How to Add a Sauna and Cold Plunge to Your Gym

You can add a sauna and cold plunge to your gym, but plan the plunge like a small pool, not like a new machine. Health codes can treat a shared cold tub like a spa, so call your local health department before you buy.

This guide covers the rules, member limits, water care, space and power, and which of our commercial saunas and cold plunges fit a gym.

Should you add a sauna and cold plunge to your gym?

A sauna is the easier start. It's a heated room with no water to filter, test or drain. A cold plunge is a tub of chilled water that many members share, so it brings water care and health code questions.

Be honest with members about what they get. Harvard Health calls the evidence for cold plunge benefits "pretty shallow." A 2025 review it covers found "little evidence to support improvements in mood or immunity."

Contrast therapy means switching between hot and cold water. A 2013 review of 18 trials found it eased muscle soreness more than rest. But every trial "had a high risk of bias," it did about as well as other recovery methods, and it tested water, not saunas.

A Cleveland Clinic sports doctor adds that cold plunges are "not essential to a training program." So offer the room as a comfort perk, not a health program.

Check your local rules before you buy

There is no single rulebook for a gym sauna or cold plunge. The CDC's model code is not law, so states and cities decide what to adopt and add their own rules. The ADA does cover saunas. Here's what public health sources say.

Health codes can treat a plunge like a spa

The CDC's Model Aquatic Health Code is a model that states can adopt, not a law by itself. It defines a spa as a structure "intended for either warm or cold water." NCCEH reads the MAHC as requiring cold plunge pools to turn over, or pass through the filter, in one hour or less.

One city's rule: New York City

New York City's health code covers saunas in "gymnasia and health establishments." A sauna there can't go above 194 °F, measured at eye height.

It also wants a one-hour timer that shuts off the heat, or an attendant who checks every 15 minutes. A sign must say use "should not exceed 30 minutes." That's one city's rule. Other places may have their own version.

One state's rule: Oregon

Oregon says shared tubs with a recirculating filter that are open to the public "must undergo a formal plan review." Even tubs labeled "commercial" aren't built to meet its rules, it says.

As of September 2025, Oregon knew of no self-contained tub that meets all of them. That includes plug-and-play tubs like the ones we sell. In a state like this, you may need a built-in plunge instead.

ADA access for saunas

The ADA covers saunas too. The U.S. Access Board guide calls for a door with at least 32 inches of clear width, a 60-inch turning space and at least one compliant bench. Where two or more saunas sit together, at least 5% of them, and at least one of each type, must be accessible.

What to post for members: time, temperature and who should skip

Put these limits on a sign by each unit.

The Frozen 9 cools to 37 °F. That's the lowest it goes, not a setting to use. Keep the water at 40 °F or warmer.

Cleveland Clinic also says cold therapy "can interfere with muscle gains," especially within four hours of a muscle-building workout. A plunge on rest days may still help recovery, it adds.

For more detail, point members to our guides on how long to cold plunge and how long to stay in a sauna.

Who should check with a doctor first

Add this list to your signs and intake form.

• Cold plunge: heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, pregnancy, nerve damage in the hands or feet, or poor circulation (Cleveland Clinic).
• Avoid plunges: Harvard says people with a heart rhythm disorder such as atrial fibrillation should skip them. The same goes for peripheral artery disease and Raynaud's.
• Skip the sauna: after a recent heart attack or stroke, or after drinking alcohol.
• Ask before a sauna: members over 65, under 16, pregnant, on medication, or with heart problems, high or low blood pressure, or epilepsy (Cleveland Clinic).

How to keep a shared cold plunge clean

Canada's National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health (NCCEH) wrote a public health review of cold plunge tanks. Here's what it found and recommends:

• Cold water makes disinfectant work less well.
• Plunge filters are typically 20 microns. Those "are not adequate to remove" the parasites Cryptosporidium and Giardia.
• UV light or ozone isn't enough alone: "only chlorine or bromine should be used in conjunction with UV or ozone."
• Tubs with no filter or disinfection system should be drained, cleaned and disinfected between each user.

NCCEH found no outbreaks tied to cold plunge tubs in spas. Shared ice baths, though, were possible factors in staph outbreaks on two sports teams.

Our Frozen 9 lists a 20 Ultra Micron Filter and a UV Sanitizing System on its product page. Ask a pool professional what chlorine or bromine level to keep, and how often to drain and refill.

The CDC's hot tub guide says to test disinfectant and pH "at least twice per day," and as often as hourly in heavy use. It's written for hot tubs, but it's a fair bar for any shared tub.

Space, power and weight

Floor load and size

Plan a footprint of 34 by 90 inches for the Frozen 9, which stands 39 inches tall. It weighs 1,073 lb empty and 2,169 lb with 103 gallons of water. On an upper floor or a mezzanine, have an engineer check the floor before you order.

Among the saunas, the Catalonia 8-person far-infrared model is 87 x 75 x 87 inches and 920 lb. The Medical 7 Plus is 66 x 66 x 77 inches and 625 lb.

Power

• Medical 7 Plus: 120V, 20 amp, with a NEMA 5-20 plug.
• Catalonia 8-person: 240V, 30 amp. Golden Designs says to use a certified electrician.
• Kuusamo 6-person traditional: an 8 kW stove on 240V, 33.4 amp, single phase.
• Frozen 9: a 120V plug-and-play power supply.

The Catalonia's page says indoor residential use. Ask your electrician whether your panel and local code can handle the unit you pick.

Delivery and setup

The Frozen 9 ships by freight, curbside on a pallet, with no installation option. Before you order, ask who will move a 1,073 lb unit from the curb to your room.

The Catalonia also ships curbside on a pallet, in 9 cartons. The Kuusamo takes 2 people about 3 hours to assemble, and the Medical 7 Plus uses clasp-together panels.

Drains, air and access

Plan a floor drain or pump-out route near the plunge. We found no trusted source on sauna air flow, so follow the manual and your building code.

Golden Designs lists the Catalonia's removable benches as wheelchair accessible and includes a ramp. The Access Board says the accessible bench must be fixed or built in, so check your layout against its guide.

Which of our saunas and cold plunges fit a gym

We sell every unit below and picked them from our product specs: seats, power, size and commercial use. We haven't tested them in a gym.

Three units to look at first

Medical Breakthrough Frozen 9 Commercial Cold Plunge

Commercial cold plunge: 103-gal capacity, 37°F minimum, stainless steel tank

One shared plunge with a built-in chiller, filter and UV. Downside: the chiller, pumps and controls get 1 year of warranty, while the structure and electrical get 3.

Golden Designs Catalonia 8 Person Far Infrared Sauna

8-person far infrared sauna: 240V/30AMP, Near Zero EMF, indoor

Our biggest-capacity cabin, a far-infrared model rated for 8 people. Downside: it needs a 240V, 30 amp circuit, and Golden Designs lists it for indoor residential use.

Medical 7 Plus Infrared Sauna (6 Person)

6-person far infrared sauna: 66 × 66 × 77 in exterior

Seats up to 6 on a 120V, 20 amp circuit, so you may not need new wiring. Downside: the warranty is 3 years, parts only.

What does it cost to add a sauna and cold plunge?

As of October 2026, the units in the table run from $7,499 to $13,449.

The unit is only part of the bill. Plan for an electrician, a drain, a floor check, water tests, a health permit and insurance. Those vary too much by building to guess, so get local quotes.

We quote gyms separately, so contact us with your unit list and address. Once an order ships, Golden Designs saunas spend 2 to 5 days in transit, Medical saunas 5 to 10, and Frozen plunges 7 to 10. Confirm the full timing with us when you ask for a quote.

Liability and insurance

We didn't find a trusted source on waivers or insurance for gym saunas and plunges. Call your insurer before you buy, and have a local lawyer review your waiver.

Staff, signs and logs

Book sessions in time slots. Ask your health department how many people can use the tub at once. Cover these basics before you open the room:

• Orientation: go over the limits and doctor list before first use.
• Signs: post the limits, who should ask a doctor, and when to get out.
• Thermometer: Cleveland Clinic says to use one to check the plunge water.
• Water log: record each disinfectant and pH test, and every drain and refill.
• Sauna checks: NYC requires a daily log of 15-minute checks unless a one-hour timer is fitted.
• Training: the CDC says hot tub staff should be "trained appropriately."
• Emergency plan: decide who responds if a member feels faint.

The bottom line

To add a sauna and cold plunge to your gym, call your health department first. Then match each unit to your floor, power and staff time.

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