Frequently Asked Questions

Who is behind Peak Sauna Ice?

Peak is a family business run by Andrew and Eva, an experienced carpenter and a physiotherapist. That pairing means saunas that are built properly and grounded in how heat and cold affect the body. We care about the build of your sauna and ice bath and how you get the most from it. We have a great team behind us, who support you from enquiry through to install and beyond.

What makes Peak different?

Peak started with a simple realisation: a custom built sauna is not accessible for everyone. So we took Andrew's experience and expertise in custom building saunas and collaborated with a sauna manufacturer in China on a design that brings a manufactured sauna as close to a custom build as we could. A manufactured process cannot replicate a custom build, but it can get close, and that was the brief.

We did not go into this asking how to bring a sauna to you as cheaply as possible. We asked how to bring you a sauna at a good price that is built to be structurally sound, that works as a sauna room, with excellent insulation and a timber suited to sauna use, one that stays comfortable to the touch when the room is hot, and that looks good (not the most important, but close). Every choice was made through Andrew's lens as a carpenter, so it is something he is comfortable standing next to, and through Eva's lens as a physio involved in product design. Andrew and Eva draw on their respective skill sets to look into what a sauna needs: the R value and insulation, the build, the height of the benches, alongside the whys behind it, the research and the science. That is why our barrel and cube staves are 38mm thick, and why the Macedon cabin is a framed, insulated 62mm wall that Andrew developed and designed in close collaboration with our manufacturer. Plenty of saunas look alike at first glance. The difference is in that detail.

We are a local family business with a small team behind us, and you can reach the founders at any time. And it is complete. When we started, Andrew did every install himself, and we learned how many moving parts there are in bringing a sauna to someone's home. As we have grown we have kept that oversight and care: we look after the process from end to end, and we want to be your one touch point to coordinate and run the install. The only things to factor in separately are the electrical connection and any site prep. We can consult on both, quote the site prep, and link you with electricians from our network who can quote the heater connection. And our pricing is transparent, so if you would rather collect and install yourself, you can see exactly what that looks like.

Can I see one in person?

Yes. Come and see a sauna at our display at Home Innovations, Frankston. Give us a heads up when you are heading down and we can come and meet you. If you are regional or interstate, we can walk you through a sauna over a video call instead. Call us on 0485 017 325. Note there is no ice bath on display.

How do I get started?

Well done, you have already taken the first step by reading these FAQs. We hope they have been helpful.

If you like to read ahead, continue through to our website, and we hope the information there is helpful too. There are blogs on site prep and on electrical as well, same caveat, if you enjoy reading.

If you would rather talk with someone, please reach out. We love talking saunas, and any question we do not know the answer to, we will go away and find. We can talk you through site prep and electrical over a call, send you more information, and you can send us photos and we will have a look from there.

If you feel you have enough information and just want to see what the costings will be, request a quote.

How does buying a sauna work, step by step?

• Get in touch, or request a quote on the website. We talk through the model, the size, where it is going and your power. Photos of the spot and of your switchboard help at this stage.
• You receive an itemised quote. Prices include GST, delivery and expert installation are included across Melbourne metro and the Mornington Peninsula, and the quote is valid for 14 days.
• Accept the quote and pay the 40 percent deposit, by bank transfer or card with no surcharge. Online, you can pay 10 percent at checkout and the rest of the deposit within 7 days. Finance through Handy Pay is available.
• We confirm where your sauna is: in stock, about 1 to 3 weeks; in transit, about 4 to 6 weeks; in production, 10 to 14 weeks from order confirmation.
• You prepare the base, or we quote the site prep, and you send us photos so we can confirm the site and the access before the install is booked. Book your electrician early, and tell them if any cable needs to go in before the sauna does.
• The second 40 percent is due when your sauna is produced and ready to ship, or, for a sauna in stock or on the water, two weeks after the deposit or 5 days before install, whichever comes first.
• Install day. The team arrives between 7am and 10am and assembles the sauna in the agreed spot. The heater arrives with the sauna and is there ready for your electrician to install from the day after. The final 20 percent is due on the day.
• Your electrician connects the heater. You wash and place the stones, run the burn-off and have your first session, following the Post-Install and Use Guide. We follow up after the install, again once the heater is connected, then at about two weeks and a month.

How do I contact you?

Phone 0485 017 325, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. Email hello@peaksaunaice.au for enquiries and orders, and warranty@peaksaunaice.au for anything under warranty. You can also request a quote on the website. Our display sauna is at Home Innovations, Frankston Power Centre, 111 Cranbourne Road, Frankston VIC 3199, open seven days, so give us a heads up before you head down and we can meet you there. Collections are from our Seaford warehouse, by appointment. We are Peak Sauna and Ice Pty Ltd, ABN 29 135 289 983.

Where are your Terms and Conditions and policies?

In the footer of the website: Terms and Conditions, Privacy Policy, Shipping Policy and Cancellation Policy. Accepting a quote means accepting the Terms and Conditions, and anything in these FAQs that touches on payment, lead times, delivery, cancellation or warranty follows them. If anything here and the Terms ever read differently, the Terms apply.

Do you supply gyms, studios and hotels?

Yes, we do. There is additional consideration that goes into a commercial space. Our standard range can sit comfortably in a commercial setting. However, you may want to customise the sauna to accommodate more people, which we can help with and coordinate. The differences to note: the sauna needs a commercial grade heater, and the ice bath needs a commercial grade chiller. We discuss all of it with you and work alongside you from the planning stage through to installation.

Where can I read reviews and see past installs?

Our Google reviews are linked on the website, and the gallery of past installs is on the website and on our Instagram.

What makes Peak's saunas different?

Peak is a Melbourne-based, family-run business. Every Peak sauna is considered and designed by a carpenter who spent years building high-end homes and then specialised in building bespoke saunas, and a physiotherapist who understands the science and physiology of heat and cold. It shows in the details: thicker timber, full-length boards, 8mm toughened glass, stainless steel fixings, carefully placed ventilation and Harvia heaters sized to the room. Our indoor and outdoor signature cabin saunas share the same style of insulated wall as our bespoke hand-built saunas. We handle the full install, and we are here to help before, during and after. If our range does not quite fit your space, we can customise one of our saunas or design and build one from scratch.

Who is behind Peak?

Peak is a Melbourne-based family business. Our saunas are designed by our co-founder Andrew, a qualified carpenter. Before Peak, he ran a residential building business in Melbourne, building high-end, architect-designed homes. He brought those skills to building custom saunas, and that work led to designing our own range. Andrew worked closely with our manufacturer to carry what he had learned from custom sauna design and building into how our Peak cabin saunas are made, and made informed and considered choices about the thickness and build style of our stave built barrels and cubes. Our saunas are designed in Australia and made in China, built for stability and longevity. Andrew started this business from his own experience of using heat and cold to support his wellbeing and sport performance.

Our co-founder Eva is a physiotherapist, with more than 20 years of working with the human body. Heat and cold have been part of her treatment practice since her first days in physiotherapy, alongside the foundations of movement, biomechanics and physiology, and a deeper understanding of breathing as a breathing educator. Moving into the sauna and cold plunge space extended that: heat and cold went from something you apply to a person's body to a space they put their body into, with the wider benefits that come with it. She has spent time reviewing the research that sits behind heat and cold, she understands the nuances of a claim, and she brings that clinical thinking to how the science is learned, reviewed and presented here. Physiotherapy builds habits that carry well into a business like ours: customer care, structured process and attention to detail. Eva has also worked in design and development in children's footwear, and brings that across into the design and consideration of our saunas. She is passionate about helping people feel better, and loves how saunas and ice baths tick that box.

Andrew and Eva built Peak on strong values, in how we build and in how we care. We have a team who share those values, who look after you from your first enquiry through to install and beyond.

Are you local to me?

If you are in Melbourne, yes. We are a local team, available to help and guide you before, during and after your purchase, and here if anything goes wrong with your sauna. If you are regional or interstate, our partner installers extend that support into areas we cannot get to directly, and we stay closely involved in any aftercare. That is an important part of what we offer, wherever you are.

Other sauna companies say they are the best in Australia. Why do you not say that?

We think we are, and we hope you will too. The reasons come out in the information we share with you, not in a slogan. Our co-founder Eva is a registered physiotherapist, and registered health providers work under strict rules on how they advertise. She has carried that standard into this business, even though it is not a requirement of the industry. If you spot something that is not accurate, please let us know so we can look into it.

How are Peak's barrel and cube saunas built?

Our barrel and cube saunas are built from 38mm timber staves, where the standard in the market is 30mm. Staves are full-length boards, not finger-jointed from shorter pieces as is common. The result is a thicker, more stable wall. The thickness of the wall also matters for insulation. We spent time working out what thickness would give the best R value, the measure of insulation: the Goldilocks thickness, where the timber gives a stable build and effective insulation.

How are Peak's cabin saunas built?

Our Macedon, Sabine and Franklin cabins have 62mm timber-framed walls. From the inside out:

• 12mm interior cedar lining
• vapour barrier
• 30mm timber frame, filled with insulation
• 8mm ply
• 12mm exterior cedar cladding

In looking at the market we have seen timber lining as thin as 6mm.

Are your indoor saunas built differently from your outdoor ones?

No. Our indoor and outdoor saunas come from the same manufacturing process, with the same wall thickness, linings and insulation. That means our indoor Sabine can also go in a covered outdoor space, like an undercover patio or alfresco area, and you still get the full insulated wall panels of an outdoor sauna. It will perform better than an indoor sauna built only for indoor use. Read more: Can an outdoor sauna go inside, or an indoor one outside? in Choosing Your Sauna.

What timber do you use?

FSC certified Japanese cedar across the range. It is low in resin, stable through the heat and humidity cycle, and stays comfortable to touch even when the sauna is hot. It is a heartwood, carrying oils and extractives that resist fungi and insects, are antimicrobial, and make it suitable for outdoor use. The barrels and the cubes use a rustic grade, which keeps the knots and the natural character in the grain: at 38mm, a full thickness stave carries selected rustic grade without compromising structural stability. The Macedon, Sabine and Franklin cabins have to be clear grade, because at 12mm a lining board does not have the capacity to carry a knot, and the clear grade also enhances the architectural look of the cabin. Knots in timber get hotter, so the contact areas, the benches and backrests, are always clear grade on every model. Thermally modified Japanese cedar is available as an upgrade across the range.

What is thermal modification?

Thermal modification is heat and steam. The timber goes through a long, slow kiln cycle that changes how it behaves: it takes up less moisture, so it moves less in heat and humidity, and it comes out a little deeper in colour.

Ours is modified to the point that suits a sauna. Heating timber beyond that is for other uses, and it carries a cost, because the harder timber is worked the more brittle it becomes. In a sauna the boards carry load, take fixings and get sat on, so the timber has to hold as well as handle the heat. It is a fine line, and this is the point that gives the benefit without compromising the structure.

All the timber in the sauna is modified.

What goes into the build that I will not see?

There is no treated timber anywhere in our saunas, including the frames and cradles. Inside the sauna we use only stainless steel fixings. The only glue is a heat-resistant, low-toxicity, low-VOC PVA, used in the benches, backrests and behind the wall lining. On our barrels and cubes, we drill drainage holes in the channel where the front and rear walls meet the staves, and oil the channel and the end grain to keep water out.

What glass do you use?

All of our glazing is 8mm toughened glass. The one exception is the Franklin, where the larger window is 10mm. The standard in the market, in most cases, is 6mm.

What roofing do your outdoor saunas have?

Our outdoor saunas have bitumen shingle roofs, so they stay watertight for the life of the sauna. On our Macedon cabin, Colorbond metal roofing is also available as an upgrade, quoted for your sauna.

Why do you only build traditional saunas?

Because we believe in it. We have our own traditional sauna, we use it, and we have seen first hand the benefits of traditional sauna. It has generations of use behind it and a robust body of research, and we enjoy every part of it: for wellbeing, for performance, and for the connection it gives our family. A traditional sauna is more than a hot room. It is the heat of the stones, the water you ladle over them, the steam that rises, called löyly, and the flow of air through the room.

Why Harvia heaters?

Harvia is a Finnish company with a long, reliable history, from the home of sauna. Their heaters are high quality, and Harvia has local product support here, with their main representative an electrician based in Melbourne.

How do you size the heater, and can I upgrade it?

We size every heater to the volume of the sauna room and the manufacturer's specifications. You can also choose a free upgrade to the next heater size up, for example from 4.5 kW to 6 kW, or from 6 kW to 8 kW, as long as the volume of the room suits it. That free step does not apply to the Cilindro or the Spirit, which are quoted as upgrades. If you would like a different heater altogether, you can choose your own and upgrade before your install. We do not pack the heaters into the sauna at the factory, which gives us this flexibility. Read more: the Heaters section.

How is the ventilation designed?

Every Peak sauna has properly sized vents in carefully chosen positions. That lets the room heat effectively, gives the heater the airflow it needs, and keeps the air in the room changing at the right rate. Read more: How does the ventilation work? in Choosing Your Sauna.

What lighting comes with a Peak sauna?

Our lighting is concealed to provide a glow, and it is all controlled with a wireless remote. Choose from warm white or RGBW LEDs. The RGBW option gives you a full spectrum of colours, and both are dimmable. We use a high-quality 24V lighting system, for even brightness along every strip and safe, low-voltage power in a hot, humid room. The LED strips are IP68 rated and rated to 100°C, so they are built for the heat and moisture inside a sauna. The LED strips come with a 1-year warranty.

We also offer a range of LED controllers and remote controls, which can be paired with your garden lighting system where that suits. If you are installing the sauna yourself, the lighting is plug and play with IP67 rated connections, so it is easy to set up.

What comes with a Peak sauna?

A Harvia electric heater with stones and guard, concealed LED lighting with a wireless remote, waterproofing roof shingles on outdoor models, ventilation, a premium accessory pack, and delivery and expert installation across Melbourne metro and the Mornington Peninsula. The inclusions are valued at over $3,000 on the outdoor range.

Can you prepare my site?

Yes. Peak offers a range of site preparation options, so your sauna sits on a stable, suitable base, and we can complete this before your install. If your site is not already level and stable, we have several ways to set your sauna right. A common one is adjustable pedestals, which level the sauna and also lift it off the ground, leaving a gap for airflow underneath. Read more: Can you do the site prep for me? and What if the area is not level? in Site Prep.

Who installs my sauna?

We do. We provide a full install service, carried out by trained tradespeople. We do not do the electrical connection ourselves, but we have a network of electricians who have connected many of our saunas and are ready to help.

Can I install my sauna myself?

Yes. If you would rather install it yourself, our team gives you full support, so you have everything you need to complete the project.

What happens after the install?

Every sauna comes with a 5-year structural warranty. As a Melbourne-based team, we are available for questions and here if anything goes wrong, and replacement parts like sauna stones are available from us.

Can Peak design a sauna to suit my space?

Yes. We offer fully customised sauna design in two ways.

• A customised signature sauna. We take any sauna from our signature range and adapt it to suit your space. It is manufactured to order, then delivered and installed at your home.
• A full custom build. We design a sauna from scratch for your space. It is built locally, either at our facility in Seaford, Victoria, or in your home, entirely by our team of qualified tradespeople, using materials chosen for your sauna, and then installed at your home.

Read more: Can I customise my sauna? and Do you do fully custom builds? in Choosing Your Sauna.

What is the difference between a customised signature sauna and a full custom build?

With a full custom build, we control every part of the design and construction. That means we can:

• build the walls on a 90mm timber frame, compared with 30mm in our signature range, and batten the walls to create cavities that improve the sauna's thermal performance
• design the cavities, vapour barriers and moisture control to suit your sauna and site
• choose from a much wider range of timbers, profiles and thicknesses. Most of our full custom builds use Western Red Cedar
• design the exterior to suit your home or landscape
• use thicker glass or double-glazed panels for better insulation

A customised signature sauna keeps the proven design and construction of our range, adapted to your space.

Can you build a sauna into my home?

Yes. We build saunas into homes, most often as part of a new build, but renovations work too. Because we design and build the whole sauna, we control the vapour and moisture barriers as part of the build. That matters in an enclosed space: it keeps the sauna's heat and moisture inside the sauna and protects the rest of your home. Read more: What if the sauna is going into a confined space? in Post-Install Care.

What Peak saunas do you offer?

Three shapes, two ways of building them and seven models. The barrel and the cube are stave built, the cabin is framed and insulated, and there is a size and a style to suit.

• Eliza: our outdoor barrel, in a small or a large.
• Arthur: our large outdoor barrel, with a covered porch and a full glass front.
• Stirling: our outdoor cube, in a Mini and a Large.
• Stirling Glass: our large cube with a full glass front.
• Macedon: our outdoor cabin, in three sizes.
• Sabine: our indoor sauna, in three sizes.
• Franklin: our outdoor cabin with a change room of its own, in one size.

Not sure which fits? We will help you find the right one.

What is the difference between a barrel, a cube and a cabin sauna?

The barrel (Eliza, Arthur) is the classic rounded shape, the most recognisable sauna silhouette. The cube (Stirling) has a compact, near-square footprint with vertical walls and rounded edges. The cabin (Macedon, Franklin) is a Scandinavian-inspired, house-like shape with straight walls and roof, with a look that sits well with decking and landscaping. The Sabine is the indoor version of the cabin, without a roof. The barrel and the cube style are built with timber staves and the cabin style is built with a framed, insulated and cedar lined design.

Read more: Barrel vs Cabin Saunas on the blog.

How do I choose between the Peak sauna models?

It is a personal choice, and there is no right or wrong answer. For most people it starts with what you are drawn to: the shape and the look that feels right for you and the space it is going into. Do you like the vertical walls of a cabin or cube, or the compact shape of a barrel?

From there it is practical: the space you have, your budget, and how you want to use it. Room to lie down or just to sit, on your own or with a group. Underneath it all is your why, the reason you want sauna in your life. We are here to talk it all through with you.

Which sauna fits me?

Two things decide it, and the rest is preference. Where it is going: indoors means the Sabine, outdoors rules the Sabine out. How many people: the barrels and the cubes jump from two to six, so four people means a medium Macedon or a medium Sabine. After that, lying down needs a 2000mm deep model, standing and moving about suits a cube or a cabin over a barrel, the fullest löyly comes from two-tier benching, and a tight spot suits the Stirling Mini. Price nudges the order and never overrules the fit. The range, side by side:

Our Find Your Fit chooser asks ten questions and lands on the same answer. Current prices are on each product page.

What sizes do they come in, and how many people fit?

• Eliza: small, two sitting. Large, six sitting or two lying.
• Arthur: one size, six sitting or two lying.
• Stirling: Mini, two sitting. Large, six sitting or two lying. There is no medium.
• Franklin: one size, up to six sitting or two lying, with a separate change room.
• Macedon and Sabine (the same inside): small, two sitting. Medium, up to four sitting, or one lying and one sitting. Large, six sitting or two lying.

It is worth thinking about how you want to position yourself, whether you would sit or lie down, as much as the headcount. If space and budget allow, go for the largest size you can fit. Exact dimensions are on each product page.

What is the Eliza Sauna?

The Eliza is our outdoor barrel sauna, the classic rounded shape with a front-facing toughened glass door. It comes in a small, for two sitting, and a large, for six sitting or two lying. It is stave built from solid 38mm full-length Japanese cedar, and sits on cradles. A half glass back can be added.

What is the Arthur?

The Arthur is our large barrel sauna with a covered porch and a full glass front. It comes in one size and fits six sitting or two lying. It is built the same way as the Eliza, with solid 38mm full-length Japanese cedar staves, and sits on cradles.

What is the Stirling?

The Stirling is our outdoor cube. It takes the same 38mm stave build as the barrels and gives you vertical walls, generous headroom and two-tier benching. It comes in a Mini, for two sitting, and a Large, for six sitting or two lying, and sits on cradles.

What is the Stirling Glass?

The Stirling Glass is our large cube with a full glass front. Floor to ceiling glazing opens the sauna to your garden. It takes the same 38mm stave build as the other Stirlings, with vertical walls, two-tier benching and an L-shaped top bench. It comes in one size, for up to six people or two lying, and sits on cradles.

What is the Macedon?

The Macedon is our outdoor cabin: a house-like shape with straight walls and a roof built for the weather. It is framed and insulated, lined inside and out in clear grade Japanese cedar, with two-tier benching. It comes in three sizes: small for two sitting, medium for up to four sitting, and large for six sitting or two lying. Colorbond metal roofing is available as an upgrade.

What is the Sabine?

The Sabine is our indoor sauna. It is the same cabin as the Macedon without the outdoor roof: framed and insulated, lined in clear grade Japanese cedar, with a glass front, two-tier benching with a backrest and a full two metre interior height. It comes in the same three sizes as the Macedon. It suits a room, a garage or a well covered outdoor area, out of the weather.

What is the Franklin sauna?

The Franklin is our outdoor cabin with a change room of its own. The change room sits beside the hot room: a dry, private space to leave your towel, change without walking back to the house, and sit between rounds on a bench with a backrest. Behind the glass front, the hot room has an L-shaped upper bench with a backrest and a lower bench below it. It is framed and insulated, lined inside and out in clear grade Japanese cedar, with the option to have it thermally modified. It comes in one size and seats six, or two lying down.

Can an outdoor sauna go inside, or an indoor one outside?

Yes, both ways, with conditions.

All of our outdoor models can go indoors.

The indoor Sabine can go in a garage or a well covered outdoor area, as long as it is not exposed to the weather (it would need the roof if that were the case). If it is going outside in the open, the Macedon (Sabine plus roof) is the right choice. It is the same cabin as the Sabine with a roof built for the weather. The structure and insulation are the same between the Sabine and the Macedon, which is what allows the Sabine to be outside, under cover.

What is included with every sauna?

• Harvia electric heater with sauna stones and heater guard
• LED lighting, controlled wirelessly
• Waterproofing roof shingles (outdoor models)
• Sauna ventilation
• Premium accessory pack: bucket and ladle, thermometer and hygrometer, sand timer, two premium sauna hats, and an essential oil set (3 x 30ml)
• Delivery and expert installation across Melbourne metro and the Mornington Peninsula

The inclusions are valued at over $3,000 on the outdoor range, and over $2,000 on the Sabine, which does not need roof shingles indoors.

Can I customise my sauna?

Yes. Beyond the standard configuration we can customise for an additional fee, whether that is a finish, a layout tweak or a particular feature. Share any plans you have and we will quote it for you.

Do you do fully custom builds?

Yes. A fully custom build starts with a site visit, then drawing up the design and working through it with you. Andrew then builds it, either in our warehouse and delivers and installs it, or builds it on site to suit your exact space. Custom builds are quoted separately.

One bench level or two?

It depends on the shape. Our barrels are single tier, because the curve of a barrel allows one bench height. The Eliza has two benches at a single level, running along the side walls. The cube and the cabin have two-tier benching, which their vertical walls allow. The medium and large Macedon and the large Stirling have an L-shaped top bench.

Two tiers let you choose your heat. The top bench sits higher above the heater and the stones, and because heat rises, sitting higher gives you a greater degree of heat and the fuller löyly, with room to lie down. The lower bench sits in gentler heat.

Does bench height change the experience?

Yes. The higher you sit, the hotter the air and the stronger the löyly when water goes on the stones. A top bench that sits above heater height gives the fullest result. On a single level bench you still get löyly, just a gentler version.

Does the shape change the heat and the löyly?

In a barrel the bench sits around heater height, so the steam off the stones is less pronounced than in a two-tier cube or cabin. The curved roof does help hold the heat, and it gives what you could call a pseudo top-bench experience: the arc of the roof means the rising heat can only rise so far, into a more compact space, so you sit in a higher heat than you would on a lower bench in a vertical walled sauna.

There are many opinions on which is better, a barrel or a vertical walled sauna. We are yet to meet a customer who was not happy with the barrel they bought, and having used barrel saunas ourselves, we find them as intense and as hot as we need.

One other thing to know about a barrel: you can have your feet up at bench height, either with bent knees and your feet flat or with your legs outstretched. In a large barrel you can also sit with your feet down. You might notice it is a little cooler down there because of where the heater sits.

In the cube and the cabin, the upper bench sits above the heater, which is what gives the fuller löyly experience.

What glass do you use?

All of our glass is 8mm toughened glass, whether that is the door or the full glass front on the Arthur and the Stirling Glass. The one exception is the Franklin, where the larger window is 10mm. We can also add a half glass back to the Eliza, the Arthur and the Stirling for an additional cost.

Is the sauna stave built or framed, and what does that mean?

The barrels and the cube (Eliza, Arthur, Stirling) are stave built. 38mm thick, full-length cedar staves form the wall itself: the floor, the ceiling and the side walls are all staves that run right around, with a solid front and back.

The cabins and the indoor sauna (Macedon, Franklin, Sabine) are framed: a timber frame with an insulated wall, 62mm thick all up. From the inside out: 12mm cedar lining, a vapour barrier, a 30mm insulated timber frame, 8mm plyboard, then 12mm cedar on the outside.

How is the sauna insulated, and how thick are the walls?

On the barrels and the cube, the timber is the insulation: 38mm of solid cedar holds heat beautifully.

The Macedon, the Sabine and the Franklin cabins have a framed, insulated wall, 62mm thick all up. From the inside out it is 12mm cedar lining, a vapour barrier, a 30mm insulated timber frame, 8mm plyboard, then 12mm cedar on the outside.

In both cases the wall thickness was chosen for two reasons. The first is its R value, the measure of how well a wall resists heat loss, so we know the sauna will insulate well. The second is structural stability at that thickness.

Does the sauna sit straight on the ground?

No, not directly. It depends on the model. The Macedon, the Sabine and the Franklin have a flat base with nylon gliders underneath, so the base sits on the gliders rather than straight on the surface. The barrels and the cube (Eliza, Arthur, Stirling) sit on cradles, which lift the sauna off the ground.

Either way, the base needs to be level, contained, free draining and able to take the weight. See Site Prep for what works.

Where are the saunas made, and who builds them?

Our saunas are designed in Australia and made in China. We work closely with our manufacturer, and Andrew, our co-founder and a carpenter, spent time working with them on the designs.

Can the sauna stay outside all year, including a Melbourne winter, and does it need a cover?

Yes. Our outdoor models are built to live outside year-round, through summer and winter, and they are made to stand up to a Melbourne winter over and over. Every build is designed for stability and longevity, the bonus of having a carpenter as a co-founder, whether it is the 38mm staves on the barrel and cube or the 62mm framed, insulated wall on the cabins. They come with waterproofing roof shingles, so there is no extra roof or cover to buy, and the yearly oil looks after the exterior timber. Every sauna carries a 5-year structural warranty. The one exception is the Sabine, which is an indoor sauna and needs to be out of the weather.

How long will the sauna last?

Our saunas come with a 5-year structural warranty, and they are built to last well beyond that. Japanese cedar is naturally durable and resists rot, so how long your sauna lasts mostly comes down to care. Oil the outside, and the floor inside, every year, dry it out after heavy rain, and keep the area around it free of standing water and debris, and it will give you many years of use.

Are the barrel and cube models suitable for Melbourne weather?

All our barrel and cube saunas use stave construction, with bullnose-and-cove joints that let the staves follow the curve. On the vertical walls, these joints keep the water out. On the roof, the shingles do the waterproofing.

The front and rear walls sit in a channel cut into the staves, and that channel is what fixes them into place. Because the walls run vertically and the staves run horizontally, there is potential for water to end up in that channel, particularly in a heavy downpour. To counter this, we drill drainage holes into the channel at install, and thoroughly oil both the channel and the end grain of the front and rear walls.

What timber do you use?

FSC certified Japanese cedar, known as sugi in Japan. Japanese cedar is prized for its low resin, its stability through the heat and humidity cycle, and the way it stays comfortable to the touch even when the sauna is hot. It is a heartwood, carrying oils and extractives that resist fungi and insects, are antimicrobial, and make it suitable for outdoor use. Our signature range comes in Japanese cedar, with the option to upgrade to thermally modified. Thermal modification further enhances its stability and reduces moisture. It is oiled and cared for exactly as a Japanese cedar Peak sauna is, and carries the same 5-year structural warranty.

What grade is the timber?

We have two grades of Japanese cedar, clear grade and rustic (knotty) grade.

Timber in its rawest form, straight from a tree, is not uniform. Parts of it have knots in the grain and parts are free of them, so when the timber is milled it goes through a selection process: the boards with knots in one pile, the boards free of knots in the other (some timber cannot be used for building due to too many knots or variation and it is put aside for another use).

Timber with a lot of knots has more variation through it, this can impact the structural integrity. The structural impact depends on the location and depth of the knot and how the timber will be used. In addition, a knot is denser than the grain around it, so it takes and holds heat differently, and a knot you put your hand on will be hotter than the timber beside it.

Clear grade is the knot-free timber, with even grain lines. Our 12mm cedar lining on the Macedon, Sabine and Franklin cabins has to be clear grade, because at that thickness a board does not have the capacity to carry a knot. In addition, the clear grade timber enhances the architectural look of the cabin.

Rustic grade keeps the knots and the natural character in the grain. The rustic cedar timber that is used for saunas is hand selected. Any timber with too many knots is not selected. The barrel and cube being 38mm thick can be made with selected rustic grade without compromising on structural stability.

Some people like the cleanness of clear grade, others like the rustic look. It is a personal choice.

In understanding that knots carry higher temperatures, on every model the benches and backrests are always clear grade.

What is thermal modification?

Thermal modification is heat and steam. The timber goes through a long, slow kiln cycle that changes how it behaves: it takes up less moisture, so it moves less in heat and humidity, and it comes out a little deeper in colour.

Ours is modified to the point that suits a sauna. Heating timber beyond that is for other uses, and it carries a cost, because the harder timber is worked the more brittle it becomes. In a sauna the boards carry load, take fixings and get sat on, so the timber has to hold as well as handle the heat. It is a fine line, and this is the point that gives the benefit without compromising the structure.

All the timber in the sauna is modified.

Why Japanese cedar and not Western Red?

Cost, mostly. Western Red is a good timber and we do use it, for our full custom builds and for the Eildon ice bath, but it costs significantly more in the full length staves we like to build our cubes and barrels in, and in clear grade for the cabins. You can still choose to have your sauna built in Western Red and we can do that, though it is a higher price and a longer lead time. Japanese cedar gives us the qualities that matter in a sauna, low resin, stability in heat and a surface that stays comfortable to touch, at a price point that is more manageable. It is a heartwood, carrying oils and extractives that resist fungi and insects, are antimicrobial, and make it suitable for outdoor use. Knots are part of why. Western Red carries more of them than Japanese cedar, so a rustic grade is less viable in Western Red and more of it has to be taken as clear grade, which adds to what it costs. To make Western Red Cedar more affordable it can come in shorter lengths that require finger joining the timber which can be less stable and as there is glue used in each finger join, the more finger joins the more glue. Japanese cedar comes at a price point we can use full length staves. We still use a few finger joins in the build around the door frame for structural support, however none in the rest of the build. In our thermally modified cedar saunas there are no finger joins.

Is the timber FSC certified?

Yes. Our Japanese cedar is FSC certified, which means it comes from responsibly managed forests.

Read more: Why FSC-Certified Timber Matters on the blog.

Why 38mm timber?

Two things drive timber thickness: insulation and structural stability. 30mm is the common market standard, and 38mm is the premium. You will find models at 40 to 44mm, but there is no significant gain in R value or in structural stability above 38mm. It holds heat beautifully, stays stable in Australian conditions, and warms up efficiently.

Full boards or finger joints?

Full-length boards through the walls. The only finger joins in our current range are around the door, about four of them, where they add structure to the vertical beam to support the door.

What is the lining on the framed models?

The Macedon, the Sabine and the Franklin are lined inside and out in 12mm clear grade Japanese cedar. From the inside out the wall is 12mm cedar lining, a vapour barrier, a 30mm insulated timber frame, 8mm plyboard, then 12mm cedar on the outside.

Is cedar safe indoors?

Yes. Japanese cedar is low in resins, stays comfortable to the touch even at high temperatures, and carries a warm, subtle fragrance. It is the same timber used in premium saunas globally.

Will the timber move, crack or grey?

Timber is a natural material, so some movement and shrinkage in the first few months of use is normal while the cedar settles into the heat. Cracking is not normal. If you notice any, please get in touch with us.

Inside, the timber will gradually darken with the heat, which is a natural part of a sauna ageing. Outside, cedar that is not maintained will weather to grey. We do not recommend letting that happen, and yearly oiling is required to keep your warranty valid.

What happens if I never oil my sauna?

Our saunas go out as raw timber, with no chemical preservative in them, so the oil is what protects the outside from the weather. Without it the timber weathers and greys, and if the timber is damaged because it has not been oiled, it may void your structural warranty. Oiling at install and then yearly is a condition of the 5-year structural warranty.

Are there any glues or chemical treatments in the build?

We keep the build as natural as we can. There is no treated timber anywhere in our saunas or ice baths, including the frames and cradles. In our saunas, glue is used in the bench and backrest construction and behind the walls, where the interior lining is fixed to the wall frames. The only glue is a heat-resistant, low-toxicity, low-VOC PVA used in the manufacturing process only. The Sabine and Macedon are insulated with glass wool, which sits behind the wall lining. In the ice baths, the stainless steel liner is wrapped in foil-backed foam insulation, sealed away between the steel and the cedar outer. No glue is used at the time of installation.

Why do you only sell traditional saunas?

Because we believe in it. We have our own traditional sauna, we use it, and we have seen first hand the benefits of traditional sauna. It has generations of use behind it and a robust body of research, and we enjoy every part of it: for wellbeing, for performance, and for the connection it gives our family. A traditional sauna is more than a hot room. It is the heat of the stones, the water you ladle over them, the steam that rises, called löyly, and the flow of air through the room. See "What is löyly?".

What is the difference between traditional and infrared - the effects?

Many people see a sauna and think, that is a sauna, what is different? In fairness, traditional has quite a few names, Finnish or dry among them, when in fact you do use water in there (confusing!).

Traditional sauna. A traditional sauna heats the air. A heater brings a bed of stones up to temperature, the stones hold that heat, and the room sits somewhere around 70 to 90°C. Throw water on the stones and you get löyly, the burst of steam that lifts the humidity and makes the heat feel suddenly deeper.

Infrared sauna. An infrared sauna heats the body directly. Panels emit infrared radiation that warms your skin, a bit like standing in sunlight through a window on a cold day, so the room itself can stay much cooler, usually 40 to 60°C. One heats the room and lets the room heat you. The other heats you and leaves the room fairly mild.

What the research says. There is research behind both. In a nutshell, it says heat is the thing that gives you the benefits. It is not saying that the way the heat is delivered makes the difference. Heat shock proteins, plasma volume, the work the heart does and the drop in temperature afterwards that helps you sleep all follow how hot you get and for how long, not the mode that delivers it. The infrared studies people quote were run at low temperatures on purpose: a room heated to 60°C for people with heart failure, who may not tolerate the higher temperature of a traditional sauna (Källström 2018), and a gentle 43°C after hard training, when you have already worked your cardiovascular system and want a lighter load (Ahokas 2023). Traditional and infrared can both heat you to those temperatures. A traditional sauna can simply be run cooler. Measured in the same people, an infrared sauna at its usual setting did not raise core temperature at all, while a traditional sauna did (Atencio 2025), and only when an infrared sauna was run hotter, at 65°C, did core temperature rise (Jenkins 2026).

Benefit by benefit, this is where the research sits today:

The percentages come from following thousands of Finnish people for more than twenty years, so they are associations rather than proof of cause. And no research means exactly that: none yet.

High temperature. Where traditional and infrared part ways is how hot you can go. Getting hotter gives you extra benefit for your heart, your brain and all cause mortality, and that research was done over more than twenty years in thousands of Finnish people, so it is the strongest piece we have (Laukkanen 2015, Laukkanen 2017, Kunutsor 2018). An infrared sauna does not take you to that temperature.

Ritual. Using a sauna, whether infrared or traditional, becomes a habit if it is not one already, and in that habit it can become a bit of a ritual: what you do before, during and after. In a traditional sauna there is a ritual in the during. You go in, put your sauna hat on, fill the ladle with water, add some oils, put the water on the stones and experience the löyly, the additional component of a traditional sauna that brings the steam. Then you sit in that intense experience of the steam rising, which gives you a place where you have no option but to be in the moment. That focus and that dedication is the traditional ritual. In an infrared sauna you may choose to do a practice within the space, a meditation or something that brings you to the moment, and for both there will be a practice before and after. But there is no additional part to experiencing the sauna itself. Generally the time spent in a traditional sauna is less than what is required in an infrared sauna, and the lower temperature of infrared does allow you to stay in longer. Humidity adds to the physiological load in its own right (Laatikainen-Raussi 2026).

At the end of the day it has to be something you enjoy, so that you keep using it. A traditional sauna can be run cooler, but it is designed to sit at the higher temperatures. If it is only the lower temperatures you are after, an infrared sauna may be the option for you. Either way, it is good to understand where the research sits around the benefits, so you have that information while you make your decision.

The research we draw on:

• Atencio and colleagues 2025: the same 20 healthy adults did hot water immersion, a traditional sauna and a far infrared sauna. Core temperature rose 1.1¬∞C, 0.4¬∞C and 0.0¬∞C, and immune markers moved only after the hot water. The traditional sauna was set to 80¬∞C but measured 66¬∞C, the infrared sauna measured 45¬∞C.
• Jenkins and colleagues 2026: a far infrared sauna run at 65¬∞C for 45 minutes raised rectal temperature 1.4¬∞C in 12 adults. The effect follows the thermal load, not the heating method.
• Laatikainen-Raussi and colleagues 2026, Temperature: 50 adults, four 10 minute Finnish sauna rounds with free l√∂yly. Heart rate up 41.6 beats a minute, core temperature up 0.4¬∞C, and humidity contributed to the strain independently of air temperature.
• Laukkanen and colleagues 2015, JAMA Internal Medicine: 2,315 Finnish men followed about 20 years. Four to seven sessions a week was linked with a 63 percent lower risk of sudden cardiac death and 40 percent lower all cause mortality than once a week.
• Laukkanen and colleagues 2017, Age and Ageing; Kunutsor and colleagues 2018, Neurology; Kunutsor and colleagues 2017, European Journal of Epidemiology: the same cohort, 66 percent lower risk of dementia, 61 percent lower risk of stroke and 41 percent lower risk of respiratory disease with frequent use.
• Zaccardi and colleagues 2017, American Journal of Hypertension: the same cohort, 24 percent lower risk of developing high blood pressure at 2 to 3 sessions a week and 47 percent at 4 to 7.
• K√§llstr√∂m and colleagues 2018, Clinical Cardiology: seven controlled studies of Waon therapy, 15 minutes at 60¬∞C in an infrared room, in 491 people with heart failure. Better heart function; blood pressure did not shift. The reviewers never attribute the effect to wavelength, never discuss wavelength at all, and the mechanisms they list are the ones heat produces.
• Ahokas and colleagues 2023, Biology of Sport: 16 basketball players, 20 minutes of infrared at about 43¬∞C after resistance training. Smaller drop in jump performance and less soreness than passive rest.
• Ahokas and colleagues 2025: 40 female athletes, infrared after training three times a week for six weeks. Muscle growth was not blunted, power may have improved, and the cortisol rise seen at first had gone by week six.
• Mero and colleagues 2015, SpringerPlus: far infrared bathing helped neuromuscular recovery after an endurance session but not after a strength session.
• Hussain and colleagues 2022: ten healthy women, 45 minutes of infrared against 45 minutes of cycling and sitting still. No difference in blood pressure, arterial stiffness or heart rate variability; the authors put infrared's effects down to thermoregulation rather than anything exercise like.
• Chen and colleagues 2025: a network analysis of 15 trials and 447 people across nine treatments for delayed onset muscle soreness, in which sauna was one of only two that beat placebo at 48 hours. Its entire sauna arm is Khamwong 2015, so it is not independent of the line above, and the authors note the included studies were of suboptimal quality.
• Khamwong and colleagues 2015: fifteen minutes of traditional sauna at 77 to 82¬∞C before eccentric exercise left smaller losses of movement and strength for days afterwards.
• Hussain, Greaves and Cohen 2019, the Global Sauna Survey: 83.5 percent of regular sauna users reported sleeping better.

The other studies named in the table (Masuda 2005, Chang 2023, Janssen 2016, Mac Giollabhui 2024, Leppaluoto 1986, Laukkanen 2019, Scoon 2007, Ernst 1990, Kunutsor 2018 in Annals of Medicine, Laukkanen and Kunutsor 2024) are listed with links in the Benefits and the Science section.

How does the setup, build and electrical requirements differ between a traditional sauna and an infrared sauna?

Most infrared saunas are indoor furniture. They arrive in two or three large boxes, the owner assembles the panels on an existing level floor in an hour or two, and there is no water, no stones and no steam load, so there is no base to prepare and no ventilation to design beyond a door gap. Most manufacturers say their infrared saunas are not designed to go outdoors. Outdoor infrared barrels do exist, and they are built much as our barrels are, with the same oiling regime. A traditional sauna is a small building. Ours are built to live outside, sit on a flat level base with clearance around them, have two vents that change how the room performs, and are delivered and installed by our team, or can be DIY.

Electrical. Only the smallest infrared units, the lie down ones, run from an ordinary 10 A power point. In general, a one person infrared sauna needs its own dedicated 10 A circuit, two and three person models need a dedicated 15 A circuit and socket, and a four person model is hardwired to a 25 A supply. A 15 A or 20 A plug needs a matching outlet fitted by a licensed electrician, the unit should meet AS/NZS 60335.2.53 and the wiring falls under AS/NZS 3000. Traditional sauna heaters are hardwired on their own dedicated circuit, sized to the heater, with an isolator switch near the sauna, and your electrician connects them after the sauna is built. An electrician is required to install a sauna heater or infrared panel when the amp requirement goes beyond a standard plug socket.

In use, an infrared sauna warms up in 10 to 20 minutes to 40 to 60°C and draws roughly 1 to 4 kW. A traditional sauna takes 30 to 45 minutes to reach 70 to 90°C and draws 4.5 to 9 kW depending on the model.

Hybrid saunas, a traditional heater and infrared panels in the same room, are on the market. We chose to work solely with traditional saunas because it is what we love and use ourselves, and the research behind it is robust. Infrared certainly has benefits. When it comes to warming the body, traditional and infrared both do it well, and the differences between them are small. If you want a gentler session, set the thermostat lower and leave the water off the stones. A second heating system in the same room means another set of parts and another electrical requirement, so the question we would ask is what you are hoping to achieve from it. If you have a reason, it is something that can be done.

The Site Prep and Electrical sections below cover the Peak side.

What is löyly?

Löyly is the Finnish word for the burst of soft steam that rises when you ladle water over the hot stones, and for the quality of the heat it creates. It is not only about temperature. It is the feel of the warmth, the way the air moves, and how comfortable the room is to sit in.

Good löyly needs three things: stones that store and release heat well, stacked with gaps so the heat can rise through them, the right amount of water, and ventilation that moves the steam through the room instead of leaving it to sit at the ceiling. It is the heart of a traditional sauna session, and the reason we place our vents where we do in the sauna (one below the heater and one down low on the opposite side of the sauna, or up high on the opposite wall).

How does the ventilation work?

Every Peak sauna has two vents, placed to keep the air moving. The first is low, beneath the heater, so fresh air feeds the heater as it comes in. The second vent is on the opposite wall, as far from the first vent as it can be. In most of our saunas it is also low, tucked beneath the bench near the floor. In the Stirling Mini it sits up high on the back wall.

Here is how it works. Air enters below the heater and is drawn up with the heat as it rises. With the second vent on the far side of the sauna, the heat rises up, moves across the room and is then drawn out through the second vent, and that creates the circulation of air. It keeps the oxygen comfortable so you can stay in longer, spreads the heat evenly, and moves the löyly through the room.

Read more: Proper Sauna Ventilation on the blog.

Should I close the vents to get it hotter?

No. Keep the vents open during every session. Airflow is what creates löyly, and open vents are also a requirement of your Harvia heater warranty.

What heater comes with my sauna?

Every sauna comes with a Harvia The Wall electric heater as standard, sized to the room, with sauna stones and an optional heater guard.

One thing to know on the 8 kW rooms: adding WiFi control steps the heater to the 9 kW The Wall (50 A), because Harvia does not make a WiFi-compatible 8 kW heater. See WiFi Control.

Why Harvia heaters?

Harvia is an established Finnish brand we trust. Their heaters come with a 2-year warranty, extended to 3 years when you register it with Harvia. We like their style and range of heaters. They have a local team that provide us with post-installation support.

What stones come with the heater?

Our stones are Finnish olivine diabase. A sauna stone is heated hard and then has water thrown over it, so it has to hold heat, take that cycle without crumbling, and give off nothing as it heats. Harvia test theirs with the Geological Survey Institute of Finland. Their warranty does not cover damage caused by stones they have not recommended, so if you top up, use proper sauna stones. Stack them with gaps so the heat can rise through, the way we show in the post-install guide, and the whole sauna heats more evenly.

How do you work out what size heater I need?

Through a calculation. We take the volume of your sauna and how it is built, the walls and any glass, and size the heater the way Harvia recommend: around 1 kW for each cubic metre, with a little more added for glass and other surfaces that hold heat. That gives a kilowatt range, and we select the most suitable within it.

Can I go up a heater size?

You can go up an extra 1 or 2 kW, as long as the volume of your sauna can accommodate it. We select the heater for your sauna from the kilowatt range we calculate for the room. A heater will not work well if it is too big for the space or too small for it, so it needs to stay within the range. Within that range, more kilowatts heat a little quicker, by 5 to 10 minutes, and a little hotter, by around 5 to 10°C. There is a point where bigger is not better: if the room runs too hot for the heater, its built-in safety cut-off switches it off, which is the last thing you want mid-session.

You may be able to go down a size, which is handy if your switchboard cannot take the recommended heater. But a heater that is too small for the room will strain, so it may be that you need to change the size of the sauna to suit what the switchboard can supply.

If it is a precise, hotter temperature you are after, WiFi control lets you set the temperature, so we recommend WiFi with any extra kilowatts, to avoid the safety switch being triggered.

Going up a size on The Wall is no extra charge for the heater itself. If you move to a Cilindro or a Spirit, the upgrade cost covers the extra stone, and for the Spirit it covers the heater and the round stones as well. The Spirit does not come with standard dials, so it needs a digital or WiFi controller. See "Can I use a different heater?".

Can I use a different heater?

Yes. Your sauna comes with a Harvia The Wall heater as standard. It is wall mounted with a slim profile, and holds 20 kg of stones. There are two heater upgrade options available on our larger models.

• Harvia Cilindro: a pillar of stone standing in the room, floor to shoulder height. 90 kg of stones. It stands on the floor, and suits medium to large saunas. It comes in 7 and 9 kW, and can run on built-in dials, or with a digital or WiFi controller.
• Harvia Spirit: curved and wall mounted, with the stones left visible. 60 kg of rounded stones. It comes in 6 and 9 kW, it projects from the wall, and it requires a digital or WiFi controller. It is the top of the range.

On cost: the Spirit is an upgrade on both the heater and the stones. With the Cilindro there is no extra cost on the heater itself, but there is on the stones. These two are not the only options either. We can look at other brands as well, Saunum for instance. If there is a heater you like and it fits the space, you can absolutely opt for it.

How long does the sauna take to heat up, and how hot does it get?

Most saunas reach full temperature in around 40 minutes from cold, depending on the size and the heater, and sit at 70 to 90°C, where most people settle. That 40 minutes is the room. The stones keep heating after it, so allow another 10-20 minutes for the stones to heat fully, which gives you better steam. The standard heater has dial controls: you turn it on and it runs for up to 4 hours. Upgrade to WiFi control and you can turn it on remotely, or set the sauna to come on at a certain time.

How hot can the sauna get?

Hot. The dial will take you to 90 to 95°C, and with WiFi control you can set 95 to 100°C, a heat some cultures choose. The difference between them is control rather than ceiling: the dial gets you up there, the WiFi lets you land on an exact temperature and hold it. The benefits do not climb with the temperature. The research on sauna and heart health centres around the 80°C mark, and it is how often and how long you sauna that does the work, not how extreme the heat (Laukkanen et al., JAMA Internal Medicine, 2015).

How does the sauna heat the space?

Heat rises, so it is always warmer up high than down low, and that is part of the design. Heating the space well comes down to three things: ventilating it well, so air moves through the room and carries the heat with it, stones stacked with gaps so the heat can rise through them, and bench height. On our two-tier models, sitting on the higher bench puts you in the stronger heat and the fuller löyly, while the lower bench sits in gentler heat. The barrels are single tier, and there the rounded shape holds the heat in, giving what you could call a pseudo top-bench experience.

How do I operate the heater and the controls?

We send through instructions on install day. The standard heater has a dial thermostat and a dial that turns the heater on for up to 4 hours. With WiFi control, you set the temperature and timer from the control panel or the app. The Post-Install and Use Guide and the Harvia manual cover it step by step.

Will I ever need to replace the heater?

Harvia heaters are built to last and are backed by a 2-year warranty (extended to 3 years when you register). Like any appliance, a heater or its elements can be serviced or replaced down the track, and we can help you sort that if it is ever needed. Elements are like light bulbs and will need replacing, depending on frequency of use. Elements are covered within the warranty for 2 years on residential use.

Can I have a wood-fired heater?

Yes. Wood-fired stoves are currently available on our large Eliza barrel, the Arthur and the large Macedon.

It is a 15 kW wood-fired stove and it takes 50 kg of sauna stones, which are included in your quote. A flue kit and a floor protection plate are included. On the standard stove the wood loading door is on the inside of the sauna. An external wood feed can be arranged if you would prefer it.

The flue runs out through the roof and the stove needs clearances around it, so what your site needs depends on where the sauna is going. Please get in touch for pricing and to talk through what is involved for your site.

Should I remove the sticker from my sauna heater?

No. The sticker on the side of your heater is meant to stay on. It carries the model and serial number, which you or an electrician may need later. As well as losing that information, any adhesive left behind is very hard to clean off without damaging the heater.

What heater does a commercial space need?

Harvia have commercial grade heater options, the Virta among them - we can discuss the most suitable based on your business needs.

Commercial use carries a shorter warranty: 2 years on the heater and controls, and 6 months on the elements.

Can I control the sauna from my phone?

Yes. WiFi control is an optional upgrade, so you can turn the sauna on from your phone and have it warm by the time you get home, or avoid the walk out to turn it on in the rain. You can also set it to come on at a certain time. There are two options, the Xenio and the Fenix, both from Harvia. If you go with a Spirit heater, which requires a controller, either one will pair with it.

Xenio or Fenix, which WiFi controller?

The Xenio (Harvia Xenio CX170) controls the time and temperature through the MyHarvia app, and you follow the pairing guide on our website to set it up. Phone control is included once the WiFi is set up, with no app charge.

The Fenix is the fancier option: a 4.3 inch glass touchscreen, three heating presets you can adjust, a timer that learns how your sauna heats and tells you when it is ready, a guest mode for shared spaces, and automatic updates. It runs through the MyHarvia 2 app, and the set up is easier with no pairing steps.

On the Fenix, watching your sauna from your phone is free, and full remote start is unlocked with a one-off MyHarvia 2 Control licence, set by Harvia, currently €100 (about $150). Every Fenix comes with a free 3 month trial of that feature, so you can try it before deciding.

What does WiFi control cost?

WiFi control is an optional add-on. Current pricing is on each product page, and we include it in your quote if you would like it.

Why does adding WiFi step my heater to 9 kW?

Harvia does not make a WiFi-compatible 8 kW The Wall heater. So on our 8 kW rooms, the Stirling Large, the Macedon large and the Sabine large, adding WiFi steps the heater up to the 9 kW The Wall, which needs a 50 A supply.

What do I lose by not adding WiFi?

WiFi with a digital controller is a convenience and adds accuracy to the temperature selection. Without WiFi, the heater has a dial thermostat and an on dial that runs it for up to 4 hours. Expect your sauna temperature to sit between 70 and 90°C. The standard dial option may take it to about 95°C, you just do not have the fine control over where it lands. With WiFi you get a digital thermostat, so you set an exact temperature, plus timed start and remote start from your phone. We recommend WiFi if you are opting for 100 degrees in your sauna.

Can I set an exact temperature?

With WiFi control, yes. It comes with a digital thermostat, so you set the exact temperature you want. The standard heater has a dial thermostat instead.

Do I need WiFi at the sauna?

Yes, and it is worth checking before you order rather than after. A WiFi controller needs your home WiFi to reach the sauna and the area around it, and it needs to be a 2.4 GHz network. If the signal does not carry that far, a WiFi booster will usually cover it. Have a look at what your signal does out there before you add WiFi control.

Where do I find current prices?

On the product page for each sauna. We have built the product pages to show everything you will pay, and there are no added costs in the cart, so what you see there is the final price.

• Eliza Outdoor Traditional Sauna: https://peaksaunaice.au/products/eliza-sauna
• Arthur Outdoor Traditional Sauna: https://peaksaunaice.au/products/arthur-outdoor-traditional-sauna
• Stirling Mini Outdoor Traditional Sauna: https://peaksaunaice.au/products/stirling-mini-outdoor-traditional-sauna
• Stirling Large Outdoor Traditional Sauna: https://peaksaunaice.au/products/stirling-sauna
• Stirling Glass Outdoor Traditional Sauna: https://peaksaunaice.au/products/stirling-glass-sauna
• Macedon Outdoor Traditional Sauna: https://peaksaunaice.au/products/macedon-sauna
• Sabine Indoor Traditional Sauna: https://peaksaunaice.au/products/sabine-sauna
• Eildon Ice Bath and Chiller: https://peaksaunaice.au/products/eildon-ice-bath

What is included in the price?

The sauna price includes delivery and install across Melbourne metro and the Mornington Peninsula, the Harvia heater with stones and guard, LED lighting, roof shingles on outdoor models, ventilation and the premium accessory pack.

Delivery and install is included, and it is itemised on the product page and in your quote. If you would rather collect your sauna, or have it delivered and install it yourself, you can toggle delivery and install off and see that price.

What costs extra?

The electrical connection, which you pay your electrician directly. Then the optional extras: oiling, WiFi control, a heater upgrade, RGBW colour lighting, Colorbond roofing on the Macedon, and any customisation. A wood-fired heater also carries an install cost, for fitting the flue and setting up the stove. And depending on your site: a regional travel fee if you are outside metro, and site prep if you need it. We set all of it out in your quote so there are no late surprises.

How does the payment schedule work?

In three stages: 40 percent, 40 percent, 20 percent.

• If your sauna is in production: 40% deposit to confirm your order, 40% once it is produced and ready to ship, and 20% on the day of install.
• If your sauna is in stock or already on the water: 40% deposit, 40% two weeks later (or 5 days before install, if that comes first), and 20% on the day of install.

The full detail is in our Terms and Conditions.

What happens if I pay online?

The amount you pay at checkout is a part payment of your deposit: 10 percent of the sauna price. The rest of the 40 percent deposit is due within 7 days, and your order and price are held for those 7 days.

From there the schedule is the same as any other order. If your sauna is in production, the next 40 percent is due once it is produced and ready to ship. If it is in stock or already on the water, the next 40 percent is due two weeks later, or 5 days before install if that comes first. The final 20 percent is due on the day of install.

Is my deposit refundable?

The 10% deposit you pay to secure your sauna and ice bath on the website is refundable within 7 days, as long as you have not made the next instalment. The 7 days refundable deposit offer is to give you a calling off period on your decision before you make the commitment of topping it up to the 40% deposit.

You can cancel a standard order within 14 days of accepting the quote, as long as the job has not commenced, and a reasonable administrative cancellation fee will apply to cover the costs already incurred.

Deposits are non-refundable once supplier production has started.

Can I cancel my order?

For a standard model, yes, within 14 days of accepting the quote and before the job or any preparatory work has commenced. A reasonable administrative cancellation fee will apply to cover the costs already incurred.

The job has commenced once any preparatory work has started, for example pre-oiling or pre-painting at our warehouse, and once it has, cancelling is no longer an option.

Custom orders cannot be cancelled once the design is approved or production has started. Cancellations need to be in writing to hello@peaksaunaice.au.

Do you offer finance?

Yes, finance is available through Handy Pay, so you can get started without the full upfront cost. Get in touch and we will let you know what is available for your order.

Is there a card surcharge?

No. Bank transfer is our preferred method, and card payments are accepted with no surcharge.

Is GST included?

Yes. Our prices for the Signature range include GST. For custom saunas and commercial orders, GST is set out clearly in your quote.

What is the lead time?

It depends where your sauna is.

• In stock: about 1 to 3 weeks to delivery or install.
• Already shipping or in transit: about 4 to 6 weeks.
• In production: 10 to 14 weeks from order confirmation.

These are a guide, and we confirm current availability when you enquire and keep you updated along the way.

How do I know what is in stock?

Ask us. Stock moves, so we confirm current availability when you enquire and when you order, and we tell you which of the three lead times applies: in stock, in transit, or in production. If your timing is tight, say so early and we will tell you what can be installed soonest. We do have availability noted on the website too.

How long is my quote valid?

Fourteen days from the date on the quote, unless the quote says otherwise.

Will the price change while I think about it?

Your quoted price is held for 14 days. After that, prices, terms and specifications can change, so it is worth confirming with us if your quote has lapsed.

What payment methods do you accept?

Bank transfer is preferred. We also take card, with no surcharge, and finance is available through Handy Pay.

Can I change my order after I have paid the deposit?

Talk to us as early as you can. Any change to the product, specification or site after you accept the quote is a variation. We confirm it in writing, and it may change the price and the lead time.

What does my site need before installation?

The sauna needs to sit on a level base, for example a deck, a concrete slab, a framed and compacted stone base, or pavers.

If that is already in place and suitable, no additional work is required.

If you are preparing a base specially for the sauna, it needs to do four things: be level, be contained so it keeps its shape, be strong enough to take the weight (our saunas start from 350 kg for the smaller models), and be free draining so water does not pool under or around the sauna.

Any flat surface that is solid will do, with or without decorative stone over the top.

Send us a few photos of the area and we will check it and make recommendations.

What is the base of each sauna model like?

It depends on the model. Our barrels (the Eliza and the Arthur) and our cube (the Stirling) sit on cradles, which lift the sauna off the ground, so the base underneath is on show. Our cabins (the Macedon, and the Sabine indoors) have a flat base with nylon gliders, and sit straight on the surface.

The four rules stay the same. What changes is the finish. The Macedon and the Sabine sit straight on a deck, on pavers or on a slab. On compacted crushed rock, or any gravel or stone base, they need adjustable pedestals to lift the base off the ground and take up any unevenness. Pedestals are an additional cost for supply and install, depending on the size of the sauna. Under a barrel or a cube a lot of people add decorative stone over the top.

Do I need a concrete slab for the sauna?

You can use one, but it is not the only option. A slab is level, it is not going anywhere, and it takes the weight. It is also permanent, a bigger job, not the look for every garden, and it may need further work to dress it, such as paving. A framed and compacted crushed rock base is one we build often, and a solid deck or paved area works well too.

If you are pouring a new slab, talk to us before the pour. The cable for the heater may need to come up through the slab in a conduit, closest to where the heater will sit. Each model has a drawing that shows where the heater goes, so you can plan the conduit accordingly.

What if the area is not level?

We ask that the area is level. If it is a little out, our installers bring the sauna to level with packers on the day. If it is particularly uneven, we recommend pedestals under the base. Pedestals are an additional cost for supply and install, depending on the size of the sauna, and we talk it through with you once we know where the sauna is going. As a guide to what each method can take up:

• Packers: up to 5 to 10 mm.
• Pedestals: 10 to 30 mm.
• Anything beyond that needs a different approach, which we work out with you.

Pavers and bricks are the ones that catch people out. They look flat, but more often than not they are not level, deliberately, so the surface can drain. We can work with that, but we need to know ahead of time. We will gather information about your site ahead of installation and let you know of any additional items required for levelling, and the cost. If we arrive and find variation in the level that we were not aware of, and it needs additional levelling, we will discuss it with you at the time.

Can the sauna sit on grass?

Not on bare grass or soil. The ground moves, it holds water, and the sauna will move with it. Grass is not a contained area either, so in a downpour water can run underneath the sauna. A prepared base takes that risk away and keeps the sauna sitting the way it should.

How much clearance do you need around the sauna?

For a standard install we generally need 500mm at the front, the back and side to side, for the install and for the yearly oiling.

A tighter spot can still work. It may need some additional install time, and it may mean some walls cannot be reached once the sauna is built, so yearly oiling is not possible there. If that is your spot, we recommend painting the walls that cannot be reached, and that needs to happen before installation. The Macedon suits a fenced corner because its walls can be painted before assembly, and on a stave build the back wall can be painted before install. If your space is tight or a little different, let us know ahead of time so we can workshop it with you.

How much space do I need above the sauna?

Check the height of your model against any eaves, pergola or ceiling, and leave working room above the roof so we can fit the shingles. On the barrels and the cubes allow at least 300mm above the roof, enough to get a drill and a hammer in. On the Macedon the shingles go on with the roof on the ground and the roof is then lifted into place, so about 100mm above the finished height is enough. Heights on their cradles or base: the Eliza and Arthur barrels are about 2045mm, the Stirling Mini 2210mm, the Stirling Large and Stirling Glass 2250mm, the Macedon 2245mm and the Sabine 2110mm. If the sauna is going within a metre of a boundary, Victorian rules cap the height at 2.4 metres, and every model in the range sits under that.

Can the sauna go on a deck?

Yes, as long as the deck is level and built to carry the weight. If you are not sure, ask your builder before install day.

Can my sauna go inside?

Yes. All of our saunas can be installed inside, but ventilation needs careful thought, because the sauna needs fresh air to operate well. In an open indoor space that is easily achieved. If the sauna sits against a wall at the rear, we may need to modify the vents at install, or create a vent in the wall of the room behind it, which is usually where the sauna's vents are.

If the sauna is going into an enclosed space or being built in, ventilation and vapour barriers need more thought. Talk to us in the planning phase and we will make a recommendation for your situation.

Can the sauna go under a deck, a pergola or a verandah?

Yes, and three things decide whether the spot works: the height under the structure, where the water goes, and how open the space is.

• Height. Check your model's height on its cradles or base against the underside of the structure, and leave working room above the roof so we can fit the shingles. The figures are under "How much space do I need above the sauna?". The Eliza and Arthur barrels are the lowest in the range at about 2045mm.
• Water. A free draining base matters more than usual when water comes off the deck above. If the deck sits beside a pool, the pool barrier rules come first, so have a read of "Can I put the sauna in my pool area?".
• Space. A tight spot or an enclosed one can still work, and both are worth talking through first. See "How much clearance do you need around the sauna?" and "What if the space around the sauna is enclosed?".

Send us photos and the height under the structure and we will check it with you.

Do I still need shingles if the sauna is under cover?

If the structure above is fully covered, so the sauna is effectively under a roof, the shingles may not be needed at all, because the protection comes from above. A deck with gaps between the boards is not cover, and the shingles stay. Send us photos of the spot and we will confirm it with you.

What if the space around the sauna is enclosed?

The sauna needs fresh air to operate well, so an enclosed space needs more thought than an open one. An area that is open at the sides is no problem. If the space is enclosed, or the sauna backs onto a wall where its vents sit, we may need to modify the vents at install, or create a vent in the wall behind. Tell us about the space in the planning phase and we will make a recommendation for your situation.

Do I need a building permit or planning permission for the sauna?

For a sauna from our Signature range going into your garden in Victoria, no. You do not need a building permit or planning permission.

It comes down to size. In Victoria, a small freestanding garden building under 10 square metres and under 3 metres high does not need a building permit, and every sauna in our Signature range sits well under both. A few things to keep in mind: within a metre of the boundary the height limit drops to 2.4 metres, it cannot sit forward of the front wall of your house, and if your property has a heritage or other planning overlay, or you are outside Victoria, have a quick word with your council first, or reach out to us and we can do some research for you.

Can I put the sauna in my pool area?

Next to the pool is a popular spot. Pool areas come with safety barrier rules, and anything that goes in or near the pool area can affect them. The requirements for a pool that is already built are different to a pool going in as part of a new build. We highly recommend speaking to a pool compliance inspector before you settle on the spot, so you know what can and cannot be done. We can recommend a pool compliance inspector to speak to, or you can use your own.

Do I need a plumber for the sauna?

No. The sauna has no water connection, it needs only the electrical connection and good ventilation. An ice bath needs a water source to fill it and drainage nearby, but no permanent plumbing.

Do I need drainage for the sauna?

The base needs to be free draining so water does not pool under or around the sauna. The sauna itself has no drain and no water connection. If you are not sure how your area drains, send us a few photos and we will have a look.

What access do you need on the day?

Clear, safe access for the delivery vehicle, the installers and the sauna: parking or standing room, and a path from the street to the spot free from obstructions, excessive steps and tight turns. Tell us early about anything tricky, like narrow side access, a steep or shared driveway, height restrictions or body corporate rules. Non-standard access does not usually need extra equipment, but it can take longer. A carry of more than 50 metres, or a marked incline, adds a cost for the extra time it takes to complete the install.

We confirm your site preparation and access with you before the install date is booked, and it is set out in your job sheet. The installer arrives expecting the site to be finished and ready, with clear access through to it. If anything has changed since we confirmed it, please let us know.

You do not need to be there for the install, as long as we have access to the space. If you cannot be there, mark out where the sauna is going, or send through photos so we can confirm the position beforehand. And one small favour: if you have dogs, please give the area a quick once over on the morning. As much as we love meeting the family dog, the last thing anyone wants is a little surprise walked through a brand new sauna.

What if my site is not ready when you arrive?

If the base is not finished, or access is not as described, the install will need to be postponed and rebooked for the next available time once the site is ready. A fee will apply if our installers arrive and the base is not finished, along with any extra time or equipment costs. We will always talk it through with you, but it is worth planning around. If the base is running behind, please let us know. Sending us photos early is the best way to avoid it.

Can you do the site prep for me?

Yes. You do not have to work this out on your own. Send photos and videos over, or we can arrange a site visit. Once we have seen the area we can quote to do the site prep for you, recommend landscapers we have worked with, talk with your landscaper, or give you pointers if you would like to do it yourself.

What does it cost if you do the site prep?

It depends on your site and the base you choose, so we quote it for you once we have seen photos of the area and discussed it with you.

Will you check my site first?

It may or may not be necessary. If the sauna is going onto an area that is already there, such as a deck or pavers, a quick photo sent over for us to look at is usually all it takes, or we talk it through with you on the phone. If we are doing the site prep, we can often get a good idea of the space from photos and videos, and we may opt to do a site visit if it needs one.

What does an ice bath need under it?

The same four rules as a sauna, and the weight is the thing to watch. A filled Eildon is heavy. The Small is about 475 kg filled with the chiller and about 555 kg with one adult in it, and the Large is about 630 kg filled and about 710 kg with one adult. A solid slab is ideal. For a deck or any raised structure, have a builder check the load rating before you install. You also need a power point for the chiller close by, a hose to fill it and drainage nearby, and room to get around it with the lid open.

Where is the best place to put the sauna?

Site prep is about what the sauna sits on. Where it sits on your property matters too. Somewhere level, with 500mm around it and a clear path for us to carry it in.

Think about privacy, the distance from the house, the view from inside, and whether you want an ice bath or a shower next to it. Think about the distance from your switchboard too, because a longer cable run adds to your electrician's quote, and about the pool area rules if it is going near a pool.

We can install in confined spaces as well, like a corner of the property or in a new build, built into the room. It can mean additional install time and therefore an additional cost, and we will discuss that with you once we know where it is going. Send us photos and we will talk it through with you.

Do I need an electrician to install the heater?

Yes. A traditional sauna heater runs on its own dedicated circuit, hard wired from your switchboard, and that has to be done by a licensed electrician. It is a standard residential job. The electrical work sits outside your Peak quote and is quoted independently by your electrician. We do strongly recommend using an electrician we have worked with before, who is familiar with the Harvia heaters. If you use your own electrician, they need to read the heater instructions thoroughly, well before the install.

Is the electrical work included in my price?

No. The electrical connection is separate and is not included even where installation is. You pay your electrician directly.

What power supply does my sauna need?

It depends on the model and size, because the heater is sized for the room. As a guide: 4.5 kW needs 25 A, 6 kW needs 32 A, 8 kW needs 40 A, and 9 kW needs 50 A, on single phase. All of our heaters can also be run on three phase. The large Stirling, the large Macedon and the large Sabine step to 9 kW if you add WiFi control. Your electrician works out the final cable and protection sizing themselves, based on your switchboard and the length of the cable run.

What does the electrician do?

Five things.

1. They run a dedicated circuit, hard wired from your switchboard.
2. They fit an isolator switch near the sauna.
3. From the isolator they run heat-rated cable into the sauna room and hard wire it to the heater.
4. Where you have a WiFi controller, power runs from the isolator to the control unit and then on to the heater, with the control unit in a weatherproof enclosure. There is three phase connection from the control unit to the heater. The heater can have single or three phase.
5. Lighting needs its own standard power point.

Does the electrician come before or after installation?

The heater is installed after the sauna is built. Your electrician can come from the day after to install it, and the heater will be there for them. There may need to be some electrical work done prior to the installation, and your electrician will have confirmed that with you already.

What happens if the pre install electrical work is not done on the day?

If pre-install electrical work (running the cable) was needed and has not been completed, the installation is postponed and rebooked, and a revisit fee will apply. We will always talk it through with you. It is worth confirming dates with your electrician as soon as your install date is set.

Can I use my own electrician?

Absolutely. Any licensed electrician can do the work. Send us their contact details and we will send them the manufacturer's manuals and our install notes ahead of the day. We ask that they read through them well before they arrive, and we are happy to hear from them directly with any questions.

Who is responsible for the electrical work?

The electrician you engage. They are engaged directly by you and are not our subcontractor, so the work and its warranty rest with them. We are not a licensed electrical contractor and we do not direct how the work is carried out. If a fault turns out to be electrical, we will help identify the cause, but we do not rectify another trade's work.

Do I need an isolator switch, and where does it go?

Yes. An isolator switch is fitted near the sauna, on the back or the side of the cabin, or close by, wherever suits your site. From there the heat-rated cable runs into the sauna room to the heater.

What cable is used, and why can't it be ordinary wiring?

Because of the heat. The connecting cable must be rubber cable, type H07RN-F or equivalent. PVC-insulated wire is forbidden as the connecting cable, because it becomes brittle at sauna temperatures. Any cable running higher than 1000mm from the floor inside the sauna, or inside the sauna room walls, has to withstand at least 170°C under load, and any electrical equipment mounted above 1000mm must be approved to 125°C, marked T125.

Will my switchboard handle it?

This is a question for your electrician. We recommend discussing this early in your sauna choosing process. The amount of power available may decide which size heater and therefore which size sauna you get.

Single phase or three phase?

You can run a Harvia heater on single or three phase power up to 9 kW. Most homes are single phase, and that is fine. Your electrician will confirm what your home has and wire the heater to suit. Heaters above 9 kW need three phase power.

Is there an RCD on the heater circuit?

Yes. The heater circuit has to be wired back to an RCD, the safety switch on your switchboard. One thing worth knowing: a brand new heater can trip it on the first run because of moisture in the elements, which settles once the heater has been heated through.

What about power for the lights?

The lights are plug and play and run off a standard 10 A power point on the outside of the sauna, usually at the rear or the side depending on your site. Your electrician fits the power point. We do not wire the lights into the Harvia WiFi control unit, as it can complicate the switching and cause unexpected issues.

Does the ice bath need an electrician?

No. The 1HP Peak Pro Chiller that comes with the Eildon runs from a standard 10 A household plug, so for most homes there is no dedicated circuit and no electrician needed. The 2HP chiller for commercial setups runs from a 15 A plug, which an electrician fits if you do not already have one. You will want a power point and a hose nearby to fill it, and drainage close by.

What does a commercial sauna need?

Harvia have a range of commercial grade heaters, such as the Virta, Legend and the Pro series. On the supply, three phase is the better option at 9 kW where it is available, and above 9 kW three phase is required.

What does my electrician need to know to quote the cable run?

Your electrician prices the cable run, and the more accurate your information the closer the quote. With the following, most jobs can be quoted without anyone needing to come out to site.

• The distance from your switchboard to the sauna.
• Whether there is spare room in your switchboard.
• The type of switchboard you have.
• Whether your roof is tin or tiled.
• Whether there is roof cavity or underfloor access.
• Whether any trenching is needed, and how far.
• The total length of the cable run.
• The heater size, which we confirm for you, because the heater is sized to your sauna.

Please send photos of your switchboard and the area to help. It is worth measuring rather than estimating. A quote given without a site visit is based on the information you supply, so it may be adjusted if conditions on site turn out to be different, and some jobs still need a visit before they can be priced accurately.

What affects the cost of the electrical work?

Your electrician quotes this, and it varies from home to home. The main things that move it are how far the sauna is from your switchboard, whether the switchboard needs any work, how easy it is to run the cable (under a house, through a roof, or trenched across a yard), and the size of the heater. Get a quote early, ideally before you lock in your sauna size.

Does the sauna come with the cable and isolator?

No cabling is supplied with our dial-controlled heaters. Your electrician runs the circuit from your switchboard to an isolator, then heat-rated cable from the isolator to the heater. The heater is not pre-wired, so your electrician makes the connection on site.

Our E model heaters, the ones run from a Harvia control unit, come with the control unit and a weatherproof box to house it outside the sauna. They also include three phase heat-rated flex cable to run from the control unit to the heater. Your electrician supplies all cabling from your switchboard to the Harvia control unit.

Is delivery and installation included?

Saunas

Delivery and expert installation are included across Melbourne metro and the Mornington Peninsula. We itemise delivery and install on the product page and in your quote, so it is transparent. If you would rather collect your sauna, or have it delivered and install it yourself, you can toggle delivery and install off. The electrical connection is separate, see Electrical.

Ice Baths and Chillers

Delivery and setup are included across Melbourne metro and the Mornington Peninsula, itemised on the product page and in your quote.

Where do you deliver?

Sauna delivery and install covers Melbourne metro and the Mornington Peninsula. Regional Victoria we can do, with a travel fee added that is worked out on a kilometre rate. Ice baths and chillers are the same: delivery and setup across Melbourne metro and the Mornington Peninsula, regional Victoria with a travel fee.

Saunas and ice baths can also be shipped Australia-wide. Either for you to install yourself, or we have install partners around Australia who can complete the install for you. See interstate below.

What is the regional travel fee?

For regional Victoria we add a travel fee, worked out as a per kilometre rate on the return distance from the nearest metro suburb to your address. It applies to saunas and ice baths, and we confirm the exact figure in your quote for you to review.

How long does installation take?

Most installs are completed in a single day. Some need a second day to finish off, but the sauna itself is installed and watertight from day one, and it is ready for the electrician to connect the heater from the day after. We keep you informed at every step.

What happens on install day?

1. We arrive on the day with your sauna and heater.
2. We confirm the agreed spot with you and check everything is level and as it should be.
3. Then we assemble the sauna: the floor, the roof, the benches, the door and the trims. We fit the accessories inside.
4. The heater is there for your electrician from the day after.
5. We let you know it is complete and share our post-install process with you: placing the stones once the heater has been connected, and what to do before your first session. We are always available to answer questions on this. We may need to return to finish up the following day, but the sauna will be built and watertight from day one.
6. If you have arranged for a second coat of oil, we will return within 4 weeks to complete this.

What is not included in the install?

The electrical connection and live testing of the heater, which your electrician does, and any site preparation that is needed. We liaise with you on the site prep before installation. If something outside the scope comes up when we arrive, we put it to you as a variation and discuss it with you before doing anything.

What time do you arrive?

Our usual arrival window is 7am to 10am. On the morning, you get a text with a live ETA when the installer is on the way.

Do I need to be home?

You do not need to be there for the install, as long as we have access to the space. It does help to have you there when the team arrives so we can confirm the location together, and again at the end so we can run you through everything.

If you cannot be there, mark out where the sauna is going, or send through photos so we can confirm the position beforehand. And one small favour: if you have dogs, please give the area a quick once over on the morning for any poo. As much as we love meeting the family dog, the last thing anyone wants is a little surprise walked through a brand new sauna.

Can I reschedule my install?

Let us know as early as you can and we will rebook you for the next available date. We book our installers in for your day, so we ask for at least 24 hours notice if an install needs to move.

Some flexibility runs both ways. We may occasionally need to reschedule an install ourselves, for weather for example, and we ask for the same understanding. If the site is not ready when the installers arrive, a rescheduling fee may apply. It is case by case, life happens, and we will always have a conversation about it, but it is worth planning around. That is also why we make sure we have your site prep information before install day.

Can I collect it and install it myself?

Yes. Toggle off delivery and install on the product page to see the sauna-only price. Collection is from our Seaford warehouse, by appointment, and the order needs to be paid in full before collection.

Each sauna leaves us on one wrapped pallet: the crate, the heater box, the stones and any loose accessories. You will need a trailer that takes the pallet: an 8 by 5 foot trailer covers every model. Approximate pallet sizes and weights:

Tell us your model when you book the collection and we will confirm the exact pallet.

Can it be delivered and I install it myself?

Yes. You are welcome to collect the sauna and install it yourself, or we can ship it to you kerbside and you install it from there. We recommend it is done by someone handy with basic tools, with one person to help, and we provide the instructions and support. If you install yourself, the oiling is also something you look after on your end.

Do you ship interstate?

Yes, Australia-wide, two ways. We can ship the sauna to a depot near you or direct to your address kerbside, and you install it yourself with our instructions and support. Or we ship it to your area and organise a partner installer, who collects the sauna from the depot for you and completes the build at your end.

Freight is quoted separately, case by case, with two options: collect from a local depot, which is the cheaper of the two though you will need a trailer, or kerbside delivery to your address. Send us your address and we will quote both.

What if it arrives damaged?

Check everything when it arrives. If you see any damage or anything missing, let us know as soon as you find it. Raise it with the driver before they leave, take photos, and phone us straight away on 0485 017 325. Please tell us as soon as you become aware of it, because the sooner we know the sooner we can action it, and we do require notice within 48 hours in writing. A phone call straight away is the best way to get it moving.

Anything warranty related later on can come to us by email, at warranty@peaksaunaice.au. Damage on arrival is the one to phone about, so we can work out the problem with you straight away.

I have noticed small dents or scratches in my sauna. Is that normal?

Small dents and scratches in the wall lining and benches can be present or happen during installation. Sauna timber is naturally soft, so it marks easily. Most of these can be sanded out completely. On occasion there may be a deeper scratch or dent that light sanding does not remove. If we are installing, we will bring it to your attention and discuss a suitable solution with you, case by case. If you are installing yourself, call us straight away and take plenty of photos, close up and from further back, so we can assess it and guide the solution.

Can I move it later?

In the words of Andrew, our carpenter, anything is possible. It comes down to time and money.

It is possible to relocate a sauna after install. If there is good access onto the property, it may be possible to move it in one piece with machinery. Otherwise it is dismantled and reinstalled. A barrel can be dismantled, the shingles replaced and the sauna reinstalled in the new spot. A cabin needs to be built in a slightly different way from the start, so that it keeps its structure and stability but can be dismantled later, so tell us up front if you think you may move it.

There is a cost to dismantle or relocate, and a cost to reinstall, so it is something to weigh up at the time. If you are selling the property, the sauna where it is may be part of the appeal for the buyer, and a new sauna at the new place can be the more cost effective option. We would happily help you with that.

Does it arrive built, or in pieces?

In pieces, and our installers assemble it on site in the agreed spot. The barrels and the cube arrive as timber staves, packed in a crate, and the Macedon arrives in panels, the way it is built. That is why we ask about access early, because everything has to be carried in.

What do I do before my first session?

A few things, all covered in the Post-Install and Use Guide we send you. First, wash the stones and place them in the heater, following the Harvia video in the guide. Then run the heater on full with no one inside for 3 to 4 hours before your first proper session, to burn off any manufacturing residue. You will notice a smell at the start. That is the residue burning off, and if it is still there after the burn-off, run the heater for a while longer. And keep the air vents open during every session.

What happens after my sauna is installed?

We stay in touch. We follow up after the sauna is installed, and again once the heater is connected. From there we aim to touch base at about two weeks, and again at about a month. You also have the option of a yearly maintenance visit from us, to review the sauna and look after its upkeep. The fee for that is available on request.

What do I do if something is not right?

Call or email us. What helps most is a few photos and a short video of what is not right, emailed to hello@peaksaunaice.au or sent by SMS, so we have them in front of us when we talk and can work out what is going on. If it is urgent or you are concerned, phone us straight away on 0485 017 325.

Does my sauna need oiling?

Outdoor saunas need oiling at install, and then yearly after that. The yearly oil protects the timber and keeps your structural warranty in place. We also recommend oiling the floor inside yearly, to protect it from foot traffic.

What oil do you use?

Livos, a natural linseed-based oil. We love the finish, and it is a non-toxic option we feel good about using. Livos Alis Decking Oil for the exterior, and Livos Ardvos Universal Wood Oil for the interior floor.

What colours does the oil come in?

The exterior oil comes in six colours: Boxtree, Oak, Light Teak, Chestnut, Slate Grey and Black. Light Teak is the one we most often recommend. The interior floor oil is clear.

What does oiling cost?

Oiling is an optional add-on. We can do it at install, or you can do it yourself. Current pricing is on each product page, and it depends on the size of your sauna. A second coat is also available.

Is floor oiling included?

No, it is an optional extra at install. We recommend it to protect the floor from foot traffic, and then a yearly coat after that.

Can I oil it myself?

Yes, it is a straightforward job and plenty of customers do it. If you are collecting and installing yourself, the oiling is yours to look after. We can supply the Livos oil at the same price as the Livos website, or you can organise your own: Bunnings has exterior oils that do the job, the same sort you would use on a deck. Do not use an exterior timber oil inside your sauna. For the inside, use a natural oil that is safe for a chopping board, like the Livos Ardvos we use on floors.

What if the sauna is going into a confined space?

Tell us early, because it changes how we finish and install it. If one or more walls will not be reachable at install or afterwards, the yearly oil on those faces is not possible, so we recommend painting them instead.

Painting is done at our warehouse before delivery, while every face can still be reached. It takes an undercoat and two top coats, and the drying time runs over more than a day, so we do it under cover before the sauna comes to you. The walls that stay accessible we oil at the same time, or you can have the whole sauna painted if you prefer. Painting is a slightly higher rate than oiling, and it covers the oiling too, so you are not paying for both. We quote it once we know your space.

What happens if I skip the oiling?

The exterior timber weathers faster, and it will void your structural warranty. Oiling at install and then yearly is a condition of the warranty.

Do I need to oil the inside?

Only the floor. We recommend oiling the interior floor once a year with Livos Ardvos, a natural clear oil that is safe enough for chopping boards and toys. The walls and benches do not need oil.

Does the Sabine need oiling?

Far less than the outdoor range, because it lives out of the weather, so exterior oiling is optional. You may want to oil it if it is going somewhere prone to damp, like a garage, or under cover outdoors where it is out of the rain but still faces the weather. Some people oil it for the colour. Otherwise a yearly clear oil on the floor is all it needs.

How do I clean the inside?

Keep the sauna as dry as you can. Wipe or dry the floor after each session, and leave the door or a vent open for a while so the timber can dry out. Sit or lie on a towel, because sweat on the benches and backrests is the main cause of staining over time.

Every few weeks, or more often with heavy use, wipe down the benches, backrests and floor with a soft cloth and a mild natural cleaner, when the sauna is cool. Diluted white vinegar works well, about one part vinegar to four parts warm water, with a few drops of eucalyptus oil if you like, and Bosisto's Eucalyptus Multi-Purpose Cleaner is a good ready-made option. Wring the cloth out well so the timber is damp, not soaked, wipe along the grain, then let it dry fully with the door open.

Avoid bleach, ammonia, harsh chemical cleaners and abrasive scourers, which damage the cedar, and never pressure wash or hose down the inside, which forces water into the joints. Never lacquer or varnish the inside.

How do I look after the heater and the stones?

Once a year, take all the stones out of the heater. Sauna stones slowly break down with heating and cooling, and the small pieces and debris that collect in the bottom should be cleared out. Throw away any stones that have crumbled or cracked, and top up with fresh sauna stones as needed. We can supply replacement stones.

Restacking is also a chance to reposition the stones around the elements. Stack them loosely so air can flow through the heater and there is no pressure on the elements, and make sure the elements end up fully covered. Always make sure the heater is switched off and fully cooled before you remove the stones.

Are there other ongoing costs?

Very little. Electricity, and for outdoor saunas the yearly oil. Otherwise upkeep is minimal.

How do I prevent mould, and what if it appears?

Airflow is what prevents it. Let the sauna air out after each use, keep the vents open, wipe down the benches, and sit on a towel.

If it does appear, catch it early. Wipe or spray the spot with white vinegar diluted in warm water, leave it for a while, then scrub gently along the grain with a soft brush, rinse with clean water and dry the sauna out by running the heater. If it has marked the timber, a light sand along the grain brings the surface back. Keep bleach off the timber.

We have noticed some watermarks in our barrel or cube sauna after heavy rain. What does this mean?

The front and rear walls sit in a channel cut into the staves, and that channel is what fixes them into place. Because the walls run vertically and the staves run horizontally, there is potential for water to end up in that channel, particularly in a heavy downpour. To counter this, we drill drainage holes into the channel at install, and thoroughly oil both the channel and the end grain of the front and rear walls.

If you do see watermarks, you can run the heater afterwards to dry it out. The damp may leave a stain on the end walls, and that can be wiped down, much like the marks you get from sweat.

Is it expensive to run?

No. A 90 minute session costs between about $1.20 and $2.40 in electricity, depending on the size of your heater. The heater runs flat out for the first half hour to heat the room, then eases back to a fraction of its power to hold temperature, so most of the cost is in the heat-up. Colder days take a little longer to heat, and your own rate will vary with your retailer.

What does a session cost?

Worked out at 28 cents a kWh, the average Melbourne rate, for a 90 minute session: half an hour at full power to heat up, then the heater settling back as it holds temperature.

Your rate may differ, so scale it to what you pay per kWh.

What does the ice bath cost to run?

Once it is cold, the chiller only runs 15 to 25 percent of the time to hold temperature. Most people report $1 to $3 a day, with the lid on between sessions. The lid is what does most of that work.

What warranty do I get?

On top of that, our installation workmanship is covered for 12 months, and a 12 month defects liability period runs from handover.

What does the warranty not cover?

Normal wear and tear, misuse, neglect, improper cleaning or storage, and changes or repairs by anyone not authorised by us. Exterior timber that has not been oiled as directed may void the structural warranty. It also does not cover damage from site prep or electrical work that did not meet the requirements.

What is the defects liability period?

Twelve months from the day of install and handover. If you notice a defect in that time, tell us in writing with photos, within 14 days of noticing it, at warranty@peaksaunaice.au. We inspect, and put right anything we are responsible for at our cost.

Is the installation work covered?

Yes. If an issue comes from our workmanship within 12 months of completion, we fix it at no cost.

How do I make a warranty claim?

Email warranty@peaksaunaice.au with a description of the issue, your proof of purchase and clear photos. For saunas we come out and inspect where that is practical. If you are outside our service area we may ask for video and more photos and assess it remotely. For ice baths and chillers we may ask for the unit back, and we cover that freight.

What if there is a fault with my heater?

If your heater stops working, reach out to us so we can help troubleshoot. If the problem is identified as the heater itself, and you are within two years, it is covered under warranty and we will take you through the process of getting it addressed.

The elements are covered for the same two years. An element is to a heater what a light bulb is to a light, and it will need replacing after enough use.

What if the fault is the electrician's work?

We will help identify the cause, but we do not fix another trade's work. The electrical work and its warranty sit with the electrician you engaged.

Can I return it?

A sauna cannot be returned for change of mind once installation has started. Anything wrong after install is handled under warranty. An unused ice bath or chiller can be returned within 14 days of delivery, in its original packaging, at your cost. Email hello@peaksaunaice.au first so we can confirm the return.

What warranty applies in a commercial space?

Commercial use has its own cover: sauna cabin 2 years, ice bath 2 years, chiller 1 year, UV filtration 1 year, accessories 6 months, and the Harvia heater as per Harvia's commercial warranty. It depends on commercial-grade equipment being specified from the start.

What are my rights under Australian Consumer Law?

Nothing in our terms limits your rights under the Australian Consumer Law. Our warranties sit on top of those rights, not in place of them.

How often should I use my sauna, and for how long?

Research points to the greatest benefit at around 4 to 7 sessions a week, and daily use is safe for most healthy adults. You can sauna in rounds or stay for the duration. Research shows benefit from 5 to 30 minutes. The shorter times were part of sauna rounds rather than one session. About 10 to 20 minutes in the heat, then out to cool down, and back in for a second or third round. That adds up to roughly 15 to 60 minutes in the heat across a session. The Finnish research links longer, regular sessions with the greatest heart benefit, so you can build up over time. Stay well hydrated, and come out as soon as it stops feeling comfortable. Listen to your body. You are your own research project. Try different times and repetitions and see what works for you. You might find you have one longer session in the week and a couple of shorter ones.

The research we draw on:

• Laukkanen and colleagues 2015, JAMA Internal Medicine: 2,315 Finnish men followed for 20 years. The lowest risk of sudden cardiac death was in men who used the sauna 4 to 7 times a week, and sessions over 19 minutes went with a 52 percent lower risk than sessions under 11 minutes.
• Laukkanen and colleagues 2018, BMC Medicine: 1,688 men and women. The more minutes a week spent in the sauna, the lower the risk of dying from heart disease, with no cut-off found.
• Hussain and Cohen 2018, a systematic review of 40 studies: Finnish sauna sessions of 5 to 20 minutes at 80 to 100¬∞C, in single or repeated rounds, with no serious adverse events reported.
• Laukkanen and colleagues 2018, Journal of Human Hypertension: a single 30 minute session at 73¬∞C lowered blood pressure and arterial stiffness in 102 people with a heart risk factor.
• Kukkonen-Harjula and Kauppinen 2006, International Journal of Circumpolar Health: the typical Finnish bath is 5 to 20 minutes repeated one to three times, and it is well tolerated by healthy people from childhood to old age.

Should anyone check with a doctor first?

If you have a heart condition, low blood pressure, are pregnant, or have another medical condition, check with your doctor before starting.

If you are pregnant, the research is reassuring, but check with your doctor first, and always listen to your body. If you do not feel well, or you feel any discomfort, get out straight away. The studies used 70 to 80°C and short stays, so keep it moderate and brief. What they found:

• Kukkonen-Harjula and Kauppinen 2006, International Journal of Circumpolar Health: Finnish women carry on with the sauna through pregnancy, and no adverse effects were found in healthy pregnancies.
• Ravanelli and colleagues 2019, British Journal of Sports Medicine: a review of 12 studies and 347 pregnant women. None reached the 39¬∞C core temperature linked with birth defects, and a 70¬∞C sauna for up to 20 minutes stayed well under it at every stage of pregnancy.
• Sax√©n and colleagues 1982, Teratology: a Finnish registry study. 98.5 percent of mothers used the sauna in pregnancy, and sauna habits were the same for mothers of babies with and without birth defects.
• V√§h√§-Eskeli and Erkkola 1988, Annals of Clinical Research: the sauna does not cause birth defects, and healthy pregnant women can bathe throughout pregnancy.
• Milunsky and colleagues 1992, JAMA: in 23,491 US women, hot tub use in the first trimester raised the risk of neural tube defects. Sauna on its own did not reach significance, and combining heat sources raised the risk. This is the paper behind the general advice to avoid overheating in early pregnancy.
• Harvey and colleagues 1981, Canadian Medical Association Journal: none of 20 women could stay in an 81¬∞C sauna long enough to reach a core temperature of concern. They got out in discomfort first.

Can children use it?

Yes, with an adult in there with them. Because of their size and stage of development, children experience heat differently to adults and can be more sensitive to higher temperatures. So keep their sessions shorter, around 5 to 10 minutes, and keep the temperature moderate. They can comfortably stay on the lower bench where it is cooler, and move up to the higher bench for a short time if they want to, as long as you watch them closely while they are up there. How long depends on the child and their age. Let them leave as soon as they have had enough, make sure they are hydrated, and have them cool down gently afterwards. There is no set minimum age: in Finland most children start in infancy, always supervised. For babies and children under five, or a child with a heart condition, check with your GP or maternal and child health nurse first. The research we draw on:

• Markkola and colleagues 1989, European Journal of Pediatrics: 1,247 Finnish families. 98.5 percent of children used the sauna, 70 percent from infancy, and symptoms were rare and not serious.
• Jokinen and colleagues 1990, Pediatrics: 81 children and young people, 10 minutes in sauna conditions. Under-fives coped least well, and small children need careful supervision.
• Jokinen and colleagues 1991, Acta Physiologica Scandinavica and Acta Paediatrica Scandinavica: children aged 5 to 10 showed the same hormonal adjustment to heat as adults, and heart rhythm changes were brief and harmless in healthy children.
• Hannuksela and Ellahham 2001, American Journal of Medicine: children tolerate the sauna well with parents supervising, usually 5 to 10 minutes on the lower bench.
• Kukkonen-Harjula and Kauppinen 2006, International Journal of Circumpolar Health: well tolerated by healthy people from childhood to old age.

What if I feel lightheaded?

Step out, cool down, drink some water and rest. Take it easy and give yourself time. There is no judgment in coming out early. Always come out if you feel unwell rather than pushing through, and make sure you are well hydrated before your next session. If it keeps happening, it is worth checking in with your doctor.

What should I wear?

Keep it simple and comfortable. A towel or swimwear is fine. Natural fibre swimwear is worth considering. Please note anything with metal in it will get hot. Take off your watch and any other tech before you go in, or leave it on the lower bench. Be mindful of where you put anything electronic. If you are being mindful, maybe leave all tech outside. Your accessory pack also includes two merino wool sauna hats, and the next answer explains why you would wear one.

Why do people wear a sauna hat?

Heat gathers at the top of the room, so your head sits in the hottest air in the sauna, and your ears feel it first because they are thin and exposed. A merino wool hat slows that heat reaching your scalp and ears, so the heat and the löyly arrive gently rather than sharply. Wet it in cool water and squeeze out the excess before you go in, and pull it down over your ears, which is the part people skip. It also keeps hot dry air off your hair, which matters more if your hair is long or coloured.

Treat it as a comfort item rather than protective equipment. There is no research on sauna hats, and a hat does not change your core temperature, which is what rises in the heat. It is not a reason to run the sauna hotter or stay in longer, and if you feel lightheaded you still come out. Two hats come in your accessory pack.

How do I wash my sauna hat?

By hand, in cool water. Rinse it after each session to get the sweat out, press the water out rather than wringing or twisting it, reshape it while it is damp and dry it somewhere airy and out of direct sun. Every few weeks give it a proper wash in cool or lukewarm water with a little wool wash, then rinse until the water runs clear. No washing machine, no dryer, no hot water, no bleach and no fabric softener. Hot water shrinks merino and it does not come back. Do not leave it to dry inside the sauna or in a gym bag. Like a towel, a sauna hat is best kept to one person.

Can I take a drink in?

Yes, and staying hydrated matters. Bring water or an electrolyte drink in a non-glass bottle, and keep it on the floor, because a bottle left on the top bench gets hot. Avoid sugary or alcoholic drinks. A homemade electrolyte drink works well: water with a pinch of good salt and a squeeze of lemon, and a splash of apple cider vinegar if you like it.

Can I use essential oils?

Yes. Add a drop or two of essential oil to the ladle of water you pour over the stones for a little aromatherapy, never neat onto the stones. Your accessory pack includes a set of three.

Can I listen to music?

Yes. Many people pair a session with a relaxing playlist, breathwork or meditation. Harvia makes a sauna speaker built for the heat, and we can supply one with your sauna.

How do I breathe in the sauna?

Comfortably. Pay attention to your breathing and, where you can, just notice it. If it feels comfortable, let the breath move in and out through your nose. Aim for breathing that is consistent, even and relaxed. If nose breathing is not comfortable for you, breathe through your mouth with awareness, easy and consistent. You should never feel you are straining your breath in the sauna. Find your lower ribs and imagine a band around them that gently expands as you breathe in and softens as you breathe out. As the heat builds there is a pull to gulp air, and that is your cue to come back to an easy breath. If you still feel short of air, step out. Our post, The Power of Breath in the Sauna, goes deeper.

What is löyly?

Löyly is the Finnish word for the burst of soft steam that rises when you ladle water over the hot stones, and for the quality of the heat it creates. It is not only about temperature. It is the feel of the warmth, the way the air moves, and how comfortable the room is to sit in.

Good löyly needs three things: stones that store and release heat well, stacked with gaps so the heat can rise through them, the right amount of water, and ventilation that moves the steam through the room. It is the heart of a traditional sauna session, and the reason we place our vents where we do in the sauna (one below the heater and one down low on the opposite side of the sauna, or up high on the opposite wall).

What is an Aufguss?

Aufguss is a German sauna ritual. A sauna master pours water infused with essential oils over the hot stones, then moves the steam around the room with a towel, often to music. It turns a session into a shared experience. You can recreate it in your own sauna: wave a towel to move the air, and play music on your Harvia speaker.

Read more: What Is Aufguss, on our blog.

What is the best way to combine sauna and ice bath?

Contrast therapy, alternating heat and cold, is one of the most popular recovery routines. A common approach is 10 to 20 minutes in the sauna, then a few minutes in the ice bath, repeated for two or three rounds, with the sauna rounds adding up to roughly 20 to 60 minutes. Aim to finish on the cold.

What temperature should I set it to?

A traditional sauna sits between 70 and 90°C. Find your Goldilocks temperature using the dial or the digital control, and start lower, around 65 to 70°C, if you are new to it. Hotter is not always better: the research on sauna and heart health centres around the 80°C mark, while some sauna cultures run at 100°C and above. Humidity matters as much as the number on the dial. A 2026 Finnish study (Laatikainen-Raussi and colleagues, in the journal Temperature) found that the steam from ladling water on the stones raises your heart rate and core temperature on its own, over and above the air temperature. Do what feels comfortable for you, and where you feel you get the benefit. The research we draw on:

• Laatikainen-Raussi, Mikkola, Ihalainen and Ahokas 2026, Temperature: 50 healthy adults did four 10-minute sessions at about 75¬∞C with free use of l√∂yly. Heart rate rose by an average of 41.6 beats a minute and core temperature by 0.4¬∞C, and humidity raised both independently of the air temperature. The authors conclude humidity should be considered alongside temperature when using the sauna for health.
• Laukkanen and colleagues 2018, Journal of Human Hypertension: a single 30 minute session at 73¬∞C lowered blood pressure and arterial stiffness in 102 people with a heart risk factor.
• Hussain and Cohen 2018, a systematic review of 40 studies: the Finnish sauna studies used 80 to 100¬∞C, with no serious adverse events reported.
• Harvia, the maker of our heaters, gives about 65 to 80¬∞C as a suitable sauna temperature in its heater manual.

What water can I put on the stones?

Clean tap water, a small ladle at a time. Pour it over the stones at arm's length. If water drips through the heater to the floor, that is too much. Do not use pool water or sea water, because chlorine and salt damage the heater. For scent, add 1 to 2 drops of the essential oils from your accessory pack to the ladle of water, never neat onto the stones.

What are the benefits of a sauna?

Regular sauna use is linked with deep relaxation, better circulation, heart and brain health, muscle recovery, and better mood and sleep. In a long-running Finnish study, men who used a sauna 4 to 7 times a week had around 40 percent lower all-cause mortality than those who went once a week (Laukkanen et al., JAMA Internal Medicine, 2015). For many people it simply becomes the part of the day they look forward to most.

Here is each benefit with the research behind it. Most of the strong findings come from following large groups of people over many years, so they show a pattern rather than a promise for any one person, and the best of it turns up with regular use.

Full references, with links to the journal articles, are at the end of this section. Read more: The Science and Research Behind Sauna Use for Longevity on the blog.

What are the benefits of an ice bath?

Deliberate cold exposure is linked with greater stress resilience, lifted mood and energy, and support for circulation and recovery. It trains body and mind to handle stress, and often leaves you feeling energised and focused. The research behind each of those:

• Energy and mood: immersion in 14 degree water raised noradrenaline by around 530 percent and dopamine by around 250 percent in a small lab study (Sramek 2000). That is the chemistry behind the post-plunge lift.
• Stress and sleep: a 2025 review pooling 11 trials found cold water immersion gave real but time-limited drops in stress and gains in sleep and quality of life, fading by about three months (Cain 2025). Regular practice is the point.
• Fewer sick days: 30 to 90 seconds of cold shower a day for 30 days was linked with 29 percent fewer self-reported sick days in a trial of more than 3,000 people (Buijze 2016).
• Less soreness: cold water under 15 degrees is linked with less muscle soreness after exercise than resting, and it works best at 10 degrees or below for 11 to 15 minutes (Bleakley 2012, Cochrane; Machado 2016).
• Recovery: cold water and hot-cold contrast both aid short-term recovery after hard sessions (Versey 2013; Bieuzen 2013).
• Resilience: men who alternated cold swims with sauna handled both cold and heat better than people who did neither (Soberg 2021).
• One caveat: cold water straight after strength training blunted strength and muscle gains over 12 weeks (Roberts 2015). Leave a gap after lifting, or plunge on the other days.

Read more: Dopamine and Cold and Heat Exposure and Why Ice Baths Are Essential for Recovery and Wellness on the blog.

Is a home sauna worth the investment?

We think so. Beyond the science, our customers tell us it becomes the part of the day they look forward to most. The value is in something you use most days, not once in a while, and we are here to help you choose something you will use every day.

At the end of the day, it is a room with benefits. It becomes a space where you get to switch off that is not a workspace or a living space. Your phone stays outside, and it becomes an opportunity to connect with your partner and your friends, or just to check in with yourself.

Is it good for recovery and sore muscles?

Yes, and heat and cold do different jobs. Heat has long been used to ease aching joints and tight, stiff muscles. It widens the blood vessels so more oxygen reaches the muscle and waste clears faster, warms the tissue so tendons and fascia move more freely, and raises beta-endorphin, the body's own painkiller (Hannuksela and Ellahham 2001; Vescovi 1992). For next-day workout soreness specifically, the evidence for heat is still mixed (Ahokas 2025).

Cold water has more behind it for that next-day soreness. Immersion under 15 degrees is linked with less soreness than resting, and works best at 10 degrees or below for 11 to 15 minutes (Bleakley 2012; Machado 2016). Alternating hot and cold reduced soreness and strength loss compared with resting (Bieuzen 2013). For performance, a sauna after training expanded plasma volume and improved endurance in runners (Scoon 2007), and a randomised trial found sauna after exercise lifted fitness beyond exercise alone (Lee 2022).

One thing to time right: cold water straight after strength training blunted strength and muscle gains over 12 weeks (Roberts 2015). Sauna after lifting is fine. Save the plunge for a few hours later, or for the days you are not lifting.

Does it help sleep and stress?

Sleep is the change regular users notice first. In a global survey of sauna users, 83.5 percent reported sleeping better (Hussain, Greaves and Cohen 2019). The mechanism is the temperature swing: a sauna pushes your core temperature up, and the drop that follows is one of the body's strongest sleep signals, the same dip it makes naturally each night. Time your session for the evening and you work with that rhythm.

For stress, a week of regular sauna lowered baseline cortisol and ACTH, the main stress hormones (Leppaluoto 1986), the heat raises beta-endorphin (Vescovi 1992), and a review of 40 studies backs the relaxation and wellbeing effects (Hussain and Cohen 2018). Researchers have also mapped the settled post-sauna state to a measurable shift toward calm in the brain (Chang 2023). Cold water helps here too: pooled trials show real, time-limited drops in stress and gains in sleep with regular cold immersion (Cain 2025).

Does it help my immune system?

Regular heat appears to toughen you up, and the evidence is honest rather than settled. A single session sends a surge of white blood cells, lymphocytes and neutrophils into the bloodstream, the way a mild fever rallies your defences (Pilch 2013). In a six-month trial, regular sauna users had about half as many common colds as people who did not use one, though the trial was small and the effect took about three months to appear (Ernst 1990). In the long Finnish cohort, four or more sessions a week was linked with about 41 percent lower risk of respiratory disease, including pneumonia (Kunutsor 2017). The honest counterweight: in a head to head against hot water immersion, interleukin 6, natural killer cells and CD8 T cells moved only after the hot water, not after the sauna (Atencio 2025). Cells moving into the bloodstream is not the same thing as a measured improvement in immune function, and we try not to blur the two.

Cold has a similar signal: a daily 30 to 90 second cold shower for 30 days was linked with 29 percent fewer sick days in a trial of more than 3,000 people (Buijze 2016). None of this replaces vaccination, medication or your doctor's advice. Think of it as a supportive habit.

Is it safe with a heart condition?

Check with your doctor first. In the Finnish population studies, regular sauna is linked with better heart outcomes, and the medical reviews describe sauna as well tolerated by most people with stable heart disease. The conditions where it is not advised include unstable angina, a recent heart attack and severe aortic stenosis (Hannuksela and Ellahham 2001; Laukkanen 2018). One randomised trial in people with stable coronary artery disease found eight weeks of sauna did not improve their vascular markers (Debray 2023), which is why we say linked with, never treats.

If you have a heart condition, or take medication for blood pressure, talk to your doctor before you start, and see "Should anyone check with a doctor first?" under Using Your Sauna.

Does the humidity matter, or just the temperature?

Yes. The steam is part of the dose, not a garnish. A 2026 Finnish study measured 50 healthy adults through four 10-minute sessions at about 75°C, with the usual freedom to ladle water on the stones (Laatikainen-Raussi and colleagues, in the journal Temperature). Humidity in the room ranged from about 6 percent with no water to nearly 60 percent with frequent löyly, and the higher the humidity, the higher the heart rate and core temperature, independently of the air temperature. Across that humidity range the difference works out to roughly 0.4°C of core temperature and about 20 beats a minute. The authors conclude that humidity has been overlooked in sauna research and should be considered alongside temperature. For you it means a 75 to 80°C room with good löyly can give the same physiological response as a hotter, drier one, which is one more reason hotter is not better. The research we draw on:

• Laatikainen-Raussi, Mikkola, Ihalainen and Ahokas 2026, Temperature: 50 healthy adults, four 10-minute sessions at about 75¬∞C with free use of l√∂yly. Heart rate rose by an average of 41.6 beats a minute and core temperature by 0.4¬∞C, and humidity raised both independently of the air temperature. Humidity should be considered alongside temperature when using the sauna for health.

Is cold exposure different for women?

Mostly in how much we know. Most of the research on cold exposure, and on heat, was done on men. Across the 87 trials in the largest review of cold water immersion for recovery, 85 percent of participants were male, and the authors name the shortage of data on women as a main limitation (Yu 2026). On the heat side, an audit of 73 passive heat studies found 427 of 1,392 participants were female and not one study was designed to examine sex differences (Mee 2026). So any women's protocol, cold or hot, rests on inference rather than on trials in women, and Stacy Sims, who works on female athlete physiology, has set out why that gap persists (Sims and Heather 2018).

What the research does show: women tend to feel cool and start shivering at a warmer temperature than men (Kaikaew 2018), and in one small study at 8°C women showed more cardiovascular strain than matched men, which points women towards sitting warmer rather than colder (Tsoutsoubi 2022). Sims puts the general range for women at 14 to 15°C for two to five minutes, and most of the body's measured response to cold is already there at around 14°C (Šrámek 2000). So treat 15°C as a starting point, not a ceiling. You do not have to go colder, and nothing in the research says you should. But nothing says you cannot either. A woman in a 5°C ice bath is not causing damage any more than a man is, and if you are comfortable and have no adverse symptoms, every temperature a man uses is open to you. Going colder is about doing a hard thing and building resilience, and that is the same for everyone.

Pairing the ice bath with the sauna is one way in. You can start warmer, and you know you will warm up again afterwards. Whatever the temperature, listen to your body, and if you have difficulty breathing or shivering you cannot control, get straight out. The Ice Bath and Chiller section below carries the fuller answer. The research we draw on:

• Yu and colleagues 2026, BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation: 85 percent of participants across 87 trials were male; the shortage of data on women is named as a main limitation.
• Mee and colleagues 2026, Experimental Physiology: 73 passive heat studies, 1,392 participants, 427 female. Six recruited women only, four ran a sex based sub analysis, none was designed to examine sex differences.
• Sims and Heather 2018, Experimental Physiology: the methodological case for why female physiology is under studied and what better designed research would look like.
• Kaikaew and colleagues 2018, Journal of Thermal Biology: cooled gradually, women felt cool and began shivering at a warmer setting than men.
• Tsoutsoubi and colleagues 2022, Biology: seven women and seven men, matched for build, at 8¬∞C for forty minutes. The women showed more cardiovascular strain, the men a larger fall in core temperature. Small, and well past normal use.
• ≈†r√°mek and colleagues 2000, European Journal of Applied Physiology: at 14¬∞C, noradrenaline rose 530 percent and dopamine 250 percent with no rise in cortisol. The volunteers were young men.
• Stacy Sims' 14 to 15¬∞C for two to five minutes is her recommendation as a practitioner, not a trial result.

Where can I read the research?

Every study we cite is peer reviewed. The sauna studies are traditional Finnish sauna only, and the cold studies cover cold water immersion, ice baths, cold showers and hot-cold contrast.

• Laukkanen T et al. 2015. Association between sauna bathing and fatal cardiovascular and all-cause mortality events. JAMA Internal Medicine. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2130724
• Zaccardi F et al. 2017. Sauna bathing and incident hypertension. American Journal of Hypertension. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28633297/
• Kunutsor SK et al. 2018. Sauna bathing reduces the risk of stroke in Finnish men and women. Neurology. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29720543/
• Lee E et al. 2018. Sauna exposure leads to improved arterial compliance. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29048215/
• Laukkanen JA, Laukkanen T, Kunutsor SK. 2018. Cardiovascular and other health benefits of sauna bathing: a review of the evidence. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/s0025-6196(18)30275-1/fulltext
• Kunutsor SK, Laukkanen T, Laukkanen JA. 2018. Joint associations of sauna bathing and cardiorespiratory fitness on cardiovascular and all-cause mortality risk. Annals of Medicine. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07853890.2017.1387927
• Kunutsor SK et al. 2018. Longitudinal associations of sauna bathing with inflammation and oxidative stress: the KIHD study. Annals of Medicine. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07853890.2018.1489143
• Laukkanen T et al. 2019. Recovery from sauna bathing favorably modulates cardiac autonomic nervous system. Complementary Therapies in Medicine. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0965229919301943
• Laukkanen T et al. 2017. Sauna bathing is inversely associated with dementia and Alzheimer's disease in middle-aged Finnish men. Age and Ageing. https://academic.oup.com/ageing/article/46/2/245/2654230
• Patrick RP, Johnson TL. 2021. Sauna use as a lifestyle practice to extend healthspan. Experimental Gerontology. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0531556521002916
• Chang M et al. 2023. A study on neural changes induced by sauna bathing: neural basis of the totonou state. PLOS ONE. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0294137
• Stanley J et al. 2015. Effect of sauna-based heat acclimation on plasma volume and heart rate variability. European Journal of Applied Physiology. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00421-014-3060-1
• Leppaluoto J et al. 1986. Endocrine effects of repeated sauna bathing. Acta Physiologica Scandinavica. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1748-1716.1986.tb08000.x
• Hannuksela ML, Ellahham S. 2001. Benefits and risks of sauna bathing. American Journal of Medicine. https://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002-9343(00)00671-9/abstract
• Ahokas EK et al. 2025. Effects of post-exercise heat exposure on acute recovery and training-induced performance adaptations: a systematic review. Sports Medicine - Open. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40798-025-00910-0
• Scoon GSM et al. 2007. Effect of post-exercise sauna bathing on the endurance performance of competitive male runners. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16877041/
• Lee E et al. 2022. Effects of regular sauna bathing in conjunction with exercise on cardiovascular function: a multi-arm RCT. American Journal of Physiology. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9394774/
• Hussain J, Cohen M. 2018. Clinical effects of regular dry sauna bathing: a systematic review. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5941775/
• Hussain JN, Greaves RF, Cohen MM. 2019. A hot topic for health: results of the Global Sauna Survey. Complementary Therapies in Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2019.03.012
• Kunutsor SK, Laukkanen T, Laukkanen JA. 2017. Sauna bathing reduces the risk of respiratory diseases: a long-term prospective cohort study. European Journal of Epidemiology. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10654-017-0311-6
• Laukkanen JA, Kunutsor SK. 2024. The multifaceted benefits of passive heat therapies for extending the healthspan: a review with a focus on Finnish sauna. Temperature. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23328940.2023.2300623
• Laatikainen-Raussi I, Mikkola T, Ihalainen JK, Ahokas E. 2026. Temperature and humidity independently influence thermoregulatory responses during Finnish sauna bathing. Temperature. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23328940.2026.2698162 (free full text: https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42694940)
• Vescovi PG et al. 1992. Plasma ACTH, beta-endorphin, prolactin, growth hormone and LH after thermal stress, heat and cold. Stress Medicine. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/smi.2460080310
• Pilch W et al. 2013. Effect of a single Finnish sauna session on white blood cell profile and cortisol levels in athletes and non-athletes. Journal of Human Kinetics. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3916915/
• Ernst E et al. 1990. Regular sauna bathing and the incidence of common colds. Annals of Medicine. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2248758/
• Kunutsor SK et al. 2022. Inflammation, sauna bathing, and all-cause mortality in middle-aged and older Finnish men: a cohort study. European Journal of Epidemiology.
• Debray A et al. 2023. Finnish sauna bathing and vascular health of adults with coronary artery disease: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Applied Physiology. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37650138/
• Sramek P et al. 2000. Human physiological responses to immersion into water of different temperatures. European Journal of Applied Physiology. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10751106/
• Buijze GA et al. 2016. The effect of cold showering on health and work: a randomized controlled trial. PLOS ONE. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0161749
• Bleakley C et al. 2012. Cold-water immersion (cryotherapy) for preventing and treating muscle soreness after exercise. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD008262.pub2/abstract
• Machado AF et al. 2016. Can water temperature and immersion time influence the effect of cold water immersion on muscle soreness? Sports Medicine. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26873661/
• Versey NG, Halson SL, Dawson BT. 2013. Water immersion recovery for athletes. Sports Medicine. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-013-0063-8
• Bieuzen F, Bleakley CM, Costello JT. 2013. Contrast water therapy and exercise induced muscle damage: a systematic review and meta-analysis. PLOS ONE. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0062356
• Roberts LA et al. 2015. Post-exercise cold water immersion attenuates acute anabolic signalling and long-term adaptations in muscle to strength training. The Journal of Physiology. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26174323/
• Soberg S et al. 2021. Altered brown fat thermoregulation and enhanced cold-induced thermogenesis in young, healthy, winter-swimming men. Cell Reports Medicine. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34755128/
• Cain T et al. 2025. Effects of cold-water immersion on health and wellbeing: a systematic review and meta-analysis. PLOS ONE. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0317615
• Atencio JK et al. 2025. Comparison of thermoregulatory, cardiovascular, and immune responses to different passive heat therapy modalities. American Journal of Physiology: Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology 329(1): R20-R35. https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpregu.00012.2025

What is the Eildon?

The Eildon is our premium timber and steel ice bath: an oval cold plunge with a Western Red Cedar exterior and a 316 stainless steel liner. It comes with an insulated cover with a child lock, and is pre-plumbed and ready for the chiller, so you get precise temperature control with no bags of ice and no guesswork.

What sizes does it come in, and how much water does it hold?

• Small: 1300 x 900 mm, about 360 litres, suits one person.
• Large: 1570 x 970 mm, about 485 litres, suits one to two people.

Both come with the Peak Pro Chiller. Current pricing is on the product page.

What chiller does it come with?

The Peak Pro Chiller, a compact, quiet 1HP unit. It cools to 3°C and heats to 42°C, has WiFi control through an app plus a 4.3 inch colour touchscreen, a built-in pump, and an integrated water filter and ozone. It runs on a standard 10 A household plug. The unit is 595 x 435 x 557 mm and weighs 39.5 kg.

How cold does it get, and how fast?

Down to 3°C. From room temperature at 23°C, with the lid on, as a guide:

• Down to 10¬∞C, a cold plunge: about 4 to 4.5 hours for the Small, 5 to 6 for the Large.
• Down to 5¬∞C, ice cold: about 5 to 6 hours for the Small, 6.5 to 7.5 for the Large.

Hotter days, or leaving the lid off, will slow it down. Once it is cold, the chiller holds it there, so it is ready whenever you are.

Can it heat the water too?

Yes, up to 42°C, so the Eildon doubles as a warm soak. Up to 38°C takes about 3 to 3.5 hours for the Small and 4 to 4.5 for the Large.

Does it need an electrician to install?

No. The chiller runs from a standard 10 A household plug. You need a suitable power point close to where the chiller will sit.

Do I have to drain and refill it?

Not after every session. The chiller has a built-in water filter and ozone generator that keep the water clean between uses. Rinse the filter periodically, give the liner an occasional wipe, and keep the cover on when you are not using it. For high use or commercial settings we can add UV filtration, which stops bacteria replicating and keeps the water cleaner for longer. It is an add-on and it is mostly a commercial thing. For a home, the filter and ozone system built into the chiller does the job well.

Can it sit on a deck?

A filled ice bath is heavy, so check first. As an approximate guide, the Small weighs about 475 kg filled with the chiller, and about 555 kg with one adult in it. The Large is about 630 kg filled with the chiller, and about 710 kg with one adult. A solid slab is ideal. For a deck or any raised structure, have a builder check the load rating before you install.

Can I use it indoors?

Yes, indoors or outdoors. It looks at home in a gym, a wellness room or beside an indoor sauna. Just make sure there is drainage nearby and good ventilation.

Will it last outdoors?

Yes. The liner is 316 stainless steel, a marine-grade alloy with excellent corrosion resistance. The Western Red Cedar exterior handles moisture and temperature swings, and will silver naturally over time if left untreated.

How is it delivered and set up?

Two ways. Collect it from our Seaford warehouse, by appointment, at no charge. Or we deliver and set it up across Melbourne metro and the Mornington Peninsula: we place it, connect the hoses, plug it in and run it to check it is circulating. It takes about an hour. Delivery and setup are itemised on the product page and in your quote. Regional or interstate, send us your address and we will quote it.

What if I buy a sauna as well?

Great idea! We quote the sauna and the Eildon together, as a contrast package. The bath and chiller sits naturally alongside our outdoor saunas.

What warranty comes with it?

Two years residential on the Eildon, and two years on the chiller.

How cold should the water be, and how long should I stay in?

For most people, most of the time, a couple of minutes up to about five is enough. Temperature decides that number: the colder the water, the shorter the stay. Temperatures range from 3°C up to about 15°C, and plenty of regular users sit around 12 to 15°C. The Eildon runs down to 3°C, which is colder than most people need for the physiological benefits: most of the body's measured response is already there at around 14 to 15°C (Šrámek 2000), and going colder adds very little on top, with one narrow exception for athletes who have to perform again the next day (Yu 2026). What colder water does add is difficulty. Doing a hard thing and building resilience is a legitimate reason on its own, and for many people the value of the session is in having decided to get in, and stayed. As a guide for healthy adults who have built up to it, not targets to hit:

Your reason for getting in sets the time more than any chart does:

Start at the short end of whichever row is yours and build from there. The first 30 to 60 seconds are the hardest part. The cold shock response, the gasp and the fast breathing, peaks quickly and settles within a minute or so for most people, and the first few minutes are the skin cooling stage, which varies with the water temperature (Tipton 2017). Get in slowly, focus on your breath, and if nothing is wrong, stay put. Start gentle, thirty seconds is a real first session, and listen to your body rather than chasing a number. The research we draw on:

• Tipton and colleagues 2017, Experimental Physiology: divides an immersion into stages, puts skin cooling at the first three minutes, and says plainly that how long each stage lasts varies with water temperature.
• Tipton and colleagues 1991: two minute immersions at 5, 10 and 15¬∞C. The breathing response was already at its maximum by 10¬∞C and got no bigger at 5¬∞C; colder water made it last longer, not hit harder.
• Kelly and colleagues 2026, Lifestyle Medicine: 140 people with low mood went into 13.6¬∞C seawater for five, ten or twenty minutes. Mood improved in all three groups, and the differences between them were not significant.
• S√∏berg and colleagues 2021, Cell Reports Medicine: eight young men who were regular winter swimmers averaged about eleven minutes of cold water a week, about a minute and a half at a time. It describes a habit and did not test a dose.
• ≈†r√°mek and colleagues 2000, European Journal of Applied Physiology: at 14¬∞C, metabolism rose 350 percent, noradrenaline 530 percent and dopamine 250 percent, with no rise in cortisol.
• Yu and colleagues 2026, BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation: 87 trials, 2,313 participants. Ten to fifteen minutes at 9 to 12¬∞C was best for muscle damage markers; the coldest, longest protocols restored power fastest.
• Wang and colleagues 2025, Frontiers in Physiology, and Machado and colleagues 2016, Sports Medicine: two further reviews of muscle soreness land on ten to fifteen minutes at 11 to 15¬∞C. Machado found immersion past fifteen minutes came out worse than no recovery at all.

How often should I use it, and is daily use okay?

Daily is fine for a lot of people, and shorter sessions suit a daily rhythm. Two or three times a week is just as reasonable: the winter swimmers in the Copenhagen research averaged about two and a half sessions a week (S√∏berg 2021). Regularity matters more than frequency or length. If you are not recovering well between sessions, cut back before you cut the temperature. The research we draw on:

• S√∏berg and colleagues 2021, Cell Reports Medicine: eight young men who were regular winter swimmers did around eleven minutes of cold water a week across about two and a half sessions, alongside their sauna. It is a picture of what regular practice looks like, not a prescription.

Is longer or colder better?

No. Past a certain point you are adding risk rather than benefit. Five minutes did nearly as much as twenty in the one trial that compared them (Kelly 2026), and colder water means less time, not more. By about 15°C nearly all of the measured physiological response is already happening (Šrámek 2000), and the cold shock response is as big at 10°C as it is at 5°C (Tipton 1991). Below that, what you gain is small and specific, and the thing that grows fastest is how hard it feels. The one narrow exception is for athletes: in the largest review of cold water after exercise, the coldest and longest protocols, 5 to 8°C for more than fifteen minutes, restored power fastest for those who had to perform again the next day (Yu 2026). That is a supervised protocol with low to moderate certainty behind it, not a home routine. If you plunge at 3°C rather than 13°C, what it buys you is a harder thing to do. Doing hard things and building resilience is a legitimate reason on its own, and it is something to build up to rather than start at. The research we draw on:

• Kelly and colleagues 2026, Lifestyle Medicine: five, ten and twenty minutes at 13.6¬∞C all improved mood, and the authors concluded five minutes was about as effective as longer.
• ≈†r√°mek and colleagues 2000, European Journal of Applied Physiology: at 14¬∞C, metabolism rose 350 percent, noradrenaline 530 percent and dopamine 250 percent, with no rise in cortisol. At 20¬∞C the hormones behaved much as they do in warm water.
• Tipton and colleagues 1991, Journal of Applied Physiology: immersion at 10¬∞C produced as big a cold shock response as 5¬∞C.
• Yu and colleagues 2026, BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation: 87 randomised trials and 2,313 participants. The best protocol depended on what was measured, there was no universal optimal protocol, and most findings carry low certainty.

How long should I stay in for muscle recovery after training?

This is the case where longer has support: ten to fifteen minutes in cool rather than freezing water, around 9 to 15°C, came out best across three reviews (Yu 2026, Wang 2025, Machado 2016). Under ten minutes did less, and past fifteen minutes did worse than no recovery at all. If you train for strength or size, when you get in matters more than how long. Cold water straight after lifting can blunt the muscle growth you trained for (Roberts 2015, Fyfe 2019). No trial has tested how long a gap is needed, and a few hours is probably not the answer anyway: the signalling the cold interfered with was still measurably different a day later (Roberts 2015). A 2026 review answers it by goal rather than by the clock: use the cold when fast recovery between sessions matters most, and leave it out after resistance training in a block where muscle growth is the point (Tornero-Aguilera 2026). So the practical version is rest days, or after cardio, rather than a gap you count in hours. The research we draw on:

• Yu and colleagues 2026, BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation: across 87 trials, ten to fifteen minutes at 9 to 12¬∞C was best for muscle damage markers. For strength training, simply resting afterwards worked better than getting in the cold.
• Wang and colleagues 2025, Frontiers in Physiology: 55 trials. 5 to 10¬∞C for ten to fifteen minutes was best for jump performance and creatine kinase.
• Machado and colleagues 2016, Sports Medicine: for soreness, 11 to 15¬∞C for ten to fifteen minutes; past fifteen minutes was worse than no recovery at all.
• Roberts and colleagues 2015, The Journal of Physiology: 21 men strength trained twice a week for twelve weeks. Ten minutes of cold water after each session meant less muscle and less strength gained than active recovery, and the satellite cell response was blunted for up to two days.
• Fyfe and colleagues 2019, Journal of Applied Physiology: a seven week trial found the same effect on muscle fibre size, although maximal strength held up.
• Tornero-Aguilera and colleagues 2026, Experimental Physiology: a review of the recovery versus adaptation trade off. Answered by goal, not by hours.

I can only last thirty seconds. Am I doing it wrong?

No. Thirty seconds is a real session and a normal starting point. The cold shock response is strongest in the first moments and it eases as you get used to it over weeks. Add time slowly, and only once the session you are doing feels manageable. The marker to watch is your breathing, not the clock. And where there are no adverse sensations or symptoms, stay an extra 10 seconds to show your brain you can do hard things.

Should I warm up in the shower straight afterwards?

Let yourself warm up gradually instead. Get dry, get dressed, and move around gently. A hot shower immediately afterwards is uncomfortable for some people and takes away the part of the session where your body does its own rewarming.

Is cold exposure safe for everyone?

Take care and ease in. If you have a heart condition, high or low blood pressure, are pregnant, or have other medical conditions, check with your doctor before starting. The cold shock response puts a sharp, brief load on the heart and circulation in the first minutes, which is the part that warrants respect (Tipton 2017). Older adults and anyone on medication that affects circulation or temperature regulation should start shorter and warmer. Get out if you feel unwell, and do not plunge alone while you are new to it. The research we draw on:

• Tipton and colleagues 2017, Experimental Physiology: a review of the whole field. The cold shock response is the main risk in the first minutes, and the evidence for the harms of cold water immersion is more robust than the evidence for its benefits, which is the reason to go slowly.

When should I get out?

Whatever the clock says, get out straight away if you notice any of these:

• Shivering you cannot control
• Numbness that spreads up your limbs, or hands you can no longer use properly
• Confusion, or trouble getting your words out
• Skin going blue or grey, particularly lips and fingertips
• Any chest pain or difficulty breathing

Cold fingers and toes that go a little numb are normal and come back as you warm up. It is numbness that spreads, or a hand you cannot work, that matters. Shivering that stops on its own while you are still in the cold is not a sign you have adapted. Treat it as a reason to get out.

Can children use the ice bath?

Children can go in cold water, and nothing in the research says they should not. Two things are worth knowing. The cold shock response is milder in children than in adults, with heart rate and breathing rising far less sharply in the first minute (Peter 2026). But children lose heat faster once they are in, because they carry more surface area for their body mass, so the same water cools a child quicker than it cools you. So it is supervised by an adult every time, shorter than you would do yourself, and out at the first shiver. The one caution is for young athletes using cold routinely after training, where the evidence of any benefit is thin (Murray and Cardinale 2015). The research we draw on:

• Peter and colleagues 2026, Frontiers in Sports and Active Living: 12 healthy children aged 9 to 13 in 11¬∞C water for one minute. Heart rate and breathing rose far less than they do in adults.
• Murray and Cardinale 2015, Extreme Physiology and Medicine: a review of cold for recovery in adolescent athletes. Evidence of benefit is scarce, with a concern that routine use may work against training adaptation.

Is it different for women?

There are differences between men and women in the cold, and the honest starting point is that most of the research was done on men: across the 87 trials in the largest recovery review, 85 percent of participants were male (Yu 2026). We can use our understanding of physiology and the research done so far to draw conclusions about what might suit women, but it stays a general observation. Stacy Sims, who works on female athlete physiology, has set out why that gap persists and what better research in women would look like (Sims and Heather 2018). Women tend to feel cool and start shivering at a warmer temperature than men (Kaikaew 2018). Their core temperature holds as well as men's once body fat is accounted for (Tikuisis 2000). And in one small study at 8°C, women showed more cardiovascular strain than matched men, which points women towards sitting warmer rather than colder (Tsoutsoubi 2022). Sims puts the general range for women at 14 to 15°C for two to five minutes, and most of the body's measured response to cold is already there at around that temperature (Šrámek 2000). If the ice bath has felt too extreme, knowing you get the benefit at 15°C can be reassuring. So treat 15°C as a starting point, not a ceiling. You do not have to go colder, and nothing in the research says you should. But nothing says you cannot either. A woman in a 5°C ice bath is not causing damage, any more than a man is. If you are comfortable and you have no adverse symptoms, every temperature a man uses is open to you, and if you feel better for having done it, that is reason enough. Going colder is about doing hard things and building resilience, and that is the same for everyone. Pairing the ice bath with the sauna is one way in: you can start warmer, and you know you will warm up again afterwards. Whatever the temperature, listen to your body: if you have difficulty breathing, or shivering you cannot control, get straight out. The research we draw on:

• Yu and colleagues 2026, BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation: 85 percent of participants across 87 trials were male, and the authors name the shortage of data on women as a main limitation.
• Sims and Heather 2018, Experimental Physiology: the methodological case for why female physiology is under studied in exercise and environmental research.
• Kaikaew and colleagues 2018, Journal of Thermal Biology: cooled gradually, women felt cool and began shivering at a warmer setting than men.
• Tikuisis and colleagues 2000, Journal of Applied Physiology: eleven women in 18¬∞C water for up to ninety minutes. Their core temperature fell at about half the rate of men's, and the difference disappeared once body fatness was accounted for.
• Tsoutsoubi and colleagues 2022, Biology: seven women and seven men, matched for build, at 8¬∞C for forty minutes. The women showed more cardiovascular strain, the men a larger fall in core temperature. Small, and well past normal use.
• ≈†r√°mek and colleagues 2000, European Journal of Applied Physiology: at 14¬∞C, metabolism rose 350 percent, noradrenaline 530 percent and dopamine 250 percent, with no rise in cortisol. The volunteers were young men.
• Stacy Sims' 14 to 15¬∞C for two to five minutes is her recommendation as a practitioner, from her own article. It is not a trial result.

What about a commercial setup?

Yes. The Eildon comes with the 1HP Peak Pro Chiller, which suits a home. For a commercial space in consistent use, we have a 2HP chiller, which runs from a 15 A plug. UV filtration is available for a commercial setup too. Commercial setups are quoted on the space, so get in touch and we will talk you through it.

How do I look after the water?

Change the water when it starts to look cloudy, usually every 4 to 8 weeks for a home ice bath. Check the filters weekly. Replace the paper filter when it is dirty or when the chiller prompts you, and rinse the built-in mesh strainer with clean water at least weekly, less often if the bath gets little use. Do not add chlorine or other sanitisers: the built-in ozone system keeps the water clean. Keeping the lid on and rinsing off before each session helps the water last longer. Every 3 months, descale the chiller with a citric acid descaler. A sachet from the hardware store does the job.

Is it insulated, and does it come with a lid?

Yes. The stainless steel liner is wrapped in 3 to 5 mm foil-backed foam insulation, sitting between the steel and the cedar outer. It helps keep the water cold and means the chiller does not have to work as hard. It also comes with an insulated cover with a child lock, and the lid does most of the work of holding temperature, so keep it on between sessions. How quickly the water warms depends on where the bath sits: the air temperature, sun or shade, wind, and how often it is used. Because the chiller holds your set temperature automatically, the bath is ready whenever you are. For the best efficiency, keep the lid on and put the bath in shade if you can, especially over summer.

Is the chiller noisy, and does it run all day?

It is a compact, quiet unit. Once the water is cold, the chiller only runs 15 to 25 percent of the time to hold temperature.

What do I do with it when I go away?

It is up to you. If you are away for a week or two, you can leave the bath running with the lid on. The chiller keeps the water at your set temperature, the ozone system keeps it clean, and it is ready when you get home. If you are away longer, or would rather not have it running while you are gone, switch the chiller off, drain the bath and the chiller, and give the tub a clean before you refill. One thing to watch for is frost: if temperatures could drop to 1°C or below, drain the chiller fully so the water inside cannot freeze and damage it.

Will my ice bath tub rust?

No. The tub is stainless steel, which does not rust under normal use.

I have noticed some spots of rust in my ice bath tub. What should I do?

Small rust spots are almost always surface contamination rather than the tub itself rusting. Tiny iron particles, for example from grit or rocks carried in on feet, can sit on the steel and leave rust marks. To remove them, use a fine-grade synthetic steel wool pad. Start with the finest grade and only move to a coarser one if you need to, and always scrub in the direction of the grain in the steel so you do not mark it. Never use real steel wool, which leaves behind tiny iron fibres and causes more rust spots. For everyday cleaning, a microfibre cloth is all you need. You can also apply a stainless steel cleaner, then rinse it off thoroughly before refilling.

My chiller is making strange noises, sounds like it is labouring, or the flow has dropped. What could be causing it?

Usually it is one of these three, so check them in order:

• Clogged filters. Check both filters. The mesh strainer often clogs before the paper filter, so give it a rinse even if the paper filter looks fine.
• Air getting in. Make sure the filter caps are done up snugly. Even a small gap lets the chiller draw in air, which makes it sound like it is labouring and reduces flow and cooling. Check that the O-rings in the filter seals are not damaged, and that the hoses are connected and tightened properly.
• Low water level. Make sure the water in the bath is above the water level reference line on the chiller. If it drops too low, the chiller can draw in air.

If you have checked these and it is still not right, get in touch with us.