Sauna House franchise
2024 filing · July 3, 2024Shares sales figures
Sauna House at a glance
A bathhouse offering sauna, cold plunge, hot pools and red-light therapy sessions. At the end of 2023 there were 1 Sauna House locations in the US, all company-owned.
The business
- Franchisor
- Sweat Ventures, LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchising since
- 2022
- 2 years of selling franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Asheville, North Carolina
- Typical size
- 3,500–7,500 sq ft
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $1.55M–$3.83M
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $49,500
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 7%
- 7% of gross sales, paid weekly
- Brand fund
- None now
- 2% of gross sales, not charged at present
- Renewal fee
- $10,000
- When the agreement ends and you sign again
- Agreement length
- 10 years
- Territory
- Limited
- Limited protection
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2023
- 1
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 0
- Company-owned
- 1
- Change in 3 years
- 0
- Franchised locations, 2021–2023
- States
- 1
- Most in North Carolina
From Sweat Ventures, LLC’s 2024 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
Sauna House among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Sauna House | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $2,690,700 | Costs more than 95% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $49,500 | Higher than 64% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 7% | Higher than 70% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 1 | Fewer than 88% of franchises |
How much a Sauna House franchise costs
Opening one Sauna House costs an estimated $1,553,100 to $3,828,300. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are build out & improvements ($650,000 to $2,138,400) and startup package ($262,500 to $485,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $49,500 | ||
| Property Surveys | $2,500 | $25,000 | |
| Lease Deposit & 3 Months’ Rent | $34,000 | $105,000 | |
| Architect Review Fee | $1,500 | ||
| Architect Fees | $65,000 | $150,000 | |
| Project Management Fee | $25,000 | ||
| Build Out & Improvements | $650,000 | $2,138,400 | |
| Startup Package | $262,500 | $485,000 | |
| Signage | $5,000 | $30,000 | |
| Decorating, Furniture & Furnishings | $30,000 | $65,000 | |
| Technology Systems | $30,000 | $59,000 | |
| Systems Setup Fee | $2,000 | ||
| Equipment and Fixtures (excludes equipment included in Startup Package) | $250,000 | $400,000 | |
| Initial Inventory (excludes inventory included in Startup Package) | $3,100 | $6,000 | |
| Grand Opening Advertising | $15,000 | ||
| Utility Deposits | $6,000 | $10,500 | |
| Professional Fees | $7,000 | $8,400 | |
| Insurance | $4,000 | $12,000 | |
| Additional Funds (3 months) | $111,000 | $241,000 | |
| Total | $1,553,100 | $3,828,300 | |
Source: Sweat Ventures, LLC, 2024 filing, page 17
Sauna House franchise fee
The franchise fee is $49,500. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Sweat Ventures, LLC, 2024 filing, page 11
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 7% of gross sales, paid weekly. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 2% of gross sales, not charged at present. |
| Transfer Fee | 50% of then-current, non- discounted initial franchise fee |
| Renewal Fee | $10,000 |
| Training Fee | $200 per trainer per day (plus Travel Expenses for onsite training) |
| Local Marketing Commitment | $2,000 per month |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Sweat Ventures, LLC, 2024 filing, page 13
Other fees as filed, from pages 14–15. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Sauna House publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
Source: Sweat Ventures, LLC, 2024 filing, page 42
SBA loans to Sauna House franchisees
Lenders approved 3 SBA 7(a) loans for Sauna House franchisees from 2024 to 2025, $7.89M in all. None has been paid off or charged off yet.
A charged-off loan is one written off as uncollectible. See SBA franchise loans for how 7(a) and 504 loans work.
Source: SBA 7(a) and 504 loan data, as of September 30, 2026
How Sauna House compares
Of the 121 spa franchises on this site, Sauna House is the 119th cheapest to open and the 96th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Sauna House | Typical spa brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $1.55M | $334K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $3.83M | $670K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $50K | $50K | $40K |
| Royalty | 7% | 6% | 6% |
| US locations | 1 | 9 | 21 |
| Shares earnings figures | Yes | 85 of 121 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 121 brands in spa franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 0 (0) | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 (0) | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 (0) | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating.
See which brands grew most in the fastest-growing franchises rankings.
More in the guides: franchise failure rates.
Source: Sweat Ventures, LLC, 2024 filing, page 47
Where Sauna House locations are
At the end of 2023, Sauna House had locations in 1 state. The most are in North Carolina.
- North Carolina1
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Source: Sweat Ventures, LLC, 2024 filing, page 48
Who owns Sauna House?
Sauna House franchises are sold by Sweat Ventures, LLC. It is a subsidiary of Sauna Party, LLC.
From Sweat Ventures, LLC’s 2024 filing, page 8.
Lawsuits and bankruptcy
| Lawsuits and regulatory actions | None. The filing says no litigation has to be disclosed. |
|---|---|
| Bankruptcy | None. The filing says no bankruptcy has to be disclosed. |
Franchisors must disclose lawsuits and bankruptcies involving the company, its parents and affiliates, and its executives. Many cases are routine disputes with franchisees over fees or contracts; read the descriptions in the filing and ask current owners about anything that worries you.
Source: Sweat Ventures, LLC, 2024 filing, litigation on page 11, bankruptcy on page 11
Sauna House filings
The figures on this page come from Sweat Ventures, LLC’s 2024 filing, issued July 3, 2024, on record with the Minnesota Department of Commerce.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 filing | July 3, 2024 | Minnesota | Costs, fees and locations, 2021–2023 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
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