Tuli Wood-Fired Sauna in Wausau, Wisconsin

We built this Tuli for a client in Wausau, Wisconsin who wanted a reason to step outside in winter instead of waiting it out. It is a wood-fired backyard sauna with a covered porch, planned for a climate where the cold season runs long.

The heater is an IKI Mini Plus wood stove. It carries a full load of sauna stones, and when you pour water over them you get deep, heavy steam that you feel through your whole body. Anyone who has only used a lightweight electric unit will notice the difference in the first round.

The Tuli layout gives a session some order. The steam room is its own space, and the covered porch is where you cool down between rounds. That in-between spot matters more than most people expect. It is what turns fifteen minutes in a hot room into a routine you can settle into for an evening.

Outside, the sauna has white paneling with black trim and a clean, flat roofline. Inside, it is lined in cedar from floor to ceiling. A large picture window looks out over the yard, so in January you sit by the fire and watch the snow come down.

We chose the insulation, the airflow and the materials for how this sauna will be used over years of central Wisconsin winters, more than for how it looks on day one.