A Finnish sauna is a wooden cabin that is warmed up by a heater with rocks to an average temperature between 70°C and 90°C, with a maximum of 110°C. You can add water to the rocks for a short burst of steam that will leave your skin feeling hot, but the high air temperature usually stays above dewpoint (the point at which air becomes humid) so it remains dry. 

The cabin comes with a timber floor mat, benches, backrest, electric heater with digital controls, lighting and accessory pack as standard. 

A Finnish sauna provides the perfect place to unwind. You simply turn it on and either sit or lie down on the benches that are installed inside (depending on which sauna size you have) and allow yourself to be absorbed in the heat. You can choose your preferred temperature level and decide how much time you spend in there – but remember that the upper level will be hotter because heat rises. If you’re new to the experience, we recommend starting lower and slowly increasing. 

Most people will sit inside for about 15 minutes before having a cold shower, resting for 30 minutes, and then repeating the same pattern. You can do this two or three times, so that an average session lasts about two hours.

All of our saunas come flat-packed with assembly instructions. Unless you’re a dab hand at DIY, we suggest you choose a local fitter or carpenter to install it. If you can’t find anyone local, we can recommend someone who is familiar with our products. 

The wall and ceiling panels are pre-constructed, but the benches, backrest and floor mats will need to be assembled before they go in. For a two-person sauna, it will typically take around one day to install; anything larger will take longer.

All our Finnish sauna heaters must be hardwired to the mains with an all-pole isolator switch. Our domestic sauna heaters can be wired with a single-phase or three-phase connection. The electrical connection to the heater must be carried out by a qualified electrician. 

Handy hints:

Watch our Oceanic Finnish Sauna installation video. 

Read our installation manuals for the sauna cabin and heater. 

Room layout 

Start by planning the layout for your sauna. The room layout is made up of a number of panels, which sit under the timber cladding. The standard wall panel size is 615mm wide x 1,895mm tall x 50mm thick. A half panel is 307mm wide x 1,895mm tall x 50mm thick. Choose from a wide range of predetermined sizes. For example, our 2020 model is two full panels deep by two full panels wide. All the wall and ceiling panels are built in our factory and are fully insulated. 

If you can’t find the right size, we can modify panels for a fee. Just get in touch with our sales department and we can make any of our custom sizes smaller to suit your dimensions. 

See our full list of shapes and sizes. 

Glass Panel layout

Glass panels can be added to the sauna to let in more natural light, help you see in and make a small area feel more spacious. We can add in glass panels in three different ways.

Timber cladding

There are two types of timber that can be used to line the inside and the outside areas on show. We fix the timber to the panel frame so that you can’t see the nails, giving it a smooth, clean finish.

Spruce is an ideal material for saunas because it has low heat absorption and a low resin content. In the northern areas of Scandinavia where it’s cooler, the trees are pruned and thinned and they grow slowly to provide strong, straight timbers. The timber is kiln dried in the country of origin, then checked for quality before being assembled into a sauna cabin. We only purchase top-grade material that is free from dead knots, splits and shakes.  

Western Canadian hemlock is another excellent timber for saunas. It doesn’t warp even when exposed to extreme conditions, it’s knot and resin free, very hard and strong and has an attractive straight grain. Hemlock ranges in colour from warm reds to browns, which combine to create a beautiful appearance. This timber is typically around twice the cost of Scandinavian spruce so it will affect the final price of your sauna. The frame of any glass or door panels will also be made from Hemlock if selected.

Note that for Layouts A and B one side wall is clad externally in hemlock with the rear and other side wall clad externally in spruce. Layout C the side timber wall and rear wall are both externally clad in spruce. This is to make the hemlock option more affordable.

Bench kit

Our bench kits come with benches, backrests and floor mats. Benches can be open or filled in, but please note that we use more timber for the filled-in option so it’s more expensive.

You can choose from either spruce or knot-free abachi timber for the benches, backrests and floor mats. Abachi timber is less dense and cooler to the touch, so you don’t need a towel when you sit on it, but it is typically around twice the price of spruce. The optional bench infills are only available in abachi timber.

Glass colour

You can choose two different types of glass, both cost the same. There is clear glass and a darker bronze-tinted glass, which helps to create a more private and atmospheric environment. 

Sauna heater

The Oceanic Finnish Sauna is supplied with a Finnish-style electric sauna heater with sauna rocks. You can add water to the rocks if you want but this is primarily a dry sauna. If you want to increase the humidity, there’s an option to add a small steam generator and convert the sauna into a saunarium. A heater guard and rocks are supplied with all heaters as standard. 

For most domestic Finnish saunas (up to and including 6kw) we provide an Oceanic wall-mounted Finnish sauna heater with built-in digital controls. This heater is the simplest to install, requiring one power cable to the heater. For some saunas there is not enough space in front of the heater for the built in control

For some saunas, you can choose the Apollo heater that stands on the floor and has more rocks. It requires less maintenance and is more efficient. You can also add a steamer attachment which is controlled through our saunarium control system to provide more humidity. 

External controls

If you would like an external keypad to control the sauna, you can upgrade. There are three keypads available: the standard Oval keypad, our touchscreen OSX keypad or a third party touch button control with wireless interface. All heaters over 6kw require external controls.

The Oval keypad allows you to digitally program the start time, working time and target temperature for the sauna. You can also add up to two lighting circuits. The keypad also displays diagnostic information, such as if the sauna overheats.

The OSX keypad has increased functionality and is simpler to use and includes a child-lock function.

The FFES wireless control system allows you to control the sauna via an iphone/andoirdapp. This feature must only be used with a safety device such as the door interlock or the towel guard.

Speakers 

Want to add in a few more gadgets? If you fancy listening to some music while you kick back, we can provide bluetooth speakers or heat-proof IP-rated speakers that can be fitted into the ceiling panels.