Common questions, answered plainly.
Everything we're asked most often about pricing, planning permission, delivery, and how a commission actually works. If your question isn't here, get in touch directly.
Cost and specification.
The Kemi (2–4 person) starts from £16,495 and the Koli (3–6 person) from £19,295, both supplied and installed. Added bays (shower or changing room), cladding finishes, and heater upgrades add to this. Prices exclude electrical connection, foundations, transport and delivery, which are confirmed after a desktop survey. Bespoke commissions are quoted individually.
Sustainable Saunas is not VAT registered, so no VAT is charged and none is added to any price shown on this site.
Yes. A shower or changing room adds one 1m structural bay to your chosen model; adding both extends it by two bays. The cladding line and roof profile carry straight through, so the building reads as a single considered structure rather than an add-on.
Cladding is FSC sourced vertical timber, available in a natural finish or black, wash, or full coat. Glazing is double glazed safety glass in dark grey aluminium frames. Interiors are thermo aspen with two-tier benches.
Electric heaters (we use the Harvia Cilindro) heat up faster, run on a standard electrical connection, and need no fuel storage or flue. Wood-fired heaters (Harvia M3) give a more traditional experience and don't rely on mains power, but need a flue, ventilation, and a supply of dry wood. Most clients choose electric for convenience; wood-fired suits off-grid sites or those who want the ritual of tending a fire. Read the full comparison →
From enquiry to first firing.
A desktop survey (£195) is the first step: we review photos and information you provide about your property remotely to scope the project. A site appraisal (£525 for a sauna, £950 for a spa garden) is a physical visit by a surveyor to check ground conditions, electrical routing, and access before the build begins. If you proceed with the commission, the appraisal fee is credited against your final invoice.
Standard models (Kemi or Koli) typically take 4–6 weeks from a completed desktop survey to delivery. Bespoke commissions, which involve custom design work, typically take 6–8 weeks.
Two ways: as a complete unit, craned into position from a flatbed lorry using a hiab crane, or as a flatpack built on site by our team where access is too tight for a crane lift. Which method suits your property is confirmed during the site appraisal. Delivery charges depend on distance and method and are confirmed after your desktop survey.
Yes. Our workshop is in Truro, Cornwall, but we commission and deliver across the UK, including Devon, Bristol, London, the South East, and Scotland, as well as the Channel Islands (which requires additional freight logistics we work through directly with each client).
Many garden saunas fall under permitted development in the UK, but this depends on your property, its size relative to the garden, proximity to boundaries, and whether you're in a conservation area or on listed land. Our site appraisal reviews this for your specific address, but for a definitive answer you should check with your local planning authority. Read the full guide →
Yes, by appointment. We welcome prospective clients to visit our Truro workshop to see the construction process first-hand and discuss bespoke requirements. Tours typically last 45–60 minutes.
Every sauna comes with a complimentary bucket, ladle, traditional hats, and sauna scents, so you're ready to use it from the first firing.
Talk to the studio directly.
Get in touch and a member of the team will get back to you, or start configuring your build online.