Sauna lighting – according to need and mood

The sauna must have ample scope for different lighting needs. There must be both direct and indirect light; lighting must serve, both as a safety feature and as a mood enhancer. At its best, light in a sauna is softly and atmospherically reflected from wooden surfaces.

Traditionally, Finns have preferred dim lighting in saunas, but light output has slowly increased. Sun Sauna’s new table lamp series come standard with a dimmer to adjust the light intensity to your preference. It is a good idea to start planning your sauna lighting well in advance, so that the electrical connections required for the luminaires can be installed in the right places and hidden from view.

For sauna lighting, fibre optics are the best choice, as the fibres are highly resistant to the high temperatures in the sauna and can be placed freely and imaginatively in the sauna. Currently, light is produced on the fibres by an LED bulb and the projector is installed in the ceiling below where the temperature is low enough for the LED. The LED is not, at least for the time being, suitable for installation above the ceiling or in the ceiling, as the light output of the LED rapidly diminishes at high temperatures.

The so-called cleaning lighting must be sufficient for thorough and careful cleaning and washing. Cleaning light must be uniform so that no surface to be cleaned is overshadowed. There shall also be sufficient light sources to allow cleaning to be carried out thoroughly and effortlessly. In public saunas in particular, the ease of cleaning and the conditions conducive to it are enhanced by the need for cleaning to be carried out as quickly as possible and with short cleaning intervals. Ceiling luminaires in the wet room and separate under-cabinet cleaning lights provide sufficient general lighting suitable for cleaning.

Fibres for atmosphere

The sauna experience is created by atmospheric and dimming lighting solutions, such as carefully positioned fibre optic lights.

Ceiling fibres can be used to illuminate tiles, wall panels or, for example, the back wall of a stove. The placement of fibres can be used to create a wide variety of decorative and lighting options and to create different atmospheres in a space. Placing light close to the wall panel can enhance the tone of the panel, the wood surface and the pontoons, making the space appear more spacious. Particularly with sharp-pointed panels, a fibre-optic ceiling light placed close to the wall creates a nice variation of light and shadow. A fibre-optic light in the centre of the sauna increases the safety of the sauna when there is more general light. Traditional lighting under the slab is mainly for cleaning and maintenance, while during sauna bathing, cleaning lighting is not used.

Fibreglass sets and fibreglass lenses

Sun Sauna’s complete, ready-to-install light kit includes projector, fibreglass cable, locking rings and heater lens. The fibre is 2 mm in diameter, and the thicker fibre is 4 mm. Each kit contains one fibre for the top of the stove and the desired number of fibres for the rest of the ceiling. In the sauna ceiling fibre light kit, the stove fibre is 3,5 m long and the other fibres are between 2,5 m and 4 m long. Sun Sauna’s standard ceiling fibre lights are available in 1+4, 1+7 and 1+10 fibres; the kits include an additional stove fibre and a stove lens for lighting the stove. Sun Sauna’s fibre light kits with stove lenses are domestic, high quality and FI-approved products. The projector of the fibre light is usually installed in a dry area, e.g. in the false ceiling of a dressing room or washroom behind the inspection hatch.

Easy to install, atmospheric ceiling lights

Sun Sauna’s ECO fibreglass luminaire also consists of a transformer, projector and fibre optics. The light source is an LED bulb, which efficiently directs the light into the fibre. The fibre is used to direct the light to the desired object. The fibre luminaires are long-lived and can be freely positioned in the fireplace. The fibre optic luminaire can also be installed in conjunction with a simple replacement of the ceiling, as the luminaire kit can be surface mounted without replacing the panels.

The projector and transformer of the fibre optic light series are encased in a heat and splash proof housing and can therefore be safely installed under the sauna ceiling. The 3 mm diameter fibres can be cut to length during installation. The light source is the best and longest lasting Green LED bulb on the market, which consumes about a tenth of the electricity of a conventional halogen bulb and has a lifetime many times longer.

The ECO model is available in 10, 16, 22, 32 and 44 fibres. Depending on the number of fibres, the luminaires fit directly on the ceiling or either on an L or U-shaped ceiling or on a ceiling that is fitted opposite. The EcoPlus range includes a 5 metre glass fibre with a lens at the end to focus the light onto the heater.

The table lamp, also sold online, can be installed in invisible grooves and backrests already milled into the ceiling at the factory. The fibre groove gives a neat look and the fibres do not make it difficult to wash the ceiling. For the purchaser of Sun Sauna decking and lighting, the milling of the fibre groove is included in the order free of charge. The fibres for the backrest can either be placed under the panels or surface-mounted.

The number of luminaires and fibres available through Sun Sauna are specifically designed to fit Sun Sauna’s range of tableware.

The fire pit has usually been a standalone element in sauna interiors, but Sun Sauna has a fun alternative to the traditional water pit – a fire pit.

A fire pit integrated into the table top, the so-called fire source, is an eye-catcher in the sauna interior. The base of the fire source has a striking stone pattern and two places for fibre lights. The fibres can be pulled directly from the sauna light’s fibre harness into the board. For the Sun Sauna’s ceiling-mounted light bulb, the recess and the required reinforcements for the light bulb are already pre-fabricated in the factory, making it easy to install the light bulb.

It is also possible to retrofit the fire source, in which case the reinforcements are made separately on the board frame during installation. It is also possible to retrofit the fibre to an old board, but in this case the reinforcements required for the fibre must be added to the board frame during installation.

Create a relaxing atmosphere in your bathroom – bring light into your sauna with Sun Sauna’s lighting solutions.

Design programme