Our Sauna Build: Prioritising Natural Materials

We focused on natural materials throughout the build because we wanted a natural sauna experience for our customer's health and to help protect our Earth home. *Image from our sauna builder, Sam, at Sustainable Saunas. Please note that The Sauna Wānaka will look different inside.

Natural Materials 

Our sauna is made of 100% natural materials, an important factor if you don’t want to sit at 75-95 degrees alongside plastic materials. Inside the sauna, the paneling and benches are made from thermally treated New Zealand Radiata. It provides that amazing natural timber smell, and you’ll love the cozy atmosphere. Thermally treated radiata is also naturally antibacterial, helping to keep the sauna clean and hygienic. Our natural materials continue into the mineral board exterior cladding and our paint. This is important because when synthetic materials are heated, they can be a source of chemicals/toxins that can be harmful if inhaled. Promoting a healthy environment ensures you get the best health benefits from our sauna without the nasties. Our sauna is also 100% breathable, meaning we won’t have any moisture/vapor build-up - hello, great air quality!

Local & Renewable Materials

We have locally sourced our materials (except our authentic Finnish fireplace!) for a smaller business footprint. This helps us support other local businesses and have great quality materials. We are extremely happy to be able to support a company that thermally treated our Radiata timber right here on local soil - an NZ first! 

A decent chunk of our materials are renewable. The thermally treated Radiata, and Douglas Fir wood we use comes from forests that are managed responsibly to ensure the health and productivity of the forest ecosystem. The same goes for our wool insulation - local and high performing. The aesthetic of our build was carefully considered so it fits seamlessly into the natural landscape. The large panoramic feature window might just be your favourite part. Soak in those breathtaking views of the mountains and lake.

Wood-burning

The traditional Finnish fireplace is the source of heat for the sauna here in Wānaka. This heats the sauna up to a nice toasty temperature - our standard is around 80-90 degrees for our Guided and Self Guided Sessions. We burn local pine as our firewood.

The Takeaway

We used natural and renewable materials to promote health, sustainability, and reduce our environmental impact here at The Sauna Wānaka. We didn’t get all the bells and whistles that would come with a standard build, but the bottom line is that we have a sauna that will serve our community and environment in the best way we know how.

Here’s to a healthy, earth-friendly sauna experience right on Mother Nature’s doorstep.