The nation’s ongoing obsession with all things wellness has triggered a hot new home trend, with homeowners and prospective buyers adding saunas to the list of must-have property features.
Once considered a novelty or the preserve of the fabulously wealthy, home saunas have now become an integral part of the wellness journey for many.
As such, there’s increased demand amongst Aussies for their very own private sweat boxes, with searches for the keyword ‘sauna’ on realestate.com.au up by more than a third over the past year.
“The popularity of the saunas soared during the various lockdowns when Australians were looking for ways to turn their homes into a sanctuary, and building an at-home spa, complete with a sauna was definitely part of that,” said Winston Tu, the founder of furniture and sauna store, Luxo Living.
“Even with lockdown restrictions removed people are way more aware of how their home space is set up, and have gotten used to their homes being multi-functional — not only as a place to live and rest, but an office, gym and wellness zone.”
It’s a finding echoed by director at home design hub and design studio The Designory, Melissa Bonney, who has seen an increasing number of clients request space for a sauna as part of their home design.
“We’re finding an overwhelming desire with our clients to create wellness zones within their homes,” she said.
“Literally every home we’ve worked on in the last 18 months has included an outdoor sauna as part of the overall design.”
A wellness boom:
While acknowledging the rise of the wellness industry is no secret, Ms Bonney said it’s not just Covid driving the trend.
“It has been bolstered not only by COVID, drawing us all back in to our homes and making self-care a priority, but also by an influx in the science and data supporting the benefits of things, such as ice baths, home gyms and, of course, saunas.”
At its core, a sauna is a heated room or enclosed space designed to elevate the body’s temperature. When you enter a sauna, the elevated temperature causes your body to sweat profusely, which is said to help eliminate toxins, reduce stress and improve mental wellbeing.
And while old-school Swedish saunas have been the standard for decades, the new infrared variety warms the body from the inside out, rather than the other way around.
“The infrared sauna in particular is popular for its health benefits,” Ms Bonney said. “Plus, these sauna models have seen prices come down significantly, meaning that they’re now much more accessible to the average home owner.”
Not just for the rich and famous:
The Kardashians, Cindy Crawford, Jennifer Aniston and Lady Gaga — who even took to her Instagram to spruik their benefits recently — all boast their own at home infrared saunas.
And while you might think you need a Hollywood-sized pay packet for your own, turns out, that isn’t necessarily the case.
Though traditionally saunas are viewed as non-essential luxuries and the preserve of only the rich and famous, nowadays, home saunas are within the reach of must budgets.
“In the past, saunas have been viewed as a luxury item, one that very few homeowners could afford, however, there are now many affordable options out there,” said Mr Tu.“We’ve charted a 77% increase in sauna sales from 2019 to 2020,” he continued. “This plateaued between 2021 and 2022 and then, between 2022 and 2023, there was another huge spike with a 62% increase in sauna sales — and they have remained a steady bestseller since.”
The future of home health:
What was once considered a luxury home addition is quickly becoming a new normal in the everyday home, with more compact designs and more affordable options available.
But with our homes and backyards now also becoming private wellness sanctuaries, what’s next?
“I don’t think the upward trend for saunas or wellness in general is going anywhere soon,” said Ms Bonney.
“We see more being incorporated in new designs. In fact, many of our new designs sees the sauna as a mere part of a larger ‘wellness zone’ — some with gym and yoga space and others with an ice bath and outdoor shower.”
You only need to look to the high street to see the raft of brands offering sauna and ice bath pairings to wellness-focused consumers, and with many of them charging big bucks for a session, often an at-home sauna and ice bath combo ends up being a better long-term investment not only for the home, but for the health.
“We don’t see this trend going anywhere,” agreed Mr Tu.
“I think Aussies are only going to increase their investments into home saunas and other home wellness additions in the coming years.”