Guide · By Donncha O Toole · Updated
How to set up sauna bookings: slots, seats and private hire.
Most Irish saunas opened in the last few years, and most started taking bookings by DM, a spreadsheet or the first tool that worked. Here’s how to set up a booking timetable that fills, keeps regulars happy and doesn’t double-sell the sauna.
1. Pick a slot length and stick to it
A fixed slot is easier to sell than an open-ended session. Common patterns are 45, 60 or 90 minutes. Build a short changeover into the slot rather than between slots, so the timetable reads as a clean list of times: a 60-minute slot might be 50 minutes of sauna and 10 minutes to air, wipe down and reset. Regulars book faster when times repeat every day of the week.
2. Decide what one place means
- Shared sessions sell individual seats. Set the capacity to the number of people who fit comfortably, not the number who can squeeze in: a cramped first visit is the one people don’t repeat.
- Private hire sells the whole sauna for one group. It has to block every seat in that slot, or you will sell the same bench twice.
- Add-ons such as a cold plunge or hot tub are easier to manage as part of the session than as separate bookings, unless they genuinely have their own capacity.
3. Price shared seats and private hire together
Irish sauna sessions are typically priced between about €16 and €35, according to a November 2025 survey of Irish saunas by spas.ie. A useful rule of thumb (our judgement, not a standard) is to price private hire at roughly what a well-filled shared session earns. For an eight-seat sauna at €20 a seat, a full shared session takes €160; if your shared sessions usually fill six seats, a private hire price around €120 to €140 means you never lose by selling the slot privately.
| Session | Places | Price | Takings when full |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shared, off-peak | 8 seats | €16 a seat | €128 |
| Shared, evenings and weekends | 8 seats | €20 a seat | €160 |
| Private hire | Whole sauna, up to 8 people | €130 a slot | €130 |
4. Show the full price before anyone pays
Ireland’s consumer regulator says “There should be no hidden charges” and that businesses “must also inform the consumer of any additional charges that may apply” (CCPC). If your booking system adds a booking or service fee to your customer’s bill, it should be shown clearly before checkout. Simpler still is a total that matches your timetable price: a €20 session that becomes €20.40 at the last step is a small surprise, and small surprises at checkout cost bookings.
5. Write your weather and cancellation terms once
- Your cancellations: say what happens if you close for a storm, a weather warning or a fault. A full refund or a free move to another slot is what most customers expect.
- Their cancellations: pick one notice period, such as 24 hours, and say whether late cancellations get a credit, a move or nothing.
- Show the terms before payment, not only in a confirmation email, and keep each booking on the terms it was made under if you change them later.
6. Cut no-shows on busy slots
Taking payment at booking is the single biggest fix: people turn up for sessions they’ve paid for. Send the confirmation with the time, address, what to bring and your terms, and make the booking page quick enough that regulars can book from the beach on a weak signal.
7. Check your setup against this list
- Every slot shows its time, length, price and seats left.
- A private hire blocks every seat in its slot.
- The price on your timetable is the price your customer pays.
- Weather and cancellation terms are shown before payment.
- You can export your customers and bookings whenever you want.
How Olladay handles sauna bookings
Olladay puts shared sessions and private hire on one timetable, shows live seats left, offers private hire of the whole sauna only while it’s empty for that time, and shows your terms and the full price before payment. It’s free for you: customers pay a €0.49 booking fee a place, shown in the price, or you pay 1% yourself (€0.20 on a €20 session) and they pay exactly your price. See pricing. Setting up is free.