SaunaNews
A lot of blogs push opinions. We report the product releases, bathhouse investments, and research.
A peer-reviewed study of 1,907 sauna users ties wellbeing gains to belonging and ritual, and finds weekly bathers get the effect while monthly visitors largely do not.
The weekly briefing on sauna companies, launches, standards, and market moves.
Get the briefingRoughly 90% opened since 2020, more than half in 2025 alone. A full 12-seat Irish session bills more per hour than a 7-seat US one at a higher ticket, and Kerry's new beach permits preview what American councils will ask.
Arlene Scott · Aug 11, 2026Harvia's North American surge came with a warning label: cabins grew 44%, steam fell 13.8%, and a three-week factory shutdown pushed about EUR 4 million of high-margin heater deliveries into the back half. The investor call made clear which parts are timing, which are mix, and where Harvia wants to buy next.
Arlene Scott · Aug 7, 2026
Grotto Baths is preparing to open in Wynwood with two saunas, three kinds of pool, a steam room, an alcohol-free cafe and membership from $250 a month. Its hot-to-cold circuit borrows from Roman public bathing, while required bookings and three-hour weekend limits reveal how the Miami operator plans to manage the room.
Ireland built 242 independent saunas in five years on trailers, shorelines and 15-to-30-euro tickets, and a New Haven operator is now working from the same playbook. The transferable part is not the coastline. It is bench count, shared sites, and a regulation phase that arrived within two years.
As Submersive moves from concept to permits, Austin's planned flagship now has a defined location, an active filing trail, and a clearer path toward a mid-2027 opening target.
Product drops, trade shows, standards meetings, and Aufguss competitions rarely live in one calendar. These are the dates operators, suppliers, and serious sauna people keep asking about.
Icetubs is entering the U.S. market on April 23, 2026 with immersion products designed for both residential and commercial recovery environments. The launch highlights temperature control from 37°F to 100°F, app-based controls, and a broader roadmap for professional-grade systems.
HUUM has standardized its internal air tunnel technology across the full HIVE heater line, a quiet but significant engineering upgrade. The air tunnel improves airflow through the stone chamber, reduces heat-up time, and shields heating elements from direct stone contact, extending their lifespan.
Homecraft, Canada's oldest sauna heater maker (Surrey, BC, since 1988), has released the TKE2-2 WiFi controller for its C- and H-Series electric heaters. The WiFi-enabled touchpad brings app-based remote control and scheduling to a heater line that serves a large share of North American residential installations.
Sponsorships are available — reach readers who build, buy, specify, and operate saunas
Sponsor disclosure →A half-day at Châteauneuf-sur-Sarthe's municipal pool costs about $3.50. Running it costs at least $116,000 a year. Heatwaves, drowning risk and the disappearance of nearby pools have turned an old recreation budget into a public-infrastructure fight.
Arlene Scott · Aug 20, 2026 · 6 minNearly half a century after Sweat mapped the world's hot rooms, Aaland is pairing a restored facsimile with new photography and essays. The two-volume set debuts in Oslo this September, and the first preorder is now open.
Arlene Scott · Aug 20, 2026 · 4 minHarvia's North American surge came with a warning label: cabins grew 44%, steam fell 13.8%, and a three-week factory shutdown pushed about EUR 4 million of high-margin heater deliveries into the back half. The investor call made clear which parts are timing, which are mix, and where Harvia wants to buy next.
Arlene Scott · Aug 7, 2026 · 11 minA heritage Finnish heater brand, an unusual industrial parent, and a patient push toward America, just as US certification rules have started to favor European designs.
Arlene Scott · Jul 5, 2026 · 9 min
Sauna is no longer a sleepy accessory category.
It now shows up in hotel capital plans, public bathing projects, UL and EN standards debates, timber and heater supply chains, real estate amenities, medical-wellness claims, and the social life of cities.
SaunaNews follows the people and businesses behind that shift: manufacturers, dealers, builders, operators, designers, investors, and bathers who want names, numbers, documents, and context instead of another wellness trend piece.
