About first use

First Startup

Thank you for purchasing our garden sauna, which is now fully yours! To enjoy it for many years, it's worth learning the basics of wood care and the principles of safe and pleasant sauna bathing. Below you'll find practical tips.

Preparing the Sauna for First Use

Wood Seasoning:
Before first use, it's worth "sweating" it without people - heat it to about 80°C for about 2 hours to remove resin and natural substances from the wood.

In the case of wood without thermal treatment (thermowood), resin leakage for several months is a natural phenomenon of spruce wood varieties.

Such heating also serves to "burn in" the electric or wood stove from all kinds of technical grease residues remaining on the surface of heaters or walls.

Ventilate the sauna after this process.

If the stones for the stove haven't been previously washed (even visually clean stones from the packaging must be washed before placing in the stove), wash them without using detergents.

We deliver saunas clean, but before first use we recommend vacuuming surfaces as they may contain production dust or post-assembly debris.

Sauna Maintenance

Daily and periodic maintenance:

• After each use, wipe benches and floor from moisture. It's also best to use linseed oil for bench wood care, refreshing it appropriately often relative to sauna usage frequency. This will help protect benches and backrests from absorbing other liquids like sweat.
• Use gentle wood cleaning agents for washing (avoid chemicals!). The sauna can also be washed with water from time to time, draining excess water through the plug at the bottom of the sauna. After such washing, ensure the sauna is thoroughly dried first by wiping surfaces, then by heating.
• Regularly ventilate the sauna to avoid moisture. Even the best impregnation doesn't protect wood from excess moisture.

Exterior:

• Once a year - impregnate wood with oil or preservative (protects against moisture and UV rays). This also applies to thermowood as it will help maintain color; otherwise, in full sun, thermowood will change color (this doesn't affect properties, only appearance).
• Regularly check if air inlets are not blocked.
• During seasonal changes, check the tension of stainless steel straps - they must always be tight. In summer, if excessively loose, tighten them; in autumn, loosen slightly to avoid damaging pin threads.

How to Properly Use the Sauna?

Sauna bathing is an individual process, nevertheless there are general tips or recommendations regarding this process.

You definitely need to decide for yourself what's better for you:

• Steam or dry (sprinkle stones with a bit of water - steam sauna; don't - dry sauna)
• Temperature: you set it yourself, but the principle is simple; the lower the temperature, the longer sessions; the higher, the shorter. So don't forget about an hourglass or other timer.
• Essential oils: usage and selection. You can add oils to water (a few drops) for steam sauna bathing, or a few drops to the evaporator for dry sauna. Scent choice belongs to personal preference - in our offer we have the "Art of Sauna Bathing" set: Birch, Eucalyptus, Lime, Field Mint, Palo Santo, Pine. However, be sure to ensure oils are 100% natural.

Optimal Sauna Cycle (Our Proposal)

1. Shower before entering - wash yourself and dry your skin.
2. Warm-up (5-10 min) - enter the heated sauna (60-90°C), place towel on bench.
3. First session (8-12 min) - relax in lying or sitting position.
4. Cooling down - go outside for fresh air, take cool shower or immerse in cold water barrel (if you have one, because we do - call 😉).
5. Rest (15-20 min) - hydrate with water or herbal infusion.
6. Repeat cycle 2-3 times - each subsequent session can be slightly longer.

Safety and Most Common Questions

Can children use the sauna?
Yes, but:
Temperature shouldn't exceed 60°C.
Session time: max 5-8 minutes.
Always under adult supervision.

How often can you sauna?
Optimally 2-3 times per week.
Beginners should start with 1 session weekly.

What to do when wood cracks or darkens?
Small cracks are a natural process - you can fill them with special wood paste.
If wood grays, sand it and apply new layer of oil.

How often to replace stones and which to use?
Every 1-2 years - with regular use (2-3 times weekly).
Every 3-4 years - if sauna is used less frequently (e.g., only summer).

Stone wear symptoms - replace immediately if:

• They crumble or are cracked - small chips contaminate stove and reduce heating efficiency.
• They become porous and light - this indicates lost heat storage capacity.
• Covered with white coating (lime deposit) - this may affect steam quality.

Recommended stones:

• Olivine Diabase - durable, good heat storage.
• Gabbro - dense and crack-resistant.
• Quartz - heats slowly but holds heat long (caution: not suitable for all stoves).

What NOT to do?

• ❌ Sauna bathing after alcohol or heavy meal
• ❌ Exceeding 15 minutes in one session
• ❌ Using metal objects in contact with body (e.g., jewelry that can heat up and burn)
• ❌ Blocking ventilation and exit doors

Useful Information

For interior impregnation, we recommend linseed oil, a relatively inexpensive and sufficiently durable agent.

For wood stove, use dry hardwood, and during first sessions add small amounts to gain experience. Loading larger amounts of wood may damage the stove, chimney, or even the sauna.

Below we present a list of things that will enhance sauna bathing time:

1. Sauna hat to protect head from excessive heating. Best natural felt. Style and color according to preference.
2. Set of 100% natural essential oils
3. Oil shelf
4. Oil evaporator on arm, to control steam intensity
5. Sauna whisks to wave steam (for advanced)
6. Alder or aspen headrests for comfortable lying
7. Bucket and ladle to pour water on stones and generate steam
8. Hourglass that measures session time precisely and won't melt even from very high temperature
9. Thermometer or thermohygrometer to control sauna temperature
10. Salt e.g., Himalayan in brick form

All these things can be found online or on our website OwnSpa.eu.

We don't say goodbye to you and congratulate you on entering the world of Own Sauna owners. We're always available for any questions.

We wish you only the best löyly!