"Luxury is in the detail. It’s not just about what you buy, but what it gives back to you."

That thought hits home when we talk about saunas. A custom-built sauna isn’t just a room with heat—it’s an investment in wellness, design, and daily ritual. But here’s the question most people have: what exactly am I paying for when I buy a custom sauna?

Let’s break it down.

The Materials That Shape the Experience (and the Budget)

Wood is the soul of the sauna. It affects aroma, comfort, longevity, and even how the heat feels.

Basic: A tight-knot cedar is a great entry point. It’s authentic, warm, and budget-friendly. Expect natural character—knots and varied grain—that many homeowners love.

Premium: Clear cedar or clear hemlock offers a calmer, more consistent look with fewer visual interruptions. These species are stable under heat and moisture, and they feel great on the skin.

Luxury: Our top tier uses hand-selected boards from our European manufacturer - Aspen, Alder, Magnolia. Each board is hand-inspected and then scanned in a Golden Eye X-ray machine to verify internal quality and consistency before it ever reaches your walls or benches. The result? Seamless lines, harmonized colour, and a truly heirloom build.

Bottom line: wood choice sets the tone for the entire experience—from visual calm to long-term stability.

The Heater: The Beating Heart (Don’t Cut Corners Here)

A sauna without a good heater is just a wooden shed. The heater dictates heat-up time, steam quality (löyly), efficiency, and overall safety. Here’s the hard truth about lower-cost heaters:

• They often don’t last. Thinner metals, budget elements, and small stone baskets fatigue quickly.

• Weak or no warranty. If something fails, you’re on the hook.

• Underpowered performance. Too few kilowatts for your room size means sluggish heat, poor steam, and a disappointing session.

• Potential safety gaps. Some budget units may skip robust protections (reliable high-temp limiters, sensors) or lack CSA/UL/ETL certification, increasing the risk of failure or fire—and almost guaranteeing a negative sauna experience.

What to look for:

• Correct kW for your room volume (including glass area)

• Recognized certifications (CSA/UL/ETL)

• Ample stone mass for stable heat and rich steam

• A clear, dependable warranty with available parts

High-end heaters cost more because they’re engineered to run for years, produce better steam, and protect your home. That’s worth it.

Craftsmanship and Custom Design

“Custom” means tailored to you—bench heights that fit your family, heater placement for airflow, lighting that calms, and materials that match your home. Design complexity plays a big role in budget: from simple straight benches to tiered layouts, and into waterfall or skirted bench executions that require precision joinery and additional labor.

The Invisible Details Only Specialists Sweat (And Why They Matter)

Great saunas are engineered experiences, not just pretty rooms. People who don’t specialize in sauna often miss small details that change everything:

• Ventilation can make or break your session. Fresh air intake and exhaust placement control oxygen, humidity, and heat stratification. Get it wrong and you’ll feel stuffy, light-headed, or simply… flat. Get it right and the heat feels clean, the steam rolls evenly, and recovery is bliss.

• Bench-to-ceiling height is critical. Heat layers in a sauna. If the upper bench sits too low, your head is in cooler air and the session feels lukewarm. Too high, and standing up can feel harsh and unsafe. The right ratio keeps your head in the hot layer while your feet aren’t freezing—comfortable, powerful, and repeatable.

• Heater sizing and placement. Room volume, glass area, and airflow patterns all change the required kW and where the unit should live for safe, even heat.

• Insulation, vapour control, and finishes. Miss a detail and you’ll fight moisture issues, wasted energy, and premature wear.

These are the quiet decisions that separate a “room that gets hot” from a true Finnish-style experience. This is why you work with experts.

Hidden Costs That Add Real Value

They’re not glamorous, but you feel them every day:

• Electrical: Proper wiring and breakers for performance and safety.

• Ventilation: Fresh air in, stale air out—better heat, better recovery.

• Insulation & vapour control: Keeps heat in and operating costs down.

Customization for Every Budget: Basic, Premium, Luxury

Not every sauna has to be the same—and not every budget has to stretch to the top. Here’s how features scale:

Basic

• Wood: Tight-knot cedar cladding and benches

• Design: Straightforward layout, single-level or simple tiered benches

• Heater: Properly sized, certified mid-range unit (no frills, solid performance)

• Essentials: Quality insulation, correct vapor control, simple lighting ➡ A functional, authentic sauna that hits the fundamentals without overreach.

Premium

• Wood: Clear cedar or clear hemlock for a refined, consistent look

• Design: Tiered benches with improved ergonomics; entry-level waterfall or skirted bench options for a cleaner visual line

• Heater: Designer unit with higher stone mass and excellent steam capability; stronger warranty. Even control the heater from your smart phone.

• Upgrades: Moisture-tuned ventilation, thoughtful controls, cleaner trim details ➡ A daily-use sanctuary that balances aesthetics and performance.

Luxury

• Wood: Individually selected luxury boards from European manufacturers—each board is hand-inspected and then run through a Golden Eye X-ray machine to verify internal quality

• Design: Bespoke geometry; waterfall/skirted benches with concealed supports; complex radii or floating effects; integrated lighting; larger glass treatments

• Heater: High-end model with smart controls, premium safety systems, and rich löyly—engineered for decades

• Integration: Aromatherapy, audio, custom accessories, and spa-level detailing ➡ A showpiece and a refuge—architecture and wellness in one.

So, What Are You Really Paying For?

Three things: longevity, personalization, and experience. The right wood feels better and lasts longer. The right heater makes every session worth looking forward to. And the right expertise—ventilation, bench heights, sizing—keeps you safe, efficient, and thrilled with every sit.

Could you go cheaper? Sure. But cheap usually means cutting corners—wood that moves or cracks, heaters that struggle or fail, and sessions that feel “meh.” Why settle when the whole point is to feel amazing?

Final Thought

A custom sauna isn’t just a purchase—it’s a legacy. It elevates your home, your health, and your everyday rituals. If you’d like, we can map your space and show Basic, Premium, and Luxury options side-by-side—materials, heater specs, bench design, and ventilation plan—so you can choose with confidence. Let’s build something that lasts.