Sauna Room Sizes

The space you have for a sauna will ultimately dictate the size of sauna room you purchase. If you are building a barrel sauna or other type of outdoor sauna then space is not generally an issue, However, if you are building a sauna into a framed room in a basement then your options are set by the framing space. Whether you build an outdoor or indoor sauna room, remember to always shorten the ceiling height to 7’ or less. Heat rises and the higher the ceiling, the more unnecessary energy the sauna will consume. In other words, it is wasted space!'

Sauna room with "L" bench

There are many variables that you need to consider when sizing a sauna room:

1. Do you want to lie down? Many people prefer to be able to fully enjoy a sauna on their backs. This would mean you should try and have one side or seat length at least 5' or more to accommodate the extended body position.
2. Multiple seat heights- When building a sauna room, it is generally preferable to have two varying seat heights. The higher seat will always be hotter than the lower. This is great when two or more people prefer different sauna temperatures.
3. "L" Shaped Seats- Design a sauna room that has "L" shaped seats will give you the most interior seating capacity. So, if you are looking to get the most number of people into the smallest space then you should try and accommodate the extra seating space by using the extra wall.
4. Heater power and breaker size – Many homes are limited to a certain size of breaker especially older homes that were built with 100 Amp service. If this is the case, then limit the size of the sauna room so that your heating capacity matches your available power. If this is not a problem, then you can go to a larger sauna room. As an example, if you only have 25 Amps of power available then you may want to choose a sauna room with a 6 Kw or less heater, thus a room ideally should be sized for a 6 Kw heater or smaller.
5. Personal or Social – If you prefer complete silence and find that bathing solo is your preference then you may not need a large sauna. However, if you like to enjoy the sauna relaxation experience with friends and family then you may want to build a larger room to accommodate those social gatherings.
6. Cost and budget – a sauna can be a great investment in increasing the value of your property. However, budget according to what you feel comfortable. A DIY sauna kit will be the least costly, but it will also require the most installation time and expertise. Ultimately the larger the sauna room you build the more the material cost will increase.
7. Corner Saunas- a corner sauna is very appealing and can take up less room. Consider a corner sauna when space is limited as the drawback is it holds less capacity.