Sauna Lighting and Ambience

Saunas can be and, for the most part, are tailored somewhat to the space you have to work with. From layout and shape, to windows and wood choice people really want to make it their own. Lighting the sauna and creating the ambiance that best fits your tastes or mood is just as important. Saunas vary from using very basic wall lights to strip lights and in most recent years colored lighting has been introduced. Saunas.com offers an array of lighting choices in our sauna packages. For someone who simply wants light to be able to see what they are doing and perhaps do some light reading you can install a moisture proof wall light and dress it up with a shade. A more contemporary look would incorporate a strip light with a wood valence along your bench walls...this softens the lighting of the sauna without compromising the areas where the user(s) sits or lays. Many opt for color lights like the Spectra-light package we offer. This provides color light therapy which is the latest trend as well as white light for reading or maintenance. These lights provide different colors which really capture a mood. Many believe there are psychological and therapeutic benefits to different color lighting. A red setting might help stimulate circulation, as some believe it arouses passion and generates enthusiasm. Yellow is believed by some to help stimulate intellect as well as aid in toxin processing. While Green, and Blue offer a more calming and relaxing effect. Finally, Violet is believed by some to neutralize emotions. While this is not the answer to real medical issues, there is no doubt you can set the lighting to tailor your mood and further allow you to relax and forget the busyness of your day. Lighting is definitely a way one can personlize their sauna even further and it deserves as much attention to the design as layout and wood choice.

Sauna Under The Stairs

Recently I worked with a customer to put a sauna under the staircase in their home. This is a great use of space and makes for a cozy sauna. Saunas under the staircase or in an attic are great but you have to pay attention to clearances needed above the heater, especially with slanted ceilings. You will most likely have to place the heater where your ceiling height is at its highest. In this case we used Saunatec's Junior 3kw heater. The minimum height requirements for the sauna are 73.5" (Recommended height is 84" and maximum allowed is 96"). The heater we used was 21" high and had to mount a minimum of 5" off the floor which leaves the minumum required 47.5" above the heater. Once you figure out where you will place the heater then you can layout the rest of the room. The larger manufacturers will tailor pre-cut kits to your specifications but if you have angled ceilings or walls there may be some field cutting required. As stated previously, the sauna under the staircase is a great use of space and it really illustrates how versatile the pre-cut kits can be and how creative you can get in planning a sauna for your home.

How to plan your Sauna Layout

1. Plan the room size

DECIDE THREE LAYOUT COMPONENTS

• DOOR: Choose a location for the 24” wide door and determine the swing. The door swings out of the sauna. As you stand outside the sauna looking at the door, determine which side the hinges should be on.
• HEATER: Choose a location for the 24” wide wall area for the wall heater. This includes the necessary air space required for heater guardrail. The best location for the heater is on the door wall.
• BENCHES: Choose the location for the benches. High and low benches can be standard 18” wide or wider or narrower in 2”-3” increments. A low bench can be the optional double-wed and continue under the high bench for complete comfort. Bench facing or duckboard under benches are optional.

2. SHEETROCK

Check local code to determine if required.

3. VAPOR BARRIER

Thermo-foil or equivalent is suggested to control moisture and condensation.

4. VENTING

Venting is suggested and necessary for the operation of some heaters. Check specifications before purchasing.

And so it begins

Welcome to the Saunas.com blog!

We are starting this blog to bring to light a lot of important facts, features, news, stories, histories, and much more concerning the use of Saunas and the Sauna Lifestyle. In this blog we hope to give you ideas, insight, and inspiration to give the idea of a life rich in sauna usage for health and just everyday fun.

Consider that the sauna is as common as a daily bathing ritual in many other countries, its surprising to find it is still somewhat in infancy in the United States. But we hope to turn this around!