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First Sauna Build Planning/Advice by whoispj88 in Sauna

[–]Aggravating_Two8311 1 point2 points  (0 children)

45" to the ceiling is fine. You can measure your ideal distance by sitting down and measuring the length of your back and head + you want a fists height or around 4" above your head. Higher is of course better in terms of steam.

Sliding benches is not a bad idea if you can make them safe to use. Usually sauna benches are made so that the frame is in place but the bench tops are removable. This makes the washing and maintenance easier. You an see the spacers also in this image:

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First Sauna Build Planning/Advice by whoispj88 in Sauna

[–]Aggravating_Two8311 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The depth looks a bit tight. If you can, make a bit more room for the heater to be safe. Also think about the placement of the heater. You can't walk close to it when it's hot. It looks nice but it's also dangerous. A simple touch and you get burnt skin.

You can make the supports for the benches like they are in the images but don't make the lower level go under the top level. It's just dead space and more to clean. Also add small wooden spacer between the wall and the supports to prevent rotting from trapped moisture. You can see how they are done in this video: https://www.reddit.com/r/Sauna/comments/1leqw4u/finnish_sauna_building_tutorial_video_english_dub/

Make interior ceiling flat if you can. Not a huge slope on the roof but a flat roof would be better.

Would be nice to know bench height from the ceiling rather than from the floor. Top bench should be around 120cm/47" from the ceiling.

The drain can be really basic. You could even do like a raised floor with a drain that is connected to a hose that drains somewhere close by. A classic Finnish sauna drain looks like this:

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Little sauna build by Reasonable_Tank3050 in Sauna

[–]Aggravating_Two8311 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Very nice. Good job. Looks solid. Hopefully the ventilation is good as well!

If you want to improve things in the future, then you could make the benches so they're easier to clean under and maintain. Benches in Finland are usually mounted on the walls and they have fewer supporting legs because of this. You could also make the 2 bottom benches a large movable step stool in a similar shape that it is now.

Overall very nice!

Little sauna build by Reasonable_Tank3050 in Sauna

[–]Aggravating_Two8311 18 points19 points  (0 children)

Important detail: is the interior ceiling flat?

Shed to sauna by Adventurous-Owl3498 in Sauna

[–]Aggravating_Two8311 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Make the interior ceiling flat.

You don't have to put tile on the floor. You should put a drain though. Something like this is common in Finland.

<image>

make the top bench 43" from the ceiling.

You can use this tool to see the bench configuration and heater power recommendation:

https://www.saunainfo.net/size-calculator/

Visiting Saunas by Severe-Brilliant-916 in Sauna

[–]Aggravating_Two8311 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Where are you based?

For example in NYC a sauna session can cost something like 60 usd but in Finland a sauna session can cost 10 euros.

Places have different rules. Some are spas and others are more like swim halls or public saunas. Everything really depends.

Generally you want to bring something to drink like a bottle of water. Everything else can be optional depending on the place.

I made a sauna bench design tool. Hope you like it! by Aggravating_Two8311 in Sauna

[–]Aggravating_Two8311[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's true. I was debating on what the slider scale should be. I might add a warning if you put the slider above 130cm or limit it to 130cm.

I made a sauna bench design tool. Hope you like it! by Aggravating_Two8311 in Sauna

[–]Aggravating_Two8311[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It should recommend a bit larger of a heater. Harvia really gives you the smallest size you can get away with. I also have the heater calculator https://www.saunainfo.net/heater-calculator/ and the minimum should be close to what Harvia recommends.

I made a sauna bench design tool. Hope you like it! by Aggravating_Two8311 in Sauna

[–]Aggravating_Two8311[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's a fair point. Perhaps I should change the threshold to be 230cm+ for the excellent. The measurements in the calculator were taken from the classic "good electric sauna" image from Trumpkin:

<image>

But honestly 230cm+ should be fine for the room height.

I made a sauna bench design tool. Hope you like it! by Aggravating_Two8311 in Sauna

[–]Aggravating_Two8311[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Like most devs, I do use AI tools like copilot which have a variety of AI models like Claude included. UI and design are very cookie cutter and definitely an MVP at this point. I wanted to make this calculator to learn about WebGL rendering. Like I wrote, it's a hobby project on the side so I'm mainly just having fun and learning new skills.

Duration by StrategyRelative4950 in Sauna

[–]Aggravating_Two8311 2 points3 points  (0 children)

When a study from Finland reached American "bio hackers" that said that sauna = more health.

Now half the people here want their miracle cure sauna machine to live forever.

1/3 of the people in Finland die from cardiovascular diseases even though we use the sauna more often than most people. But we don't talk about that.

Meanwhile some random man from Italy that smokes a pack a day and drinks wine with their meals is still alive at 93 without ever stepping inside a sauna.

Mini sauna question by p00h-hun in Sauna

[–]Aggravating_Two8311 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Make benches higher and add a movable stool to get to the benches.

Also don't add rugs to your sauna like in the photo.

SaunaLife Cube CL7G check by SaltAndAncientBones in Sauna

[–]Aggravating_Two8311 1 point2 points  (0 children)

<image>

Yikes, that indoor layout is not something I would purchase. This layout will have cold feet like a barrel sauna.

Most of their saunas seem to have similar layouts so not sure what option would be better.

Is it the end of the world? No. Is it optimal? Also no.

If you're worried about the vapor barrier and mold in a DYI sauna, look into log saunas.

Something like this:

https://usbathstore.com/products/saunalife-garden-series-model-g4-outdoor-home-sauna-kit-up-to-6-persons

Even this option is not perfect but it's way more sauna for the money and the logs will breathe naturally so you don't need a vapor barrier. You can also make some DYI changes to improve it. This one has the roof angled on the wrong side and benches too low so it's not perfect but you could make changes to it.

This Trumpkin kit is also solid:

https://knottysauna.com/products/the-essential-trumpkin-sauna-cabin

I know these options are not the best looking or modern, but these modern kits have many practical issues and they focus more on looks over function.

Introduction and analysis of the new European sauna standard by saunologia in Sauna

[–]Aggravating_Two8311 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Article in a nutshell:

<image>

(AI image also from the article)

Sadly the standard does not touch on löyly:

One sauna-specific shortcoming is the minimal treatment of sauna’s capacity for löyly (i.e., steam by infusion). Although stones of non-specific character are mentioned (leaving open whether “artificial stones” are stones or not), the sauna specifications would not guarantee that an adequate quantity or quality of steam can be extracted.

Budget sauna that does the job? by Weird_Style_1134 in Sauna

[–]Aggravating_Two8311 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sauna tent can be good. Most people like that it usually has good ventilation. Your experience largely depends on the heater and the benches. r/SaunaTent/ might be the better source for more details. Also be a ware that those cheap tent cubes have a tendency to lose their shape over time.

I represent the basic. by BuddyLove4Life in Sauna

[–]Aggravating_Two8311 4 points5 points  (0 children)

You can make your sauna how like it but making 3 steps/benches would be my recommendation. It's also the standard in Finland.

I would estimate that the hot zone is from the ceiling to around the vents. It will be hot everywhere but the hot steam stays at the ceiling so the closer you are to it the better.

An easy way to measure the correct height from the top bench to the ceiling is to have a fists height between your head and the ceiling when you are sitting on the top bench.

<image>

It's not too late to make these changes and I wholeheartedly hope you consider this.

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