Design Your Custom Sauna

Build the perfect indoor or outdoor sauna with fully customizable options — size, wood type, benches, heater style, windows, lighting, and more.

Start Your Sauna Planner

Or call us at 218-760-2041 for help getting started.

Download Your Custom Sauna Build Guide (PDF)

This free guide walks you through every major decision in planning a custom sauna — from choosing the right size, layout, and heating system to ventilation, benches, doors, and finishing options.

The PDF opens in a new tab and is fully printable and downloadable on your computer, tablet, or phone.

1

Plan Your Sauna

You’ll answer simple questions about size, heat source, wood type, exterior look, lighting, doors, and optional add-ons like decks or changing rooms.

2

Tell Us About Your Property

Share a few details about your home, cabin, or rental so we can design something that fits your space, utilities, and goals.

3

Get Your Custom Quote & Call

We review your plan, recommend the best options, and follow up with pricing—completely custom to your sauna.

Custom sauna by Cedar Sense

Why Choose Cedar Sense for Your Sauna Build?

There are many companies that can build a structure. Very few understand the science, tradition, and engineering behind a truly great sauna. Here’s why sauna owners trust Cedar Sense:

1. We Know Proper Ventilation (Most Builders Don’t)

Ventilation is the #1 most overlooked factor in almost every poorly built sauna. Without correct intake and exhaust flow, your sauna will:

  • Heat unevenly (hot ceiling, cold benches)
  • Feel stuffy or suffocating
  • Require more heat cycles and higher energy costs
  • Accumulate moisture, mold, or rot over time

A proper sauna breathes. Fresh air enters at the correct height and exits naturally (or mechanically) through a calculated exhaust system. This prevents hot/cold pockets and gives the clean, oxygen-rich feeling that Finnish saunas are known for.

Learn more in our ventilation guide: How to Ventilate a Sauna Properly

2. We Understand the Details That Make a Sauna “Feel Right”

A great sauna isn’t just a room with a heater. It requires dozens of small decisions that dramatically affect comfort, safety, and longevity. When you work with us, we guide you through all the details most contractors never think about, including:

  • Gapped benches for airflow and comfortable seating temperatures
  • Proper water drainage to avoid moisture buildup and mold
  • Light placement that enhances ambiance without causing glare or shadows
  • Correct stove installation (clearances, guards, rock loading, heat cycling)
  • Flooring choices suited for heat, humidity, and traction
  • Material selection (cedar, aspen, basswood, spruce) based on usage style
  • Heat distribution for consistent temperature at all levels
  • Cold plunge and outdoor shower integration for a full thermal therapy experience

These are the “invisible touches” that separate a basic hot room from a sauna that feels absolutely incredible every time you use it.

When you choose Cedar Sense, you're not just getting a builder — you’re getting experts who live and breathe sauna. We help you design a custom sauna that’s efficient, comfortable, safe, beautiful, and built to last for generations.

Design Your Custom Sauna

Answer a few quick questions about your dream sauna. At the end, your plan will be emailed to you and to us, and we’ll follow up with a custom quote and next steps.

Step 1 – Indoor or Outdoor Sauna?

First, tell us where you want your sauna. This helps us design the right structure, materials, and heat setup.

Step 2 – Choose Your Sauna Size

Enter the size you’re looking for. If you’re unsure, just take a guess — we’ll help you dial it in.

Note: Most traditional saunas range between 78” and 84” in height. Exceeding 84” is not common unless the design requires it.

Step 3 – Choose Your Heating Option

Your heater is the heart of your sauna. We’ll use your sauna’s volume to help match the right size heater.

Estimated sauna volume

Based on your interior width, depth, and height (inches) from Step 2.

— ft³

Most heater manufacturers list recommended cubic feet ranges. If your dimensions change later, we’ll recalculate.

You can browse our heater options while you decide:
• Wood sauna heaters  |  • Electric sauna heaters  |  • Gas sauna heaters

Step 4 – Choose Your Interior Wood

Select the wood for your sauna’s interior. Each has a slightly different look and feel.

Step 5 – Exterior Siding

Choose the exterior look so your sauna matches your home, cabin, or outbuildings.

Step 6 – Exterior Trim

Choose whether you want painted color trim or natural wood trim.

Step 7 – Roof Type

Choose the roofing material for durability and to match your property.

Step 8 – Lighting

Select the lighting options you’d like for your sauna.

Step 9 – Door Style

Choose the type of door for privacy and light.

Step 10 – Windows

Decide how many windows you’d like and where they might go.

Step 11 – Insulation & “Always Ready” Heat

Tell us how you plan to use the sauna so we can recommend insulation and heat retention.

Step 12 – Ventilation

Ventilation improves comfort, air quality, and safety inside the sauna.

Step 13 – Changing Room / Anteroom

Would you like a changing room attached to your sauna?

Step 14 – Add-Ons & Extras

Round out your sauna experience with these options.

Step 15 – Property Details

Tell us a bit about where this sauna will go.

Last Step – Your Contact Information

Fill this in so we can review your sauna plan and send you a detailed quote.

Custom Sauna Templates

Use our indoor and outdoor sauna templates to quickly visualize your layout. Every template can be customized — size, benches, windows, doors, heater type, and more.

Custom Outdoor Sauna Template Preview

Indoor & Outdoor Sauna Layouts

Inside this downloadable PDF, you'll find multiple sauna floor plans showing bench layouts, heater placement, and room flow. These are based on traditional sauna principles and real-world builds.

Treat these as starting points — any template can be modified to match your exact space, whether it’s a backyard building, lakeside cabin, or indoor wellness room.

Download Sauna Templates (PDF)

Premium Sauna Heaters – Delivered in 7–10 Days

No custom sauna is complete without the right heater. We offer fast shipping (7–10 days) on industry-leading heaters from Harvia, HUUM, Saunum, plus American-made Scandia gas heaters and Cozy Heat wood-burning heaters.

Harvia Logo

Harvia

Harvia is one of the most trusted names in sauna heaters worldwide. Their electric and wood-burning models are reliable, efficient, and designed for heavy long-term use.

Harvia Heater
HUUM Logo

HUUM

HUUM heaters offer stunning modern design with unmatched steam quality. They’re known for their large stone capacity and soft, humid heat — perfect for daily use.

HUUM Heater
Saunum Logo

Saunum

Saunum isn’t just a heater — it’s an air-blending system that evenly circulates heat throughout the entire sauna. No cold spots. No harsh heat. Just perfect Löyly.

Saunum Heater

Scandia Gas Sauna Heaters

Scandia manufactures powerful gas sauna heaters made in the USA. These are ideal for larger saunas, commercial settings, or anyone who wants fast heat-up times with low maintenance.

Cozy Heat Wood-Fired Sauna Heaters

Cozy Heat wood-burning heaters are built tough in Minnesota and designed for cabins, off-grid saunas, and traditionalists who want the purest wood-fired experience.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are answers to the most common questions we receive when helping customers design their custom sauna.

Do you manufacture these saunas nationwide? ›

We are based in Northern MN and focus mainly on saunas in our area, but we can easily work with any local contractor in the USA to make sure your sauna is built with proper traditional standards, ventilation, and specs to ensure your custom sauna build operates exactly how it should.

Do you offer kit saunas for me to build myself? ›

Yes we do. Here is a link to our other saunas on our website: https://cedar-sense.com/product-category/sauna/

Can you build indoor and outdoor saunas? ›

Yes — we design and build both indoor and outdoor saunas in any size. Whether you want a backyard building, a basement sauna, or a room conversion inside your home or cabin, we can help you create the perfect layout and heating setup.

What heating options do you offer? ›

We offer traditional wood-fired stoves (internal & external feed), electric heaters, electric Wi-Fi-controlled heaters, propane, and natural gas. As certified sauna stove dealers, we help you choose the right heater size based on your sauna’s cubic footage.

Do you provide installation? ›

Yes — for many areas we can provide installation and setup. If you're farther from us, we can coordinate with your local contractor and supply them with exact instructions, venting requirements, framing specs, insulation diagrams, and heater placement guides.

How long does a custom sauna build take? ›

Most custom saunas take 4–8 weeks depending on size, complexity, and current demand. Once your design is finalized, we provide a clear timeline for materials, construction, and delivery or install.

Do you offer accessories and add-ons? ›

Absolutely. We offer benches, backrests, lights, aroma options, wooden accessories, cold plunges, outdoor showers, cedar furniture, decks, pathways, and heater upgrades. Everything is designed to match your sauna's style.

Can you match the sauna to my home or cabin exterior? ›

Yes — we can match siding, stain, trim, roofing, colors, and exterior features so your sauna blends perfectly with your existing home, cabin, or property aesthetic.

Can you build a deck or walkway for the sauna? ›

Yes — we build cedar decks, steps, walkways, and platforms to create a clean, beautiful, and functional entrance to your sauna. These are custom-sized and can be added to your quote request.

Contact Us

Have questions? Want help designing your custom sauna? Reach out anytime — we're here to help you plan the perfect build from start to finish.

If you're ready to begin your custom sauna plan or would like a quote, give us a call or send us an email and we'll reach out right away.