Hot topic: Exploring options for at-home saunas

Saunas were a part of everyday life during Joel Turino’s childhood in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Every Friday night, he and his family would walk down the street to use a sauna at his aunt’s house.

“Eventually, my father put one in our cabin up in the UP,” Turino recalled. “And so it’s been something that I’ve enjoyed all of my life.”

About 30 years ago, Turino and his wife, JulieAnne, decided to bring their love of saunas to Viroqua. Together, they started Soulful Saunas, where they offer custom builds.

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Turino visited WPR’s “The Larry Meiller Show” to talk about installing a home sauna.

The following interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.

Larry Meiller: What does a sauna add to your life?

Joel Turino: There’s a lot of opinions out there. Saunas have been a part of certain European cultures for hundreds, let alone thousands, of years.

Personally, I sauna four to five days a week. I have a wood-fired sauna that I use. I sleep a whole lot better. I have a much better feeling in my skin. It helps with relaxing my muscles and stiff joints. I’m 65 years old, so I tend to get a little stiff from time to time.

There are many benefits, and some talk about it being similar to a brisk walk. It helps with your heart rate, and the sweating alone is cleansing to your skin and to your body.

The interior of a wooden sauna. There's a bench, heater and small bucket. — An example of an indoor sauna built by Turino. Indoor saunas are typically built with conventional building materials and then lined with a wood of choice. *Photo courtesy of Joel Turino*

LM: Gas, electric and wood are the main options for saunas. In your mind, is there one that’s better than the others?

JT: From a steam and heat quality standpoint, nothing beats a good, solid wood stove. Generally, wood stoves are for outside saunas.

If you’re looking at putting a sauna in your home, you’re typically going to go with an electric stove. There are a lot of different options out there. They have a really nice, comfortable pricing.

But if you’re looking for a true, pure sauna experience, nothing beats a wood stove with a good splash of water on it. Throwing water on the stove gives you something the Finnish call the “löyly.”

The löyly is the magic steam that comes off the stove. It cleans your skin, gets into your lungs and really makes you transform into a wonderful person.

The exterior of a wooden sauna that's been built right outside of a house, on a back porch. — Outdoor saunas, like this one built by Turino, are often wood-fired. They can also feature a separate changing room. *Photo courtesy of Joel Turino*

LM: And the wood itself that goes into the building of the sauna — what’s the best type?

JT: Cedar is the premier wood for the lining inside. It’s comfortable, it’s soft. It’s got a wonderful aroma.

If you manage your stove and steam properly, your sauna will be maintenance-free. Wood stoves stay hot hours after you use it, so it dries the room. By the next morning, the sauna is ready to go.

LM: Roughly, how much should you budget if you want one?

JT: Well, it depends, because it’s like remodeling your kitchen, right? Design drives cost.

So when people ask me those questions, I have to give them a range. You can go anywhere from $5,000 to $40,000. It depends on the wood species, the type of stove and the type of insulation. Size is a big thing.

I encourage folks to learn about their own lifestyle, because bringing a sauna in your life should enhance your life. It should be integrated into your life, not just something that you do once in a while. That’s where the real benefit comes from.