I'm Deven, founder of Sōlace Up North. I sell outdoor cedar saunas and cold plunges here in Indianapolis, founder-direct, with every price printed on the site. That means I have an obvious interest in you buying one — so I'll be careful to tell you where the cheaper answer is the right answer, because you'll find out anyway and I'd rather you heard it here.
Decision one: the sauna
Traditional or infrared. Traditional uses a stove and stones to heat the air, runs hot, and lets you pour water for steam. Infrared uses panels to warm your body directly, runs cooler, costs less to run, and often just plugs in.
For contrast therapy specifically, most people land on traditional — the whole mechanism is the size of the swing between hot and cold, and a hotter sauna makes a bigger swing. But the sauna you'll actually use beats the one you theoretically should own.
Full comparison: traditional vs infrared for contrast therapy →
Decision two: the plunge
Tub material and insulation set the price and the lifespan. A stock tank from a farm supply store works and costs a couple hundred dollars. A sealed, insulated, warrantied plunge costs thousands and holds temperature without a fight. Both are legitimate; they're different projects.
Decision three: the chiller
This is the one people underestimate. Without a chiller you're buying bagged ice, every day, forever, and never quite controlling the temperature. With one, the water is simply cold when you walk outside. If you plunge more than occasionally, this is not the place to save money.
Full guide: do you need a chiller? →
Decision four: where it goes
Three practical things decide whether a spot works:
- A level base. A sauna is heavy and gets heavier with people in it. A plunge full of water is heavier still. Gravel, pavers or a slab — but level.
- Power. A traditional sauna generally needs a dedicated outdoor-rated circuit run by an electrician. Many plunges run off a standard household outlet.
- A path from the driveway. Freight arrives curbside. Something large has to get from the curb to the back yard, and a fence gate or a steep side yard can end the conversation before anything else matters.
Worth knowing before a deck gets framed or concrete gets poured, rather than after.
What the whole thing costs
Across the market, a full setup runs roughly $8,000 to $35,000 depending on tier, plus site prep, electrical and delivery. Running costs land around $35 to $75 a month with regular use.
Full cost breakdown, including the five-year number →
Should you own one at all?
Fair question, and the answer isn't always yes. If you'd realistically use it once a week, a membership in Carmel costs $159 a month and involves no pad, no electrician and no freight truck. Ownership wins on cost somewhere around two to three sessions a week, and on convenience from day one.
Full break-even math: owning vs a membership →
Those are the real prices, printed here and at checkout. They sit at the top of the ranges on this page, which is the point of the section below.
Where to start
If you're early, read the cost guide first — it'll tell you quickly whether this is a project you want. If you've already decided and you're choosing between units, start with the sauna comparison.
And if you'd rather just ask someone: that's the whole business model here. No showroom, no sales team, no quote form.