What is a commercial sauna?

A commercial sauna is built for shared, high-use settings such as gyms, hotels and spas. It looks similar to a home sauna but uses a heater rated for long daily operating hours, sturdier clear-grade benches, tempered glass and heavy-duty door hardware, lockable or staff-controlled panels, and parts that can be serviced without dismantling the room.

What type of sauna is best for a gym?

Most gyms choose a traditional electric-stove sauna because it handles many users per hour, reaches high temperatures and recovers quickly when the door opens often. Some add private infrared cabins as a bookable premium service. Specify commercial-duty heaters, robust benches, lockable controls and a supply voltage that matches the building.

Are infrared saunas suitable for hotels?

Yes, especially in guest rooms, suites and small wellness areas where one or two people use the cabin at a time and a quiet, lower-temperature experience fits. For a shared hotel spa with steady traffic, a traditional sauna usually performs better. Many hotels offer both to serve different guest preferences.

What certifications should a commercial sauna have?

In the US, look for a listing from a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory such as ETL or UL, with sauna heaters meeting UL 875; cold tubs fall under UL 1563. In the EU, CE marking under the Low Voltage, EMC and RoHS directives applies. Local inspectors and insurers may add requirements, so confirm early.

How do I size a sauna for a commercial facility?

Estimate peak simultaneous users, then allow comfortable bench space per person across upper and lower tiers. Size the heater to room volume using the heater maker's chart, adding allowance for glass walls and frequent door openings. Confirm the building's voltage and phase before choosing the heater, and have your contractor review the plan.

Commercial Sauna Buying Guide: Hotels, Gyms and Spas

Q: How much does a commercial sauna cost?

Costs vary widely with size, heater rating, wood species, glass, controls and installation scope. The biggest drivers are room size and heater kW, electrical work, ventilation and finishes, plus accessibility features and permits. Get quotes based on a defined use pattern and floor plan rather than comparing catalogue prices alone.

Short answer. The right commercial sauna depends on the use pattern. Shared, high-traffic spaces such as gym locker rooms and hotel spas usually need traditional electric-stove saunas with commercial-duty heaters. Private, low-occupancy spaces such as hotel suites, treatment rooms and bookable recovery suites suit infrared cabins. Then specify for durability, the building's actual electrical supply, accessibility, cleaning and supervision.

What makes a sauna commercial-grade?

Residential and commercial saunas can look identical. The differences are in duty and serviceability:

Heater duty. A commercial sauna heater is built for long daily operating hours and frequent door openings. Ask whether the heater is rated for commercial use and for its recommended maximum operating hours per day.
Controls. Staff-accessible or lockable control panels, preset session timers and, where required, remote or front-desk control.
Benches and backrests. Thicker, clear-grade timber, removable for cleaning, with fixings hidden from skin contact.
Glass. Tempered glass doors and fronts, with door hardware rated for heavy use.
Serviceability. Heater elements, emitters and control boards that can be replaced without dismantling walls, plus a spare parts list with part numbers.

Browse commercial saunas for models aimed at hotels, gyms and spas.

Which sauna type fits which commercial setting?

Setting	Typical use pattern	Recommended type	Key specification points
Gym or health club locker room	Many users, frequent door openings, long daily hours	Traditional electric stove	Commercial-duty heater, fast recovery, robust benches, lockable controls
Hotel spa or wellness floor	Moderate traffic, guests expect a classic experience	Traditional, optionally plus infrared	Aesthetics, glass fronts, quiet operation, staff-controlled timer
Hotel suite or villa	1-2 users, private	Infrared or compact traditional	Simple wiring, low noise, easy guest controls
Day spa or clinic treatment room	Booked sessions, one client at a time	Infrared, full spectrum, red light	Session timers, hygienic surfaces, consistent experience
Recovery studio	Booked sessions plus contrast therapy	Infrared or traditional plus cold plunge	Throughput per hour, cleaning between sessions
Resort, lodge or campground	Seasonal, scenic, outdoors	Outdoor barrel or cube	Cedar exterior, weather sealing, foundation

Typical operating temperatures help set guest expectations: Cleveland Clinic gives about 110-135°F (43-57°C) for infrared and 150-195°F (66-91°C) for traditional saunas. For a deeper comparison, read infrared vs traditional sauna.

Gym sauna vs hotel sauna vs spa sauna: what changes?

Gym saunas face the toughest duty: dozens of users a day, wet towels, doors propped open and long opening hours. Prioritize heater recovery, hard-wearing benches, simple lockable controls and easy-clean floors. A traditional heater with a large stone mass handles door openings better than a small infrared cabin.

Hotel saunas are judged on appearance and guest experience as much as performance. Glass fronts, warm lighting, quiet controls and a consistent look across properties matter. Guest-room saunas favor compact infrared cabins with intuitive controls and an automatic shut-off.

Spa saunas and wellness studios usually run booked sessions, so throughput, cleaning time between clients and a repeatable experience matter most. Commercial infrared saunas, full spectrum cabins and red light models fit well, often paired with cold plunge tubs for contrast therapy.

How big should a commercial sauna be?

Start from peak simultaneous users, not floor area. Then:

Estimate the busiest hour: how many people will be in the room at once.
Allow comfortable bench length per seated person on the upper tier, where most people sit, plus a lower tier for those who want less heat.
Add space for door swing, a heater guard and circulation.
Calculate room volume and size the heater from the heater maker's room-volume chart, adding allowance for glass walls and frequent door openings.
Confirm ceiling height; very high ceilings waste heat above the top bench.

Peak users	Typical solution	Notes
1-2	Infrared cabin or compact traditional	Guest suites, treatment rooms
3-6	Mid-size traditional or large infrared	Boutique hotels, small studios
6-12	Two-tier traditional room	Hotel spas, mid-size gyms
12+	Large custom room, often three-phase heater	Large clubs, resorts, public facilities

What are the electrical requirements for a commercial sauna?

Commercial projects often fail on electrical details discovered late. Confirm with the building engineer before choosing models:

Voltage and phase. Many North American commercial buildings supply 208 V. A heater rated for 240 V produces about 75% of its rated power at 208 V, so order heaters rated for the actual supply.
Circuit capacity. Saunas running for hours are typically sized as continuous loads; NEC 210.20(A) requires the overcurrent device to be rated at no less than 125% of the continuous load.
Panel space and distance to the sauna location.
Three-phase options for large heaters, if the building supports them.

The sauna electrical requirements guide has worked examples and breaker tables.

Which certifications and codes apply?

Inspectors, insurers and brand standards teams will ask for documents. In the US, building codes commonly require electric sauna heaters to comply with UL 875, usually demonstrated through an ETL or UL listing. Internationally, IEC 60335-2-53 covers sauna heaters and infrared cabins up to 20 kW, and in the EU products carry CE marking.

Accessibility applies too. In the US, the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design include scoping and technical sections for saunas and steam rooms (sections 241 and 612). Review bench, turning space and door requirements with your architect before you finalize the room layout.

If you add cold plunge tubs, note that UL 1563 was expanded in January 2025 to cover electrically powered cold tubs and ice baths. Treat cold plunges as a separate compliance item. Browse cold plunge tubs.

Many Mars Sauna models list CE and ETL certification. Confirm the certification for each model and configuration before you submit drawings.

How much does a commercial sauna cost?

There is no single price, because commercial saunas range from a guest-room cabin to a custom room for a dozen users. The main cost drivers are:

Room size, bench layout and heater kW
Wood species and grade (cedar typically costs more than hemlock; see best wood for a sauna)
Glass fronts, doors and lighting
Controls: basic thermostat versus remote or front-desk control
Electrical work, especially new circuits, panel upgrades or three-phase supply
Ventilation, flooring, drainage and finishes
Accessibility features, permits and inspections
Spare parts, shipping and installation

Ask suppliers to quote against a defined use pattern and floor plan so bids are comparable.

How do you plan for safety and supervision?

Commercial operators carry duty-of-care obligations. Build these into the specification and signage:

Visible session timers and an automatic heater shut-off
Signage on hydration and session length; Harvard Health suggests limiting sessions to about 15-20 minutes, avoiding alcohol and drinking two to four glasses of water afterward
A notice advising guests who are pregnant, have heart or other medical conditions, or are unwell to consult a healthcare professional before use
No alcohol in sauna areas
Doors that open outward without locks, and good visibility through glass
Heater guards on traditional stoves
A staff check-in schedule and an emergency procedure

Keep marketing consistent: describe the experience and the equipment, not medical outcomes.

How should you plan maintenance?

High-use saunas need routine care. Agree the following with your supplier and include it in operator manuals:

Daily: wipe benches, empty bins, check controls and timers
Weekly: clean floors, inspect door hardware, check heater guards
Periodically: replace heater stones (traditional), inspect elements and emitters, lightly sand benches
Annually: electrical inspection by a qualified electrician

Order a spare parts kit with the initial shipment so a failed element or control board does not take a revenue-generating room offline.

How can OEM and ODM help hotel and gym chains?

Hotels and gym chains often need a consistent look across sites. Mars Sauna offers OEM and ODM customization of size, wood, heater layout, voltage, control panel, logo and packaging, in Canadian hemlock or western red cedar, with electric stoves of roughly 3.5-6 kW on listed models and carbon fiber, red glass full spectrum or ceramic infrared heaters. See the OEM/ODM program.

Commercial sauna procurement checklist

Use pattern defined: peak users, daily hours, session length
Sauna type chosen per space (traditional, infrared, outdoor, cold plunge)
Room dimensions and heater sized from the maker's room-volume chart
Building voltage, phase and circuit capacity confirmed in writing
Certification documents for the exact models and voltages
Commercial-duty heater rating and recommended operating hours
Lockable controls, timers and automatic shut-off
Wood species and grade for walls and benches
Accessibility review against local requirements
Safety signage and operating procedures drafted
Spare parts kit and service process agreed
Delivery, installation and site access planned

Key takeaways

Traditional stove saunas suit high-traffic gyms and hotel spas; infrared suits private, low-occupancy rooms and booked spa sessions.
Commercial-grade means heater duty, controls, robust benches and serviceability, not just appearance.
Size from peak simultaneous users, then size the heater to room volume.
Confirm voltage and phase early; 240 V heaters on 208 V lose about a quarter of their output.
In the US, sauna heaters commonly need UL 875 compliance, cold plunges fall under UL 1563, and ADA sections 241 and 612 cover saunas.

Planning a hotel, gym or spa project? Contact our export team with your floor plans and electrical details.