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The sauna benches affect not only the appearance of the sauna but also its usability, durability, and safety. Since the benches are at the heart of the sauna experience, it's worth taking a little time to choose them.
This guide gathers all the perspectives that guide design and selection into an easily readable format. Pictures help to understand the impact of solutions on practice.
Article content:
Sauna benches – how to choose the right bench material
The material of the sauna bench affects not only the benches appearance, also for user experience. In addition to the material, the effect also depends on whether the bench is made from heat-treated wood and how its surface is treated.
Bathing benches have their own special properties. Porous wood types with low density are usually used for benches. Porous wood it doesn't feel hot and is therefore more pleasant to use in the sauna. Surface treatment can ruin this property, so it's worth investing in the treatment.
Heat-treated wood It is popular for sauna benches as it is beautiful and doesn't necessarily require any surface treatment.
Welcome mat
- Very light, knot-free, and smooth-surfaced wood.
- It doesn't heat up and feels pleasant against the skin.
- Popular due to its appearance and good value for money.
- In order for the sauna benches to remain in good condition for a long time, it is important to take good care of drying them after sauna use!
- If you do it yourself: The timber must be allowed to dry in a stack for several years, or it will warp even after installation.
Heat-treated aspen panel (so-called Thermo aspen)
- A slightly darker shade, a stylish appearance.
- It doesn't heat up and feels pleasant against the skin.
- Due to heat treatment, the wood no longer lives in the sauna, and the treatment provides natural protection against mould and bacteria. Heat treatment also gives the wood a pleasant scent.
- It withstands sauna conditions well, meaning it is less sensitive to moisture than ordinary aspen.
- No need for separate treatment – a natural alternative without chemicals.
Alder bench
- A warm brown shade. Beautiful wood species suitable for many styles.
- Durable, water-repellent wood that doesn't get hot.
- Can also be heat-treated (thermo-ash).
Pine plank
- An affordable, ecological, and domestic option.
- Easy to work with, good plank material, but some find it heats up a bit more compared to aspen.
- A surface treatment is recommended for protection against moisture and to facilitate cleaning.
- If the bench is not surface-treated, careful drying of the sauna after use will extend its lifespan.
- Also popular as material for the frame and support structures of the sauna benches.
- It can also be heat-treated, which gives it a beautiful appearance and improves its resistance to moisture.
Exotic woods (e.g. Abachi, Cedar, Magnolia)
- Abachi on a hard, strongly wood-grained wood that conducts heat very poorly, and therefore certainly won't burn your skin. Soft wood is easily dented. However, it doesn't move at all after being worked, so more specialised, modern bench solutions can be easily made from it.
- Setripuu It smells pleasant and withstands moisture well. The type of wood is more expensive, but luxurious and long-lasting.
- Heat-treated magnolia It is popular due to its eye-catching live grain pattern, which varies from dark brown to light brown. The material's width also adds to the popularity of this luxurious material.
Form matters – the style of the sauna is finished by the design and surface treatment of the benches
The benches are the most dominant element in a sauna, so their style affects the entire atmosphere of the sauna. The choice of wood species sets certain parameters for the benches. However, the benches in a garden sauna can differ significantly in style, even if the exact same bench material is chosen.
The style of the sauna benches is primarily determined by with styling Yes by paint processing.
Here we introduce a few popular, but very different, panel styles that are also used in Ehta ready saunas. The solutions offer ideas on which to base your own choices.
Straight-lined six-plank bench
Sturdy and streamlined sauna benches made from Finnish spruce will function beautifully in both modern and traditional saunas. Light-coloured spruce can be treated with a desired shade to perfect the style.
Ethan's choices:
- Unprocessed / colourless protective wax
- Sycamore blossom
- Piki
Coated aspen plank
A cut-off aspen plank Hapapaper It is a very stylish sauna solution that delights the bather again and again with its lively, rustic appearance.
A shaped aspen bench adds a unique look to your sauna, as each bench becomes an individual, its appearance influenced by the natural diversity of the available material.
The rough-sawn, unedged/untrimmed aspen plank has been debarked and planed to a thickness of approximately 60 mm.
Are you interested in an easy, ready-made sauna?
Master carpenter's designer plank
High-quality solid wood sauna benches made by Finnish carpenters are constructed from either Finnish aspen or exotic wood species.
Master carpenter Tingander combines modern design with traditional methods. The result is magnificent, unique designer benches, whose shape can be as imaginative as you like.
With the Ehta ready-made solution, you get Tingander installed and ready to use. Monument benches.
The surface treatment of the sauna benches affects the style, but also protects the benches
It is not compulsory to treat the sauna benches at all. An untreated wooden surface is beautiful and natural. Treated wood may also feel hotter than untreated, porous wood.
However, untreated wood can be more challenging to keep clean. If the sauna benches are not dried properly after use, untreated wood can also deteriorate more quickly.
- Especially for light-coloured wood species surface treatment is recommended. A colourless treatment is also an option. Of these, natural wax (e.g. Tikkurila Supi Sauna Wax) alters the natural colour of the benches the least.
- Heat-treated wood means that the surface of the wood has been heated so much that it's as if it's slightly burnt on the surface. Heat treatment is popular for sauna benches because it's a completely natural treatment done without chemicals, which also beautifully deepens the colour of the bench.
- Other surface treatment options include Paraffin oil, sauna wax, enamel paint and protective treatment. Paraffin oil and sauna wax are the most natural options of these.
Common sauna bench models
The most common seating solution for outdoor saunas is either an I- or L-shape. A U-shaped bench is also used, particularly in larger saunas. The choice should be made with the needs of the sauna bathers in mind.
Multipurpose L-bracket
- Form an L-shaped seating area.
- Common in both small and large saunas.
- Allows for more seating in a small space or when you want to be able to lie down on the benches.
- Generally, the best solution for larger outdoor saunas, where space is needed downstairs for showering, but also for ample seating.
Well done
- The shelves go around three walls, forming a U-shape.
- Suitable for large saunas.
- Particularly useful when there are many bathers at once or when you want to throw water on the stones while lying down.
- Often leaves less room downwards. To be particularly noted if washing is done in the sauna area.
Straight bench or I-bench
- A single long, wall-oriented seating section.
- A clean-lined solution that fits well in both modern and traditional saunas.
- Works in many situations
- in small saunas and narrow, rectangular saunas, or when a lot of space is desired for washing.
- Easy to build and clean.
The board model design and selection require much consideration
In addition to the choice of bath model, the shape and size of the lower bench or steps also affect the outcome. The most important considerations are safety, functionality, and appearance.
- Sauna handrail / footrest as its name suggests, two important elements for the sauna: it allows the legs to be rested while sitting on the benches and increases safety, being placed between the benches and the heater.
- Laude It can be very narrow or, conversely, reach the back wall. Families with children, in particular, prefer a wide bottom bench, allowing children to sauna ”a step lower” safely and comfortably.
- Sauna stool creating comfort and safety for climbing onto the benches. The sauna step stool is often separate so that it can be moved under the benches if necessary, out of the way, or used as desired during washing.
- Choosing a sauna stove to some extent also the design of the benches. An electric sauna heater allows for more versatile bench designs. On the other hand, a wood-fired sauna heater does not require electrical connections, and nothing beats the atmosphere and moist steam provided by a wood-fired heater. Read more about choosing a sauna heater >>
Do you have any questions or need help with sauna design?
Book a free remote design consultation! We are happy to help those bringing their sauna dreams to life, whether it's an urgent project or in the early planning stages – with no pressure to make a purchase decision.
