ᐅ Sauna in the Main Bathroom or in the Basement?

Hello everyone,

we are currently in the middle of planning our single-family home. Originally, the plan was to create a wellness area in the basement with a sauna, shower/toilet, and a relaxation zone.
Our architect has now advised us to also consider the option of integrating the sauna into the main bathroom. That way, we would have a 25m² (270 sq ft) bathroom upstairs with a whirlpool bathtub, sauna, double sink, and a walk-in shower (the toilet would be separate, adjacent to it).
I would appreciate hearing about your experiences regarding where you placed the sauna in your home, whether you would do it the same way again, and if you actually use the area regularly.

Looking forward to your feedback.

Hello @Mausimaus,

In our first house, we had the sauna in the basement, with the shower, toilet, and relaxation area (living room) on the ground floor. That setup works well and is cozy.

In our current bungalow, we integrated the sauna into the main bathroom, which is more convenient as there are no stairs involved.

The challenge was always fitting the sauna area (2.2 x 2.2 m (7.2 x 7.2 ft)) into the floor plan. No general contractor offers a ready-made solution for that. Good luck with your planning!

Nida35a schrieb:

Hello @Mausimaus,

In our first house, we had the sauna in the basement, with the shower, toilet, and relaxation area (living room) on the ground floor. That setup works well and is cozy.
In our current bungalow, the sauna is in the main bathroom, which is more convenient since there are no stairs.
The challenge was always fitting the sauna space (2.2x2.2m (7.2x7.2 ft)) into the floor plan. No general contractor has a ready-made solution for this. Good luck with your planning!

Thank you very much for your input. Which option would you prefer if you were in our position?

@Mausimaus .. what is your situation? Would the bathroom with sauna then be part of a master suite? Are there children who might also like to use the sauna, maybe sometimes with friends? How is it for you, do you also want to use the sauna with friends?

kbt09 schrieb:

@Mausimaus .. what’s your situation? Would the bathroom with the sauna be part of a master suite? Do you have children who might also want to use the sauna, maybe with friends? How is it with you, do you plan to use the sauna with friends as well?

The bathroom with the sauna would be the main bathroom on the upper floor. We have two children (preschool and early elementary age) who currently do not use the sauna. We want the sauna for private use only, just my husband and me. Of course, the children could use the sauna later if they want to.
So far, we only know such a large bathroom from wellness vacations, where we have experienced a wellness suite and found it very appealing. However, I can’t yet judge whether it will be practical for everyday use.
There will also be a separate shower room.

Mausimaus schrieb:

Which option would you prefer in our situation?

It depends on the available space in the floor plan.
We removed the loungers by the sauna first, since the living room already has relaxing furniture, with music, a fridge, and a fruit tray.
If you are young and fit, the basement is definitely a good choice.
In our case, we initially reserved a placeholder in the basement measuring 2.5 x 2.5 meters (8.2 x 8.2 feet), without a basement window in that area, and added the sauna there 2 to 3 years later.
In the second plan, every centimeter counted on the ground floor.