ᐅ Sauna in the Main Bathroom or in the Basement?

DoTrouv schrieb:

No picture available at the moment, but I can take one once the unit is fully installed in December ;-) Wow, 30,000€ (about $33,000) is quite an amount. That should be enough. If money isn’t an issue, I’d visit the local Klafs dealer to see the S1 and get some advice. Bring your floor plan with you; they’ll then provide a customized offer. They come in different sizes and materials. Depending on the configuration, you’re likely to end up somewhere between 18,000 and 25,000€ (about $20,000–$28,000). Klafs is pricey, but the retractable solution is just really cool.

Thanks for the info. Klafs is definitely one of the manufacturers we are considering.
The 30,000€ (about $33,000) was simply the maximum budget I allocated for this. That doesn’t mean we have to spend that amount, of course. It would be great if we find a high-quality alternative for less.

HeimatBauer schrieb:

The key question is: if the sauna goes on a particular floor, what else would it replace? For me, it was a choice between a studio or a sauna — one goes in the basement, the other in the attic. So the choice was clear to me.
If it’s a choice between storage space or a sauna, then it’s also clear to me; I would put the storage room in the basement.

So if the sauna doesn’t displace anything on the upper floor, that’s perfect.

Because of the large floor area, the sauna would actually fit on any floor.
We have now informed the architect that our preferred location is the upper floor. From there, we could also easily create a relaxation room with a view of the fields and access to the balcony.
Our basement will not be a typical cellar but rather proper living space apart from the technical/utility room and storage area. It will have underfloor heating, hardwood floors, large windows, ventilation, etc. Among other things, we plan to create a fitness area, a sewing room, and another office down there.

While reading the thread, I kept thinking: big house, big basement. Why not have the basement with terrace doors on one side, providing access to a lower ground terrace with a barrel sauna, hot tub, and small steps leading to the garden?

And then you get something like this:

Mausimaus schrieb:

So with underfloor heating, hardwood floors, large windows, ventilation, etc. It will include a fitness area, among other things,

I imagine the sauna in the lower ground floor, next to the fitness area and such. Roof terraces can be appealing, also nice for enjoying a sundowner, but I only see a sauna in the upper floor in exceptional cases, and only if there is access to the garden. I associate a sauna with a winding, illuminated path at night, possibly followed by a late-night swim in the (hot tub) pool, and many tactile, relaxing surfaces—not with an above-ground rooftop terrace.

If the house is still being planned and budget is no issue, you can play with open spaces and staircases or galleries indoors, so everyone benefits, and the basement/lower ground floor, ground floor, and upper floor connect beyond just a staircase. In that sense, I would not even think in terms of floors or rooms, but see such wellness spaces as connectors between areas. And perhaps the sewing room would be better placed on the upper floor rather than having the bedroom in the basement or lower ground floor?!

There are pictures on Klafs’ website. For example:

ypg schrieb:

While reading the thread, I kept thinking: big house, big basement. Why not have the basement with patio doors on one side and access to a lower ground-level terrace with a barrel, hot tub, and small steps leading to the garden?
And then something like this comes up:

I see the sauna in the basement, next to fitness and similar facilities.
Roof terraces can be appealing, also great for a sundowner, but I only rarely see a sauna on the upper floor unless there is access to the garden. I combine the sauna with a winding, illuminated path for night use, possibly followed by nighttime bathing in the (hot tub) pool and many tactile, relaxing surfaces — but not with an above-ground rooftop terrace.
If the house is still in the planning phase and budget is not an issue, you can play with open spaces and stairs/galleries inside, so that everyone benefits and the basement/lower ground floor, ground floor, and upper floor connect beyond just the stairs — so I wouldn’t necessarily think in terms of floors or rooms, but see such wellness areas as connectors between zones. And maybe the sewing room would be better placed on the upper floor than the bedroom in the basement/lower ground floor?!

Thank you for your thoughts. Much of it sounds very interesting. We currently have the bedroom in the basement and consciously do not want to do that again.
On the other hand, we can very well imagine combining fitness and wellness in the basement. We have discussed with the architect that we want to see different design proposals regarding this.

Exactly, get some suggestions and then decide what feels best for you.

We also initially planned to combine the fitness room in the basement with a sauna. We have large patio doors leading to a small light well, from which a staircase will go up to the garden. So it would have been a good option, and it was actually our first preference and instruction to the architect.
He then showed us a design with the sauna in the bathroom, and in the end, we decided on that because I don’t use the fitness room as regularly as I should 😉)) and because we liked the privacy in the master area. That really is our space where we have peace and a retreat with the sauna.
But I think there is no right or wrong; you have to do what feels right for you.

A little fun fact: we also have a sewing room in the basement…