Adding a steam room or a sauna to your home could be easier than you think...
Image: Finnmark Sauna
Home spa elements are becoming much more accessible and fit for purpose in the modern home, going beyond the hydrotherapy bath to recreate even more elements of the spa experience without leaving the house.
Whether you're team steam room or sauna, these spaces, once reserved for health clubs, have become available for everywhere from your bathroom to a specially built spa area.
In an existing bathroom
Image: C.P. Hart
If you don't have enough room in your bathroom for a secondary enclosure for a steam room, that doesn't preclude you from having a spa-bathroom at home. "Thanks to new innovations, people can now enjoy the luxury of steam integrated into their shower enclosure, eliminating the need for additional space," explains Yousef Mansuri, Head of Design at C.P. Hart. "Did you know that a steam room can be fitted into a shower as small as 800x800mm?"
Image: C.P. Hart
If you have room, a sauna makes for a luxurious touch to a bathroom, but it will require some expertise in installing. Insulation, that keeps the sauna warm and protects the building from its heat, is important, as is venting, both from inside your home for inflow and to outside your home for extraction.
Image: West One Bathrooms
Another idea to explore is the Small Size Premium Spa concept from Siegler Design, pictured here from West One Bathrooms. This 3.5 metre square enclosure features va ertical and horizontal shower from Dornbracht, a suspended bench plus the Touch & Steam generator by effegibi.
Outdoor saunas
Images: Bigert & Bergström's Solar Egg is a creative example of a sauna outbuilding. Photo: Jean-Baptiste Béranger
It's unlikely that if you chose to create your home spa with an outdoor sauna, that you'd be looking at a structure more than 15 square metres. This means that a garden sauna would be covered by permitted development rights and would not need to meet building regulations. Between 15 and 30 square metres, you may not have to worry about building regulations if you are clear of boundaries or made from fire-resistant materials, but seek advice on this matter.
Image: Finnmark Sauna
Another alternative is to look at converting an outbuilding, or even a garage to house a sauna. This project from Finnmark Sauna is located in the potting shed of a beautiful riverside cottage in Oxfordshire, pleasingly retaining the original brickwork of the outbuilding with the modern, yet rustic addition of a Finnish sauna.
Would you consider a spa for your home? Let us know by tweeting us @granddesigns or posting a comment on our Facebook page.
