Modern Sauna Design: A Look Inside Sauna House in Asheville and Durham

Sauna design can appear simple. And the truth is, that’s by design. When our guests step into a Sauna House location, we want them to be met with an instant sense of ease—ready for a true nervous system reset. With the highest quality materials, Mindful hospitality, calming color tones, and a layout that flows naturally, we’ve designed each of our Hot, Cold, Relax spaces to be a device-free respite — one that fosters a social-yet-chill atmosphere.

Minimalist design does not mean working until something is good enough. It’s an intentional aesthetic, wary of the diminishing returns that arise from simply ‘adding more’. With each bathhouse having its own unique layout, the opportunity for addition by subtraction lies at every turn. As interest in DIY sauna design continues to rise, we wanted to share a behind-the-steam (get it??) peek at our sauna design principles and the way they’ve evolved at Sauna House. Each location we open represents not only an expansion of our vision to make contrast therapy’s benefits accessible — it’s an opportunity to refine and perfect the experience we want to offer our community.

Our spaces in Asheville and Durham reflect different stages of that evolution, with varying styles and functions that make each location special. Below, we’ll share some of the design elements that went into each, including our approach to accessible sauna design and the modern trends we’re using to breathe new life into an ancient practice.

When we designed our Asheville bathhouse, we focused heavily on creating a space that felt both functional and inviting. One of the core design principles we followed was balance — between light and dark, hot and cold, decompression and social interaction. As a result, we developed a central sauna design of contrasting aesthetics — one you can now see across multiple Sauna House locations. You’ll find lighter wood tones in some areas, and darker, richer finishes in others. This design choice isn’t just about looks; it’s about augmenting atmospherics and encouraging a seamless flow from one experience to another.

The social dynamic of our space was also a big consideration. Saunas are meant to be a communal experience, and we wanted to make sure our layout facilitated such. The bench arrangements and lighting choices in the saunas are designed to enhance the feeling of connection, whether you’re alone, with friends, or making new acquaintances. We often say we want people to be able to explore the space and use it in the way they’re most comfortable. This sentiment extends to bather safety too! All of our design elements are chosen for practicality as much as for beauty, like on-brand tiles with an impressive anti-slip rating.

Ultimately, modern sauna design is about preserving an aspect of discovery while keeping things fairly intuitive—this is, after all, a space meant to facilitate rest and renewal. This brings us to the current day in Asheville.

After six years of relaxing and connecting with our community here, Hurricane Helene dealt us a number of operational challenges. We took it as an opportunity to thank the people who helped us get where we are today, and we fully rebuilt both of our public saunas. In doing so, we got to incorporate the new stylistic components and updated amenities that have become part of our human-centered design approach. It’s the same approach you’ll see reflected across all of our Sauna House locations, including our space in Durham.

With each new set of Sauna House doors we open, we begin by looking for buildings ready for a beautiful restoration—think open layouts, lofted ceilings, and a lot of natural light. Coming to Durham, we were excited to start with that slate and work with a much larger space.

The extra square footage allowed us to get more creative, including when it came to incorporating cold water features. Cold plunges are crucial for our hot-cold-relax circuit, the cornerstone of our wellness philosophy. Large, in-ground cold plunge pools aren’t just a luxury—they’re integral to the Sauna House experience and aesthetic, and Durham has set the bar. Our custom plunges and saunas aren’t only borne of iterative, intentional design, they’re also the result of years of strong vendor relationships made tangible. Combined, it’s a quality that resonates throughout the space.

In Durham, with these relationships and experience at our back, we’ve refined some of the elements we piloted in Asheville by reflecting on our programming. We spend a lot of time considering how each phase of the experience would feel for guests. Removing any potential for bottlenecks by, for example, placing rinse showers between saunas and plunges was major, helping us create a true seamlessness from check-in and changing to rinsing, bathing, and checkout.

For the “relax” phase of our flow, we designed the sauna layout to intentionally curate both stillness and connection. Heated lounge furniture is arranged to allow guests to take time for themselves while still feeling like they’re part of the social bathhouse atmosphere. We also introduced a silent salt room and a cozy upstairs space for private gatherings — designed to help guests feel like they’re part of something special without compromising the relaxing vibe of the space as a whole.

Split-level sauna layouts come with unique considerations — after all, aesthetics don’t count for much if the saunas aren’t reliably hot and the plunges consistently cold. But by leveraging the added vertical space, we designed the sauna’s ceiling to follow the contour of the roof, creating a wave-like effect that enhances visual appeal and thermo-efficient heat distribution. (As far as temperature management goes, building everything truly commercial grade and from the best materials — whether that’s sustainable, thermally modified wood or stainless steel for our plunge vessels — goes a long way, too!)

We’ve continued to iterate and stay attuned to the practical use of the space. Elements like programmable lockers and beverage bar locations are examples of those learnings and the process of design iteration in practice.

We mentioned before that at the heart of every Sauna House design is the concept of balance — finding harmony in contrasts. Whether it’s the combination of hot and cold, light and dark, or activity and rest, we believe that opposites create a space where people can truly unwind and feel at home. This balance is woven into the very structure of the buildings, from the layout of the saunas and the choice of materials to the overall ambiance.

For us, a successful sauna experience isn’t just about having the right saunas and plunges — it’s about creating an environment where everything works in harmony. That’s why we take great care in considering everything from the placement of our showers to the design of our lounge furniture. We want our guests to feel comfortable, whether they’re seeking solitude or enjoying the communal energy of the space.

Across that duality, good sauna design has been the common factor. Without it, a muted sauna experience is often the result, whether that looks like guests ducking their heads on the top sauna bench or clamoring to get by one another and to the changing rooms. For us, there’s efficiency and practicality to consider, but there’s also something less concrete at play. At the end of the day, people may not always be able to identify specific reasons for why one sauna feels better than another. But we believe everybody can perceive overall quality and craftsmanship. Call it a vibe. It’s a feeling of quality that permeates, and lasts.

Inclusive, accessible sauna design is part of our makeup. It’s what helps our guests know that, when the door is open, everyone is welcome. We often hear that visiting Sauna House is the most relaxing part of a guest’s day, but we know that bathhouses can be inherently vulnerable places, too. We’ve put a lot of energy into making sure our guests feel as comfortable as possible, including with ADA-compliant sauna and cold plunge design.

Good sauna design is about inviting everyone in and making them feel like they are sitting somewhere special. As we’ve expanded into Durham, we’ve applied valuable lessons from our Asheville roots, listening to our community and continuously adapting the space to their needs. We’ve built strong relationships with our vendors, allowing us to bring even more custom features to our saunas and plunges. And while we’ve maintained our core focus on offering the best sauna and plunge experience, we’ve also added elements, like silent salt rooms and flexible spaces, to help diversify the experience and curate the good social vibes we’re after.

Ultimately, in all locations, we want guests, simply, to enjoy their time. Good sauna design is an investment in making that real. It’s about making sure our spaces not only look beautiful, but function with harmony — so that bathers can leave every visit feeling rejuvenated, balanced, and ready to take on whatever comes next.