Why a Sauna Is One of the Highest-ROI Amenities for Your Short-Term Rental

If you’re running an STR, you’re in the amenity arms race whether you like it or not.

The question isn’t “Should I add something?” It’s “What’s the one upgrade that (1) makes your listing stand out instantly, (2) helps you charge more, (3) sells in photos, and (4) works in the off-season?”

A sauna checks all four.

And unlike a lot of “luxury” upgrades, a sauna doesn’t need perfect weather, doesn’t rely on a view, and doesn’t only matter for two months of the year. It’s an experience amenity — the kind of thing guests will book specifically to use.

Below is the business case STR owners actually care about: revenue impact, why it happens, and two practical ways to add a sauna to your property (rent/host vs buy/install).

1) The revenue upside: what the data suggests

You don’t need to guess whether premium amenities move the needle. They do.

Hot tubs (a closely related “private wellness” amenity) are consistently associated with meaningful revenue lift:

• Vacasa says adding a hot tub can increase overall rental revenue by 15–20% . ( Vacasa )

• Vacasa also states (in a separate homeowner guide) that its homeowners make 15% to 25% more annual rental revenue when they install a hot tub. ( Vacasa )

• Vacasa repeats the 15–20% annual revenue lift figure in another guide specifically about hot tubs for vacation rentals. ( Vacasa )

Saunas show pricing power too. AirDNA reports that, nationally, listings with saunas earn 7.4% more in ADR (Average Daily Rate). ( AirDNA )

A sauna is in the same “private wellness” amenity category as a hot tub, but with two advantages: it’s more “Instagrammable” than people expect, and it’s often less operationally annoying than water-based amenities (less chemistry, fewer emergency calls, fewer “it’s cloudy” messages).

On sauna-specific performance, Revedy published an analysis that’s hard to ignore:

• Revedy reports that in “Large City – Suburban” markets, adding a sauna (cost range they cite: $6,000–$10,000 ) can boost annual revenue by an average of $18,072 , with payback in 7 months or less in that segment. ( Revedy )

Is every property going to see that exact outcome? No. But the point is this: in the right markets, a sauna isn’t a “nice-to-have.” It’s a revenue lever.

2) Why a sauna increases STR revenue (the mechanics)

A sauna increases revenue through three simple mechanisms:

A) You can charge a premium nightly rate (ADR goes up)

Premium amenities justify a higher nightly rate because guests aren’t comparing you to “similar homes” anymore — they’re comparing you to “homes with a sauna.” AirDNA’s analysis supports that sauna listings, on average, command higher ADR nationally.

B) Your occupancy improves, especially in shoulder/off-season

A sauna is weather-proof entertainment. That matters when it’s cold, raining, or guests are deciding whether to stay in. Even when the “average” ADR lift is modest, this amenity tends to hit hardest in seasonal markets because it gives guests a reason to book when the weather isn’t cooperating.

C) You improve conversion (and the algorithm helps you)

On Airbnb/Vrbo/Booking, conversion matters. Better listing photos + more saves + higher conversion often leads to more visibility.

A sauna:

• gives you a hero image

• gives your listing copy a hook

• creates review language guests repeat (“the sauna was the highlight”)

That helps ranking, which helps occupancy, which helps revenue.

3) A quick ROI model (use this to sanity-check your property)

Here’s an easy way to estimate your upside without pretending you have perfect data.

Pick your conservative assumptions

• Nightly rate uplift: $40

• Occupancy: 160 nights/year (about 44% occupancy)

• Incremental annual revenue = $40 × 160 = $6,400/year

If your sauna costs $9,000 installed, your simple payback is:

• $9,000 / $6,400 ≈ 1.4 years

Now do the same with a “strong market” assumption:

• Nightly uplift: $75

• Occupancy: 200 nights/year

• Incremental annual revenue = $75 × 200 = $15,000/year

• Payback on $9,000 ≈ 0.6 years (~7 months)

That “fast payback” scenario is consistent with the kind of outcomes Revedy describes in certain suburban/urban-adjacent markets. ( Revedy )

4) Where saunas perform best (so you don’t waste money)

A sauna tends to outperform when at least one of these is true:

• Your market has cold weather / seasonality (you need an off-season weapon)

• Your comps are boring (you need differentiation)

• Your property is “experience-friendly” (cabins, A-frames, nature stays, romantic weekends)

• You’re near hiking/skiing/outdoor recreation (guests want recovery + relaxation)

• You’re in a competitive suburban/drive-to market (weekend getaways)

Both AirDNA’s amenity analysis and Revedy’s findings support the idea that sauna performance is market-dependent and often strongest where it’s less common and more “destination-relevant.” ( AirDNA )

5) “Hot tub vs sauna” — should you do both?

Hot tubs are proven moneymakers, but they can be high-maintenance (water chemistry, cleaning, service calls, winterization).

Vacasa’s own guidance frames hot tubs as a premium amenity tied to meaningful annual revenue lift (15–20% in multiple Vacasa resources). ( Vacasa )

A sauna can be a smarter first move if:

• you want a premium amenity without water maintenance

• you care about shoulder-season bookings

• you want something that photographs insanely well

• you want fewer “my skin is itchy” type issues

If you can do both, great — but a sauna alone is enough to change how your listing is perceived.

6) How to market your sauna so you actually get the uplift

You don’t get paid for installing a sauna. You get paid for selling the sauna in your listing.

Do this stuff and your odds of ROI go up immediately:

A) Photography that sells the experience

• One hero shot: sauna glowing at dusk/night

• One inside shot: bench + heater + clean lines

• One context shot: sauna + seating area / firepit / string lights

• One “use” shot (optional): towels, robe hooks, water bucket, etc.

B) Put sauna keywords in the right places

• Title: “Cabin w/ Private Sauna” beats “Cozy Cabin Retreat”

• First 3 lines of description: mention sauna immediately

• Amenity list: ensure sauna is selected properly (platform filters matter)

C) Add a simple “sauna guide” in your house manual
Keep it idiot-proof:

• max session length

• hydration note

• how to operate (2–3 steps)

• safety bullet points
  Less confusion = fewer support messages = better reviews.

7) Two ways to add a sauna to your STR (without locking yourself into one bet)

Option 1: Host a sauna through Simply Sauna’s STR rental/hosting program (fastest path)

This is for owners who want the revenue upside without committing to a permanent install immediately.

The idea:

• You add “Sauna” as a featured amenity

• You market it and capture the premium

• You avoid a big upfront purchase while you validate the demand on your property

Option 2: Buy + install a sauna (best long-term control)

If your STR is already stable and you want to lock in the amenity permanently, purchase/install is the long game.

If you go this route, your two biggest ROI drivers are:

• placement (privacy + vibe matters more than square footage)

• presentation (it has to look like an experience, not a utility box)

8) The honest bottom line

A sauna is a revenue play because it changes your listing category.

You stop competing as “another nice house.”
You start competing as “the place with the private sauna.”

And premium amenities aren’t theoretical — both AirDNA’s amenity analysis (showing sauna listings earning higher ADR) and Revedy’s sauna ROI write-up point to real, measurable pricing power in the right markets. ( AirDNA )

If you want the cleanest way to evaluate this for your own property, do the ROI math with conservative numbers first. If it still works conservatively, it’s usually a no-brainer.

CALL TO ACTION

If you want to add a sauna to your STR, Simply Sauna can help—whether you want to test demand first or go all-in:

Start with our STR Sauna Amenity program (fastest way to validate ROI): https://www.simply-sauna.com/str-sauna-amenity

Or buy/install a sauna for a permanent, premium positioning upgrade.

Either way, the goal is the same: higher nightly rates, stronger occupancy in slow months, and a listing that’s easier to sell.