Your slowest months are November through April.
At an average spend of $500–$1,000 a night, many guests have stayed somewhere with a sauna before — and they often look to the listing that has one. It's the rare amenity that works hardest exactly when your calendar is emptiest, and the only one that makes a February weekend in Muskoka an easy yes.
Handcrafted in Torrance, Ontario · Delivered and installed across Muskoka
A hot tub needs you every week. A sauna needs a wipe-down.
That's the first thing owners notice — no chemicals to balance, no water to drain, nothing to winterise, and nothing to do between guests beyond wiping the benches. The second thing takes a season to see. Every Muskoka calendar is full from the May long weekend to Thanksgiving, then goes quiet while a very expensive property sits there costing money. Most amenities only make the busy months busier. A sauna is one of the few that earns in the months you're not earning at all.
Muskoka runs roughly 2,600 active short-term rentals at about 46% average occupancy — around 168 booked nights a year, and most of them clustered in the same four months (source: AirDNA, Muskoka market). The shape above is illustrative, not month-by-month measured data. Put your own booked nights into the calculator below and the model uses yours instead — or look your own submarket up on AirDNA first.
Winter guests need a reason
Nobody drives two hours north in February for the view alone. A sauna, a cold plunge and a fire is a reason — and at the top of the market it's increasingly the reason.
It's the photo that stops the scroll
Cedar and steam against snow is the thumbnail that wins the search results page — and the thing guests post from, which markets your listing for free.
Ten minutes on a turnover
Wipe the benches, sweep, restock water. Nothing to drain, nothing to test, and nothing that spoils if the place sits empty for three weeks in March.
What would it actually return?
We're not going to hand you a number we made up. Put in what your place actually earns, pick the sauna you'd put on it, and the model shows its work. Every assumption is visible and every one of them is yours to change.
Running costs & assumptions
Defaults are deliberately cautious. Electric heaters on a dedicated 240V circuit are the right call for a rental — nothing for a guest to light. The 160-night starting point is deliberately just under the ~46% Muskoka average (about 168 nights) so the model opens conservative.
Annual revenue — before and after
If the premium lands differently
| Added / night | Net per year | Payback | 5-year net |
|---|
How the model works
Three lines of arithmetic. If a supplier won't show you theirs, be suspicious of the number they're showing you.
A higher rate on nights you already sell
Your added-per-night figure × your current booked nights. Most calculators stop here — and on its own it's the smaller half of the story.
Nights you weren't selling at all
The new, higher rate × the extra nights a sauna helps you fill. A vacant February night earns nothing, so every one you recover is close to pure upside. Usually the bigger lever — and the whole argument for doing this at all.
What it costs to run
Power and consumables on the nights guests actually use it, plus a yearly allowance for upkeep, insurance and wear. Subtracted before we show you a single number.
What the model deliberately leaves out: financing costs, income tax, the effect on your property's resale value, and any change to your cleaning fee. The first two make the number worse, the last two usually make it better. We'd rather under-promise.
Three we'd put on a $750-a-night property.
A rental sauna takes a beating a backyard sauna never will — strangers, every week, all winter. These are specified accordingly: electric heaters so there's nothing for a guest to light, finishes that survive turnover, and a guest kit that answers the questions before they're asked. Prices are for the sauna; heater, delivery and electrical are quoted separately.
Premium 7'×10' Barrel
- Canadian white cedar, handcrafted in Muskoka
- Seats 6 · 2' covered porch with seating
- The porch keeps boots, snow and towels out of the room
- Barrel shape circulates heat efficiently — cheap to run
- Wood-burning or electric stove; electric for rentals
- We build it, so we can service it fastest
Luna 8'×8'
- Western Canadian red cedar — deeper colour, stronger aroma
- Gently rounded corners; reads architectural, not rustic
- Genuinely roomy 8'×8' interior for a group
- Covered porch for the between-rounds cooldown
- Photographs as a design feature, not garden equipment
- The sweet spot for most premium cottages
The Neptune
- Full glass front wall — the lake becomes the view from the bench
- Black metal siding and EPDM roof; warm cedar inside
- Insulated floor, walls and roof — holds heat through a cold snap
- Modular kit, assembles in almost any setting
- This is the hero image your listing leads with
- Pairs with a cold plunge for a full contrast circuit
Running several properties? Our trade program covers property managers and builders — discounts start at 2.5% and approval takes about five business days.
Against the amenities you're actually weighing
We sell saunas, so read this with the appropriate scepticism — then check it against any owner you know with a hot tub. Effort per turnover and season of use are where the real difference shows up.
| Amenity | Typical spend | Effort per turnover | When it earns | Guest appeal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cedar sauna | $8k – $25k | Wipe benches, restock water | Strongest Oct – Apr | High & rising |
| Hot tub | $10k – $25k | Test, drain, refill, chemicals | Year-round, high upkeep | High |
| Pool | $60k – $150k | Daily in season, open & close | Jun – Sep only | High in summer |
| Games room | $5k – $20k | Minimal | Rainy days, families | Moderate |
| Kayaks & dock toys | $3k – $10k | Storage, damage, liability | Jul – Aug | Moderate |
Spend ranges are Ontario market estimates for planning purposes, not quotes. Guest-appeal ratings are our read of the market, not survey data. Market size and occupancy figures on this page are from AirDNA's Muskoka market data; look up your own submarket there before you trust any average, including ours.
The questions every owner asks us
These are the ones that actually decide it — not the brochure questions.
What about liability if a guest hurts themselves?
Do I need an electrician? What does that cost?
Who cleans it between guests?
Will guests break it?
Wood-burning or electric for a rental?
My cottage is off-grid or on a generator.
How long from order to a sauna I can list?
What does the site need to be ready?
Can I actually charge more, or will I just get more bookings?
We'd rather show you nothing than show you fiction.
Plenty of sauna companies publish testimonials nobody can verify. We're collecting real numbers from real Muskoka owners, with their permission and their screenshots. Until those land, these slots stay empty.
Lakefront, 3 bedroom
Before-and-after nightly rate and winter occupancy, from the owner's own booking dashboard.
Premium cottage, 5 bedroom
The winter-recovery story: nights that previously sat vacant, and what they now sell for.
Property manager, multiple listings
What happened across a portfolio, and how the trade program changed the economics.
Five steps, one local team
Call or visit
Tell us the property, the season you're trying to fix, and your budget. Twenty minutes on the phone or an hour at the Torrance showroom.
Site & power check
Where it sits, how the trailer gets in, and what your panel can carry. Photos work if you're not nearby.
Written quote
Sauna, heater, delivery and assembly, itemised. Your electrician's work is quoted by them, separately and honestly.
Build & deliver
Our barrels are handcrafted in Muskoka from locally sourced cedar. The Luna and Neptune arrive as premium kits we assemble on site.
Guest-ready handover
First-use walkthrough, guest cards mounted, maintenance schedule set, and your listing photos taken while it's brand new.
Tell us about the property.
We'll come back within one business day with a real number — sauna, heater, delivery and assembly, itemised. No pressure, and we'll tell you plainly if we don't think it's the right move for your place.
- Phone
- (705) 204-8672
- themuskokasaunaco@gmail.com
- Showroom
- 2195 Frank Miller Memorial Rte
Torrance, ON · Mon–Fri 9:00–5:00