Outdoor Sauna

By Anna Lynn Sibal

But even outside of Finland, sauna enthusiasts tend to have their own sauna at home. They reason that it is more convenient to have a sauna installed inside the house. If they want to bathe in the sauna, all they need to do is to walk a few steps; they do not have to drive to a public sauna, a health club or a spa to enjoy the sauna. Most of all, they do not have to pay other people for the time spent using the sauna.

A home sauna can be built indoors or outdoors. Many sauna enthusiasts prefer to have outdoor structures built on their property to serve as sauna cabins because there are some advantages to having an outdoor sauna that is separate from the main house.

Benefits of an Outdoor Sauna

Just what are the benefits and advantages that you can get from building an outdoor sauna? If you enjoy the sauna and you have a nice property – a wooded area or close to a river or a lake – you can have the feeling of being close to nature as you indulge in your sauna experience. If you have a swimming pool, you can use your outdoor sauna cabin as a way to entertain guests.

It may also be more feasible for you to have an outdoor sauna cabin if converting or adding a room for a sauna in your house may prove to be a problem. An outdoor sauna can also serve as your sanctuary where you want to be alone. You can also enhance the feeling of privacy that you can get from bathing in a sauna if you build it out of doors.

Planning Out Your Outdoor Sauna

The thing about outdoor saunas is that they require a lot more effort in planning than what is needed for indoor sauna rooms. It is a separate structure on your property. A floor plan and design needs to be laid out. You would also need to consider the fixtures and facilities that your sauna cabin will have, as well as utilities such as heat, water and electricity.

When you build an outdoor sauna, you would want to give thought to the size and location of the sauna. The sauna cabin still needs to be connected to the house even if it is a separate structure. The size of the sauna would depend on who would be using it, whether its use is limited to your immediate family only or if you will use it for entertaining guests.

You also need to think about the floor plan of your outdoor sauna. For added convenience, you will need to have a shower and bathroom in your sauna cabin, as well as a changing room. If one of the functions of the outdoor sauna is for entertaining guests, you may also want to add a porch or a lounging area to the cabin.

Materials and Utilities

Aside from purpose and layout, you will also need to consider the materials you would be using for the sauna. An outdoor sauna is typically made from cedar or red cedar wood. The reason why most sauna builders use this kind of wood is that cedar can help in keeping the sauna warm. Cedar wood is also durable and has a weathered appearance that looks absolutely beautiful when set in a natural area, such as woodland, a riverbank or a lakeshore.

Another question you would need to ponder upon is how you would heat the sauna. If you are a sauna traditionalist, only a woodstove and heating rocks would do. For that, you would need to set up your sauna so your woodstove can provide optimum heat without filling the room with smoke or burning your cabin down.

If you just want a hot sauna room when you want it, you can consider other options such as an electric heater, an infrared heater, or a steam generator. For steam sauna rooms, however, you would need the interior of the sauna room itself to be made of ceramic tiles. Wood does not like the moistness of steam, after all.

And then, you would also need to plan out the plumbing and the power supply of your sauna. Your sauna cabin may be as natural as you want it, but modern conveniences will definitely help.

If you really love the convenience of having a sauna at home, it is definitely worth the effort of building an outdoor sauna.