A Quebec and Ontario Guide for Sauna as a Business.
Over the years, our team has installed hundreds of outdoor saunas across Quebec and Ontario, from ski chalets around Mont-Tremblant and Lac-Simon waterfront properties to Montreal South Shore condo communities. Some belong to families, some are second homes and a growing number are Airbnbs and other short-term rentals where the sauna is expected to work hard, look great in photos and be simple enough for a completely new group of guests to use every few days.
That has given us a perspective that goes well beyond selling somebody a sauna. We stay in touch with many owners after installation, and some come back when they acquire another chalet, expand their rental business or decide that a second sauna makes sense. Our president, Andrei Fimine, has been involved in these projects for years, so we have had the opportunity to see what happens after the delivery truck leaves and the sauna becomes part of an active rental property.
Our experience has made us quite confident about one thing: a good outdoor sauna can be a very strong investment for the right Airbnb or chalet. Its value is not limited to charging guests an extra fee. It can influence the nightly rate, the photos that make someone stop scrolling, the reviews guests leave afterwards and the overall feeling that this chalet offers something another property does not.
An Airbnb chalet with a sauna is selling more than accommodation
Think about a winter weekend in the Laurentians. Guests ski during the day, return to the chalet, heat the sauna and spend the evening moving between the warmth and the snow. At a chalet on Lac-Simon in July, that same sauna becomes part of a completely different ritual: swimming, sauna, cooling off in the lake and relaxing outside as the sun goes down.
That is why a sauna works so naturally with short-term rentals in Quebec and Ontario. In many of these markets, the property itself is part of the vacation. Guests are not simply looking for enough bedrooms. They are imagining what everyone will actually do once they arrive.
We have seen the interest grow beyond our own client base. In our recent Gazette article on Airbnb and sauna, Google Trends showed searches for “Airbnb with sauna” reaching a five-year high in 2026. The article also cited AirDNA research showing that standout wellness amenities such as saunas and spas can increase revenue per available night by up to 52%, supported by increases of up to 32% in nightly rates and 9% in occupancy.
For us, the more interesting question is not whether every chalet will reproduce a particular percentage. It is much simpler: when a guest has several similar properties open on Airbnb, does the sauna make yours the one they want to book?
Fiddler Lake Resort: One of Quebec’s Signature Chalet and Sauna Destinations
One of the best examples we have seen is Fiddler Lake Resort in Mille-Isles, in the Laurentians. The private resort is built around large log chalets next to Fiddler Lake, with year-round activities including swimming, paddling, hiking and winter recreation, while many individual chalets also offer private hot tubs and outdoor saunas. Over the years, SaunaSpa saunas have been installed at the majority of the resort’s chalets, giving us a rare opportunity to see what happens when outdoor sauna becomes part of the experience across an entire vacation-rental community rather than at a single property. Hundreds of guests enjoy these saunas every year, and the scale itself tells an interesting story: as the amenity proved popular, more chalet owners chose to add it. The resort now promotes private sauna alongside features such as hot tubs and private pools, and sauna appears repeatedly in guest reviews as part of what visitors remember about their stay. For us, Fiddler Lake is a particularly useful real-world example of the business case discussed in this article. A well-built outdoor sauna does not simply fill space beside a chalet. It can become one of the attractions guests expect, photograph and specifically look for when choosing where to stay in the Laurentians.
TripAdvisor alone currently has over 100 Fiddler Lake Resort reviews that mention the sauna, with many guests describing it as a highlight of their stay alongside the hot tub and other chalet amenities. That volume of guest feedback is a strong indication that the sauna is not just an extra feature, but a memorable part of the Fiddler Lake experience.
Put “sauna” where your guests actually see it
Fiddler Lake gives us a very practical example of how important the word sauna can become in a chalet listing. Current Airbnb properties at the resort do not hide the sauna deep in the amenities. One listing is titled “Spa privé & Sauna, Lac, Piscines.”, while several others receive Airbnb’s prominent listing highlight “Your very own spa”, followed immediately by “Relax with the sauna and jacuzzi.” The Golden Bear chalet goes even further, putting “Spa, Sauna, Private Pool” directly into the listing title.
That is exactly the approach we recommend. When the sauna is one of the experiences that distinguishes the chalet, it should appear where guests actually make their first decision: in the title, the short description or the first few lines of the listing. A phrase as simple as “Fiddler Lake | Sauna & Spa | Nature & Relaxation” immediately tells a prospective guest what kind of stay they are looking at. The photography should then reinforce it, with the sauna shown early in the gallery rather than buried behind dozens of interior photos. At Fiddler Lake, where so many chalets already feature private outdoor saunas, the fact that owners repeatedly choose to put sauna front and centre is a good indication of how important the amenity has become to the guest experience.
A sauna can become one of the best photos in an Airbnb listing
One of the things owners sometimes underestimate before buying is just how visual an outdoor sauna is. A glowing Western Red Cedar sauna in fresh snow, a barrel sauna beside a lake or a panoramic sauna facing the forest can easily become one of the first photographs in the listing.
It should. On Airbnb and other booking platforms, prospective guests often decide within seconds whether a property deserves a closer look. A distinctive outdoor sauna communicates something about the experience immediately, while another photograph of a bedroom or kitchen may not.
Then the marketing continues after the guests arrive. They take their own pictures, share them with friends and mention the sauna in reviews. We hear this from rental owners regularly, especially when the sauna has a strong setting such as a lake, mountain view, forest or dramatic winter landscape.
This is also why we do not recommend exactly the same sauna for every rental. A traditional Laurentians chalet may look completely natural with our Barrel Sauna, while a new architectural rental with a contemporary terrace may be better matched with a Cube Sauna or the glass-front Sauna Moderna.
The Moderna is particularly interesting when the property already has a view worth selling. Its panoramic glass front keeps the lake, mountain or forest visible from inside the sauna and gives the host a completely different type of hero photograph. The Cube offers a modern look with a more conventional interior shape, making it easy to integrate beside contemporary chalet architecture without losing the warmth of a traditional wooden sauna.
A sauna for an Airbnb has to survive Airbnb use
This is one area where our experience building rental saunas matters. A sauna in somebody’s backyard might be used by the same couple or family every week. Everyone knows where to sit, how to operate the heater and how to leave the sauna afterwards.
A successful Airbnb is different. One group leaves and another group arrives. During busy periods the sauna may be operating almost every day, with dozens or hundreds of different guests using it over the years.
That is why we put so much emphasis on Western Red Cedar and solid Canadian construction. The sauna has to deal with repeated heating and cooling, humidity, snow, rain, freeze-thaw cycles and the reality that rental guests will not always treat it as carefully as the person who paid for it.
We want our saunas to look beautiful when we install them, but for a rental property the more important question is what the sauna will look and feel like after years of use. When one of our clients comes back after operating a sauna at a rental property and asks us to install another one at their next chalet, that tells us much more than a theoretical durability claim.
For an Airbnb owner, buying something built for long-term use is part of the business case. Saving money on the original purchase loses its appeal quickly if the sauna starts becoming a maintenance problem after a few rental seasons.
How much does a sauna for an Airbnb chalet actually cost?
The entry point is quite reasonable. A compact two-person barrel sauna with a wood-burning stove can currently be configured through us for under $6,000, which can be a very good fit for a couples’ chalet, small cabin or owner who wants to add a serious amenity without overbuilding the property.
As the chalet becomes larger or more premium, the sauna can grow with it. A larger barrel sauna with an electric heater, more seating and upgraded windows can move toward the $9,000 range, while design-focused models with features such as panoramic glazing can approach approximately $10,000 depending on the configuration.
The key is matching the investment to the rental. A romantic two-person chalet does not need the same sauna as a luxury property sleeping ten guests, and the more expensive sauna is not automatically the better business decision.
The site may also already have much of what is needed. Plenty of chalets have a level paver patio, concrete terrace, prepared gravel area or suitable deck, which can mean there is no reason to start constructing an elaborate new foundation simply because a sauna is being added.
Electrical preparation varies in the same way. Some properties already have useful outdoor infrastructure associated with a spa, pool or other equipment, while another property may require additional wiring. Our Outdoor Sauna Installation Guide goes into those details because we prefer planning around the actual chalet rather than assuming every installation is complicated.
How long does an Airbnb sauna take to pay for itself?
From our conversations with rental owners, roughly a couple of years is a reasonable planning horizon for a busy property that successfully turns the sauna into additional booking value.
A useful reference point from our own client feedback is around $150 of added value over a short chalet stay. That does not necessarily mean adding a $150 sauna charge to every reservation. Some hosts do charge separately, but others simply use the sauna to make the entire property more desirable and price the chalet accordingly.
At that level, a sauna costing below $6,000 needs the equivalent of fewer than 40 stays generating around $150 in added value to recover the purchase cost. For a chalet with solid year-round or seasonal occupancy, getting there in approximately a couple of years is not difficult to imagine.
We prefer keeping the calculation at that level rather than pretending there is a precise formula that applies to every Airbnb. The owner knows the property’s occupancy, average rate and local competition. The useful takeaway is that a compact sauna does not need to transform the economics of the entire chalet to justify its cost.
The real sauna return may be inside your Airbnb nightly rate
Successful chalet owners usually do not itemize the experience. Guests are not presented with $20 for the fireplace, $40 for the view, $75 for the deck and $150 for the sauna. They look at the entire property and decide whether it feels worth $250, $350, $500 or more per night.
That is often where we believe the sauna creates the most value. A well-designed chalet with a private sauna, strong photography, attractive outdoor space and perhaps a spa or cold plunge simply competes differently from another property with the same number of bedrooms and very little to do once everyone arrives.
Several of our clients operating short-term rentals think about the sauna exactly this way. Rather than treating it as an optional add-on, they make it part of the identity of the chalet and part of the experience advertised from the very first photograph.
That can be especially important in competitive destinations such as the Laurentians, where guests may be looking at many attractive chalets in roughly the same price range. The question becomes less about whether the sauna generates exactly $150 on Tuesday night and more about whether it helps the property command attention, maintain its rate and get booked.
A private chalet sauna has a value guests already understand
There is another simple way to think about the economics. A family or group can easily spend several hundred dollars going to a Nordic spa for the day, especially once several adults are paying admission.
At their own Airbnb, a private sauna is available whenever they want it. They can use it before breakfast, again after skiing and later in the evening without making a reservation, getting into the car or sharing the space with dozens of other visitors.
That does not make a chalet sauna identical to a full Nordic spa. It simply means the owner has put a meaningful leisure experience directly on the property, where guests can enjoy it repeatedly throughout the stay.
For a group staying two or three nights, that value is very easy to understand. It is also something the host can communicate naturally in the listing rather than trying to convince guests of the benefits of an obscure amenity they have never used before.
A shared sauna can add value across an entire Airbnb condo community
A sauna does not necessarily have to belong to one Airbnb unit. We have also worked with clients in condominium projects and managed resort communities where short-term rentals are permitted and the sauna becomes a shared amenity, much like a pool, spa or fitness room. In some cases, individual owners have brought the idea to their condo board or condominium corporation and the property has added a sauna that every resident and rental guest can access. For a development with dozens of units, the economics can become especially attractive because the cost of one or several saunas is shared across the property while every participating Airbnb listing can promote access to a private on-site sauna experience. It also gives the entire development another feature to highlight in its marketing, photos and guest experience, rather than requiring every individual owner to install a sauna beside their own unit.
Electric or wood-burning sauna for an Airbnb chalet?
We install both, and the right choice usually depends on how the property is managed and what type of experience the owner wants to offer.
An electric sauna heater is often the simpler solution for a busy Airbnb. Guests can follow straightforward instructions, there is no fire to start and operation can be more consistent from one group to the next. For owners who manage the property remotely or use a professional management company, that convenience can be a major advantage.
A wood-burning sauna stove offers something different. At a secluded chalet, cabin or waterfront property, lighting the fire can become part of the traditional sauna ritual rather than an inconvenience. Some owners specifically want that experience because it fits the character of the property.
The decision should therefore follow the chalet. A high-turnover luxury rental near Mont-Tremblant may benefit from the simplicity of electric heat, while a quiet lakeside cabin may be exactly where a wood-burning sauna belongs.
Which sauna model works best for an Airbnb?
There is no single “Airbnb sauna,” and we think that is a good thing. The sauna should match the number of guests, the architecture and the story the owner is trying to tell with the property.
For a couples’ chalet or smaller rental, a compact barrel sauna can offer the traditional sauna experience while keeping the initial investment below $6,000 with a wood-burning configuration. For larger family rentals, additional seating and an electric heater may be more practical because several guests can use the sauna together and operation is straightforward.
For contemporary chalets, the Cube Sauna gives the property a less rustic look while keeping the interior warm and distinctly wooden. It is a good choice where a traditional barrel shape would feel disconnected from the architecture.
At the premium end, the Sauna Moderna can become one of the property’s architectural features rather than simply an amenity beside the house. When there is a mountain, lake or forest view, panoramic glass allows the host to turn that landscape into part of the sauna experience and part of the listing photography.
Fully assembled sauna delivery matters when the chalet is already earning money
This becomes especially important for a rental property. A chalet with bookings throughout the season cannot casually turn into a construction site for several weeks while an owner or contractor figures out how to assemble a kit.
Our outdoor saunas are delivered pre-built and fully assembled, with the main structure, benches, doors, windows and roofing already completed. Our team then brings the finished sauna to the property and positions it at the prepared location.
For owners who live in Montreal or Toronto while their chalet is hours away, this simplifies the project considerably. They still need to prepare the location, access and any required electrical work, but they do not have to manage the construction of the sauna itself remotely.
Some of our installations require a crane because the ideal sauna location is behind the chalet, over a fence, down a slope or close to the water. That is exactly why we review access and placement beforehand. The idea is to make adding the sauna to an active rental property as controlled and predictable as possible.
When a mobile sauna works better as an Airbnb business
A permanent sauna usually makes the most sense for one established rental because it becomes part of that chalet and stays visible in the listing all year.
The calculation changes when somebody operates several properties. Our Mobile Barrel Sauna can move between chalets, allowing the same sauna to be used where it creates the most value at a particular time.
An operator might keep it near a ski chalet during winter, then move it to a waterfront property for summer. It could also be offered only with premium bookings, special weekends or particular properties where guests have requested the experience.
There is another advantage: when the mobile sauna is not being used at an Airbnb, it can potentially be rented independently. Mobile sauna rentals across Quebec and Ontario commonly command daily and weekend rates starting at $150-200 per day, often with a 2-3 day minimum booking, so the sauna can generate revenue outside the rental property itself.
For a person with one chalet, that extra movement may not be worth the effort. For an owner or manager with several properties in the same region, however, a mobile sauna starts looking less like an amenity and more like a movable business asset.
Sauna and cold plunge can reposition the entire Airbnb
We are also seeing more chalet owners think about the sauna as the beginning of a larger outdoor wellness space. Add a cold plunge, lighting, a good path between the chalet and sauna and perhaps an outdoor shower where appropriate, and the listing starts telling a very different story.
Instead of simply advertising “Airbnb with sauna,” the owner can present a private sauna and cold-plunge experience. That positioning works especially naturally around skiing, hiking, cycling, swimming and other activities that already bring people to Quebec and Ontario cottage regions.
It is also extremely photogenic. A sauna and cold plunge surrounded by snow creates one type of image in February, while the same setup beside a lake tells a completely different story in July.
Not every rental needs to start with both. For many owners, installing the sauna first and watching how guests respond is the smarter approach. The cold plunge can always be added later if the chalet begins developing a stronger wellness identity.
Sauna reviews can keep selling the Airbnb after guests leave
Revenue is important, but reviews tell us something the spreadsheet cannot. When guests voluntarily mention the sauna, the view from inside it or an evening going between the sauna and snow, they are describing what made the stay memorable.
Those reviews then become part of the sales process for the next guest. Someone deciding between two similar chalets can read that previous visitors loved the private sauna after skiing and immediately understand what their own weekend might look like.
Guest photographs work the same way. A beautiful outdoor sauna is something people naturally want to photograph and share, which gives the property exposure beyond the host’s professionally staged listing images.
That is why we would never judge an Airbnb sauna only by asking how many additional dollars appeared in the first six months. Its value can show up through better listing photography, stronger reviews, word of mouth, repeat guests and a clearer identity for the property. Over time, those things also support the financial return.
What hundreds of installations have taught us about sauna as an Airbnb business
The biggest lesson is that there is no standard formula. A two-person romantic chalet, a family property on a lake and a high-end architectural rental near the ski slopes should not all receive the same sauna simply because they all appear on Airbnb.
A compact barrel sauna can be an excellent business decision for one property. A larger electric model may be right for another. A contemporary Cube or panoramic Moderna may produce more value for a luxury listing because the design itself contributes to the photos and positioning, while a mobile sauna may be the most interesting option for someone managing several chalets.
What remains consistent is the need for durability. A rental sauna may see far more use than the average residential sauna, with many different people using it throughout the year. That is where Canadian-made construction, Western Red Cedar, proper installation and a sauna that is straightforward for guests to operate really matter.
We have built our approach around that long-term view. We want the sauna to survive years of Canadian winters and years of bookings, not just look impressive on the day the Airbnb photographer arrives.
Is a sauna worth it for an Airbnb?
For an established chalet in Quebec or Ontario, we believe an outdoor sauna can be one of the most natural business investments an owner can make. It suits the climate, fits the way people already spend time at chalets and creates something guests immediately understand and want to use.
With a compact sauna starting below $6,000, the economics do not require a dramatic transformation of the business. If the sauna contributes around $150 of additional value over enough bookings, recovering its initial purchase price in approximately a couple of years is a realistic target for a well-performing rental.
More importantly, the sauna does not disappear once that cost has been recovered. It remains in the photographs, continues appearing in guest reviews and can keep helping the chalet stand out for many years afterwards.
That is the perspective we have developed from working with owners across Quebec and Ontario, from the slopes around Mont-Tremblant to waterfront chalets on Lac-Simon and cottage properties farther west. Every property is different, and our role is not to push the same sauna into every backyard. It is to understand the chalet, the guests and the business behind it, then recommend the sauna that makes sense for all three.
To discuss an Airbnb, chalet or other short-term-rental project, contact our team. We can look at the property, guest capacity, heater choice, existing surface, access and overall positioning and help determine whether a compact barrel, larger family sauna, Cube, Moderna or mobile sauna is the right fit.
