Sauna fire safety and safety distances

The buyer bears responsibility for matters they may not even be aware of

The sauna market is currently highly fragmented. This is especially true in the case of outdoor saunas, where buyers can easily get the impression that a ready-made package also means a ready-made, safe solution. That is not always the case. Tukes, the Finnish Safety and Chemicals Agency, has reported deficiencies in outdoor sauna packages sold on the market, including insufficient safety distances, incompatibility between the heater and the chimney, and misleading placement instructions. In 2025, Tukes also launched a supervision project on the safety of outdoor saunas, with particular attention to buildings under 30 m², which may be exempt from building permits but are not exempt from construction requirements.

Why fire safety must be considered already at the planning stage

Fire safety is not something to be checked only at the very end. It affects where the sauna can be placed, what kind of heater and chimney can be chosen, and how the structures must be built. Even if a sauna under 30 m² does not always require a building permit, construction regulations, fire safety requirements, zoning rules, and distances to neighbouring properties must still be followed. These are not issues that sauna package sellers often emphasize.

That is precisely why a good sauna project starts with the right initial information. When fire safety is taken into account from the beginning, situations can be avoided where a sauna looks good on paper but turns out not to be safe or suitable for the site without modifications. According to Tukes, the party undertaking the building project is responsible for ensuring that the building is designed and implemented in compliance with regulations, even though it may be difficult for the buyer to assess whether a ready-made sauna package is actually correct and compliant.

What do safety distances mean in practice?

In practice, a safety distance refers to the space that must be left around the heater, chimney, and other heat-generating surfaces so that surrounding structures do not heat up to a dangerous level. It is not one universal measurement that applies to every sauna. The required distances depend on the heater, the chimney, the structures, any protective shielding, and the installation method. In addition, rescue authorities’ guidance reminds users that the heater’s specified safety distances must always be followed, the heater must be kept in good condition, and laundry must never be dried in the sauna room, as this is one of the common causes of sauna fires.

In practice, safety distances directly affect how space can be used. They determine how close the heater may be installed to walls, benches, the ceiling, or other surfaces, and what kinds of protective solutions are required. That is why a small sauna is not automatically an easy sauna: the tighter the space, the more carefully every detail must be resolved.

Responsibility often falls on the buyer

This is one of the major problems in the industry: the market is still something of a wild west. Ready-made saunas and sauna packages are sold with attractive promises, but the buyer is too often left to determine whether the overall solution is actually suitable for their property and fire safe. Tukes has specifically stated that an outdoor sauna package as a whole is not considered a product under the EU Construction Products Regulation, even though its individual components, such as the heater and chimney, have their own requirements and, for example, CE marking obligations. This makes assessing the overall package difficult for the buyer, even though the responsibility ultimately remains with the person undertaking the building project.

A safe sauna, peace of mind

Alegriá saunas are manufactured responsibly, with Tukes guidance taken into account, and we support our customers throughout the entire process, from design to implementation. We help ensure that the sauna’s placement and all safety-related factors are properly considered from the very beginning. It is important to us that every Alegriá sauna owner can enjoy their sauna with complete peace of mind, safely and without worry. We do not want anyone to be left alone with uncertain choices. We want the end result to feel right from start to finish.

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Tukes = the Finnish Safety and Chemicals Agency, Finland’s national authority responsible for supervising and promoting the safety and compliance of products, services, and certain industrial activities.