What actually happens between your deposit and your first löyly — written by the crew that shows up.
A sauna is a small building. A cold plunge is 1,400 pounds of water and steel. Neither one gets carried in by two people and a good attitude. This page tells you exactly what we need from your site, what we handle, and what happens on delivery day — so there are no surprises in either direction.
At a Glance
| Saunas | Cold Plunges | |
|---|---|---|
| Build time | 7–11 weeks from deposit | 6–8 weeks from deposit |
| Delivery | $600 curbside within 5 hours of Grand Rapids, MI | From $250, by distance and crating |
| Outside that radius | Quoted on your consult call | Quoted on your consult call |
| Arrives | Fully built, placed by our crew | Fully assembled (crated on long hauls) |
| Electrical | 240V — your licensed electrician makes final connection | Dedicated 110–120V 20A GFCI — usually already there |
| Time on site | Half a day, typical | Under 30 minutes to first plunge |
Sauna Delivery
1 · The site walk (before we build)
Before your build slot opens, we walk your site with you — in person when you're close, by video and photos when you're not. We're looking at four things: where the sauna sits, how it gets there, what it sits on, and where the power comes from. Getting this right months ahead is the single biggest reason our delivery days go smoothly.
2 · The pad
Your sauna needs a flat, level, load-bearing surface sized to its full footprint. These are heavy buildings — anywhere from 2,800 to 6,400 lbs, before people and water.
| Model | Footprint | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| The Petoskey | 7' × 6'3" × 96" tall | ~2,800 lbs |
| The Manistee | 8' × 8' × 100" tall | ~3,200 lbs |
| The Nordhouse | 10' × 8' × 100" tall | ~3,500 lbs |
| The Mackinac (coming soon) | 14' × 8' | ~5,800 lbs |
| The Charlevoix (coming soon) | 16' × 8' | ~6,400 lbs |
Concrete, compacted gravel, pavers, and properly engineered decking all work for our three core models. What doesn't work: soft ground, unsupported deck spans, or anything that holds standing water. Level matters more than material — a sauna that sits out of level will show it in the door over time.
The changing-room builds are a different conversation. At 5,800 and 6,400 lbs, the Mackinac and Charlevoix want a poured concrete pad or engineered footings. Standard residential decking is not rated for that load, and gravel has to be done properly. We'll confirm your specific pad plan on the consult call.
3 · The path in
The sauna arrives whole. That means the route from the street to the pad has to accommodate the full building — gates, fence lines, overhead branches, tight side yards, slope, and soft turf are all worth flagging early. Send us photos of the approach during your site walk and we'll tell you straight whether it works, whether we need equipment, or whether the sauna wants to live somewhere else on your property. The longer models deserve an especially honest look here.
4 · Electrical
Electric saunas need a dedicated 240V circuit on a regular (non-GFCI) breaker, run to the sauna location by a licensed electrician. Sauna heaters trip GFCI breakers — this is normal, expected, and why code treats them differently than a plunge.
- Petoskey (6kW IKI): 240V, 30A minimum · 10/3 with ground, minimum
- Manistee (9kW IKI): 240V, 50A minimum · 6/3 with ground, minimum
- Nordhouse (9kW IKI): 240V, 50A minimum · 6/3 with ground, minimum
- Mackinac & Charlevoix (9kW IKI): 240V, 50A minimum · 6/3 with ground, minimum — plus a separate circuit for the changing room's 110V outlet and low-voltage lighting
Have the circuit run and terminated at the sauna location before delivery day. After we set the sauna, your electrician makes the final connection to the stove and controller — usually a short visit. We're happy to talk directly with your electrician; most questions take five minutes.
Wood-fired builds skip all of this. Different trade-off, same fire.
5 · Delivery day
Our crew delivers and sets your sauna — this isn't a freight company dropping a crate and leaving. We place it, level it, confirm the door swings true, walk you through the stove and controller, and answer whatever you think of while we're standing there. Plan on roughly half a day, and plan to be home.
Standard delivery is $600 curbside within five hours of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Beyond that radius, delivery and installation are quoted individually on your consult call — we ship nationally and we'll be straight with you about the number.
6 · Your first fire
New cedar and a new stove want one break-in session. Run the sauna hot for about an hour with the door cracked and the space ventilated — you'll smell manufacturing residue burning off the heater elements and rocks. That's normal and it happens once. After that, the sauna is yours.
Extending Your Build
Every model can be stretched. Two prices, because the work isn't the same:
- Hot room — $2,000 per foot. More length means more bench, and bench is where the labor lives.
- Porch — $1,000 per foot. Structure and roof, no bench work.
Size your pad and your access route to the finished dimension, not the base model. Decide on length before the site walk if you can.
Cold Plunge Delivery
What arrives
Fully assembled. Longer hauls ship crated, and the only assembly on your end is the handle. The unit is 375 lbs dry and roughly 1,400 lbs filled, so we confirm doorways, gates, and the path in before it ever ships — these are heavy, wide units and a staircase discovered on delivery day is a bad day for everyone.
What it sits on
Flat, level, rated for ~1,400 lbs full, with 12 inches of clearance at the chiller end for airflow and good drainage nearby. Concrete, pavers, and reinforced decking all work. Indoors or outdoors, both fine, year-round.
Power
A dedicated outdoor 110–120V, 20A GFCI circuit — standard in most homes, and per national electrical code the circuit must be dedicated. Most customers don't need an electrician. Note the difference from a sauna: plunges require GFCI, saunas require non-GFCI. If you're installing both, tell your electrician that up front.
Under 30 minutes to first plunge
Place it on the pad. Fill with a garden hose to the etched line — about 10 minutes. Plug in, set your temperature, and get in the same day. The full walkthrough lives in the Setup & First Plunge Guide.
Installing Both Together
Contrast therapy — heat, then cold — is the whole practice, and most of our customers end up with both. If that's you, plan them as one installation from the start. Two things to get right early:
- Different circuits. The sauna needs 240V non-GFCI; the plunge needs a dedicated 110–120V 20A GFCI; a changing-room build needs one more for the outlet and lighting. Run them in the same trench, on the same electrician visit, and you'll save real money versus doing it piecemeal.
- Pad them together. One pour, one level plane, one composed installation. Same cedar, same stain, same builder — they're designed to sit beside each other.
Common Questions
How far in advance should I have the pad and electrical ready?
Have both finished at least a week before your delivery date. Concrete needs cure time, and electricians run behind — building in a buffer is the cheapest insurance in this whole process.
Do I need a permit?
It depends entirely on your municipality, and we're not going to guess for you. Most residential outdoor saunas under a certain footprint fall outside permit requirements, but plenty of townships and HOAs have their own rules about accessory structures, setbacks, and electrical work — and the larger changing-room builds are more likely to cross those thresholds. Call your local building department early, before your deposit if you have any doubt. We'll provide dimensions, weights, and electrical specs for whatever they ask.
What if my site doesn't work?
Then we tell you during the site walk, not on delivery day. That's the entire point of doing it months ahead. Usually there's another spot on the property that works better anyway.
Can you deliver outside the five-hour radius?
Yes — we ship nationally. Delivery and installation outside the radius are quoted individually based on distance and access. Bring it up on your consult call and we'll give you a real number.
Who do I call when I have a question?
The shop. Grand Rapids, Michigan. The people who built your sauna answer the phone — no ticket queue, no script.
Ready to start? Book a consultation call and we'll walk your site, confirm your electrical, and get you a real timeline.
Related: Shipping, Returns & Refunds · Our Process · Cold Plunge Setup