Sauna can relax muscles, improve blood circulation, and improve the quality of sleep. More and more people are building sauna rooms in their homes, enjoying the benefits of sauna. A great sauna experience requires not only balanced temperature and humidity, but also comfortable lights. How to light a sauna? What sauna light fixtures are recommended? Can LED lights be used in a sauna? Keep scrolling to see if this article might spark some inspiration for your sauna lighting design.
Sauna Lighting: Safety First
Safety is the first factor to consider when lighting any sauna.
Traditional Finnish saunas have very high temperatures, usually ranging between 70 and 90°C. If you like to splash water now and then, the temperature will be even higher. Steam saunas, on the other hand, will have lower temperatures, usually at 50°C, but will produce a lot of water vapor.
Choosing heatproof and waterproof sauna lights that operate on low voltage can help make your sauna experience safer.
Go for Low-voltage Sauna Lights
When you’re selecting lights for the sauna room, opt for 12V-24V low-voltage sauna lighting fixtures. It helps reduce the risk of electrocution and prevent electrical faults from causing fires. Also, low-voltage designs do not require complex electrical systems and are simpler to install.
However, a step-down power transformer is necessary for the low-voltage sauna lights.
Instead of installing the transformer inside your sauna room, please install it in a dry and temperature-controlled environment. Use the soldering method to help establish a more solid electrical connection. Consider drilling wall holes and connecting the inner sauna lights to an outdoor transformer with high-temp, waterproof PVC wires.
Choose Heat-resistant and Waterproof Sauna Lights
High-temp Sauna Light
It’s important to find high-temp lights for your sauna.
But do you have to buy expensive light fixture for sauna that can tolerate 90-degree heat? Honestly speaking, no. Depending on the temperature you prefer for your sauna and where you plan to install the light sauna, you can choose the sauna light fixture that best suits your needs.
If you plan to install sauna lights in the ceiling, or near the heater (not recommended), choose a more heat-resistant light, as these areas usually have a lot of water vapor that collects and emits heat. If you only plan to install a sauna space light on the floor, or near the bench, a normal heat-resistant fixture will work.
Waterproof Sauna Light
The waterproof rating, usually measured by the IP rating, is also a factor that must be taken into account.
IP rating is expressed as a two-digit number, with the first digit indicating the fixture’s level of protection against solid objects and the second digit indicating the fixture’s level of protection against water. The higher the rating, the stronger the protection.
Generally speaking, the IP65 rating is sufficient in a sauna. But for steam room lighting, you need to consider IP67 or even IP68 fixtures.
| IP Rating | Dust Protection | Water Protection |
| IP 65 | Complete dust protection | Withstands water jets from any direction |
| IP 67 | Complete dust protection | Withstands temporary immersion in water up to 1 meter for 30 minutes |
| IP 68 | Complete dust protection | Withstands long-term immersion in water |
Beyond Safety: Comfortable Sauna Lighting
Once safety is ensured, let’s consider an aesthetically pleasing and comfortable sauna lighting design.
Imagine relaxing in a sauna with the perfect temperature and humidity, taking a deep breath, and feeling the pine scent of the wood, only to be disturbed by harsh and overly bright light. This is definitely one scenario we want to steer clear of.
Here are a two suggestions to help you create a relaxing and cozy sauna lighting.
Opt for Warm White Light
In saunas, people usually use warm white light, which means the color temperature is usually below 5000K. The lighting needs to be soft to help maximize relaxation. Nowadays, the most popular type of sauna lighting is indirect lighting, which uses diffuse reflection to achieve a soft light effect. Bright lights at eye level are rarely applied.
Color Difference Between Warm White, Daylight, And Cool White
Consider Dimmable Lighting
If the brightness of the sauna lights can be adjusted with your phone or a controller, it will bring excellent convenience to your sauna experience. In home sauna, older people, children and young people need different levels of light brightness, and using dimmable sauna lights can easily solve this problem.
Can LED Lights Be Used in Saunas?
In short, LED lights are very suitable for use in saunas. They combine safety and aesthetic features, and have become a widely used sauna lighting option.
- Safe: Sauna LED lights are very safe to use. They do not pose a fire risk as incandescent bulbs do, and will only diminish in brightness over time.
- Heat Resistant: There are heat-resistant LED lights specifically designed for saunas, able to withstand temperatures up to 100°C. Unless you insist on installing them close to the sauna ceiling or next to a heater, regular LED fixtures will do the job for sauna lighting needs.
- Waterproof: Sauna lights LED come in different waterproof ratings, with the highest waterproof rating of IP68 being fully capable of long-term underwater use.
- Aesthetics: LED sauna lighting has diverse forms, such as downlights, strips, fiber optics, and more, offering clear, bright, and flicker-free illumination.
- Customization: LED light sauna have a variety of colors to choose from. You can use a controller to independently adjust the brightness, color temperature, and color, to achieve a creative sauna lighting design.
Disadvantages: The service life of ordinary LED lighting for sauna will be shortened in hot environments, so please plan for potential replacements in the future. LED fixtures need to be compatible with other electrical systems in the sauna, which may require additional compatible adapters or controllers.
Sauna Lighting Ideas
Traditional Methods: Natural Light and Candle Lighting
Natural lighting can save energy, while creating a cozy and relaxing natural atmosphere. You can use skylights or side windows to bring in natural light and avoid strong direct sunlight. Lighting candles is also a great option. But please place the candles steadily in heat-resistant containers and keep them away from flammable items such as wood and towels.
Industrial-Style: Bulkhead Sauna Light
Bulkhead lights have a long history. Made of aluminum or stainless steel with a protective cover, they are durable and can resist dust and water intrusion. Highly flexible, these bulkhead sauna lights can be mounted on walls, ceilings, and under seats. You can purchase LED bulbs and Bulkhead housings to install them yourself.
However, some people may not like to use this industrial-style light in a wooden sauna. At this time, wooden shades are also a good choice. It not only keeps your sauna design style consistent, but also reduces the brightness of the light and emits a more quiet light.
Create an Open View: Sauna Light Strip
LED sauna light strip provides long linear lighting, perfect for installing underneath the bench. It is the most popular form of indirect lighting that illuminates the floor, making the space wider while keeping the upper part dimly lit for both safety and aesthetics. Some people also install sauna LED strip lights behind the seat, right up against the ceiling.
If you use SMD LED strips, there will be a distance between each LED chip, so the light is not continuous. To reduce the spotting, you can use an aluminum channel to help spread out a more even light, or use a COB tape light or a neon strip for a smoother lighting effect.
LED strips often come with an adhesive backing that can be peeled off and attached to the area you want to illuminate. If you are worried that the adhesive backing will melt at a constant high temperature, you can also use the silicone mounting clips to install it.
Advanced Ceiling Design: Fiber Optic Lights
Fiber optic lights don’t conduct electricity. They only conduct light, making them perfect for use in high-temperature, high-humidity environments like saunas. The optic lights made with glass have a stronger lasting effect. You can install the fiber optic on the ceiling of the sauna to create the effect of a starry night sky through dense small points of light. Mounting on the back of a recliner is also a common use of fiber optic lights. However, fiber optic lights are more expensive and are suitable for commercial sauna lighting.
Integrated Lighting: Recessed LED Downlights
LED downlights can be embedded in the edge of the sauna ceiling to provide a weak lighting effect. However, the front cover glass and housing seal of the downlight need to have good heat resistance, as the ceiling temperature is usually very high.
Summarizing
Sauna light plays a very important role in creating a cozy and relaxing atmosphere.
Safety is the primary consideration. Use low-voltage lighting designs whenever possible. Pick heat-resistant and waterproof sauna fixtures based on your unique sauna temperature preferences and where you plan to install the lights.
Above safety, we then consider aesthetics. Soft, warm light is the key to comfortable sauna lighting. Indirect and natural light options are widely chosen.
LED lights are more suitable for saunas than traditional incandescent lamps. Among them, LED bulbs with bulkhead steel, LED strips, LED fiber optic lights, and LED downlights are widely used.