Create Your Own Home Spa

Home spa with a large sauna, low sofa, greenery and warm shades

By: Sean

Content Writer

8 min read

There's nothing better than a day at the spa, where you can devote a few hours of your life to pampering and relaxing. There are a few problems with the traditional spa, though, from expense to appointment availability and the crowd of people. So why not make your own home spa and enjoy it your way? From massage chairs to select saunas to a complete cold plunge, Abt has all the equipment you need to create your own home sauna—and with a lot less hassle than you might imagine. With many of these products, installation is a breeze and the benefits can be medically measurable. So cancel any appointments you've already made and get ready to invest in your own home spa.

No home spa would be complete without a way to enjoy a sauna—but what do the benefits of building your own home spa look like? For starters, saunas have been loved for years; some think as many as 10,000 years, with traditions rooted in North America, Europe, Japan and more. Different peoples and cultures have used dry heat and moist heat all across the globe for various purposes. From religious ceremonies to classic cleansing and relaxation, the practice of heat therapy has long been loved. Heat therapy makes a great foundation for any home sauna, and at Abt, we have home saunas that bring easy-to-access dry heat anywhere in your home.

Next in your home spa, the cold plunge. Ice baths, cold plunges and cryotherapy in general have been used for millennia, just like the sauna. You can trace cryotherapy's beginnings back to Ancient Egyptian and Greek medicine as well as more modern Western physicians. Whether humans were looking for therapeutic pain relief or sports recovery, adding cold to the equation isn't new. Cold has long been perceived as a classic analgesic, and the modern cold plunge takes those therapeutic benefits and translates them into post-exercise recovery.

A woman in a cold plunge wearing a black hat, sunglasses and smiling against the backdrop of mountains and water

Massage has long been a therapy to help boost circulation, promote relaxation and relieve pain. Countries like India, China and Egypt all boasted early therapeutic massage techniques, from Ayurvedic medicine to acupuncture and reflex massages. Massages are some of the most popular and commonly requested services at spas around the world, and that's why any home spa would need a way for owners to relax into the pressure you'd find from the perfect massage in a high-quality massage chair.

From the sauna to the cold plunge to the massage, having a great way to experience each of these at home is unbeatable—so why not build your own home spa? All of the home saunas, cold plunges and massage chairs at Abt are flexible and can be placed in different places, from basements to bedrooms to bathrooms. You can create a dedicated home spa in an open space like your basement (complete with aromatherapy, mood lighting and music) or break things up into pieces. A massage chair in the living room facing your television, a cold plunge on the deck, and a home sauna in an extra-large master bathroom (or anywhere inside, really). Explore what makes these modern takes on classic relaxation techniques perfect for a home spa.

Unlike the classic sauna, the infrared home sauna uses radiant infrared heat to make you sweat. There's no messy steam, no flame-stoked heat—all of the models at Abt currently use ultra-low or near-zero EMF heating tech, delivering FAR infrared wavelengths. FAR stands for where these infrared waves fall on the light spectrum. The result is targeted, elevated heat designed just for the human body. Users sweat and find their heart rate boosted just the way saunas are supposed to, and often at a lower temperature than other heating methods could manage.

A infrared sauna in a traditional master bedroom

So, how can you work a sauna into your home? Thanks to radiant heat, the ones you can find at Abt are easily installed. Choose the choice that's right for you, whether that can seat two or three people, and consider where a home sauna should go in your own personal spa. These can even be installed on carpet, so there truly are no limits.

When it comes to styling, things can be a little trickier thanks to that flexibility. Just because you can put it anywhere, should you? These saunas bring the classic traditional wood look that can establish any area as one of relaxation, or that can stick out a little too much. Some of the most popular places for infrared sauna installation include home gyms, larger bathrooms, basements, or a new room dedicated to relaxation—your own home spa.

Cryotherapy comes home with the cold plunge, a true upgrade over the classic ice bath. Instead of using bags of ice and running cold water in a bathtub, a dedicated cold plunge is just that ... dedicated to keeping temperatures at the perfect level. A cold plunge is designed for workout recovery and to limit post-exercise muscle damage. When you slip in, blood vessels constrict to potentially reduce inflammation, limit soreness and the process can potentially lead to better physical performance in the future. While data is still being gathered, we do know this much: that this kind of cryotherapy lends benefits to workout recovery programs and can boost athletic performance.

A man relaxing in a cold plunge in his outdoor yard space

Filling and using a cold plunge in your home spa depends on the model, but you'll want one that can be easily used and cleaned. The Plunge All-In Ice Bath brings smarter controls and technology to this traditional practice. Filling is easy and, thanks to proper filtration from the 20 micron filter in addition to ozone sanitation, you'll never doubt that the Plunge All-In is clean and ready for your plunge. And with smartphone functionality, jets and a quick chilling system, this cold plunge is the perfect addition to any home spa.

So, where should you put a cold plunge in your home? Like the home sauna, this is an easy pick to install. In fact, users plug it into any standard 120V/15 amp GFCI outlet (GFCI stands for ground fault circuit interrupter). The extra safety of the GFCI protects users from any electrical short. You can install the Plunge All-In either indoors or outside, too, creating a relaxation spot wherever it's placed. It's another great addition to a home gym or master bathroom, or a backyard or deck. WIth the insulated spa cover, you'll be able to keep outdoor debris out of your cold plunge until you're ready for post-workout relaxation.

While massage chairs can be considered a media room staple, the best ones can take the place of a proper massage therapist to promote daily relaxation and to relieve stress. Depending on how much you want to spend, you can get a massage chair equipped with impressive functions like heat therapy, kneading, rolling, and even reflexology. Explore different motions, from deep-tissue capabilities to full-body massage and beyond. For an even more relaxing experience, consider a chair equipped with sound therapy or Bluetooth connectivity—allowing you to create your own spa-level atmosphere. For you, that might mean listening to relaxing, low-volume tracks that use gentle instrumentals, and for others it might mean hearing their favorite music and podcasts.

A man using his massage chair, leaning back into it in a room filled with trophies and champion belts

A massage chair is probably the easiest home spa element to work into your home. While they are bulky and are sometimes relegated to TV spaces and home theaters, massage chairs can go anywhere that you deem a relaxation space. If that's where you watch TV, place yours here. Or if you'd like to devote a guest room or basement to relaxation, pair it with a sauna or cold plunge to make a complete spa. Or place your massage chair beside the bed in your master bedroom. That way, you'll be able to have a rousing morning massage to get your blood flowing, or a relaxing moment here before you go to bed. Wherever you place your massage chair, you'll love every session.

While a home sauna, cold plunge and massage chairs are all incredible (and can provide great health benefits), are they really worth the investment? That depends on how often you'd use them. For example, if you'd normally have a standing appointment with a massage therapist a couple of times a month, using your massage chair multiple times a week would end up saving you money in the long run. The same goes for cold plunges and saunas: would you need an expensive gym membership to access either of these? Then in the long run, purchasing one that you'll use regularly at home is actually a budget-friendly move.

If you know that you're ready to craft your own home spa, we're here to help. Call our specialists at Abt at 800-860-3577 for suggestions, tips and tailored advice, or come into our showroom to see some of these relaxation products in person. If you'd like to learn more, check out our guide to massage chairs and browse our site.