Plan your space · A guide
The backyard ritual planning guide.
Before a sauna, plunge, or shower lands in your yard, four things decide how well it goes: the pad, the power, the drainage, and the order you install in. Here’s the honest version — the same way we’d walk it with you on a tour. No pitch.
1. Start with the pad
Everything sits on a level pad. For a single build (sauna, plunge, or shower), figure ~42″ × 42″ at minimum. For the full ritual together, plan a 12 × 8 ft area so the pieces have breathing room instead of crowding each other. Concrete is best, but compacted gravel with paver stones works.
2. Power, in order of difficulty
The plunge plugs into a standard 120V GFCI outlet — most yards have one. The shower needs zero electrical, just a garden-hose spigot. The sauna is the only build that needs 240V / 50A on an RV-style outlet. If you don't have 240V close to the pad, an electrician's run is usually a half-day job — get a quote before you commit to the spot.
3. Drainage matters more than people think
The shower will be wet every day in summer. Slope the pad about ¼″ per foot away from the sauna and any nearby structure. If the pad sits next to grass, plan a 24″ gravel apron so splash water has somewhere to go. The plunge drains via a thru-hull when you refill — point it at the same gravel apron.
4. Sequence the install
If you're getting all three, install in this order: shower first (simplest, gives you a working rinse for the others), plunge second (needs to be filled and tempered, takes a day), sauna last (heaviest, plumbing-free). This minimizes the days you can't use what's already there.
5. The ritual itself
Heat the sauna for 30–45 min before you sit. Plan 10–15 min in the heat, then drop into the plunge for 1–3 min (longer once you're used to it), then rinse warm-to-cold under the copper shower. Repeat once or twice. Total time: about an hour. Don't skip the rinse — it's the seal on the whole thing.
6. What to ask us before you buy
Bring photos of the spot, a rough measurement, and a note on the nearest outlet and spigot. We'll tell you what works, what needs to move, and what stays. The fastest way to do all of this is to come stand in the working ritual in our backyard — it answers most of these questions in 90 minutes.
Take it with you
Want it emailed to keep while you plan?
We’ll send the guide to your inbox so it’s there when you’re measuring the yard. One email. No spam, no list-selling.
Or just come measure with us.
Bring photos of the spot and a rough measurement. Ninety minutes in the working backyard answers most of these questions at once.
Book a tour