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SAUNAS ARE A HOT TOPIC IN CONTEMPORARY HOME DESIGN

BY LIZA GRANT SMITH

Traditionally, saunas have been relegated to basements or unused corners of a home or backyard. Today’s custom saunas, however, are taking center stage. What’s changed? Just about everything.

“Saunas have now become not only a health and performance room but also a fashion statement,” says Peter Santolalla, project manager at Boca Raton–based Saunas & Steam Rooms by Design. “We normally convert cabana bathrooms, closets, tub areas, toilet rooms, etc. into beautiful rooms that change the look of the area into private spas.”

Santolalla credits some of the increase in sauna demand to technology that allows firms like his to create 3D designs of a customized room and make any necessary changes before construction. Technology is also to thank for the popular trend of hybrid sauna rooms. Whereas people once had to choose between a traditional Finnish sauna (that harnesses the power of dry heat) and infrared saunas (that use infrared lamps to warm the body), today the two can be installed in the same room and used together or separately.

A wealth of cool options certainly helps with the allure of in-home saunas. While Santolalla prefers the look and smell of cedar (traditional for Finnish saunas), he acknowledges that the variety of wood available to work with—including engineered wood, which is making a push to enter the market—has never been greater.

But the bells and whistles go far beyond material choice and basic design. In addition to infrared systems, saunas can be equipped with everything from aromatherapy to chromotherapy lights (that use color to stimulate natural healing) to Himalayan salt walls (that emit negative ions to reduce stress and anxiety and replenish minerals lost due to environmental pollution Numerous options and stressful living). As for his client’s favorite feature, Santolalla points to WiFi capabilities. “With this application, users can manage the sauna system from basically anywhere via WiFi,” he says. “The benefit is that they can turn on the sauna before arriving home and have the room ready to use at the desired temperature as soon as they get there.” Above all, Santolalla notes that it’s important to determine a client’s goals early on. “Some clients prefer looks and want their sauna to be a visual masterpiece. On the other hand, some hardcore sauna users are willing to compromise looks for performance. These users want as

currently exist for custom in-home saunas, including outdoor structures or those embedded in bathrooms.

little glass as possible and the room to be as compact as possible, so the heat doesn’t leave the room easily.

“The second preference factor is the actual size. We have done rooms for athletes who request enough room for training bikes and treadmills. Other people ask for enough room for stretching and to practice yoga. Still others want more bench space for multiple users at one time. We adapt to the client but always recommend what’s best for the performance of the room.” (saunasbydesign.com) «

Key considerations for clients during the in-home sauna design process are aesthetics and performance.

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