Remember when “home spa” meant a plastic inflatable pool, a discount candle, and wishful thinking? Those days are done. Shym Saunas & Spas is quietly (and very intentionally) reshaping what backyard wellness looks like in Australia and New Zealand – and spoiler: it involves a lot more thermowood, steam, and actual eye contact with the people you love.
Founded by Artem and Elena, a couple who missed the warmth and connection of traditional sauna culture after moving to Australia, Shym Saunas sits at that sweet spot where Scandinavian simplicity meets family-first design. Instead of chasing gimmicks, they focus on something more rare: products that genuinely bring people together, last for years, and look good doing it.
This isn’t just about “a sauna out the back.” It’s about tiny Nordic cabins, mobile saunas, hot tubs, and ice baths that turn a patch of lawn or a quiet corner by the pool into a proper retreat – the kind you’d usually have to book, drive to, and share with strangers.
Designer: Shym Saunas & Spas (AU / NZ)
A Lineup Built for Connection, Not Just Heat
Shym’s range reads less like gym equipment and more like a menu of experiences. You don’t just pick a size; you choose how you want to live.
- Patio Series – Open, pavilion-style saunas like the Patio L Plus (4–8 person) that combine a glass-fronted sauna room with a front relaxation space and open-air covered terrace. Think: long, slow evenings with friends, not quick five-minute sweats between sets.
- Serenity Round Cube Series – Rounded-square, design-forward cabins like the Serenity Round Cube Double (3–7 person), crafted from thermotreated Nordic spruce with split-level benches and those seriously striking mirror or bronze windows. They look like they were designed by an architect who actually uses a sauna.
- Cabin Saunas with Loft – Models like the Sauna Cabin Fellin, a multi-room, lofted sauna house that’s part mini lodge, part home spa, part guest retreat. It comes with a separate living room, sauna, changing room and loft – essentially a tiny Nordic cabin with its own wellness core.
- Hot Tubs & Cold Plunge Tubs – Wood-fired tubs, electric family spas, and compact ice baths that pair perfectly with the sauna cabins for full hot–cold contrast therapy.
- Mobile & Off-Grid Options – For those who’d rather take the ritual to the shack, farm, lakeside, or Airbnb property, Shym also supports mobile configurations and outdoor-focused builds.
Across the whole lineup, the through-line is obvious: spaces designed for real-time connection – couples, families, friends, neighbours. Less “solo biohacking pod,” more “come over Saturday, bring towels.”
Thermowood Shells, Knotless Benches, And Serious Build Quality
The specs might sound niche, but they’re exactly what separate “nice idea” saunas from the kind you’ll still be using a decade from now.
Most of Shym’s flagship outdoor saunas are built from thermotreated Nordic spruce – Thermowood® – sourced from responsibly managed forests in Europe. Through a high-heat treatment process, resins and excess moisture are pulled out of the timber, making it:
- More dimensionally stable (less warping, twisting or splitting)
- Naturally more resistant to decay and moisture
- Beautifully warm in tone and comfortable to touch
Wall thicknesses run up to 40 mm log boards in the Patio and Serenity series, and 70 mm laminated spruce in larger cabin builds like Fellin. That’s serious thermal mass: the kind that holds heat, softens sound, and makes the whole structure feel solid underfoot.
On the inside, benches are finished in premium knotless aspen or alder, both chosen for their low thermal conductivity and smooth, skin-friendly surfaces. Knotless means no random hot spots or sharp edges – just clean, comfortable seating you can actually lie down on without adjusting every few seconds.
Windows and doors are double-glazed with 8 mm tempered glass, available in bronze or mirror tints depending on the model. This isn’t just to look pretty (though they absolutely do); it keeps the heat in, the cold out, and balances privacy with natural light.
Built in Europe, Tailored for Australian Backyards
Shym Saunas doesn’t just resell whatever happens to be available. They work directly with award-winning European manufacturers – including Red Dot–winning partners like Leil-Saunas – and adapt the products for Australian and New Zealand conditions.
That means details like:
- EPDM roof systems with metal edge trims on Patio models
- Integrated drainage in floors and sauna rooms
- Insulated roofs (PIR or SPU, depending on the build) for energy-efficient heat retention
- Weather-treated floor frames and decking boards ready for real weather, not just showroom lighting
Most outdoor models arrive as preassembled or pre-cut kits, using log and barrel-style construction with precisely milled boards. The panels lock together in a way that’s far closer to small timber house building than flimsy shed assembly. For confident DIYers, that’s a satisfying weekend project; for everyone else, Shym coordinates Australia-wide installation so you never have to lift more than a cup of tea.
Choose Your Ritual: Electric, Wood-Fired, Or Both
Shym keeps the heater conversation blissfully simple: most saunas are compatible with both electric and wood-fired heaters.
Prefer convenience? Pair your cabin with a Harvia wall or tower heater, or step up to something like a HUUM Drop with Wi-Fi control, so you can preheat the sauna from your phone while you finish dinner. Love ritual? Go with a wood-fired stove and enjoy the crackle, scent, and theatre of real flame.
In either case, the heavy thermowood shells, insulated ceilings and considerate room proportions (no silly wasted height) make sure the heat you create stays in the room, wrapping you instead of escaping through poorly built walls. It’s smart, not just hot.
Sauna Health Benefits: What the Science Says About Saunas and Your Health
The idea that “a good sweat is good for you” isn’t just folklore from Finland anymore – there’s a growing body of research suggesting that regular sauna bathing may support heart health, brain health, and overall wellbeing when it’s used sensibly as part of a healthy lifestyle.
One of the most cited long-term studies followed 2,315 Finnish men for around 20 years. Those who used a traditional sauna 4–7 times per week had significantly lower risks of sudden cardiac death, fatal coronary heart disease, fatal cardiovascular disease, and even lower all-cause mortality compared with once-a-week users.
A broader review published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings pulled together epidemiological and clinical data and found that regular sauna bathing is linked with a range of potential benefits: lower blood pressure, improved vascular function, reduced arterial stiffness, and lower cardiovascular and all-cause mortality, along with possible benefits for respiratory and inflammatory conditions.
The brain might benefit too. In another Finnish cohort, men who used a sauna 4–7 times per week had about a 65–66% lower risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease compared with those who only went once a week, after adjusting for other factors.While these are observational studies (so they can’t prove cause and effect), they strongly suggest that heat bathing could be one useful lever in long-term brain and heart health.
A 2018 systematic review of dry sauna bathing found improvements in blood pressure, arterial stiffness, cardiorespiratory fitness, symptoms of heart failure, and measures of quality of life and pain in several small trials – though the authors also note that more high-quality research is still needed. More recently, a Swedish study of nearly 1,000 adults reported that regular sauna users had less pain, anxiety, depression, and hypertension, and better sleep and energy, even at modest frequencies of 1–4 sessions per month.
So where does Shym fit in? Most of this research has been done on traditional Finnish-style saunas at temperatures around 70–90°C for 10–20 minutes per session – exactly the style of heat bathing Shym’s thermowood cabins are designed for. Their well-insulated Nordic spruce shells, split-level benches and efficient heaters make it easy to create those steady, repeatable sessions that studies are based on, whether you’re chasing better recovery, stress relief, or just deeper sleep.
Of course, none of Shym’s saunas are medical devices, and they’re not a substitute for medication, exercise, or advice from your GP – especially if you have heart disease, low blood pressure, are pregnant, or have other health concerns. But as part of a sane wellness routine – good food, movement, sleep, and time spent with people you care about – a Shym sauna gives you a practical way to tap into the same style of heat therapy that researchers are increasingly interested in.
Saunas Designed Around People, Not Just Performance
A lot of wellness gear is quietly hostile to the idea of other humans. Solo pods. Single chairs. One-person everything. Shym goes in the other direction. Their models are deliberately social:
- Patio saunas layer sauna + relaxation room + open terrace under one roof, so there’s somewhere for everyone to be between rounds.
- Serenity Round Cube cabins use split-level benches and generous glazing to feel inviting, not claustrophobic.
- Cabin saunas with lofts create multi-room, multi-level spaces where kids can claim the loft, guests can stay over, and the sauna remains the warm heart at the centre.
You can see the philosophy in the small details too: separate changing rooms, backrests that let you actually recline, layouts that encourage face-to-face conversation instead of everyone staring at a wall. It’s wellness designed for connection, recovery, and presence, not just numbers on a smartwatch.
Beyond “Just a Sauna”: The Full Backyard Ritual
Shym doesn’t stop at the door of the hot room. Their catalogue reads like a checklist for a complete outdoor spa loop:
- Hot tubs and spa pools (electric and wood-fired)
- Cold plunge tubs and portable ice baths
- Outdoor showers and waterfall buckets for rinse-and-refresh
- Lighting, backrests, buckets, ladles, stones, thermometers, hygrometers, sand clocks – all the small things that make a space feel finished
The idea is simple: build a corner of your home where you can cycle through heat, cold, rest, and conversation without needing a membership card or a 40-minute drive. For families with busy schedules, that convenience turns “nice idea” into an actual weekly ritual.
A Different Kind of Luxury
In a world where “luxury” often means chrome, glossy black and tech for tech’s sake, Shym Saunas takes a quieter route. Their version of luxury is:
- Handcrafted timber you actually want to touch
- Spaces that calm you down the moment you step inside
- Reliable, efficient heat that doesn’t fight the weather
- Design that feels at home beside a native garden, a pool, or a coastal deck
And above all, the luxury of uninterrupted time with the people who matter – no booking system, no strangers, no rushed 30-minute slots. Just warmth, steam, and stories shared in a little timber cabin that sits a few steps from your back door.
Shym’s message is clear enough:
When you invest in a sauna or a hot tub, you’re not just buying a product – you’re investing in moments that matter.
If you’re the kind of person who’s been dreaming about turning your backyard into a small wellness retreat – one that feels more Nordic lakeside cabin than flimsy garden shed – Shym Saunas has quietly built a range that deserves a closer look.
The gym eucalyptus box is officially retired. The future of sauna looks a lot more like warm timber, soft light, real conversations – and home.
