How Luxury Hotel Brands Are Betting Big on Thermal Bathing Suites
From Aman to Four Seasons, the world's top hospitality groups are pouring capital into dedicated sauna and thermal wellness facilities.
Luxury thermal wellness facilities are becoming primary revenue drivers for high-end hospitality brands.
Over the past two years, nearly every major luxury hotel group has announced significant new investment in thermal bathing facilities. What was once a supplementary spa amenity is becoming a centerpiece of the guest experience and, increasingly, a primary reason people book.
Who's Building What
Aman, which has long integrated bathing rituals into its properties, is expanding its thermal wellness programming across its pipeline of new openings planned for 2026 and 2027 in locations including Japan, New Zealand, and Vienna. KLAFS, the German sauna manufacturer now owned by Kohler, has become one of the go-to partners for ultra-luxury hotel sauna installations.
Four Seasons has engaged Finnish design consultants for thermal bathing concepts at multiple upcoming properties. Mandarin Oriental's newest Asian properties feature multi-room thermal circuits inspired by both Nordic and Japanese bathing traditions.
Thermal bathing isn't an amenity anymore. It's the experience. Guests are traveling specifically for this.
The Business Case
The investment makes financial sense. Industry consultants report that hotels with dedicated thermal bathing facilities see meaningfully higher spa revenue per guest compared to properties with conventional spa offerings. The trend is particularly pronounced in Nordic, Alpine, and Japanese-inspired hospitality concepts, where the bathing experience is woven into the architecture itself.
The shift is also changing how these projects get designed. Rather than bolting a sauna room onto a basement spa, architects are now integrating thermal suites into the primary guest experience, with natural light, outdoor access, and views treated as essential features. For a closer look at how modular manufacturing is enabling these builds, see our analysis on modular saunas and what they mean for commercial builders.
Equipment and Partners
KLAFS, which Kohler acquired in 2023, has emerged as the dominant supplier for ultra-luxury hotel sauna installations globally. Harvia's commercial division is growing rapidly in this segment as well. Custom stone, glass, and wood fabrication is becoming standard in the high end, pushing projects well beyond what off-the-shelf manufacturers offer.
For the sauna industry, luxury hospitality represents both a revenue opportunity and a brand-building platform. A KLAFS installation in an Aman property does more for the brand than any trade show booth.
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.
