Storm closures at your sauna.
When to close an outdoor sauna for a storm, what to tell customers and how refunds work.
Most outdoor saunas in Ireland and the UK close a few times each winter for wind, waves or flooding. The storm is rarely the hard part. Telling every booked customer, sorting out their money and keeping their trust is. Here’s how to write a weather policy, make the call, and close a day without an evening of texting.
Updated · 5 min read
Why storms close outdoor saunas
A sauna on a beach, pier or exposed field deals with weather an indoor spa never sees. Strong gusts can blow embers from a wood-fired stove, move a trailer or tear a canopy. Big swells and storm surges make sea dips dangerous and can flood the site. Heavy rain turns access paths and car parks into mud. And guests still have to drive there and back.
So most outdoor saunas close for some weather and stay open for the rest. The skill is deciding which, and telling people early.
Know the warning levels
In Ireland, Met Éireann issues Yellow, Orange and Red warnings by county. In the UK, the Met Office issues Yellow, Amber and Red warnings by region, including Northern Ireland. Higher levels mean more severe, more likely impacts.
| Warning | What we do |
|---|---|
| None, or Yellow rain | Open. Sea dips at the host’s judgement on the day. |
| Yellow wind or coastal | Decide the evening before. Close if gusts or waves are forecast over our limit during opening hours. |
| Orange or Amber wind, storm or coastal | Closed for the hours the warning covers. |
| Red, any kind | Closed for the whole day. Follow official advice and stay at home. |
This is an example, not a rule. A sheltered garden sauna can stay open in weather that shuts a pier. Set your own limits with your insurer, and write them down.
Write your weather policy before the first storm
Customers forgive a closure. What upsets them is a surprise: a vague message an hour before, or a fight over their money. A short policy on your booking page, shown before people pay, prevents both. Cover four things:
- When you close. The warnings or conditions that close you, and that the host can close for safety on the day.
- When you decide. For example, by 18:00 the evening before for morning sessions, and by 10:00 for the afternoon and evening.
- How you tell people. By email to the address they booked with, plus text if they gave a mobile.
- What happens to their money. When you cancel, a full refund, or credit or a new time if they’d prefer. Pass and voucher sessions go back on the pass or voucher.
Keep the policy separate from your ordinary cancellation policy. A customer cancelling on Thursday is a different case from you closing on Thursday, and the money rules should be different too.
Make the call early
Forecasts for named storms are usually good a day or two out. Use that time. Close the evening before rather than the morning of, even if it means losing a session that would have run. People book a sauna around other plans: a lift, a babysitter, a swim with friends. An early, clear decision lets them plan again, and it’s the closure they remember well.
If the forecast is borderline, say so. “We’re watching the forecast and will confirm by 18:00 tonight” is a fine message. Then confirm at 18:00.
What to tell customers
One message to everyone, sent once. It should say what’s closed, why, and what happens to their booking, in that order. For example:
Met Éireann has issued an orange wind warning for Clare tomorrow, so we’re closed all day for safety. Sorry to miss you. Choose a refund, credit for your next visit, or another time below. If you don’t choose by Sunday, we’ll refund your card automatically.
- Name the reason. “Orange wind warning” is clearer and more trustworthy than “unforeseen circumstances”.
- Lead with the money. It’s the customer’s first question, so answer it in the first lines.
- Make the easy option the default. Doing nothing should end in a refund, never in losing their money.
- Keep it short. People read it on a phone. Put the details behind a link.
Post the same note on Instagram and your Google profile for anyone checking before they set off. Then close the booking page for those times, so nobody books into a closed day.
Refund, credit or a new time
When you cancel, the money belongs to the customer. Offering credit is fine, and many regulars will take it, especially with a small bonus such as 10% extra. But credit should be a choice beside a refund, never the only option. Forcing credit on a customer who wanted their money back costs you more in goodwill than you keep in cash.
Moving people to another time works well when you have room later in the week. Offer the times that have space, so nobody is moved into a full session.
If your sauna session is cancelled for a storm
If you booked a sauna that uses Olladay and it closes for weather, here’s what happens:
- You get an email from the sauna saying which session is cancelled and why. If you gave a mobile and agreed to booking texts, you may also get a short text with a link.
- If you paid by card, the email lets you choose: your money back on your card, account credit for a later visit (sometimes with a bonus from the sauna), or a move to another time with room, at no extra cost.
- If you don’t choose within 48 hours, your card is refunded automatically. You don’t need to contact anyone.
- If you used a session pass or gift voucher, the session goes back on it straight away.
Card refunds usually take 5 to 10 working days to show on your statement, depending on your bank. Olladay’s booking fee is refunded with the session.
How Olladay handles storm closures
Olladay is booking software for saunas in Ireland and the UK, and it was built for exactly this evening. A storm closure takes a few minutes:
- The warning finds you. Official Met Éireann and Met Office warnings for wind, rain, storm, snow, ice, coastal conditions and flooding that cover your county or region and your booked times show on your diary, with a link to the warning and how many bookings fall inside it. New orange, amber or red warnings are emailed to you once. Nothing closes without you.
- Close a day in one screen. Pick the day or days, see everyone affected and how they paid, add a short note, and confirm. Those times leave your booking page at once and the note shows in their place.
- Everyone is told and settled. Card customers get a refund, or a choice of refund, credit with your bonus or another time with room, refunded automatically after 48 hours. Pass and voucher sessions go back on the pass or voucher. Open checkouts are closed. Cash and own-terminal payments are listed for you to return and record.
- Texts as well as email. If you send texts through Olladay, guests who agreed to booking texts get one short text with their link.
- No offers into a storm. Last-minute offers for empty seats pause automatically during yellow or worse wind and storm warnings.
3.5% + €0.25 per payment with a standard EEA card. Card processing and every Olladay feature included. No monthly fee. Guests pay 2%; your sauna pays the rest (1.5% + €0.25 on a standard EEA card). By default, the 2% is included in guest prices from the first display; your sauna can cover the full fee instead.
Questions
Will I get a refund if my sauna session is cancelled because of a storm?
If the sauna cancels, yes: the money is yours. On Olladay you get an email with the reason and a choice of a refund to your card, account credit (sometimes with a bonus), or a move to another time with room. If you don’t choose within 48 hours, your card is refunded automatically. Sessions paid with a pass or gift voucher go back on the pass or voucher.
Do saunas close in a yellow weather warning?
Some do and some don’t. A yellow warning covers a wide range of weather, and an exposed beach sauna may close in one while a sheltered garden sauna keeps going. Check your sauna’s weather policy, and expect most outdoor saunas to close in an orange (Met Office: amber) or red wind or coastal warning.
Can a sauna give credit instead of a refund when it cancels?
It can offer credit, but when the venue cancels, the customer should be able to choose their money back. Olladay only ever offers credit as a choice beside a refund, and refunds anyone who doesn’t answer within 48 hours.
How early should a sauna decide to close for a storm?
As early as the forecast allows, and the evening before at the latest for morning sessions. People plan travel, childcare and swims around a booking. A clear decision the day before is kinder than a last-minute call, even if the storm turns out weaker.
Does Olladay close sessions automatically when a warning is issued?
No. Olladay shows official Met Éireann and Met Office warnings that cover your area and booked times, and emails you about new orange, amber or red ones. Closing is always your decision, made in one screen.