Leisurecraft Expands Into Australia as Canadian Barrel Sauna Maker Goes Global
The Ontario-based manufacturer, which grew from two employees making cedar furniture to a six-building operation, is now seeking dealers across Australia after recent entry into Brazil.
Dundalk Leisurecraft, the Ontario-based manufacturer that has quietly become one of North America's largest producers of premium cedar saunas, is making its most ambitious international push yet. The company announced in January 2025 that it is actively seeking authorized dealers across Australia, a move that follows a recent market entry into Brazil and extends the brand's reach to four continents.
From Furniture Shop to Global Sauna Brand
Founded in 2004 in the Dundalk area of Melancthon Township, Ontario, about 90 minutes northwest of Toronto, Leisurecraft began as a modest operation: one building, two employees, making outdoor cedar furniture. As demand for backyard wellness products grew, the company pivoted to cedar saunas and never looked back. Today, it operates six manufacturing buildings with more than 30 employees, producing barrel saunas, cabin saunas, cold plunge tubs, and outdoor showers from Western Red Cedar sourced from British Columbia.
Saunas are not a trend chasing attention. They are a return to something deeply human.
— Mark Boulding, Global VP of Marketing & Growth
Four Product Collections
The company now offers four distinct product lines spanning different price points and aesthetics. The flagship Dundalk Collection features clear Western Red Cedar in barrel, Luna, Panoramic, and POD configurations. The Canadian Timber Collection uses Eastern White Cedar for a more accessible price point with easy-to-assemble kits. The Pure Cube Collection targets the modern architectural market with black metal siding, double-pane tinted glass, and minimalist design. And the company's cold plunge line (Arctic Plunge, Glacier Plunge, and the newer Flow Cold Plunge) positions Leisurecraft in the rapidly growing contrast therapy category.
Why Australia
Australia's wellness market has been growing rapidly, driven by a climate-conscious population increasingly investing in outdoor living spaces. The country's established hot tub and spa culture creates a natural adjacency for barrel saunas, particularly in southern regions with cooler winters. Leisurecraft's trade-only model (the company sells exclusively through authorized retail dealers) means the Australian expansion will depend on building the right dealer network from scratch.
Leisurecraft's expansion trajectory illustrates a broader pattern in the sauna industry: North American manufacturers that built their brands during the post-COVID wellness boom are now leveraging that momentum to go global. The company's dealer-only distribution model and premium cedar positioning differentiate it from the direct-to-consumer brands flooding Amazon and social media.
The company is actively recruiting dealers through dealers@leisurecraft.com. Industry observers will be watching whether Leisurecraft's premium positioning and trade-only model translate in a market where direct-to-consumer sauna brands from China have already established a price-sensitive beachhead.
Arlene Scott
Senior Wellness Correspondent & Hospitality Consultant
Arlene Scott brings over fifteen years of reporting and consulting experience across energy infrastructure, sustainable design, and thermotherapy-focused hospitality.
Full byline
Arlene Scott is a Senior Wellness Correspondent for SaunaNews.com, bringing over fifteen years of experience at the intersection of energy infrastructure, sustainable design, and thermotherapy. Her work focuses on the physiological benefits of passive heat therapies and the sustainable integration of sauna culture into modern wellness routines.
Arlene's background is rooted in the clean energy transition. She was a founding writer at MicrogridMedia.com, where she covered the technical and economic viability of desalination projects, microgrid deployments, and distributed renewable energy systems. During the mid-2010s, she was a regular contributor to Greentech Media (GTM) during its independent era — prior to the Wood Mackenzie acquisition in 2016 — reporting on the early integration of thermal energy storage and sustainable infrastructure.
Transitioning her focus from macro-energy systems to human-scale wellness, Arlene now applies her technical background to the hospitality sector. She operates as an independent consultant, advising boutique hotels and eco-resorts on the design, energy efficiency, and historical authenticity of commercial sauna and thermal spa installations. Her consulting work ensures that high-end wellness facilities balance traditional Nordic bathing principles with modern sustainable engineering.
Arlene holds a specialized certification in Applied Thermic Wellness from the Nordic Institute of Passive Heat Studies (NIPHS) and is a recognized associate member of the International Sauna Association (ISA). When she isn't reviewing the latest innovations in infrared technology or consulting on a new resort project, Arlene can be found tending to her own traditional wood-fired sauna in the Pacific Northwest. You can read her complete archive of essays on energy, wellness, and sustainable living at www.arlenescott.com.
