While it may not seem practical, having a shower inside your actual sauna is pretty convenient. A shower in the sauna allows for sauna bathers to easily clean up on scene immediately after they are done with using the sauna.
Depending on how you look at it, there may be more cons to putting a shower in your sauna room, but those few positives often outweigh the negatives. Showers in the sauna itself prevent users still in the sauna from getting more steam while the shower is being used, but it makes cleaning up after the sauna a breeze. Sure, showers in the sauna eventually lead to maintenance down the road, but that’s tomorrows problem, right?
I’ve personally been in many saunas that feature a shower. It’s tough to beat being able to wash up in the sauna itself, where the warm air holds on and keeps you warm until you turn the shower off and step outside. The main reason why more folks do not put a shower in their sauna is due to existing plumbing and the fear of having to replace a sauna interior down the road.
If done correctly, a sauna with a shower in it can be one of the best decisions you’ve ever made. We’ll start by talking about the pros and cons for showers in saunas and wrap up with how to actually put one in your sauna room and what you’ll need to consider ahead of time.
This is the most comprehensive guide on how to put a shower in your sauna that exists. If you have questions on any of this, or are considering building a custom sauna, give us a call at (612)505-9700. We build custom DIY sauna kits pre cut to your exact dimensions, have a full stock of electric sauna heaters in our showroom, and can provide every component you’ll need for your sauna build.
Here’s why and you should put a shower in your sauna (and why you shouldn’t)
As mentioned above, there are definitely more cons to putting a shower in your sauna room. While there are more cons and it’s more work, the few simple benefits and overall convenience of it are the main reason why people end up choosing to put a shower in their sauna.
Growing up in a large family, we had a traditional sauna (8’x’8) in our basement where all the kids bedrooms were.
This shower was the only shower in the basement and it would be used 6-8 times every morning for showers before school. During the evening, whenever the sauna was used, the shower would also be used. If I had to make a guess on how many times the shower was used prior to the wood needing to replaced, I’d estimate it at around 27,000 times. That’s 5 showers per day, every day of the year, for 15 years. For one or two people using the shower daily, it could last a lifetime (if done correctly).
This carried on for a period of well over a decade before the wood inside the sauna room had to be replaced. When the sauna was designed, the wood was actually hung horizontally (which isn’t recommended for saunas with a shower inside of them), which we’ll get in to later. It’s entirely possible, many people do it, and if done correctly you’ll likely get a considerably life out of your sauna room that has a shower inside.
Of course, there is no guarantee. Adding a shower to your sauna room could be the worst idea you’ve ever had.
Showers in the sauna are not something we always recommend, as it’s the #1 way to get mold inside your sauna. However, with the proper care and planning, they present some unique advantages you may find extremely beneficial.
Pros to showers in sauna rooms
- All the water stays in the sauna, not on the changing room floor
- No need for extra water line in the sauna room
- It makes cleaning up the sauna very easy
- You can combine and save on floor space in the sauna room by adding a shower in your sauna
The two biggest reasons you should consider putting a shower in your sauna room both involve convenience. The first, all water stays inside the sauna room. While it takes little more pre-planning and you should design your sauna with a drain, this is of major convenience. The second reason, which is less talked about, is that you’ll be able to save on square footage by taking space that would’ve otherwise been used for a sauna and combining it with your shower.
If your custom sauna plans are being limited by an existing shower, consider how you could design your sauna to lay out with that shower space inside of it. Odds are, you’ll be pretty happy with the increased size of your sauna while learning to love the convenience of not having to walk across the outside floor to get into the shower.
Of course, there is more labor involved, which can be enough of a con not to do it if you’re sticking to a tight budget.
Why you shouldn’t put a shower in your sauna
- Over time, it will affect the wood inside the sauna, creating more maintenance issues
- It’s more expensive than a simple water line to the sauna
- More pre-planning required
- Using the shower means other sauna bathers won’t be able to throw steam during your shower
- You’ll sweat while taking a shower inside a hot sauna
- A larger sauna is required
While the main reason most folks opt not to put a shower in their sauna is due to the fear of wood rotting, it’s actually not the biggest con against it. If built correctly, showers inside a sauna room can last for years without causing the type of damage to the sauna wood that you’d imagine. The main reason to consider not building a shower in your sauna is actually the plumbing and overall design of the sauna itself.
How To Build A Sauna With A Shower In It
We have one general rule of thumb for saunas with showers inside them and that is to build it bigger. Building a bigger sauna room might seem inefficient, especially if you’ve got a small family, but it will reduce the risk of wood rotting faster than normal.
If you’ve still got questions about whether or not a shower inside the sauna can work, consider asking somebody who has one. They may have a different view, or some additional things to consider. Or, simply give us a call. We’d be happy to work through all of the possibilities that may exist in your sauna!
These are the major things you should consider before deciding to build a sauna with a shower in it.
- Existing plumbing
- Drainage inside the sauna room
- Area where the sauna is being built
- Size of the sauna you are considering
- Material for the shower wall
Existing Plumbing
If plumbing exists in the area where you’re building a sauna, the job is halfway done. Only problem is, 50% complete won’t get you a sauna with a shower in it. You’ll need to work with a plumber to make sure it’s possible to get hot and cold water lines ran to the sauna.
While it may present itself as a pain, with the right plumber, just about anything is possible. If open studs are exposed on the wall of your sauna where your water lines will run, this makes the process much easier.
If you will be framing a new room for your sauna, the plumber will need access to the exposed studs before anything else inside the sauna can be started. Under no circumstances do you want to hang your sauna tongue and groove prior to running water lines for the shower. While it can be done, some tongue and groove will need to be removed and you’ll save considerable cost on the project by having this completed first.
Drainage Inside The Sauna Room
Just because plumbing exists in the area where you want to build your sauna doesn’t mean it’s possible. While even a traditional sauna doesn’t require a drain.. Obviously, a shower needs a drain.
If your sauna doesn’t contain a drain, you’ll need to make sure you build one.
Adding a drain to a space that doesn’t contain one is going to be your biggest cost to making a shower inside your sauna work.
Adding a drain to a concrete floor will be the most expensive, depending on the location of the drain line your plumber will be tapping in to. If this drain is located in a place where going through existing walls is required, it often times is enough of a hurdle to simply not put a shower in your sauna room.
The good news is, in many places where folks are considering building a sauna, a drain or shower is already present. If you’re planning a new build, or are in the process of building, we highly recommend planning out a location in the basement with some sort of a drain.
Even if you do not choose to build a sauna right away, having the ability to do so down the road is a huge advantage.
Area Where You’re Building The Sauna
If your chosen area for the sauna will exist doesn’t contain the drain or water lines, that will have to be planned out first. For the sake of our example, let’s say your location meets the criteria to make it possible for a shower in the room.
From here, the best thing to do is to ensure that the slope inside the sauna room allows for water to drain from the shower effectively. You can pre-plan this by simply pouring a bucket of water on this space and observing what happens. If the water lands in the location where it would come out of the shower and seems to drain correctly, odds are it will work.
Some considerations here are the base of your floor and material for it.
Remember, showers are always built to contain inevitable splashing. Whether it’s water coming from your body or hitting the floor, it will come in contact with wood inside the room. The best thing to do is design your sauna with an elevated concrete base, sort of a mini foundation. This will allow your sauna walls to be positioned off the floor, which is the main location mold starts to form in saunas that have showers.
The second thing you can do to prevent mold in your sauna that has a shower is to tile a small section of the walls. This can actually be better than raising the base of your sauna with concrete, but it is more expensive. Tiling shouldn’t be run all the way up the walls, as it’s far more expensive than tongue and groove wood, but it can be done. Remember, there is material behind the tile which could create off gassing, so you should check with your tile expert first.
The easiest way to ensure your sauna walls won’t need to be replaced is to tile behind the wall of the shower. More often than not, this is not done due to the cost. If you cannot afford tile behind the wall, or simply don’t like the look, you should tile at minimum 6″ from the floor. We’d recommend 12″-24″ for the best results and more longevity, but we unfortunately do not get to pick every clients budget.
Bottom line is, in the area where you’re building your shower, do not let the walls of your sauna touch the floor. Your mold problem will happen years quicker than it would simply by adding an elevated concrete or tile base.
One note one tiling behind the shower wall
If you’re not familiar with tiling, you cannot simply hang the tile and expect it to be water proof. Tiling for showers always contains material behind the tile itself which helps water drain to the floor. Tile in itself is porous, meaning water will eventually get behind it. You should consider the fact that your sauna will be hot, and the risk of off gassing from this rubber that is used does exist. For this reason, as well as the cost, it’s better to simply add 1 foot of tile near the base of your floor.
Size Of The Sauna You Are Building
We generally do not recommend building a shower into a small sauna with less than 24 square feet of floor space. Remember, you’ll need to fit benches in the sauna, as well as the heater itself. The last thing you want is for your shower to run onto the sauna heater. There should be adequate space between the heater and the shower to remove any risk of water bouncing up from the floor and getting into the bottom of your heater, which could damage components or worse.
It’s best to place the shower as far away from the heater as possible, such as the opposite corner. Generally speaking, this isn’t always possible as to maximize bench space inside your sauna you’ll want the benches to surround the heater.
More often than not, the shower is on the same wall as the sauna heater. In the sauna my parents built for the kids growing up, the wall was roughly 8′ long. The shower was (and still is) located 4′ from the heater, directly in the middle of the wall.
For reference, the photo below shows the exact design of this 8×8 sauna that has a shower in it.
Material For The Shower Wall
Often times when folks consider building a shower in their sauna, they can the idea before even getting to this step. If you decide to put a shower in your sauna, it’s inevitable that you will have to replace the tongue and groove wood of that wall down the road.
In the case I’ve referenced here, it took 15 years of multiple showers per day to happen. Sure, it could’ve been done much sooner but it wasn’t openly molding so my folks pushed it as long as possible.
This is perhaps the biggest reason to not put a shower in your sauna, especially if you’re choosing a high end modern wood type inside your sauna. If you’re planning to build your sauna with one of the more expensive wood types such as Clear Cedar, Clear Hemlock, or Black Taika, we probably wouldn’t recommend this out of the gate.
But if you’re well aware of the fact that over time, water will begin to rot the wood, go for it! There is a strong possibility that with the correct wood treatment and care taken to dry your sauna out, you may never have to replace it.
Vertical vs Horizontal Tongue and Groove Wood behind the shower wall
We always recommend mounting your tongue and groove wood in a vertical pattern behind the wall of the shower. This will reduce the amount of time water sits inside the grooves of the wood, increasing the longevity of the walls inside the sauna.
Of course, choosing to mount your wood vertically inside the sauna will mean you’ll have to fur out the walls so that the tongue and groove wood can be attached to the studs, but this is actually quite common. Another thing to consider, most of the sauna wood you’ll find whether it be from Sauna Supply Company or elsewhere, comes standard in 8′ lengths.
So, if your walls are longer than 9′, you should consider mounting the tongue and groove vertically regardless. Of course, you’ll want to make sure that the sauna ceiling height is appropriate, which is another consideration for the shower head. If you’ve got a 7′ ceiling in your sauna and the shower head is mounted at 6′, but you are 6’2″ tall, well, you may not enjoy using your shower.
Alternatives to showers in the sauna room itself
Consider converting your existing shower into a steam room. If you’ve gone through the possibilities and decided that the cons outweigh the advantages of a shower in your sauna, a steam generator in your tile or stone shower can create a one of a kind luxury spa space in your sauna room. You’ll have a sauna and a steam room in the same location, just like the most extravagant spas do.