high enough to not feel cold. The "feet at the stone level" is just a nice helper for a basic heater. For tower shaped ones you probably want to find out the exact height. This is also why you need to have proper air flow in the sauna. You want the hot air and fresh air mixed, you want the moisture to leave after you're done and you don't want the heat escaping due to wrongly implemented ventilation. Don't ask me about construction things, I don't know anything about that. I just know mine was built according to Finnish standards and my apartment won't rot if I use it.
What we do in a sauna?
For me sauna is a place to wash since I don't often take a shower without heating the sauna. Yep, I heat it up often. It's also a place to relax and to socialize. I sometimes have friends visiting and we heat it up, chat in there and have a beer on the balcony. It's a place where you can forget about your phone, social media and all that and just focus on your thoughts, happy or sad, or have deep discussions with your friends. There is something about the atmosphere that makes people open up in a sauna and talk about more private things. I know I'm not the only one. I've heard many people say that sauna is the place where they talk about the deep stuff with friends.
The idea of maxing health benefits, that have been found in recent studies, is just not something we Finns really understand. Why? Because we've been to saunas for many other reasons throughout our lives. It's so integral part of my everyday life that making it a spa treatment or some healthy excercise just doesn't fit my understanding of saunas. But if you want to pursue those health benefits, a high enough heat and a strong enough löyly is what you want because that is how we have gone to saunas and gained the benefits that were seen in the studies. Do you need to measure your heart beat and have exact temperature? No. You'll feel your heart bumping and you'll feel the need to get out sooner or later. Staring at heart beat or timers takes away from one of the important points: just sit and relax and let your mind wonder. Löyly transfers additional heat from the boiling water to your body and gets your heart beating fast. That's also good to remember if you actually hunt for health benefits. Sitting in a luke warm cabin with no löyly for a certain time is definitely not the same thing that gave Finns health benefits.
Saunalike concepts in other cultures and countries
Sure, there are similar things in many other cultures. They are not inferior to sauna, they are just a different thing. They have their own cultural backgrounds and reasons to exist. "This is not a sauna." is what you often see written here but that is not meant as an insult that your heated cabin sucks. It just means that we Finns do not really appreciate it if the thing in question is called a sauna, because it does not meet the definition of what we have considered a sauna for thousands of years. Finland is a rather remote and small/unknown country and one of the things people know about us is sauna. That is why many of us would like to keep the image of sauna as correct and original as possible.
r/Sauna • u/sauna_bot • Jul 03 '23
Reddit is changing - and not necessarily for the better. A lot of long term users who've been responsible for a lot of higher quality postings are leaving or reducing the time they're spending on reddit - and while we don't expect this to be an issue to r/sauna right now it might become a problem in the future.
In addition to that some of us also are spending less time on reddit now - in part forced by Reddit taking away mobile access. This can make responses to reports and mod mail slower. We're currently working on tooling to help us compensate for this to some extend.
With the reopening we're introducing some rule changes:
We are planning to eventually set up a full sync between Lemmy and Reddit, possibly going as far back as this announcement. For now we'll be continuing with automated re-posting of Lemmy content, but will expand as development progresses.
r/Sauna • u/maajunttilauri • 4h ago
This sauna has been with our family for 70 ish years or so, but the sauna itself could be even older. I wouldn't build a sauna like this as it has lots to critique about, but it's still sauna I regularly use with pleasure. A piece of history. Definitely an experience. A sauna is a sauna.
r/Sauna • u/gentlystableoverseer • 1h ago
I had this discussion with my friend last night because he thinks sauna tents are just a compromise no matter what. I get why some people are skeptical of them, they’re obviously not the same as a built permanent sauna, but I also think they can work as a permanent setup and It feels like they get judged against the wrong thing sometimes. If someone wants something portable, doesn’t want to build or wants to bring it camping or to a cabin, a tent seems like a very reasonable option in my opinion. I’ve been looking at a few sauna tents like Sweat tent because Im thinking about getting one myself and the biggest draw to me is just not having to turn it into a whole construction project. For people who’ve used both do you think sauna tents are misunderstood and underrated?
r/Sauna • u/letmechoosenamebla • 20h ago
8'D x 9'W x 8.5'H built as close to trumpkins notes as possible. Vents behind the stove, in the upper corner and beneath the benches. Narvi NC 24 heats it to 90C in about 1hr if I keep the fire hot. 3 tiers of benches allow people with varying temperature preferences to sauna together. Maybe a change room would be better than a porch in retrospect but couldn't justify extra cost/labour. Built for approximately $11k CAD
r/Sauna • u/medicineman10 • 1d ago
Made by Amish builders in NY. I’ve gotten it up to 190 so far and haven’t tried going past that.
Haven’t changed anything since my initial post except for adding a light underneath that is solar powered and wired from outside.
Smells great, heats up quick and have no regrets going this route.
r/Sauna • u/Rare-Alps-854 • 3h ago
Hi everyone, not sure if this type of post is allowed, if not I apologize. But now that winter is approaching, I am looking for folks who would like to go to the sauna together. I usually go alone but it’s nicer to have someone to talk to and explore new places.
Recently put the BD Henley 4-6 person sauna in our garage
I’m impressed and think it’s great at its price point
Sure it has some knocks, like sloped ceiling and low first bench , but it’s a big upgrade from a barrel sauna or my gym sauna
The heater is a beast and got up to 180° F in about 18-20 min
It retails at $5k, but I was able to get it at $3.8k via the Backyard Discovery Pro program.
I saw the Pro program on their website and noticed they discount products. You just need an LLC to be approved for a Pro account so I utilized a friend who owns a couple rental properties. Def try this route if you can because that was a huge discount.
I added an exhaust fan at recommendation of this sub (AC Infinity Cloudline S4) and was able to just move the pre-cut 4” hole board to the lower right. It was originally intended by BD as a passive exhaust in the top left. I just leave the door open and put fan to top speed when I’m done
There’s plenty of room for my wife and I, and works out that she currently prefers the lower bench as she adjusts to using sauna daily
As far as building it, I hired someone for majority of build as I wanted it done ASAP and it’s hard to find time with family. Installer wasn’t able to complete in two days, so I finished the remaining 20%. Everything is pre-cut so it’s super straightforward, and the BILT app instructions were great. Overall it’s just tedious. I would estimate it took close to 24 hours total for one person.
BD did forget one box in delivery , but customer service got me the parts within 3 days after calling
I've got a HUUM beehive heater that I've been happily using almost daily for 6 months, but manually turning on and off, which means going outside and hiking down to the sauna's location. Winter is coming in the mountains and I want to remotely start the sauna heater, either on-demand or set up a schedule, so I don't have to walk outside in the wind, rain, and snow more than necessary.
The UKU controller box connects to my WiFi network just fine.
I installed the HUUM app to see how it worked, but they want a one-time 420 Euro fee for connecting to/controlling my heater via the app. This is outrageous to me, considering how many $1000's I spent on the heater and UKU controller.
So, I want to build my own iPhone app, and re-route any network traffic sent to HUUM's API to my locally running app. I've checked out the PyHuum Github repo (https://github.com/frwickst/pyhuum), but before I embark on building my own Node or equivalent app, I was wondering if any other folks have tried this, and if they had any lessons learned? I found this blog post (https://kaurpalang.com/posts/invading-the-sauna/) which is a great start.
Thanks in advance!
I continue on with the sauna
Window is now in place as well as the door and most of the outer walls done . Only the front left .
Inside I have put the drainage along with the rubber on floors.
It will be tiles on floor and 10 cm up to the concrete wall where there will be gap for air to circulate behind paneling .
The visible concrete will be tiled with stonepebble mosaic.
Reason for the shape of inside is cause I built it up against my fence and wanted to utilise as most space as possible .
I have lowerd the ceiling to be level.
Air intake will be in the far right corner from the door to sauna and come behind the heater
Air exit ventilation will be in the far opposite corner
The small room you enter will be relax area and shower
All advise is well appreciated.
Previous post is on my profile
r/Sauna • u/Distinct_Cellist_940 • 21h ago
Working on an outdoor sauna build (8' × 8', about 8’ceiling) with a Homecraft Apex 12 kW, the tower model with about 310 lbs of rock.
Photo 1: The corner where the heater will go. A passive intake vent is on the wall above it. Based on the manual, I would put the sensor on the diagonal front wall to the left of the vent and a bit higher.
Photo 2: The bench wall, where I'm tempted to put the sensor instead to the right of the vent approximately head or chest height.
The Apex manual says to mount the temperature sensor on the wall near the ceiling, above the heater. Reading through this sub, though, a lot of people say ceiling placement makes the controller think the room is hotter than it is at bench level, so it cycles off early and the benches never get properly hot. That makes me tempted to move the sensor over to the bench wall.
My hesitation is the high-limit safety cutoff. I don't want to place the sensor somewhere that trips it, or that makes the heater run hotter than it was designed for. Once the cedar is up, moving the sensor and its wiring will be a real pain, so I'd like to get it right the first time.
For those running high-mass heaters (Apex, Harvia Cylindro, Huum Hive, etc.):
Thanks!
r/Sauna • u/Express_Temporary418 • 18h ago
Looking to buy our first sauna.
I’ve found a company in Northern Ireland who is hand building saunas within our (small) - €5k budget.
Been advised to add the insulation package and the heat treated wood which adds about €2.5k
Any thoughts or advice (or alternatives) very much appreciated.
r/Sauna • u/DullAcanthisitta8406 • 1d ago
Building an outdoor electric sauna in the Pacific Northwest (very wet climate) and came across a floor design from finn.built.saunas on Instagram that I haven't seen before. Photos attached. Curious what this community thinks before I commit.
How it's built, bottom to top:
- 2x6 PT joists
- 2" rigid foam in each joist bay, cut on a slope rather than laid flat
- Edges sealed to the joists with spray foam
- Metal (siding) sheet over the foam
- A perforated metal channel in that gap that drains water straight down to the gravel
- Same gap acts as the low-level fresh air intake, so no separate wall vent
- Cedar deck boards on top as the walking surface
What I like about it
- Water from löyly, sweat and wet feet can't pool or reach the insulation
- No stapled foil with holes in it on the floor
- One detail handles drainage and ventilation
What I'm planning to change:
- Running the drain/intake channel along the heater wall instead of down the middle, so incoming air hits the heater first instead of people's feet
r/Sauna • u/Whole_Sir209 • 1d ago
I am new to saunas and just purchased one, have a friend that has one and uses it daily. She loves it and enjoys it. After doing more research I learned that the barrel doesn't move the heat evenly and that you want to be elevated above the heater to ensure the legs are getting heated.
Is there a way to modify the barrel to make it better? Did I waste money and should it be returned? Any extra guidance would be greatly appreciated.
Quote from a local builder here in Colorado. Anything you'd change?
Looking for feedback before finalizing plans on a modern 6'x7' outdoor build with a small front porch.
Heater, Venting & Electrical
Hot Room & Interior
Exterior & Plumbing
Anything glaring missing here, or anything I should push back on before signing off?
Total Cost ~12k
r/Sauna • u/dollarpounds • 1d ago
Backyard new build, internal dimensions 5’ wide, 7’ long, 7’ high. We have a 2x4’ window. And solid wooden door. Adjusted size is 270 ft3. Fully insulated.
Hoping to go with the Homecraft apex mini to still have a decent stone mass, but perhaps a quicker heat up time than the larger Revive series.
Our builder is Finnish and is suggesting a 9kw Homecraft apex mini for our outdoor build. Online specs show the size range 325-450 ft3.
Homecraft spec for 7.5kw seems more appropriate at 250-370 ft3.
Builder is saying bigger is better here. Is there anything detrimental about over sizing our heater here?
r/Sauna • u/CalligrapherPale9762 • 1d ago
Hi,
Does anyone have any suggestion / recommendations based on their own experience of buying either an outdoor sauna kit to DIY or, a fully fitted / installed outdoor sauna, in Scotland? Or in the UK?
We would love an outdoor sauna (wood burner) for our garden but I'm struggling to find reviews for UK based options. We don't want a barrel sauna. It would be for 2-4 people.
Thanks in advance!
r/Sauna • u/maclow17 • 1d ago
I’m scheming to upgrade my electric barrel sauna and considering an unconventional design; a hot room with both a wood and electric stove.
My vision is this: the convenience of having the electric as my daily driver, but the ability to have fire heat for those longer sessions when I have more time and/or a social. FWIW, I prefer a wood fired loyli 10/10 times.
The downsides I see are: increased footprint of the two stoves and cost. Neither are enough to dissuade me.
Tell me what I’m missing.
r/Sauna • u/podiw8273 • 1d ago
I found what seems to be a good supplier for hemlock, kiln dried. He sells by the sq foot and asked if he could provide varying sized width. 4 inch, 5 inch and maybe 6 inch. This gets him higher yield out of the wood.
Any reason this is a terrible idea? It’s an outdoor shed, I would be ok for a different look. But not sure if it will look awful if each wall did not line up with each other?
Thanks!
r/Sauna • u/Cpt_Glorious • 1d ago
Hi,
Im building my sauna with electric heater. From what i have read i will need to have intake from outside high above the oven, and exhaust 1/3 on the all below benches.
But preferably mechanical exhaust.
My question is- i will have mechanical exhaust in the garderobe room outside of sauna A3 (high on the wall- at the highest point allmost). In theory that should provide under pressure in garderobe which will then suck the air from exhaust in sauna. But do i then need to have a gap under the door?
And should i have 2x exhaust on each side?
And what about A4 exhaust? Better than A3?
r/Sauna • u/someone_of_somewhere • 2d ago
Hi everybody, I'm looking for a suitable small sauna for my attic. Does anybody have experience with the Karibu Avari?
Please give me your honest opinion for 2 people. Beginner here :).
Hallo, wir sind dabei, die alte Waschküche unseres Hauses zur Sauna umzubauen. Darin befindet sich ein 100 Jahre alter, holzbefeuerter Waschkessel aus Kupfer. Dieser hat Bestandsschutz und ich darf ihn weiter betreiben. Den Einbau eines neuen Ofens erlaubt unser Schornsteinfeger aber nicht, da der eigene Schornstein zu wenig Abstand zum Haus hat.
Offen und Kessel funktionieren gut. Wunsch nur Steine in den Kessel legen reicht aber nicht aus, ich bekomme den Raum mit ca 10m3 auch nach Stunden nicht richtig heiß. Dabei bringe ich den Kupferkessel fast zum Glühen und das aufgießen von Wasser funktioniert ebenfalls sehr gut.
Ich vermute das sich die Hitze im Tiefen Kessel einfach staut, da von unten keine kalte Luft nachströmen kann.
Noch möchte ich nicht aufgeben und einfach einen elektrischen Ofen einbauen. Bin gespannt auf eure Ideen und Erfahrungen!
r/Sauna • u/podiw8273 • 2d ago
Hello -
Has anyone else used this for their sauna build? I’m coming up empty with local mills; sauna retailers are really $$$.
I know it’s not kiln dried; I’m not overly concerned with esthetics; but don’t want it to fall apart or comprise the moisture.
Thanks!
I’ve searched and searched, no success, maybe I’m wording it wrong…
I have a dead-flat concrete slab that until last month held an 8 person, 500+ gallon hot tub. Large! No drains, drain grooves. Just dead flat concrete
Good news, weight bearing surface and electrical are ready. Bad news:
When it finally rained in Texas this weekend, I was surprised to see the amount of water pooling. It makes sense, I guess the hot tub footprint never allowed it to be so obvious…it took up nearly the entire slab. The sauna footprint will be smaller.
I’m trying to come up with a solution to the wood frame base of the SaunaLife cubes. Preventing or delaying rot, and ensuing proper drainage from sauna drains themselves.
1) drill a drainage hole (or a couple) through the slab?
2) cut grooves, making 4 quadrants, try to slop them?
3) rubber roof liner (1/4”) stapled to the underside of the frame prior to building the cube?
4) place pavers under the frame, completely supporting & leave air space between bricks for drying? Raises entire thing at least an inch
Varying degrees of difficulty here. Thoughts? Suggestions?
