01 · The big picture
Sauna demand is at a record. Cold plunge peaked in 2024.
US search interest in "sauna" set an all-time high in the New Year week of 2026, about 28% above the same week a year earlier. Interest follows the calendar: it peaks every January and settles in the fall. This September was level with last September, which reads like a market that has gone mainstream rather than one still accelerating.
Cold plunge is moving the other way. Searches peaked in January 2024 and have since fallen by more than half. The one cold-water topic still growing is contrast therapy, heat then cold, which roughly quadrupled between January 2023 and January 2026.
If you're planning a plunge, plan it next to the heat. That's where the interest is going.
Sources: Google Trends, US, 5 years · Polar Recovery: US cold plunge searches down 55% (Keyword Planner data)
02 · Industry pulse
The numbers behind the trend
- Harvia, the listed Finnish heater and sauna group that owns Almost Heaven, grew North American revenue 38.6% in Q2 2026. North America is now 44% of the group's sales.
- Harvia's cabins and barrel saunas grew 44% in the quarter. Its steam products fell 13.8%, which the company put down to softer demand.
- Plunge, the best-known cold plunge brand, reported revenue of $82.5M in 2024, essentially flat on 2023's $81.7M, and has started selling saunas.
- Sunlighten, an infrared sauna maker, bought the assets of Ice Barrel in May 2025. Heat brands and cold brands are converging on contrast therapy.
- Social saunas are scaling: Bathhouse raised $35M in May 2026, and Perspire Sauna Studio opened its 100th location.
Sources: Harvia half-year review, Jan–Jun 2026 · SaunaNews: Harvia North America +38.6% · Plunge financials (KingsCrowd) · Sunlighten acquires Ice Barrel · Bathhouse raises $35M · Perspire's 100th studio
03 · Safety
Recall: 41,580 Sauna360 infrared saunas
On September 17, 2026, Sauna360 recalled about 41,580 infrared and hybrid infrared saunas and infrared kits over fire and burn hazards. The recall covers units sold from 2013 into 2026 under brands including Finnleo, Tylö, Helo, Amerec and Radiant Health, through Costco and specialty dealers. Sauna360 also expanded a separate recall of Tylö hybrid sauna benches for a fall hazard.
If you own an infrared sauna from one of these brands, check the model against the CPSC notice and stop using it until you have the remedy.
04 · Policy
Canadian tariffs, and what they touch
A 50% tariff on Canadian goods took effect on August 22, 2026. Canada supplies almost all of the prefabricated wooden buildings the US imports, which is how most barrel and cabin saunas arrive. Reporting so far says finished saunas classified as prefabricated buildings are exempt, but the parts that make up indoor kits are hit: cedar cladding, doors, benches and replacement pieces.
Expect pressure on indoor kit and replacement-part prices before finished outdoor saunas move.
Sources: SaunaNews: Section 338 tariff and sauna classification
05 · Price watch
Where prices sit this week
From our own index: 2,314 products, priced at 252 sellers, each checked against the seller’s page.
- Saunas
- $5,711median · 1404 products · from $20
- Steam Rooms
- $4,408median · 260 products · from $760
- Cold Plunges
- $4,665median · 242 products · from $95
- Showers
- $2,494median · 408 products · from $174
Where shopping around pays most
- Kohler C2 Outdoor Sauna Kit Weathered Grey Spruce: $31,600 to $58,275 across 4 sellers, a $26,675 difference.
- Kohler C2 Six-Person Outdoor Sauna Douglas Fir: $30,600 to $56,541 across 4 sellers, a $25,941 difference.
- Kohler C2 Outdoor Sauna Weathered Grey Spruce: $31,600 to $46,350 across 9 sellers, a $14,750 difference.
- Kohler C2 Outdoor Sauna Douglas Fir: $30,600 to $44,875 across 10 sellers, a $14,275 difference.
- Kohler C1 Indoor Sauna: $15,413 to $24,150 across 5 sellers, a $8,738 difference.