Sauna Haus shipping container sauna

Let’s welcome Duff and family who are right now enjoying Sauna Haus, their shipping container sauna. Hello Duff!

What compelled you to build your own sauna?

My wife and I always enjoyed the electric sauna that was available at our local independent health club in Minneapolis. Such a great amenity that was lost when the club closed during the pandemic. We would often make a visit just to use the sauna, but I also made it a part of my routine following strength training workouts. Especially during the winter months!  After learning more about sauna and experiencing the health and wellness benefits, we had dreams of having our own someday.

On an anniversary vacation up north near Lake Superior, we were treated to our first wood burning sauna experience. That was a turning point. Being outdoor enthusiasts, the wood burning sauna in a Northwoods setting was ideal. Fast forward a few years and we purchased some raw, wooded acreage in northwestern Wisconsin. I immediately began researching off-grid living, shipping container builds, and wood burning sauna stoves.

How did you find SaunaTimes and give us a few examples where the DIY ebook helped you out?

My online research on sauna narrowed down quickly to two reliable resources, SaunaTimes and Lamppa Manufacturing/Kuuma woodburning sauna stoves. The online resources and communications provided by SaunaTimes helped me tremendously with proper ventilation, insulation, and chimney parts/installation. Kuuma customer service in selecting a stove was top notch. Any questions I had could be answered on the resourceful website, a phone call, or an email.  I was confident we had the best sauna experts blended with the best container builder (Blackbox Shipping Container Studios-Minneapolis) to make our northwoods sauna design dream come true

What were the biggest 1-2 challenges for your sauna build?

The most challenging part we experienced with our sauna build was the chimney set up. I was responsible for this part once the container build was placed on our property up north. The resources through SaunaTimes made it simple for gathering the proper parts, all of which were easy to find in stock at Menard’s, however mounting to the flat corrugated steel roof of the container required some extra research and special parts to mount the chimney and ensure no leaks from rain or snow melt. Success!

Tell us something specific about your sauna that makes you especially proud.

I’m really proud of the design that my wife and I put together to create a multipurpose structure for year round enjoyment. An off-grid sauna, sitting room, and guest room with the centerpiece being the through-wall Kuuma wood stove. We call it the Sauna Haus. We’re also proud of its location. Nestled in wooded land, out in nature, and strategically placed to capture the sunlight through its windows and to view wildlife passing by on the trails

Any regrets or do overs?

Maybe a larger window in the hot room for outdoor viewing.

If you bring a mobile sauna anywhere in the world, where would you like to go and sauna?

I would like to experience sauna during winter on a frozen wilderness lake somewhere in the Nordic countries