How to Choose the Perfect Spot for Your Outdoor Sauna: A Story with Practical Tips

Finding the right place for an outdoor sauna isn’t just about where it fits. It’s about how it transforms your yard, your routine, and your entire wellness experience. The best way to explain it is through the moment I discovered the “right spot” in my own backyard.

One cold morning, I walked around with a mug of tea, testing different corners of the yard. The first spot looked promising: a stunning maple tree, bright color in fall, great view. But standing there revealed the truth. The neighbor’s deck peeked through the branches, the sun blasted the area in the afternoon, and winter winds cut across that side of the yard. Lesson: a pretty view doesn’t equal a great sauna location. Always evaluate sun, privacy, and wind during the hours you plan to use your sauna.

Behind the shed, I found the opposite experience: a perfectly sheltered pocket between two pines. Quiet, peaceful, and naturally protected. When I paused there, it felt like the world briefly sank into stillness. But the ground dipped, drainage was poor, and utilities would require extra work. Emotionally perfect, technically flawed. A good sauna spot needs both the “feel” and the function.

Then I stepped into a narrow strip between the house and the garden, a place so ordinary I had ignored it for years. Suddenly it all aligned. Private, calm, naturally shielded from wind. The late-day sun filtered in just enough to warm the entryway. The walk from the back door felt like a short ritual rather than a commute. Utilities were within reach, and in winter I could clear a path in seconds. It wasn’t dramatic. It was inevitable. That’s how you know you’ve found your spot.

The lessons from that moment have become my go-to guide for choosing a sauna location:

• Choose a soft, calming view. Pines, trees, gardens, sunsets, or even a simple landscaped corner work beautifully.

• Check sun exposure. South for warmth, west for evening glow, north for stable temperature, east for morning routines.

• Block harsh wind. Use the house, natural barriers, fences, or landscaping.

• Ensure good ground and drainage. Gravel, stone, or decking works best. Avoid low, soggy areas.

• Keep utilities and winter access simple. Closer is easier and more comfortable.

• Test the walk. If the nighttime towel-walk doesn’t feel good, pick another spot.

  
  

When the sauna finally arrived and settled into that narrow strip of land, the entire yard changed. What once felt like leftover space became a warm, living corner of the property—steam rising at dusk, soft lighting along the path, and a sense that the sauna had always been meant to live there.

And that’s the beauty of a well-placed sauna: it doesn’t just sit in your yard. It completes it. And North Country Saunas are so beautifully crafted that no matter where yours ends up—tucked between pines, facing a sunset, or standing proudly beside your home—they always enhance the entire backyard around them.