Home Design Guides: Sauna

Saunas come in a range of sizes and, contrary to popular belief, aren't that difficult to find space for or construct.

The type of heater you use is critical to the design of your sauna. Saunas can be broken down into two main types; convection, which includes electric, gas and wood fired heaters, and radiation, which includes Far Infrared (FIR) heaters.

Caring for saunas isn't that complicated. For the most part, it comes down to knowing how to clean up after yourself, and what sorts of things you need to avoid.

Energy efficiency in saunas is dependent on a number of factors: fuel, temperature settings, the size of the room and its frequency of use.

The size of your sauna affects how much fuel it uses, how long it takes to get hot, and how comfortable it is.

The accessories you choose for your sauna will allow you to use it the way it's meant to be used.

One important factor in your sauna will be the type of heater you use, but you will also need to pay close attention to the size and height of your sauna to ensure they suit your heater.

Far Infrared (FIR) saunas are relatively new - they don't use steam, and instead rely on infra red radiation.

Wood fired saunas work in a similar fashion to electric and gas heaters, and can give a charming, rustic feel.

Electric sauna heaters cost more to run and create more CO2 emissions, but are easy to install.

Gas heaters are cheaper to operate and result in less CO2 emissions. They also require gas piping.

How well a sauna performs largely comes down to the type of sauna you've chosen, and what it's supposed to do. Infrared saunas, for example, work very differently from steam saunas. Learn more here.

Where a sauna heats the room, steam generators are used in steam rooms to raise the humidity.

The sauna checklist covers the issues you need to consider to ensure your sauna is a comfortable, safe and worthwhile investment.

Proper ventilation in your sauna ensure that you're breathing fresh air, and help circulate heat around the room.