How to Design a Sauna Space That Feels Like a Luxury Retreat
Design & home
How to Design a Sauna Space That Feels Like a Luxury Retreat
By Aura Saunas · 7 min read
A sauna is only as good as the space around it. The best home saunas aren't just boxes in a spare room — they're environments. Here's how to think about the design of your sauna space so that the moment you step in, your nervous system already begins to relax.
Start with intention, not dimensions
Before you think about where to put your sauna, ask yourself: what is this space for? Solo decompression? Couples' ritual? Family wellness? The answer shapes everything — sauna size, proximity to a shower or cold plunge, flooring material, lighting, and whether you want an indoor or outdoor installation.
The power of natural materials
Nothing signals luxury in a sauna space like honesty of materials. Raw cedar, smooth stone, rough-hewn slate, and natural linen are the palette of high-end wellness design. Avoid anything synthetic near the sauna itself — not just for aesthetics, but because off-gassing from plastics and synthetic materials intensifies with heat.
Outside the sauna, consider a teak or cedar shower bench, a stone or concrete floor with radiant heat, and walls of natural plaster or wood paneling. These materials age beautifully and reinforce the biophilic design principles that make wellness spaces feel genuinely restorative.
Biophilic design essentials for your sauna space
- Large-leafed tropical plants (monstera, bird of paradise, fiddle-leaf fig)
- Live moss wall or preserved moss panels
- Natural stone or pebble flooring in the transition zone
- Cascading water feature or small indoor fountain
- Warm amber lighting (2700K or lower) — never cool white
- Scent diffuser with eucalyptus, cedarwood, or pine
Lighting is everything
The biggest mistake people make in sauna spaces is keeping the overhead bathroom lights on. Bright, cool lighting is neurologically stimulating — the opposite of what you want. Install dimmable warm-toned recessed lighting or sconces, and add a separate circuit for the sauna space so you can get it down to candlelight-level warmth.
Chromotherapy (color light therapy), included in most Aura infrared models, takes this further — allowing you to bathe the interior in warm amber, healing green, or calming indigo based on your session intention.
The transition zone
The space between your sauna and your shower (or cold plunge) is the secret ingredient of a luxury sauna setup. This transition zone — even if it's just a small bench, a plush towel hook, and a eucalyptus bundle hanging from the shower head — turns a routine into a ritual. Great wellness spaces make the journey between hot and cold feel intentional.
You don't need a 10,000 sq ft spa. You need 50 sq ft of well-considered design. The intention does the rest.