Custom Saunas: Why Customisable, Sustainable Saunas Matter for Hospitality
”Trends are signals — follow them intelligently and you stay ahead of the curve.
Susie EllisChair, Global Wellness Institute
Custom saunas are no longer a back-of-house utility — they’ve become social hubs, revenue drivers and brand differentiators for hospitality. The Global Wellness Institute’s new micro-trends report (and interview in European Spa Magazine) highlight saunatainment, hydrothermal rituals and regenerative design as early signals hospitality operators should watch. In this post we explain why custom saunas matter commercially and how operators can pilot programmable, sustainably made thermal experiences.
Why this trend matters for hospitality operators & investors
- New guest journeys = new revenue: Saunatainment nights, ticketed sauna festivals, and programmed thermal circuits create opportunities for short-term bookings, F&B spend and branded events. These are higher-margin, repeatable activities that enhance guest lifetime value.
- Differentiation in a crowded market: Thermal experiences that are designed to be social and multi-sensory (acoustics, lighting, scent) help properties stand out in the experience economy.
- Sustainability as a commercial filter: Savvy guests expect authentic sustainability. Operators that can prove responsible sourcing and regenerative design attract higher-value customers and corporate partnerships.
Why Happy Timber and Custom Saunas Make Commercial Sense
Happy Timber blends craftsmanship with sustainable sourcing — a combination that matters to hospitality teams balancing aesthetics, operating budgets and ESG commitments. Specifically:
- Customisable builds: Happy Timber’s custom saunas allow operators to fit unusual spaces and support audio, lighting and flexible seating.
- Sustainably sourced timber: Chain-of-custody materials and local sourcing reduce embodied carbon and align with regenerative development principles, an increasingly important procurement filter for operators and investors.
- Built for programming: Designs are optimised for saunatainment — the hallmark of modern custom saunas used in hospitality programming.
- Serviceable & upgradeable: Modular components mean operators can adopt new tech (infrared, advanced audio) without full replacement, reducing lifecycle cost and waste.
From an investor’s perspective, these attributes reduce adoption friction and expand the market beyond luxury resorts to include boutique urban hotels, wellness festivals, co-working/club spaces and branded hospitality concepts.
“Hotels and wellness venues that embrace multi-sensory sauna experiences aren’t just following a trend. They’re creating a new experience economy. Guests return for the atmosphere, not just the sauna.”
Jeffrey Visser – COO Happy Timber
The business case at a glance
- Revenue drivers for operators: ticketed events, premium thermal packages, partnerships with local artists/programmers, and increased F&B spend tied to thermal sessions.
- Margin tailwinds for suppliers: customisation plus modular manufacturing enables premium pricing while protecting margins through repeatable build processes.
- ESG & procurement: sustainable sourcing eases procurement approval and unlocks partnership budgets focused on sustainable tourism and regenerative development.
- Operators can monetise custom saunas via ticketed events, premium thermal packages and branded experiences.
How we recommend hospitality operators pilot this
- Start small, programme fast: a single modular sauna equipped for sound and lighting can host weekly saunatainment nights; test pricing and demand.
- Partner with local talent: align with musicians or sound designers for content — low CAPEX, immediate programmatic value.
- Measure & monetise: track ticket sales, ancillary spend and repeat bookings tied to thermal programming. Use performance to scale additional units.
- Specify for lifecycle: choose modular systems and verifiable sustainable materials to mitigate both capex and future retrofit costs.
Final word — the investor view
Saunatainment is more than a trend headline. It’s a convergence of consumer behaviour (seeking multi-sensory social wellness), hospitality economics (seeking differentiators and new revenue lines) and procurement priorities (demand for sustainability and regenerative practices). That convergence creates a practical market opportunity for companies that can deliver custom, sustainable thermal experiences at scale.
Happy Timber checks those boxes — craftsmanship, sustainability and programmability — making it a natural portfolio complement in the evolving wellness hospitality category. If you’re a hospitality operator looking to pilot a signature thermal program, or an investor interested in the wellness hospitality value chain, consider a modular custom sauna as a low-risk, high-impact test.
