Host Hub
Everything you need to run a great sauna
Practical, no-hype guides for sauna operators — from your first business plan to daily routines, marketing, staff and volunteers. Written for commercial and community saunas alike.
The four pillars
Start
Plan and launch
Business models, planning, permits, location and choosing your setup — the groundwork before your first löyly.
5 guides
Operate
Run it well
Daily routines, cleaning and hygiene, maintenance, safety and bookings — the craft of smooth operations.
5 guides
Grow
Fill the benches
Marketing, social media, pricing, events and guest retention — how to keep your sauna full year-round.
5 guides
People
Staff, volunteers and community
Hiring and training staff, recruiting and keeping volunteers, and building a community around your sauna.
5 guides
Start here
New to running a sauna? These three guides lay the groundwork.
Sauna Business Models: Which Way of Running a Sauna Fits You?
From public drop-in sessions to volunteer-run community saunas, here are the main ways to run a sauna — how the money works, what each demands, and who each suits.
6 min read
Writing a Lean Sauna Business Plan
A practical, one-page approach to planning a sauna business: capacity maths, startup and operating costs, revenue scenarios, break-even, and a worked example.
5 min read
The Daily Operations Checklist for Sauna Hosts
A practical daily rhythm for running a sauna — from the pre-opening walkthrough and heat-up timing to mid-day resets and a proper closing routine.
6 min read
All guides
Start
Sauna Business Models: Which Way of Running a Sauna Fits You?
From public drop-in sessions to volunteer-run community saunas, here are the main ways to run a sauna — how the money works, what each demands, and who each suits.
6 min read
Writing a Lean Sauna Business Plan
A practical, one-page approach to planning a sauna business: capacity maths, startup and operating costs, revenue scenarios, break-even, and a worked example.
5 min read
Permits, Insurance and Regulations for Sauna Operators
The compliance groundwork for opening a sauna: planning permission, fire safety, hygiene inspections, water safety, alcohol, GDPR, and the insurance you actually need.
6 min read
Choosing a Location for Your Sauna
Waterfront, urban, or rural destination? How to judge a sauna site on traffic, water access, utilities, neighbours, lease terms, and seasonality — before you commit.
6 min read
Choosing Your Sauna Setup: Stove, Building, and Everything Around It
Wood-fired or electric, purpose-built or converted, big or small: the hardware decisions that shape your sauna's running costs, löyly, and guest experience.
6 min read
Operate
The Daily Operations Checklist for Sauna Hosts
A practical daily rhythm for running a sauna — from the pre-opening walkthrough and heat-up timing to mid-day resets and a proper closing routine.
6 min read
Cleaning and Hygiene for Sauna Operators
Cleaning schedules that actually work in a hot, humid, wooden environment — what to clean, with what, and the hygiene rules that keep guests and inspectors happy.
5 min read
Sauna Maintenance: Stoves, Wood, and the Long Game
Preventive maintenance for sauna operators — stove and chimney care, heater elements and stones, bench wood, ventilation, seasonal tasks, and budgeting for the big replacements.
6 min read
Safety and Emergency Procedures for Saunas
Heat safety, cold-water safety, fire and CO risk, first aid, and a workable emergency action plan — the safety layer every sauna operation needs in writing.
6 min read
Bookings and Capacity: Filling Sessions Without the Chaos
Scheduling models, guest-friendly cancellation policies, walk-ins vs prebooking, waitlists, and the handful of weekly metrics that tell you how your sauna is really doing.
5 min read
Grow
Sauna Marketing Basics: How Guests Actually Find You
Positioning, photos, local SEO and word of mouth — the marketing foundations that fill a sauna without a big budget.
6 min read
Social Media for Saunas: A Practical Playbook
Which channels to pick, what to post, a weekly cadence that doesn't burn you out, and what to avoid entirely.
6 min read
Pricing Your Sauna: Strategy, Structures and Raising Prices
Cost-plus vs value-based pricing, memberships, private hire, peak/off-peak, discounts that don't cheapen the brand, and how to raise prices without a revolt.
6 min read
Events and Programming: Filling the Quiet Hours
From aufguss rituals to full-moon dips and corporate bookings — programming that turns empty benches into your busiest sessions.
6 min read
Reviews and Retention: Turning First-Timers into Regulars
Why repeat guests are the real business, how five-star reviews actually happen, and the simple metrics that tell you if it's working.
6 min read
People
Hiring Your First Sauna Staff
How to know when solo operation stops scaling, which roles to hire first, and how to find people who stay calm at 90°C — including trial shifts, contracts, and scheduling.
6 min read
Training Sauna Hosts
A practical onboarding plan for new sauna hosts: what the job really involves, a structured first week, safety training, service standards, and how to give feedback.
6 min read
Recruiting Volunteers for a Community Sauna
Why people volunteer for saunas, how to design roles they actually want, where to find them, and how to make an ask that works — without burning out your core three.
6 min read
Managing Volunteers Without Burning Them Out
Recruiting volunteers is the easy half. Here's how to keep them: fair scheduling, real training, recognition that matters, and succession planning that outlives the founders.
6 min read
Building a Sauna Community
Rituals, regulars, and a code of conduct: how to build the kind of community around your sauna that competitors can't copy and downturns can't kill.
6 min read
Put it into practice
When you're ready for guests, list your sauna on GoToSauna — reach sauna-goers in five languages, take bookings, and collect reviews.