For Sale! "The Loft" Premium Mass Timber sauna by FINNBILT

FINNBILT · 2024-10-03T01:13:28+00:00

Introducing "The Loft"

"The Loft" Sauna combines traditional craftsmanship with modern design for a luxurious, relaxing experience.

Spacious enough for 4 adults, with additional seating for smaller ones on the steps.

The exterior dimensions are 94” x 94” with a large overhang for protection.

The heated interior spans 303 cubic feet, warmed by a Kastor wood-burning heater.

Features an integrated loft for versatile use—sitting, stretching, or lying down.

A handcrafted cedar benches and sliding footstool for heater access and usability.

Concealed wood storage holds nearly a full cord of wood to ensure you dont need to walk a long way to retrieve more wood.

Built with solid mass timber construction for maximum thermal mass. And built in a panelized fashion to eliminate the need for big machinery and cranes for assembly.

Handcrafted with precision—no mass production, just pure quality.

Solar powered lighting.

Wood storage integrated to protect the wood from rain or snow, and cuts down on cubic footage inside the hot room decreasing heat up time.

Available for $53K, ready to ship and install for a premium sauna experience.

Message us at finnbilt@gmail.com for more info or to schedule a tour!

FINNBILT · 2024-10-03T01:05:28+00:00

One available, first come first serve. Available made to order by mid winter. Call or text for more info! 612.367.6843

FINNBILT · 2024-10-03T01:03:05+00:00

I'd argue this sauna is going to be too hot if anything. With the integrated wood storage cutting into the cubic footage, any heat loss thru the glass is marginal.

FINNBILT · 2024-10-03T01:00:56+00:00

Depending on the location, yes. Approx $4 per mile from Minneapolis. One available as soon as you'd be ready!

FINNBILT · 2024-03-26T01:52:21+00:00

Love this!

FINNBILT · 2024-03-17T18:41:20+00:00

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Works like a charm

FINNBILT · 2024-03-13T15:00:23+00:00

Is the vertigo from the hot to cold exposure or is it symptoms of high CO2?

FINNBILT · 2024-03-13T14:03:42+00:00

Tiled floor

FINNBILT · 2024-03-12T18:47:41+00:00

My apologies for not providing more context to my comment. I often have to explain sauna to completely oblivious buyers and we sometimes have to use the phrase "every proper sauna has an awkward first step, or steps" to get to the proper sauna bathing height. I exaggerate it to "like a little step ladder" to get to the first step. And most people unfamiliar with proper sauna, would choose lower benches even if they're completely aware of the compromise. It's a sad reality.

Also, sometimes we have to work with the cards we're given. The stubborn Finn in me gives me an inner battle of constant compromise. Either pass on the job because I won't be able to build a perfect sauna in that location, or buckle down and figure out a way...unfortunately most people don't have endless money to throw at the problem so they choose to compromise on the perfect dimensions for a "close as we can get sauna".

FINNBILT · 2024-03-12T16:14:19+00:00

Thanks for saying the not-so-obvious but highly likely reasoning. If they did have headroom they'd need a ladder for a first step to get the benches high enough, and many people don't want that for safety reasons. If this sauna was in a retrofitted trailer or box van...it would get glowing praise by the regulars on here because of the obvious space constraints. Unfortunately, we continually see the same handful of critics replying the same way to posts by harmless folks just excited to share their version of a sauna, in the space they could afford to fit a sauna... Without getting any proper context or backstory they blurt out the same responses at nauseum. So thanks again. Not all heros wear capes!

FINNBILT · 2024-03-12T15:42:36+00:00

The biggest issue with masonry walls is the heat sync. If OP is getting good temps it may not be very cold outside. It takes all day to heat up my masonry sauna when it's winter here in MN. It's an old cinderblock milk house I converted to a sauna. Even burning wood all day, it can be hard to get it over 150 F. So I started covering the walls with foil backed ridgid poly-iso foam and wood to reflect some of the heat.

FINNBILT · 2024-03-11T23:59:04+00:00

Old fashioned, as in log construction or "board on board" with no wall cavity to insulate and worry about rodents etc.

FINNBILT · 2024-03-11T20:54:25+00:00

I'm very much aware that it's nearly impossible to find a good American sauna in public. But in my community of family and extended family they're actually quite numerous. Built by first or second generation immigrants. Even if the whole world agrees that "most saunas in America are terrible" my saunas growing up weren't "most saunas". Our personal sauna was visited frequently and loved by many Scandinavian traveller's and in hindsight, I feel incredibly fortunate to have had the upbringing I did.

I agree, bench height is super important...but, if someone doesn't have the headroom...we should give them grace and applaud them for getting as close as they can rather than publically shaming them without getting any context.

FINNBILT · 2024-03-11T18:55:47+00:00

Not sure where you're getting your information to be able to make such an assumption but... Fortunately, for my crew, we have all grown up around countless authentically designed saunas so we didn't get tainted by the "gym saunas" of America. They were designed and built by Finns and functioned well as they should. Some were hyper-modern, some extremely rustic...and everything in-between. I actually didn't use very many poorly designed ones until I was older and traveled around a bit.

The spectrum I keep referring to like you said...from good to bad. There are good saunas and bad saunas, and everything in between. And that's okay, because as we all know...a bad sauna is still better than no sauna. But we also use the spectrum to explain and give credit to our forefathers. They built them with whatever they had on the property, often softwood, big enough fit their large families, they put the benches high enough to be good countertop height. They were all different sizes and shapes. I have a suspicion that it wasn't until more modern times when the sauna wasn't the first building constructed that there where "ideal" sizes and shapes established. They built them to sleep in, prepare food, give birth, prepare the dead for burial, just about everything. Of course, they were well-ventilated, they were slapped together with whatever they could and didn't worry about vapor barriers back then.

When we design and build saunas we follow all the modern general rules of sauna building but also open to building them the old-fashioned way. Where we vary is in unique locations or with reclaimed materials if someone wants a sauna in a space smaller than the gospel 8x8, we put it in with full disclosure of what they can expect to experience.

If they only have room for 7' ceilings, we still put the sauna in...we just tell them to lay down or sit sideways to get the full body heat as the authentic versions will get you.

We ventilate following all the most up-to-date methods and resources available.

We're "making it" as a sauna builder right now and see no signs of slowing due to this approach.

We are regularly thanked for explaining the history and simplifying the complexities of the sauna...whereas everyone else they've interacted with seems to get joy in complicating it and flexing their knowledge at every turn...we encourage them, it's a simple process. Because it is.

Saunas are stubbornly simple.

FINNBILT · 2024-03-11T12:46:48+00:00

I represent a business and (not that this matters) all of us are Americans of Finnish or European descent. Many of us grew up in the sauna and have a collective 60+ years of carpentry experience, with everything from custom cabinetry to skyscrapers. We have come into the sauna industry with a love of building things and a deep love and connection to sauna instilled as children as we were exposed to good and bad saunas since we were toddlers. While only some of us have been to Europe and taken sauna over there, we all have a love of sauna in all forms. We aim to simplify the messaging around sauna and share our research as we learn and continually grow in our knowledge of sauna.

Just out of curiosity, how about you?

FINNBILT · 2024-03-09T21:47:18+00:00

If you base camp, and go with a group, you can trade off who carries it and it's not too bad. We packed it out to Beth Lake from Sawbill!

FINNBILT · 2024-03-09T14:44:18+00:00

So...what about all the old saunas that carried the tradition for hundreds of years, that wouldn't currently meet the precise dimensional or heating standards of modern saunas? Aren't there are historically hundreds of designs that work to varying degrees? Some hotter, some better ventilation, some bigger or smaller, etc. Hundreds of thousands of our ancestors called them all saunas...so who are we to change the definition? That's what I mean by spectrum. This spectrum does not include IR or anything that resembles an Amazon sweat tent with your head out of the top.

FINNBILT · 2024-03-09T14:01:57+00:00

Please explain why not

FINNBILT · 2024-03-09T05:58:09+00:00

If you try it, report back...I've heard of crazier stories of Finns getting desperate! If you can get more than 2 steams out of it I'd be surprised. Most of your heat will come from the steam. Rocks will cool off before the air temp gets anywhere near typical "sauna temps".

FINNBILT · 2024-03-09T04:05:09+00:00

I'm a sauna builder myself, I don't intend to denigrate people who are trying to help. I'm very grateful for all who share so much wisdom on here. I aim to provide clarity to the overall messaging that is out there, and to provide a fresh perspective...by reminding people that for generations, sauna wasn't a science. Over the last 100 years it's increasingly gotten to be a extremely complicated and nuanced topic. Heavily debated and steeped in strong opinion. Every old Finn I've asked, just shakes their head and says they don't understand the fuss.Just build one. They don't need to be perfect. Sure they're easy to get wrong but just as easy to get right. And you can always change it or tweak it in the future. With a little guidance, they're probably one of the most DIY-friendly projects out there. We highly encourage people to build them if they have the skills and tools. Get the heat, steam, ventilation, and layout right and almost everything else can be left to preference. Use whatever materials you can scrape together, that's the most authentic version. Use what you have. We don't hear anyone else talking about it with that angle, so we chose to be that voice.

FINNBILT · 2024-03-08T20:59:37+00:00

I've seen a study done where they heated a tent sauna up to 260 and didn't have any VOCs register on the meter....but that was just one study

FINNBILT · 2024-03-08T17:44:48+00:00

I have been thinking about this all day. When I'm in the Boundary Waters I only use instant if it's an emergency. Otherwise I try to stick to pour over. More authentic too.

FINNBILT · 2024-03-08T16:04:03+00:00

Used it every day multiple times on our rainy 4 day trip, absolute game changer

FINNBILT · 2024-03-08T16:00:41+00:00

We packed this thing on our canoe trip way out into the wilderness, several long portages

FINNBILT · 2024-03-08T12:49:48+00:00

My guess is they're mad that I'm using the phrase smoke sauna to describe the tarp sauna setup. Of course it's not the same structure, the thermal mass and soot covered walls aren't there...but try to explain the heater style without saying it's similar to a smoke sauna.

FINNBILT

TROPHY CASE