When considering wellness applications at home amongst the most popular is the sauna room. This ancient tradition is well-known for delivering a vast array of health benefits to the user. If you’re attempting to design your own sauna for the home and you’ve been conducting some research online, the Tylo 3D configurator may be the answer you’re looking for.

Important: This sauna configurator will not work on mobile devices. You will need to use your laptop or desktop PC.

In this comprehensive guide we show you how to design your own sauna using the Tylo 3D configurator. We run through every aspect of the sauna design App, breaking it up into key sections with plenty of screenshots to help you along. We’ve also added extra information and building tips from our 30+ years of industry knowledge and experience.

In brief: How to purchase your newly designed sauna.

  1. First complete the design of your sauna room using the 3D configurator.
  2. Once complete you must then export the final design specifications pdf file.
  3. Send us the file to: sales@leisurequip.com or upload it to our contact form.

We will then provide you with comprehensive pricing including timescales for delivery plus optional installation cost.

Good to know: Leisurequip are the only trademark approved dealer / installer for Tylo in the UK. As a result you can expect 38 years of industry expertise, on-going technical assistance and very competitive pricing.

How to design your own sauna online in 4 easy steps

The perfect DIY sauna is now easy accessible with this handy online App. The TyloHelo 3D sauna designer is the first step to building your own home sauna room. The configurator tool consists of 3 main sections with a summary at the end for you to download a pdf of your specifications.

Screenshot: Start screen of the TyloHelo 3D sauna configurator

Screenshot: Start screen of the TyloHelo 3D sauna configurator

Step 1: Size of your sauna room design

The size of your sauna will of course be dictated by the space you have available. When you begin the sauna designing process there will be minimum standard sizes applied of 2011mm x 2011mm x 2073mm. This is easily editable, however the smaller you go, the less chance there is for interior furniture such as benches and accessories.

Screenshot: Measure up your sauna space and enter the details into the room size option

Screenshot: Measure up your sauna space and enter the details into the room size option

Room size

When you design your own sauna with the App you will first need to measure the space. You’ll also need to consider access points for ventilation. Additionally, you’ll need to leave breathing space between the walls of your home and your sauna when you build it.

sauna room model

Room model

For room model we’ve chosen the glass front specification. Other options for your sauna room design include glass corner, square, corner and round corner. Your choice will be down to aesthetic preferences. You can experiment with the design before you progress to the next part.

sauna design corner side

Corner side

If you choose a glass corner you can also choose which side the corner is to go on. Since we’ve chosen a glass front this isn’t applicable.

Step 2: Exterior design of your sauna room

At this point you will be ready to move on to the exterior design of your sauna. This will cover an extensive array of building components such as wood type, glass tinting, soffit installation, trim and frames.

Screenshot: It's now time to design the exterior of your new sauna room

Screenshot: It’s now time to design the exterior of your new sauna room

panelling design

Wall type

Choosing between horizontal or vertical wood panelling can be a difficult choice for some people. This where you make that decision.

sauna-woods-exterior

Material outside

Next up is the choice of wood panelling for your sauna. Different woods can offer a remarkable different sauna experience. Hard woods such as usually have a deeper aroma, darker colour and are more expensive. Softer woods such as Alder, Aspen or Spruce are less expensive and lighter in colour. Consequently, TyloHelo offer a compromise in the Thermo treated Aspen.

Material inside

For inside we’ve chosen the same Aspen panelling purely for aesthetic purposes.

glass-type

Glass type

If as we’ve done you choose for a glass front sauna you can also choose which glass you have. This is the same if you just choose to have a simple glass door. Choices are clear, bronze tinted or frosted glass. All glass is tempered safety glass as standard.

soffit

Soffit

Whilst not as widely used as it once was, the soffit can also be used to house downlights. As a result it is still widely used for outdoor saunas.

ceiling-wood

Material ceiling outside

In the whole it’s rare that anyone will be admiring the external ceiling of your newly designed sauna. Consequently you can cut a few corners here and go for a cheaper wood such as Spruce if you’ve used a hard wood elsewhere.

Material ceiling inside

For inside we will again go with Aspen which we’ve used everywhere else to maintain the aesthetic.

wood-trim

Wood type trim outside

For wood trim your previous choices will usually dictate what you choose here. You can of course experiment with the sauna design before settling on your final choice.

Wood type trim inside

For inside trim we will choose the same as outside.

Floor frame

For the floor frame we’ve chosen the basic option.

Step 3: Interior design of your sauna room

As this is where you’ll be enjoying your sauna most you will want to make the experience as comfortable as possible. We would advise to keep it spacious where possible so you are not too near the heater or there is no room to move.

Screenshot: Choose an interior layout that will give you plenty of space to relax

Screenshot: Choose an interior layout that will give you plenty of space to relax

Bench layout

You’ll need to sit when enjoying your sauna and the most popular method is the bench. TyloHelo have included a range of sauna bench designs and layouts. The layout shown in the design is a bench on each side of the sauna room.

bench-type

Bench type

The type of bench is essentially the design of the slats. For this example we’ve chosen the slim type. You can read more and view images for the available designs of sauna bench here.

Bench material

For materials we’ve again gone for Aspen.

Bench front

We chose a soft edge, however you can also choose a straight-edged design.

Backrest

This is where your design skills really pay off. It might be a good idea to consult with a professional on aspects like backrest choice or even whether to have a backrest. Keep in mind this needs to help you relax as much as possible.

backrest

Backrest type

Choose from classic, classic flat, classic flat slim, classic flat wide and more. There is no popular choice for the type of backrest to have in your sauna, it is a matter of personal preference.

lit-sauna

Backrest lighting

Now it’s time to start creating that all important ambience. The perfect sauna needs to be perfectly lit. Soft lighting around the room can greatly enhance the experience. In our example we added backrest and bench lighting.

Skirt layout

For skirting layout we went with the first choice.

Skirt type

We also went with the first choice for skirt type.

Bench lighting

We added under bench lighting for the perfect ambience.

Step 4: Heater for your sauna room

In the sauna design App you are only presented with a few sauna heater options. In this regard TyloHelo have attempted to keep things simple. If you contact us we can offer you an extensive range of alternatives that will be perfect for your room.

heaters

Heater

In our example we’ve chosen the Tylo Sense Elite 10 which is ideal for most home saunas and works in conjunction with the Tylo Elite Cloud wireless control panel. We also have a vast array of home sauna heaters which can replace the heaters shown.

Tylo Elite Cloud

Control panel

Although not shown, you can also wirelessly control your sauna experience with the Tylo Elite Cloud control panel. Most notably, there’s also an accompanying smartphone App so you can fire it up from anywhere in the home or on the go.

Step 5: Summary of your sauna room

One you’ve completed the steps you will need to download a pdf of your final specifications. This is a summary of your requirement which we will need to provide you with a price.

Download an example specifications document

Purchasing your sauna

Using your specifications document we will provide you with delivery timescales, a price for parts and delivery or parts, delivery and installation. Leisurequip are the only trademark approved dealer / installer for TyloHelo in the UK. As a result you can expect 38 years of industry expertise, on-going technical assistance and very competitive pricing.

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About the Author: Kenton Mann

Kenton Mann
Kenton Mann has been at the helm of Leisurequip ltd. and involved in the wellness industry for over 40 years. In that time he has become an expert many times over in the design and construction of a myriad of bespoke wellness rooms. Furthermore, he is also the UK's pre-eminent Tylo Sauna & Steam expert with unparalleled knowledge not found anywhere else.

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