A Barrel Sauna for a Guest House or B&B: Is It Worth It?

For a holiday business the sauna is not a cost for guest comfort. It is a remedy for seasonality, one of the few that works in exactly the months when the house stands empty.

The main argument: the off-season

The biggest problem for many holiday properties is the months from November to March. The house is empty, fixed costs keep running and there is hardly any income.

The sauna is one of the few attractions that work precisely then. Demand for saunas is highest in winter and lowest in summer, exactly the reverse of the accommodation season.

In practice that means: in July, when you are fully booked anyway, the sauna adds no extra occupancy. In February, when nobody comes, it does, and there every booking counts.

How accommodation providers charge for it

Two models: included in the nightly rate, as a selling point in the offer, or charged separately per hour with advance booking.

The hourly model is fairer and more practical. Heating costs real money and real work, and not every guest uses the sauna, otherwise those who do not use it pay for those who do.

A middle way that works well: the first hour included in the stay, further hours charged. That way the sauna works as a selling point and heavy use is paid for.

Looking after it

Someone has to light the stove in good time, about an hour before the booking. With a wood stove that is work for a person every single time.

With an electric stove and a controller this can be automated, which makes an enormous difference in the daily running of a property. The guest books for 6 pm, the controller switches on at 5:15, nobody has to walk out there.

For a business this usually outweighs the charm of the wood stove.

What wears out fastest

The door seals and hinges, opened several times a day by people who do not own them.

The benches, with heavy use and changing guests.

The interior, if guests bring cosmetics, food or drinks.

The practical consequence: for a business, choose a sturdier specification from the start, not the cheapest. Wear is several times higher than on a private sauna.

Safety and rules

A clearly readable set of sauna rules at the entrance: maximum time, no sauna after alcohol, no children without supervision.

No locking from inside: a door without a lock.

With an electric stove: automatic switch-off after a set time. That is not an extra but a must when strangers use the sauna.

Check whether your insurance covers a sauna with a fire in it. If you do not mention it, that can be a reason for the insurer to refuse a claim.

What not to promise in your listing

Do not write “sauna around the clock” if someone has to light it. The guest reads it literally and turns up at 11 pm.

Do not write “Finnish sauna” if it is an infrared cabin. They are two different things, and some guests know it.