Home sauna: how to integrate it into the interior

A home sauna is rarely something you simply add to an empty corner once the house is finished. Clients who want one usually sauna regularly and know they are going to use it. It is also a relatively significant investment, so it makes sense to treat it accordingly.

When designing a sauna, we therefore think beyond the cabin itself. Where it sits, what is next to it and where you go afterwards are just as important. A shower is the minimum. If space allows, we add somewhere to rest and cool down, sometimes connecting the sauna to a gym, hot tub or swimming pool.

Most importantly, a sauna requires building preparation. It is not an appliance that can simply be delivered at the end of a renovation and plugged into the nearest socket. Electrical supply, ventilation and its connection to the bathroom are best resolved as part of the project from the beginning.

When a standard sauna is not enough: OSICE

At villa OSICE, we designed our first sauna that simply could not be selected from a catalogue. The house works with unusual geometry and the rear wall of the sauna space leans considerably – and in the opposite direction to the sloping wall you would normally encounter in an attic.

In the end, designing the sauna was not the hardest part. Finding someone capable of building it was. At the time, most suppliers offered relatively standard modular solutions, while a custom sauna with an inclined rear wall required a completely different approach.

The sauna is connected to a small home gym and has its own bathroom. The entire wellness area was therefore designed as part of the layout of the house rather than as a cabin inserted afterwards. Even the technical installations are part of the architecture at OSICE – the ventilation ducts remain exposed on the ceiling.

A sauna does not have to be made of light-coloured wood

The conventional image of a Finnish sauna is light timber from floor to ceiling. We usually like to take it a little further. Wood inside a sauna cannot simply be stained with any standard product. At high temperatures, finishes and stains specifically designed for sauna use are required. Otherwise, substances unsuitable for such an environment could be released when the surface heats up. This is why achieving a genuinely dark or black finish is not as straightforward as it might seem.

Sometimes we use timber only for the benches and finish the surrounding walls with a seamless surface. In other projects we work with darker timber or integrated lighting beneath the benches. One of the most distinctive examples is the wellness area at VANGUARD, where we used black wood.

VANGUARD is not a private home wellness area but a shared facility within a residential building. Materially, however, it is a good example of how a sauna can become part of the architecture rather than looking like a separate timber box inserted into the room.

Where to place a home wellness area: Černošice

At a villa in ČERNOŠICE, we created a compact home wellness area with a standard all-timber sauna, shower and a small relaxation zone. There was not enough space for loungers, so we used armchairs instead. It is a good example of why home wellness does not need to occupy an entire floor. It is more important to arrange the individual functions well and adapt them to the space that is actually available.

If we have a choice, we generally prefer placing a home wellness area on the ground floor rather than upstairs. The sauna can connect directly to the garden, allowing you to step outside to cool down naturally during winter.

Wellness areas are also often connected to a home gym. Because of the noise, a gym is usually better kept away from bedrooms.

A sauna even in a small space: Újezd

A home sauna does not have to belong only to a large villa. During the renovation of a historic apartment in Újezd, we placed one directly into a niche in the bedroom. The space would otherwise probably have been occupied by a wardrobe. The clients, however, sauna regularly, so the sauna had greater value to them than additional storage. There was no complicated technical trick involved. We simply made use of a space that already existed within the layout.

Of course, this solution is not for everyone. Having a sauna a few steps from your bed requires a rather different approach to living than having a separate wellness area on the ground floor of a house.

But it demonstrates something important: a sauna in an apartment does not necessarily require a separate wellness room.

A sauna as part of the bathroom: Jiřího z Poděbrad

Our second apartment example is more universal in terms of everyday use. In the Jiřího z Poděbrad apartment, we placed the sauna inside a bathroom located behind the living room. It is a standard all-timber sauna supplied as a finished product. The bathroom also serves guests, so the room does not have only one specialised function. When the sauna is not being used, it remains a fully functional bathroom.

We always place a sauna close to a shower. Cooling down is a natural part of the sauna routine, so when deciding where to put the sauna, it is important to consider not only the dimensions of the cabin itself but also what needs to happen around it.

What needs to be prepared for a sauna during the project

A sauna is not something that can be added to a finished interior without preparation. A Finnish sauna in particular requires an appropriate electrical supply and protection according to the selected technology and heater output. You therefore cannot simply assume that it can later be connected to a standard socket.

During the design phase, we need to know where the sauna will be located and what type is planned. The electrical installation can then be prepared accordingly and coordinated with the other building services.

Ventilation of the surrounding space is equally important. In newer houses, mechanical ventilation with heat recovery is increasingly common and provides air exchange throughout the house. Then there is the connection to the shower, water supply, drainage and any other technologies associated with the home wellness area.

The later a sauna is introduced into the project, the harder all of these requirements become to coordinate.

What belongs with a home sauna: shower, cooling down and relaxation

A home wellness area does not end with the sauna itself. A shower is the minimum. If there is enough room, we also like to create somewhere to sit or lie down after the sauna. In larger wellness facilities, the sequence can be much more extensive. At VANGUARD, a swimming pool, hot tub, sauna, steam room, cooling showers, relaxation room and massage rooms all form part of one complex. A private home naturally tends to be much simpler, but the principle remains the same: after heating up comes cooling down and a moment of rest.

And sometimes you do not need a sauna at all. At the BOX barn, we have an outdoor wood-fired hot tub. In practical terms, it is almost the opposite of contemporary wellness technology. You have to light the stove several hours in advance and wait for the water to heat up. But once you are sitting in hot water in the middle of winter with snow all around you, the extra work is quickly forgiven.

Tips for a home sauna and wellness area

• Plan the sauna as part of the project. It needs appropriate building and electrical preparation, ventilation and a sensible connection to the bathroom. All of these are much harder to solve afterwards.
• Allow space around it as well. The sauna cabin itself is not enough. A shower is essential and, if space allows, an armchair, lounger or another place to relax is worth including.
• Consider the ground floor in a house. Direct access outside works particularly well in winter and makes it easy to connect the wellness area to the garden or a home gym.
• A sauna can also work in an apartment. It does not necessarily require its own room. It can become part of a bathroom or occupy a niche that might otherwise be used for storage.
• You do not have to stick to light-coloured wood. A sauna can follow the material language of the rest of the interior. Any coloured finish used on the timber must, however, be specifically designed for sauna conditions.
• Do not forget ventilation. A sauna is not an isolated piece of furniture. The room around it has to work properly from a technical and operational point of view.
• Install one if you are actually going to use it. A home sauna is not decoration for an empty corner. If sauna bathing is already part of your routine, it can become a great part of everyday living. If not, there may be better ways to use the same amount of space.

by Radka - 13. 8. 2026