What type of sauna is best for a gym?

Most gyms choose a traditional electric-stove sauna because it handles many users per hour, reaches high temperatures and recovers quickly when the door opens often. Some add private infrared cabins as a bookable premium service. Specify commercial-duty heaters, robust benches, a lockable control panel and a supply voltage that matches the building.

Are infrared saunas suitable for hotels?

Yes, especially in guest rooms, suites and small wellness areas where one or two people use the cabin at a time and a quiet, lower-temperature experience fits. For a shared hotel spa with steady traffic, a traditional sauna usually performs better. Many hotels offer both to serve different guest preferences.

What certifications should a commercial sauna have?

In the US, look for a listing from a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory such as ETL or UL, with sauna heaters meeting UL 875; cold tubs fall under UL 1563. In the EU, CE marking under the Low Voltage, EMC and RoHS directives applies. Local inspectors and insurers may add requirements, so confirm early.

How do I size a sauna for a commercial facility?

Estimate peak simultaneous users, then allow comfortable bench space per person on upper and lower tiers. Size the heater to the room volume using the heater maker's chart, accounting for glass walls and frequent door openings. Confirm the building's voltage and phase before choosing the heater, and have the plan reviewed by your contractor.

Choosing Saunas for Hotels, Gyms and Spas

Short answer. Match the sauna to the use pattern. Shared, high-traffic spaces such as gym locker rooms and hotel spas usually need traditional electric-stove saunas with commercial-duty heaters. Private, low-occupancy spaces such as hotel suites, treatment rooms and bookable recovery suites suit infrared cabins. Then specify for durability, the building's actual electrical supply, cleaning and supervision.

Which sauna type fits which commercial setting?

Setting	Typical use pattern	Recommended type	Key specification points
Gym or health club locker room	Many users, frequent door openings, long daily hours	Traditional electric stove	Commercial-duty heater, fast recovery, robust benches, lockable controls
Hotel spa or wellness floor	Moderate traffic, guests expect a classic experience	Traditional, optionally plus infrared	Aesthetics, glass fronts, quiet operation, staff-controlled timer
Hotel suite or villa	1-2 users, private	Infrared or compact traditional	Plug-in or simple wiring, low noise, easy guest controls
Day spa or clinic treatment room	Booked sessions, one client at a time	Infrared, full spectrum, red light	Session timers, hygienic surfaces, consistent experience
Recovery studio	Booked sessions plus contrast therapy	Infrared or traditional plus cold plunge	Throughput per hour, cleaning between sessions
Resort or lodge outdoors	Seasonal, scenic	Outdoor barrel or cube	Cedar exterior, weather sealing, foundation

Typical operating temperatures help set guest expectations: Cleveland Clinic gives about 110-135°F (43-57°C) for infrared and 150-195°F (66-91°C) for traditional saunas. For a deeper comparison, read infrared vs traditional sauna.

What makes a sauna commercial-grade?

Residential and commercial saunas can look identical. The differences are in duty and serviceability:

Heater duty. Commercial heaters are built for long daily operating hours and frequent door openings. Ask the supplier whether a heater is rated for commercial use and for its recommended maximum operating hours.
Controls. Staff-accessible or lockable control panels, preset session timers and, where required, remote or front-desk control.
Benches and backrests. Thicker, clear-grade timber, removable for cleaning, with fixings hidden from skin contact.
Glass. Tempered glass doors and fronts, with door hardware rated for heavy use.
Serviceability. Heater elements, emitters and control boards that can be replaced without dismantling walls, plus a spare parts list with part numbers.

Wood choice affects durability and maintenance. Western red cedar is the common premium choice, hemlock suits indoor infrared rooms. See cedar vs hemlock vs pine.

What should you confirm about the electrical supply?

Commercial projects often fail on electrical details discovered late. Confirm with the building engineer before choosing models:

Voltage and phase. Many North American commercial buildings supply 208 V. A heater rated for 240 V produces about 75% of its rated power at 208 V, so order heaters rated for the actual supply.
Circuit capacity. Saunas running for hours are typically sized as continuous loads; NEC 210.20(A) requires the overcurrent device to be rated at no less than 125% of the continuous load.
Panel space and distance to the sauna location.
Three-phase options for large heaters, if the building supports them.

The sauna electrical planning guide has worked examples and tables.

Which certifications and codes apply?

Inspectors, insurers and brand standards teams will ask for documents. In the US, building codes commonly require electric sauna heaters to comply with UL 875, usually demonstrated through an ETL or UL listing. Internationally, IEC 60335-2-53 covers sauna heaters and infrared cabins up to 20 kW, and in the EU products carry CE marking.

If you add cold plunge tubs, note that UL 1563 was expanded in January 2025 to cover electrically powered cold tubs and ice baths. Treat cold plunges as a separate compliance item. Browse cold plunge tubs.

Many Mars models list CE and ETL certification. Confirm the certification for each model and configuration before you submit drawings.

How do you plan for safety and supervision?

Commercial operators carry duty-of-care obligations. Build these into the specification and signage:

Visible session timers and an automatic heater shut-off
Clear signage on hydration, session length and leaving if dizzy, consistent with mainstream guidance such as Cleveland Clinic's precautions
A notice advising guests who are pregnant, have heart or other medical conditions, or are unwell to consult a healthcare professional before use
No alcohol policy in sauna areas
Doors that open outward without locks, and good visibility through glass
Heater guards on traditional stoves
Staff check-in schedule and an emergency procedure
Local accessibility requirements, such as the ADA in the US, reviewed with your architect

Keep marketing consistent: describe the experience and the equipment, not medical outcomes.

How should you plan maintenance?

High-use saunas need routine care. Agree the following with your supplier and include it in operator manuals:

Daily: wipe benches, empty bins, check controls and timers
Weekly: clean floors, inspect door hardware, check heater guards
Periodically: replace heater stones (traditional), inspect elements and emitters, lightly sand benches
Annually: electrical inspection by a qualified electrician

Order a spare parts kit with the initial shipment so a failed element or control board does not take a revenue-generating room offline.

How can OEM and ODM help commercial projects?

Hotels and gym chains often need a consistent look across sites. Mars offers OEM and ODM customization of size, wood, heater layout, voltage, control panel, logo and packaging, which lets you match brand standards and building constraints. See custom OEM saunas and the OEM/ODM program. For multi-site rollouts, plan container loads early with the container calculator and read how to import saunas from China.

Commercial procurement checklist

Use pattern defined: peak users, daily hours, session length
Sauna type chosen per space (traditional, infrared, outdoor, cold plunge)
Room dimensions and heater sized from the maker's room-volume chart
Building voltage, phase and circuit capacity confirmed in writing
Certification documents for the exact models and voltages
Commercial-duty heater rating and recommended operating hours
Lockable controls, timers and automatic shut-off
Wood species and grade for walls and benches
Safety signage and operating procedures drafted
Spare parts kit and service process agreed
Delivery, installation and site access planned

Key takeaways

Traditional stove saunas suit high-traffic shared spaces; infrared suits private, low-occupancy rooms.
Commercial-grade means heater duty, controls, robust benches and serviceability, not just appearance.
Confirm voltage and phase early; 240 V heaters on 208 V lose about a quarter of their output.
In the US, sauna heaters commonly need UL 875 compliance; cold plunges fall under UL 1563.
Build safety signage, supervision and maintenance into the project from the start.

Planning a hotel, gym or spa project? Contact our export team with your floor plans and electrical details, or explore options with the sauna finder.