A Unique Sauna Experience with Wild Haus PNW
The Pacific Northwest is full of unique ways to enjoy the outdoors, but one of the most relaxing has to be the floating saunas from Wild Haus @WildHausPNW . I recently had the chance to experience one firsthand, and this is the ultimate relaxation-meets-adventure experience in the PNW!
Luxury with a View
When I first heard about Wild Haus, I was intrigued by the idea of a sauna boat on the water.
It seemed like a perfect way to unwind while still being surrounded by the natural beauty of Washington.
Booking was simple, it was easy to find the iconic boats at South Lake Union. Wild Haus has two beautifully designed floating sauna boats, complete with wood-paneled interiors and a cozy wood-burning stove. Our captain David gave us a quick intro, and we were on our way!
The first thing I noticed was the incredible views.
Unlike a traditional sauna, where you’re usually enclosed in a tiny room, the boats are luxurious.
There’s a glass-walled warm cabin where you can store your bags, listen to music, curl up by the window bench, and change into your swimsuit.
Open the door to enter the sauna, featuring another glass wall to enjoy the view.
Finally, on the upper deck there’s lounge chairs and you can enjoy Lake Union and Seattle’s beautiful skyline.
The Sauna and Cold Plunge Combo
The sauna is heated with a wood burning stove, with logs provided to add as needed, and the temperature heated up quickly. It didn’t take long before we were ready for the next part—the cold plunge. You can jump into the lake from the main deck, or the upper level if you’re feeling bold. You can also use the bucket at the back of the boat to cold plunge without going into the lake.
Afterwards, we went back in the sauna again, and the contrast is both refreshing and invigorating. I can see why people swear the health benefits of this hot-cold cycle. There is also a bucket and ladle to add water to the rocks for steam (my favorite part).
A Unique Seattle Adventure
Whether you’re looking for a solo reset, a fun outing with friends, or a special occasion experience, these floating saunas provide a great way to slow down and enjoy the moment.
Options include the private captained sauna voyage up to 6 people (which you can book for 90 min or 2.5 hours), and the communal sauna voyage (90 min), where you can connect with like-minded adventurers.
You just need to show up with a swimsuit – your voyage comes with luxurious robes to wear on the boat, drinks, and delicious snacks (ours was coconut water, oranges, and amazing skinny peanut butter cups).
Wild Haus has multiple sailing times with day, sunset, and night options – I highly recommend sunset, and we were lucky to have nice weather. Next time, I would love to check out the night time to enjoy the lights!
Other things to note: No bathrooms on the boat, but you can use the bathroom at the coffee shop by the dock. I also recommend booking early, especially on weekends since voyages sell out.
Why It’s Worth Trying
Saunas are known for their health benefits—helping with circulation, relaxation, and muscle recovery—but adding the element of floating on a peaceful waterway makes it even better.
It’s a great way to embrace the PNW lifestyle, combining wellness with the natural beauty of the region.
If you’re looking for a unique way to unwind in Seattle, Wild Haus is definitely worth checking out.
Whether it’s a crisp winter afternoon or a golden summer evening, it’s an experience that leaves you feeling both relaxed and recharged.
This was truly a bucket list experience we won’t forget!
Interviewing the Friends behind the Saunas
Tell us more about how the founders met and came up with the idea of Wild Haus
The 6 of us have been friends for a long time and while we come from an array of different backgrounds we share an appetite for building cool stuff with cool people. We have always lived unconventional lives and Wild Haus is a creative reflection of what we value the most in life; unique experiences that are best shared. We take a lot of inspiration from our travels abroad and this particular project was inspired by sauna culture in Scandinavia. We love how embedded this has become in their daily life and we felt we could bring a similar experience and feeling to Seattle.
What was the process of getting/building the floating saunas? How long did the process take?
From the inception of the idea to getting the boats in the water was close to 18 months! We partnered with a Swedish architect who has been building these for over a decade in Europe and we built the boats here in Seattle with the help of friends and family.
How many boats do you have?
We have 2 boats, Aspen and Ember. We can’t wait to add more to the fleet!
Saunas are a big part of culture in Europe and a form of socialization. What were your expectations with offering communal saunas, and how has the reception been?
We believe sitting in a sauna on the water is kind of like sitting around a fire with friends, everyone is present and open to new connections. While it was always apart of our plan to create community around sauna culture and encourage exactly this feeling we can honestly say we didn’t expect the level of demand for our Communal Voyages, which has been amazing to see. We watch people begin their Voyage a little tense not knowing who else is sharing this experience with them and more often than not they come back laughing and exchanging contacts with the rest of the crew. This is our way of warming up the Seattle freeze!
What are the biggest challenges with the floating saunas?
Our biggest challenge so far has been to slow our role! As much as we want to expand our offerings quickly we are aware of the need to thoughtfully grow our business at the right pace. We look forward to eventually including add-ons once the weather gets warmer but for now we are focused on maintaining our high level of customer service and experience.
Share your favorite guest or personal stories on the saunas – heartwarming proposals, funny mishaps, getting stuck or lost, celebrations or milestones etc.
While we have only been open since January 1st, in that amount of time we have already had a proposal, an 80th birthday party, and a reunion of friends who haven’t seen in each other in over a decade – which is pretty sweet.
I love your mission on protecting the earth – please share more about the Wild Reserve and your goals
Thank you! Our Wild Reserve is still in its infancy as we get up and running but it is something we are all very passionate about. Our team shares a collective belief that the more we experience the natural world and spend time outside the more we care about protecting these natural environments. We feel a deep responsibility to protect the land and biodiversity that provides us with so much, as Earth truly is the ultimate playground. Our goal with the Wild Reserve is to essentially create a piggybank where a portion of our profits go in hopes of purchasing wild pieces of land to protect and preserve.
What do you want guests to know about your floating sauna experience?
That they can show up with nothing but a swimsuit and we’ll take care of the rest.
Any future goals and directions?
We are excited to grow the Wild Haus experience and brand in Seattle and beyond, we are always dreaming about what’s next, we’ll keep you posted!
Natalie Uy and Bryan Holand
About Us: Natalie and Bryan chronicle their travels while being full time physicians, hence the name “Adventures on Call”. When not treating patients in the hospital, they’re out hiking mountains, doing freelance photography work, and exploring the PNW. Nike is a sheltie mix (or “freckled fox”) and the perfect hiking and travel companion. You can follow their adventures @adventuresoncall
This looks amazing! I serve on the board of directors for Heartwood Haven, Washington State’s largest farm sanctuary, with over 35,000 socially media followers. Our annual online auction happens in June….would you be I twin donating a gift certificate for that? Our donors always tell us it’s a great, easy way to reach potential customers! I’m happy to provide our tax id number. Thank you!