Not All Saunas Are the Same: 5 Sauna Types Explained

From traditional high heat to infrared warmth and social Aufguss rituals, the right sauna isn’t simply about temperature. It’s about how you want to experience wellness.

For many people, “sauna” describes one thing: a warm wood room and a lot of heat.

But sauna culture is much broader than that.

Different sauna types create entirely different experiences. Some are intensely hot and rooted in tradition, while others are gentler and more private. Some turn heat into a social ritual, while others use material, atmosphere, and architecture to create a more sensory environment.

That distinction matters when designing a wellness space. The question isn’t simply, “Do we want a sauna?”

It’s: “What do we want the sauna to do for the experience?”

Here are five types to know, and what makes each one different.

Traditional Sauna: The Classic

There’s a reason the traditional sauna has endured.

A heater brings a bed of stones to temperature, gradually filling the room with the dry, enveloping warmth most people associate with a sauna. Water can then be poured over the heated stones to introduce short bursts of steam and humidity, allowing the experience to shift throughout the session.

There’s also something inherently ritualistic about it. The sound of water hitting stone, the sudden wave of heat, the pause before doing it again.

It’s simple, physical, and deeply rooted in sauna culture.

Best for: Those who want the classic high-heat experience and the ability to shape the atmosphere through heat and humidity.

Infrared Sauna: A Gentler Kind of Heat

An infrared sauna approaches warmth differently.

Rather than relying primarily on high air temperatures, infrared technology uses radiant heat to warm the body more directly. The result is typically a lower-temperature environment that can feel softer and more approachable than a traditional sauna.

For some, that makes the experience easier to settle into while enjoying the benefits of infrared.

Sessions can feel quieter and less intense, making infrared especially appealing within private wellness environments where the goal may be to slow down, spend more time in the space, or make heat part of a regular routine.

It’s still a sauna experience, but one with a distinctly different feeling.

Best for: Those who prefer gentler heat, a lower-temperature environment, or longer and quieter sessions.

Aufguss Sauna: When Sauna Becomes an Event

Not every sauna experience is meant to be solitary.

In an Aufguss sauna, heat becomes performance, ritual, and community.

An Aufguss master pours water—often combined with aromatic oils—onto heated stones, then uses choreographed towel movements to move waves of hot air throughout the room.

The experience unfolds in rounds, creating changes in heat, scent, movement, and intensity.

Suddenly, the sauna itself becomes the destination.

That makes Aufguss particularly compelling in hospitality environments, wellness clubs, resorts, and larger communal spaces, where programming can become as important as the physical room.

Best for: Those seeking a social, immersive sauna ritual where community is part of the experience.

Salt Sauna: Atmosphere Takes Center Stage

Some sauna experiences are defined as much by what surrounds you as by the heat itself.

A salt sauna incorporates natural salt into the environment through salt walls, bricks, or other architectural applications. In certain spaces, dedicated halotherapy systems may also be incorporated.

Visually, the effect can be striking. Softly illuminated salt surfaces bring warmth, texture, and a sense of natural materiality to the room.

The result is a sauna that often feels quieter and more atmospheric—where the design of the space becomes part of the ritual.

For residential and hospitality projects alike, it can also create a distinctive focal point within a larger wellness environment.

Best for: Those drawn to a sensorial sauna experience where material, atmosphere, and design play a central role.

Banya: More Than a Sauna Session

A banya isn’t simply a room you enter for heat. It’s a bathing ritual.

Rooted in Russian and Eastern European tradition, the experience centers around intense heat, steam, and the way the two are used together. Water is introduced onto heated stones to create bursts of humid steam, producing a distinctly different environment from a traditional dry sauna.

One of the most recognizable elements is the venik ritual, where bundles of leafy branches—traditionally birch or oak—are used to move hot, humid air across the body through rhythmic fanning, brushing, and tapping.

It’s this interaction with the heat and steam that makes the experience so distinctive: physical, sensory, communal, and deeply connected to tradition.

In contemporary wellness spaces, the banya offers something beyond simply adding another heated room. It introduces a more active and ritual-driven form of bathing, where the experience itself becomes part of the amenity.

Best for: Those looking for an immersive, tradition-driven bathing experience centered around heat, steam, venik ritual, and connection.

The Right Sauna Starts With the Right Question

There isn’t one “best” type of sauna. The right choice depends on the people using the space, how they want to feel, and how the sauna fits into the larger wellness experience.

That’s how IDEA approaches every project. Rather than starting with a product, we start with the purpose—then design the heat, cold, water, and recovery elements to work together as one complete environment.

Whether you’re creating a private residential retreat, a hospitality spa, or a larger wellness destination, the goal is the same: design an experience that feels intentional, intuitive, and personal.

Planning a wellness space? Connect with IDEA to explore what the right experience could look like for your project.