Sauna Steam & Ice

Sauna Steam & Ice Sauna Steam & Ice is a family-owned Australian supplier of premium sauna, steam, and ice bath products.

Based in Sydney, we offer a carefully curated range of high-quality sauna timber, sauna heaters, steam generators, accessories, and ice baths, selecte

๐—ช๐—ต๐˜† ๐—ฑ๐—ผ ๐˜€๐—ผ๐—บ๐—ฒ ๐˜€๐—ฎ๐˜‚๐—ป๐—ฎ๐˜€ ๐˜‚๐˜€๐—ฒ ๐—ณ๐—น๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ฟ-๐˜€๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€?Most residential saunas use wall-mounted heaters, but floor-standing heate...
09/06/2026

๐—ช๐—ต๐˜† ๐—ฑ๐—ผ ๐˜€๐—ผ๐—บ๐—ฒ ๐˜€๐—ฎ๐˜‚๐—ป๐—ฎ๐˜€ ๐˜‚๐˜€๐—ฒ ๐—ณ๐—น๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ฟ-๐˜€๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€?

Most residential saunas use wall-mounted heaters, but floor-standing heaters remain a popular choice for larger and premium sauna projects. Their larger stone capacity can provide a softer heat experience and allow for more generous steam production when water is applied to the stones.

The Tylo Crown Elite combines a compact footprint with a substantial stone capacity, making it well suited to contemporary residential saunas.

Have questions about heater selection for your project? Get in touch.

๐—œ๐—ป๐˜€๐˜‚๐—น๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—”๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ฉ๐—ฎ๐—ฝ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐—•๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ-๐—ช๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐—š๐—ฒ๐˜๐˜€ ๐—ข๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—น๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ธ๐—ฒ๐—ฑSaunas operate in cycles of intense heat followed by cooling. That the...
04/06/2026

๐—œ๐—ป๐˜€๐˜‚๐—น๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—”๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ฉ๐—ฎ๐—ฝ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐—•๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ-๐—ช๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐—š๐—ฒ๐˜๐˜€ ๐—ข๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—น๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ธ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ

Saunas operate in cycles of intense heat followed by cooling. That thermal swing places stress on the wall assembly.

Key considerations:
โ€ข Appropriate insulation within wall and ceiling cavities
โ€ข Continuous vapour barrier to manage moisture migration
โ€ข Proper taping and sealing at joins
โ€ข Allowance for expansion at lining level

Inadequate vapour control can lead to hidden moisture accumulation over time- even if the interior looks correct. The lining boards are only one part of the system.
Performance depends on what sits behind them.

Sauna construction should be treated as a controlled thermal envelope-with insulation, vapour control and air sealing detailed deliberately.

๐—›๐—ผ๐˜„ ๐—•๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ต ๐—›๐—ฒ๐—ถ๐—ด๐—ต๐˜ ๐—”๐—ณ๐—ณ๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐˜๐˜€ ๐—ฆ๐—ฎ๐˜‚๐—ป๐—ฎ ๐—ฃ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—บ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒBench placement isnโ€™t just ergonomic-it determines how heat is experienced.If ...
20/05/2026

๐—›๐—ผ๐˜„ ๐—•๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ต ๐—›๐—ฒ๐—ถ๐—ด๐—ต๐˜ ๐—”๐—ณ๐—ณ๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐˜๐˜€ ๐—ฆ๐—ฎ๐˜‚๐—ป๐—ฎ ๐—ฃ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—บ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒ

Bench placement isnโ€™t just ergonomic-it determines how heat is experienced.

If the upper bench is too low, users sit in a cooler air layer, regardless of heater size.
If benches are too high relative to ceiling height, airflow can become restricted and uncomfortable.

Heater output determines how much heat is available. Bench height determines whether that heat is experienced properly.

As a general design principle:
The upper bench should sit close to-but not crowd-the primary heat zone below the ceiling.

Sauna comfort is a geometry problem as much as a heating problem.

๐—ช๐—ต๐˜† ๐—–๐—ฒ๐—ถ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—›๐—ฒ๐—ถ๐—ด๐—ต๐˜ ๐— ๐—ฎ๐˜๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€ ๐— ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ป ๐—ฌ๐—ผ๐˜‚ ๐—ง๐—ต๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ธSaunas rely on heat layering. Hot air rises rapidly, and the usable heat z...
13/05/2026

๐—ช๐—ต๐˜† ๐—–๐—ฒ๐—ถ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—›๐—ฒ๐—ถ๐—ด๐—ต๐˜ ๐— ๐—ฎ๐˜๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€ ๐— ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ป ๐—ฌ๐—ผ๐˜‚ ๐—ง๐—ต๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ธ

Saunas rely on heat layering. Hot air rises rapidly, and the usable heat zone forms in the upper portion of the room.

If ceiling height is excessive relative to bench height, occupants sit below the primary heat zone โ€” even when the heater is adequately sized.

In most residential saunas, ceiling heights between 2100โ€“2400mm are common. In this example, the 2.7m ceiling height requires a third bench so users can comfortably sit within the primary heat zone.

A common mistake is treating a sauna like a standard room. Proportions matter.

The goal is to position the top bench within the primary heat layer-not below it.

Ceiling height, bench height, and heater capacity should always be considered together.

๐—ฃ๐—ฎ๐˜€๐˜€๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ ๐˜ƒ๐˜€ ๐— ๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—น ๐—ฉ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜๐—ถ๐—น๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐—ฆ๐—ฎ๐˜‚๐—ป๐—ฎ๐˜€ -๐—ช๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ป ๐—ง๐—ผ ๐—จ๐˜€๐—ฒ ๐—˜๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐—ตNot every sauna requires mechanical ventilation -but not ev...
06/05/2026

๐—ฃ๐—ฎ๐˜€๐˜€๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ ๐˜ƒ๐˜€ ๐— ๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—น ๐—ฉ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜๐—ถ๐—น๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐—ฆ๐—ฎ๐˜‚๐—ป๐—ฎ๐˜€ -๐—ช๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ป ๐—ง๐—ผ ๐—จ๐˜€๐—ฒ ๐—˜๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐—ต

Not every sauna requires mechanical ventilation -but not every build suits passive airflow either.

Passive ventilation relies on natural air movement:
โ€ข Low-level intake near the heater
โ€ข Exhaust positioned diagonally opposite
โ€ข Adjustable vent covers

In well-proportioned residential saunas with appropriate ceiling height and heater placement, passive systems are often sufficient and reliable.

However, mechanical ventilation may be appropriate when:
โ€ข The sauna is internal with limited fresh air access
โ€ข Ceiling height is higher than standard proportions
โ€ข The build is commercial or high-traffic
โ€ข Passive airflow cannot be properly detailed
โ€ข The design intent restricts ideal vent placement

Mechanical extraction should be controlled and moderate. Overpowered exhaust can disrupt heat layering and increase heater load unnecessarily.
The objective is not maximum airflow -itโ€™s balanced circulation. Every sauna design is a combination of volume, bench height, heater output, insulation and airflow detailing.
A drying pipe is recommended in both passive and mechanical ventilation scenarios to draw fresh, dry air into the sauna when not in use, helping the space dry between sessions. Ventilation strategy should support the overall system-not be an afterthought.

๐—ช๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ฆ๐—ฎ๐˜‚๐—ป๐—ฎ ๐—œ๐—ป๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ธ๐—ฒ ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—˜๐˜…๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜‚๐˜€๐˜ ๐—ฉ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜๐˜€ ๐—ฆ๐—ต๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—น๐—ฑ ๐—”๐—ฐ๐˜๐˜‚๐—ฎ๐—น๐—น๐˜† ๐—š๐—ผVent placement in a sauna isnโ€™t arbitrary-it directly affects tem...
22/04/2026

๐—ช๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ฆ๐—ฎ๐˜‚๐—ป๐—ฎ ๐—œ๐—ป๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ธ๐—ฒ ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—˜๐˜…๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜‚๐˜€๐˜ ๐—ฉ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜๐˜€ ๐—ฆ๐—ต๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—น๐—ฑ ๐—”๐—ฐ๐˜๐˜‚๐—ฎ๐—น๐—น๐˜† ๐—š๐—ผ

Vent placement in a sauna isnโ€™t arbitrary-it directly affects temperature consistency and user comfort. A common and effective passive ventilation approach includes:
โ€ข Fresh air intake positioned low, typically near or below the heater
โ€ข Exhaust vent placed diagonally opposite, often lower on the wall or beneath the bench
Why low intake near the heater?
Fresh air drawn across the heater is immediately warmed, creating gentle circulation rather than dumping cold air into the room.
Why avoid placing the exhaust too high?
If the exhaust is at ceiling level, you risk pulling the hottest air straight out of the room-increasing stratification and forcing the heater to work harder. In this example, the exhaust would ideally sit under the upper bench, however that wasnโ€™t possible due to a concrete stairwell on the other side.
Bench height and ceiling height also matter. If benches are set too low in a tall room, occupants sit below the primary heat zone even with correct ventilation.
These factors should be considered during the design stage. Poor vent placement wonโ€™t always be obvious during install, but it becomes very obvious once the heater is running.

Itโ€™s important to review the manufacturerโ€™s installation and ventilation instructions when planning your sauna, as designs may vary depending on the heater.

๐—ช๐—ต๐˜† ๐—ฌ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐—ฆ๐—ฎ๐˜‚๐—ป๐—ฎ ๐—›๐—ฎ๐˜€ ๐—–๐—ผ๐—น๐—ฑ ๐—™๐—ฒ๐—ฒ๐˜ (๐—˜๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ป ๐—”๐˜ ๐Ÿต๐Ÿฌยฐ๐—–)If the air at head height feels hot, but the floor and lower legs remain noti...
22/04/2026

๐—ช๐—ต๐˜† ๐—ฌ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐—ฆ๐—ฎ๐˜‚๐—ป๐—ฎ ๐—›๐—ฎ๐˜€ ๐—–๐—ผ๐—น๐—ฑ ๐—™๐—ฒ๐—ฒ๐˜ (๐—˜๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ป ๐—”๐˜ ๐Ÿต๐Ÿฌยฐ๐—–)
If the air at head height feels hot, but the floor and lower legs remain noticeably cooler, youโ€™re experiencing heat stratification. Hot air rises rapidly in a sauna. Without properly positioned intake and exhaust vents, that heat can accumulate at ceiling level while cooler air settles below. The result is an uneven temperature profile-hot upper body, cool feet. This is rarely a heater sizing issue. More often, itโ€™s a ventilation and layout issue:
โ€ข Intake vent not positioned near the heater
โ€ข Exhaust vent placed too high
โ€ข Insufficient air circulation across the room
โ€ข Bench height set too low relative to ceiling height

Correct airflow design draws fresh air across the heater, circulates it through the room, and removes stale air without creating drafts. In a well-detailed sauna, heat should feel consistent from shoulders to toes. Ventilation is often the difference between an average sauna and a great one.

๐—ช๐—ต๐˜† ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—บ๐˜€ ๐˜€๐—ผ ๐˜„๐—ฒ๐—น๐—น ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐˜€๐—ฎ๐˜‚๐—ป๐—ฎ ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜๐˜€Saunas expose timber to repeated heat cycling, high humidity during oper...
25/03/2026

๐—ช๐—ต๐˜† ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—บ๐˜€ ๐˜€๐—ผ ๐˜„๐—ฒ๐—น๐—น ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐˜€๐—ฎ๐˜‚๐—ป๐—ฎ ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜๐˜€

Saunas expose timber to repeated heat cycling, high humidity during operation, and periods of cooling-conditions that quickly expose poor material selection.

Western Red Cedar performs reliably in this environment for a few key reasons.
Its low density means the surface temperature remains more comfortable to touch compared to many other species. Its cellular structure provides good dimensional stability under heat, helping reduce excessive cupping and movement when correctly installed. Cedar is also naturally resistant to decay and insects, without requiring chemical treatment-an important consideration in enclosed high-temperature spaces. Finally, it machines cleanly and holds profile detail well, which matters when working with secret-fix systems and shadow gaps.

Other timbers can be used in sauna construction, but cedarโ€™s balance of stability, workability and performance under heat is why it remains a preferred choice in many builds. Material selection becomes more noticeable over time in a sauna. The environment is unforgiving.

๐—›๐—ผ๐˜„ ๐—ง๐—ผ ๐—–๐—ต๐—ผ๐—ผ๐˜€๐—ฒ ๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ฅ๐—ถ๐—ด๐—ต๐˜ ๐—ฆ๐—ฎ๐˜‚๐—ป๐—ฎ ๐—Ÿ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ฆ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜€Selecting timber for a sauna isnโ€™t just about appearance-itโ€™s about performa...
20/03/2026

๐—›๐—ผ๐˜„ ๐—ง๐—ผ ๐—–๐—ต๐—ผ๐—ผ๐˜€๐—ฒ ๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ฅ๐—ถ๐—ด๐—ต๐˜ ๐—ฆ๐—ฎ๐˜‚๐—ป๐—ฎ ๐—Ÿ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ฆ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜€

Selecting timber for a sauna isnโ€™t just about appearance-itโ€™s about performance under heat. When specifying lining material, consider:

๐Ÿญ. ๐—›๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—บ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒ
Choose species with good dimensional stability under repeated heating and cooling cycles. Excessive movement can affect shadow gaps and overall finish quality.

๐Ÿฎ. ๐—ฆ๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ณ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—บ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐˜๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ฒ
Lower-density timbers generally remain more comfortable to touch than dense hardwoods, particularly for benches and backrests. Australian hardwoods are not suitable for internal lining or joinery within saunas.

๐Ÿฏ. ๐— ๐—ผ๐—ถ๐˜€๐˜๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ฏ๐—ฒ๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ
Saunas operate in cycles of dry heat and cooling. Timber should tolerate these changes without excessive cupping or checking when correctly installed.

๐Ÿฐ. ๐—”๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ฐ ๐—ถ๐—ป๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜
Knot-free (clear grade) species create a more uniform finish. Character grades introduce variation and warmth. The design brief should guide this decision.

๐Ÿฑ. ๐—”๐—ฝ๐—ฝ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป
Commercial, high-traffic environments may require different considerations than private residential installations.

No single timber is โ€œcorrectโ€ for every sauna. The right choice depends on performance requirements, usage, and design intent. Material decisions become more noticeable over time in a sauna environment- careful specification at the outset reduces compromise later.

๐—ช๐—ต๐˜† ๐˜€๐—ฎ๐˜‚๐—ป๐—ฎ ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด๐˜€ ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—ป ๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐—ป ๐˜‚๐—ฝ ๐—ฎ๐—ณ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—ถ๐—ป๐˜€๐˜๐—ฎ๐—น๐—น๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ปOne of the most common issues we see in sauna installs isnโ€™t the heater-...
11/03/2026

๐—ช๐—ต๐˜† ๐˜€๐—ฎ๐˜‚๐—ป๐—ฎ ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด๐˜€ ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—ป ๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐—ป ๐˜‚๐—ฝ ๐—ฎ๐—ณ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—ถ๐—ป๐˜€๐˜๐—ฎ๐—น๐—น๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป

One of the most common issues we see in sauna installs isnโ€™t the heater-itโ€™s movement in the lining boards.

In a high-heat environment, timber will expand and contract more aggressively than in standard internal applications. If profiles are over-fixed, face-nailed, or installed without allowance for movement, shadow gaps can open, boards can cup, and joints can become inconsistent over time.

Using a properly machined secret-fix profile allows boards to move naturally without stressing the face of the timber. Combined with correct batten spacing and acclimatisation prior to install, this significantly reduces post-install movement issues. Saunas are unforgiving environments. Small installation decisions have amplified consequences once the heat cycles begin.

We regularly help builders select the right lining profiles and sauna materials for projects across Australia

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Manly Vale
Manly Vale, NSW
2093

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