Frequently asked questions.

How long are the sauna sessions?

The sauna sessions are for 1 hour, this consists of 3 x 10-15 min rounds of sauna and a plunge in the beautiful lake in between each round

Do I have to go into the lake?

You do not have to do anything you do not feel comfortable doing. However, the lake has the most incredible water quality and is filled with quartz, making you feel amazing afterward. We highly recommend trying it. You can also take a bucket down and pour the water over you if you prefer. If you have mobility issues getting down to the lake we can bring a bucket of lake water up for you.

What do I need to bring and how do I prepare?

Try not to eat anything heavy at least 2 hours before your sauna,

Drink lots of water before, during, and after.

Please bring

Towels x 2 (one for sitting on in the sauna, and a dry one for afterward) You can rent a towel for $3 also on-site if you don’t have enough.

Swimwear or similar, we know in Europe a lot of people sauna naked, however this hasn’t caught on in NZ just yet and we are situated in The Camp and there are children around at times so we have to respect that.

Water bottle- Yes we have water available to refill but best to arrive with a full bottle if possible.

Bring a cup for our famous complimentary herbal tea afterward. We will have keep cups for sale too!

Crocs if you have them, they are the best footwear for going to the lake  (we provide some communal crocs here, but best to bring your own if you have them)

Phone on airplane mode or silent (not on vibrate ) There is nothing worse than trying to relax and someone else phone going off, please respect this. You can use the phone to take photos of course, but please enjoy one hour being in the present moment and switching off from the outside world.

We recommend taking metal jewelry off as this gets very hot and can burn you.

Warm loose-fitting clothing for afterward. Leggings and skinny jeans are hard to get back on after a sauna !! you have been warned

Can I get changed there?

Yes, we have a full lounge /changing tent that is heated with a wood fire if cold, but best to come prepared with a bathing suit on ,if your session is full you may have to wait to use it the changing room. We recommend taking metal jewelry off or leaving it at home, as this gets very hot and can burn you

How hot is the sauna?

The sauna ranges from 70-95 degrees Celsius, at various levels of humidity, It is wood fire, so the temperature may vary throughout the session, your host will try and maintain the levels as much as possible but sometimes external elements impact this.

The hottest place is by the fire and the coolest is by the door

Can I sauna if I am pregnant?

It’s not advised to sauna when pregnant, but please seek advice from your medical practitioner.

What are the benefits of sauna and cold immersion?

There are too many to list here as they both have so many health benefits, head over to our sauna benefits page here, we even have some medical study links for you to have a look at.

Will you be open all year round?

We will be open all seasons yes sauna has so many health benefits which don’t stop just because it’s summer!  We will change our opening hours to suit the seasons. We will however be closed over the Christmas break from 16th December 2023 - 18th January 2024.

What if I haven’t been in a sauna before?

Don’t worry, your host will give you a briefing at the start of your session with everything you need to know, If the rounds are too much for you, you can exit the sauna at any time. Please let your host if you have any concerns.

If I book a nighttime session are there lights?

We have solar lights all around the site, and we give you very bright work safety lights to go down to the water.

Why isn’t there a phone number to call?

We strongly oppose using phones on-site as so not to disturb everyone’s relaxation, It wouldn’t be very relaxing if your host was on the phone all the time either, we aim to answer urgent emails /social media direct messages as soon as we can, sometimes we are in the sauna hosting so we may not see it right away.

How do we book?

Please head to our booking page here, you can book a shared session or a private session for up to 8 people

How many people are in a session?

Maximum 8 people per session

Do you sell gift vouchers/ do you have physical vouchers?

Yes, we do, what a great experience to gift! You can buy these on our booking page and you will get sent a voucher by email the code can be redeemed online, and if you wish to have also have a physical voucher you can also come and collect one from The Secret Sauna.

Do you have a membership or multi-pass?

We offer a 5 x multi-pass and a 10 x multi-pass at the moment, these however are only a reward for coming regularly for one person, the person that purchased it. It’s kind of like a ski pass, they are not to be used for partners or friends. We ask you to please respect this, being a small start-up business, we need the support to keep us going If this is not respected it very hard to keep the business afloat.

If we see this being abused we have the right to cancel the booking,

If you want to use the voucher on the same booking as friends, you select the pay gift voucher, enter the amount of $26, and then your voucher code, and the rest can be paid by card. Thank you

Can we bring our children?

Our public sessions are over 18 only. Private sessions can accommodate under 18’s with their parents or guardians (this needs to be requested by email and with the children’s ages). Children are not allowed in the lounge tent in any shared sessions.

Child share is common amongst friends/ partners, often we have people who come book consecutive sessions and each take turns to look after the children, they are welcome to go for a walk around the camp or play at the lake if they are supervised by an adult.

Can I sauna if I am pregnant?

It’s not advised to sauna when pregnant, but please seek advice from your medical practitioner.

Can I change/ cancel my booking?

Yes, up to 24 hours before your session bookings can be changed/canceled via your account, Click on your booking number and click edit, then select your new booking.  We require 24 hours’ notice for cancelation for a refund.

Can I just show up?

Occasionally this is possible, but often sessions are fully booked or booked out privately, so bookings are essential to avoid disappointment.

Can I pay cash?

Yes, we believe that keeping cash alive is important so if you wish to pay cash you must let us know in advance so we can save the spot for you, please bring the correct change if possible,

Can I  hire a towel or a robe?

Yes, we understand some people may not have 2 towels if traveling or may forget sometimes, we have towels for hire for $3, and robes for hire for $10.

Can I stay at The Camp after or before I sauna?

Yes !!! The Camp has so many different levels of accommodation available. Glamping, camping, or cabins for all budgets. Click here for The Camp info.

If you have any questions we haven’t covered here please email us fire@thesecretsauna.nz