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Sauna, steam room, hammam, cold plunge and pool notes: sizing, materials, ventilation and specification.

Sauna Dekor Spa Solutions — since 1987, designing and building saunas, hammams, steam rooms, cold rooms and pools in its own facility in Istanbul; 5,000+ projects in 41+ countries.

Written by Alican Aykaç, Managing Partner · 24 articles

24 articles

Newest first. Pick a room type to narrow the list.

All 24Sauna 6Steam & showers 2Hammam & thermal 2Pools & water 5Cold rooms 4Spa planning 8

Carved white marble basin filling from a brass tap, with a hammered copper bowl on its rim, against a dark veined marble wall in light steam

Hammam & thermalLatest

6 Nov 20265 min read

Turkish Bath Basin (Kurna): Sizes, Materials and Plumbing

The Turkish bath basin, or kurna: typical height, bowl size and depth, spacing, how many a hammam needs, the stone, water supply, flow and drainage.

Wood sauna with split-face grey stone wall, black stone heater, star ceiling lights and thermometer

Spa planning

5 Nov 20266 min read

Contrast Therapy Rooms 2027: What GCC Developers Specify

Contrast therapy rooms in 2027: what GCC developers specify for sauna, cold plunge, snow room and steam room, with values, services and approvals.

Diplomatic Club Spa & Fitness cold plunge

Cold rooms

5 Nov 20265 min read

Cryotherapy Dubai: Cryo Chamber Rooms for Clinics, Gyms and Hotels

Cryotherapy in Dubai and Abu Dhabi from the building side: room size, power, ventilation and approvals for a cryo chamber in a clinic, gym or hotel.

White marble hammam with central heated slab, LED cove lighting, blue floral tile panels and carved basins

Hammam & thermal

5 Nov 20265 min read

Hammam Design 2027: Layout, Temperatures and Materials

Hammam design 2027: room layout, 40–50 °C room air, heated marble platform, basin heights, waterproofing and build times for homes and hotels.

Indoor pool beside a timber lattice screen and dark stone wall, with lounge seating beyond

Spa planning

5 Nov 20266 min read

Hotel Spa Opening 2027 in Dubai: Timeline and Checklist

Hotel spa opening 2027 in Dubai: a month-by-month timeline, approvals with Dubai Municipality, Civil Defence and DEWA, and a wet-area checklist.

Empty indoor lane pool at night under a steel roof, with lane ropes, starting blocks along the far wall and a wet tiled deck

Pools & water

5 Nov 20266 min read

Olympic Pool Dimensions: Length, Width, Depth and Lanes

Olympic pool dimensions under World Aquatics rules: 50 m by 25 m, depth of at least 2 m with 3 m recommended, 8 lanes of 2.5 m plus 2 outer lanes.

Light wood cabin with three red infrared emitters, LED-lit bench slats and a stone heater

Sauna

5 Nov 20265 min read

Recovery Room Planning 2027: Ice Bath, Red Light, Infrared

Recovery room planning 2027 in the UAE: ice bath, red light and infrared rooms compared by space, power, air and water for villas, gyms and clinics.

Backlit salt brick band above L shaped timber benches seen through the panoramic glass front of a private villa sauna in Dubai

Spa planning

5 Nov 20268 min read

Spa Trends 2027 in the UAE: What the Data Shows

Spa trends 2027 in the UAE from GWI figures and UAE search data: home spas, pool builds, social saunas, gentler cooling, water use and hotel spas.

View from the glass front across the duckboard floor to the benches and lit salt band

Spa planning

5 Nov 20266 min read

Villa Spa Checklist 2027 for Dubai and Abu Dhabi

Villa spa checklist 2027 for Dubai and Abu Dhabi: 20 steps from room choice to handover, with drainage, power, waterproofing, approvals and warranty.

Steam room behind a frameless glass door, with dark stone walls, a floating stone bench lit from below and steam filling the room

Steam & showers

4 Nov 20266 min read

Residential Steam Room Planning Guide: Size, Build-up, Steam

Planning a home steam room in 6 decisions: size and seats, location, wall and ceiling build-up, door and glass, generator and controls, order of…

Wellness room in a Dubai villa with a dark mosaic steam room and a timber sauna cabin side by side, each behind its own full-height glass enclosure

Steam & showers

4 Nov 20267 min read

Steam Room Installation in Dubai: Stages, Timeline, Testing

Steam room installation in Dubai in 8 stages: survey, waterproofing, generator, services, flood test and commissioning. Own crew since 1987.

Snow room with frosted rock walls, a snow-covered stone bench and a glass door to a warm timber corridor

Cold rooms

28 Oct 20269 min read

Snow room planning guide: size, shell, plant and programme

A snow room planning guide: where it sits in the circuit, how big it should be, what the shell, floor and plant room need, and how long the work…

Treatment room with two massage beds, a large mirror and a mosaic-fronted counter

Spa planning

27 Oct 20269 min read

Massage room layout: table, clearance and services

A massage room layout starts from the table and the therapist's path around it: sizing single and couples rooms, and the services to fix early.

Indoor mosaic-tiled pool with backlit timber slat walls, dark stone cladding and poolside loungers

Pools & water

26 Oct 20267 min read

Swimming pool construction in Dubai: the stages from excavation to first fill

Swimming pool construction in Dubai, stage by stage: survey, drawings, excavation, shell, waterproofing, pipework, finishes, testing and first fill.

Top-view diagram of a villa garden comparing the footprint of a hot tub, a swim spa with its swimming current and a long lap pool lane

Pools & water

Alican Aykaç 23 October 2026 23 Oct 202613 min read

What Is a Swim Spa? Size, Weight, Power and Placement

A swim spa is a long hot tub with a current to swim against. Sizes, filled weight, power supply and where one fits in a Gulf villa garden or on a…

Small rectangular plunge pool in pale mosaic with steps and a limestone coping on a shaded Gulf villa terrace, with a timber pergola, two loungers and a palm

Pools & water

Alican Aykaç 23 October 2026 23 Oct 202611 min read

Plunge Pool: Size, Depth, Roof Load and How It Is Built

A plunge pool is a small permanent pool for a dip, not for lengths. How size, depth, roof load, shell, plant and Gulf heat shape the build, step by…

Sauna

Alican Aykaç 22 October 2026 22 Oct 202612 min read

Two-Person Sauna: The Smallest Cabin That Still Works

How small can a two-person sauna be? Footprint, bench length, ceiling height, heater size from the maker's table and where it fits in a villa.

Sauna

Alican Aykaç 21 October 2026 21 Oct 202616 min read

Sauna Bench Height: Tiers, Depth and Headroom

Sauna bench height is set from the ceiling down: Harvia puts the upper bench 1,100–1,200 mm below it. Depth, seat width and layouts for hotels and…

Sauna

Alican Aykaç 20 October 2026 20 Oct 202614 min read

Custom vs Prefabricated Sauna: Design, Delivery, Service

Custom vs prefabricated sauna: what changes in design, room build-up, glass, delivery and service, and which suits a Gulf villa or hotel. 6 decisions.