Some saunas are made for a quick sweat and a rinse. The Patio L Plus is made for evenings that stretch out: when friends arrive before sunset and somehow you’re all still talking under the stars hours later. It’s part sauna, part garden pavilion – a long, low, timber structure that turns a regular backyard into a proper wellness corner, complete with places to heat up, cool down, and simply be together.
Where many outdoor saunas are essentially closed boxes with a bench and a heater, the Patio L Plus feels more like an outdoor living room with a sauna built into it. Crafted in Europe from 40 mm thermotreated Nordic spruce, and designed by the Red Dot–winning team behind Leil-Saunas, it’s a calm, well-proportioned piece of architecture that looks as good as it feels to use.
PATIO L Plus Outdoor Sauna
Photo: Shym Saunas
Three Spaces, One Ritual
Walk around the Patio L Plus and it’s clear this isn’t just a cabin dropped in the garden. The layout is stretched, layered and deliberately zoned into three distinct spaces under one continuous roof:
- A dedicated sauna room at one end – insulated, glass-fronted and fitted with split-level alder benches.
- A front relaxation room – an enclosed, light-filled space that works as a change room, lounge or cool-down area.
- An open covered terrace – effectively an outdoor room without walls, perfect for sitting between rounds, sharing drinks, or pairing your sauna with a cold plunge tub or outdoor shower.
Together, these zones create a natural rhythm: warm up in the sauna, step into the relaxation room to breathe and chat, then wander out to the open terrace to feel the evening air on your skin. It’s a flow that makes the whole experience feel unhurried and luxurious – even on a Tuesday night.
With space for 4 to 8 people, the Patio L Plus handles everything from solo unwinds to family rituals and small gatherings. Nobody is forced to stand awkwardly or hover by the door – there’s a place for everyone to sit, stretch out and settle in.
A Soft Lantern of Timber and Glass
Inside, the sauna room itself is compact but generous, with split-level benches crafted from premium knotless alder. The higher tier is for those who crave that deep, enveloping Finnish-style heat; the lower level offers a gentler, more approachable warmth for kids, beginners or anyone who prefers to linger longer.
Light enters through double-tempered bronze glass windows and a matching glass door, creating a soft, ambient glow rather than harsh glare. You get a sense of connection to the outside – the garden, the pool, the sky – without feeling like you’re on display. For those who prefer a more dramatic, contemporary look, there’s also an optional black glass upgrade that turns the façade into a sleek, dark mirror.
In the front room, the same glazing floods the space with natural light by day and a warm lantern glow by night. Furnish it with simple benches, hooks and a small table and it becomes a cosy in-between world: not quite indoors, not quite outdoors, but exactly where you want to be before and after each round of heat.
Thermowood Structure, Built to Brave the Weather
At its core, the Patio L Plus is a serious bit of timber engineering. The structure is built from 40 mm thick thermotreated Nordic spruce – Thermowood® – which has been carefully heat-treated to improve stability, durability and resistance to moisture.
This process drives out resins and excess moisture, making the wood:
- Less prone to warping, twisting or cracking, even under heat and weather changes.
- Naturally more resistant to decay, without the need for heavy chemical treatments.
- Excellent at retaining heat, which is exactly what you want from a sauna shell.
Above, a PIR-insulated ceiling and high-quality EPDM roof cover (with metal edge trims) complete the envelope. EPDM is a tough, elastic membrane designed to shrug off UV, rain, heat and frost – and on the Patio L Plus, it’s included as standard, not an afterthought.
Down at your feet, a weather-treated floor frame with built-in drainage and an integrated water removal gutter keep things practical and low-maintenance. You can rinse down the floor after a session without worrying about standing water, swollen boards or mystery puddles.
Heat Your Way: Electric Ease or Wood-Fired Ritual
Like Shym’s other premium cabins, the Patio L Plus is compatible with both electric and wood-burning heaters, so you can match your setup to your site and personality.
- Choose a modern electric heater (including options like the HUUM Drop with stones) for quick, push-button convenience and app-controlled pre-heating.
- Or go wood-fired if you’re in a rural or off-grid setting and want the full ritual: stacking timber, hearing the crackle, seeing the glow through the glass.
Whichever you choose, the thermally efficient 40 mm log walls, PIR roof insulation, and well-proportioned sauna room (about 192 cm x 192 cm x ~213.5 cm on the low side) mean you’re heating a properly insulated volume – not chasing warmth in a leaky box.
Designed for Gatherings, Not Just Sessions
Where the Patio L Plus really shines is in those long, meandering evenings when the sauna is only half the story.
The front relaxation room is big enough to style as a quiet lounge with chairs and a small table. It becomes a conversation spot where people drift in and out between rounds, wrapped in towels, cheeks flushed, shoulders finally dropped. It’s also a practical barrier between the hot room and the weather outside – your towels stay dry, the floor stays tidy, and the transition from heat to cool is gentle, not jarring.
The open covered terrace under the same roof is the natural extension of all that warmth. Here’s where you:
- Park a cold plunge tub or ice bath for contrast therapy.
- Install an outdoor shower for rinsing off under the sky.
- Set out simple outdoor seating for guests to enjoy the night air.
Even when you’re not running the heater, this end of the Patio L Plus acts as an all-weather outdoor room – a place to sit with a coffee in winter sun or read in the shade on a hot day.
What You Get With the Patio L Plus
Each PATIO L Plus arrives as a preassembled, European-crafted kit, with:
- Preassembled thermotreated spruce log sauna kit
- 40 mm thick log boards for walls
- Roof boards (24 mm) with EPDM roof cover and metal edge trims
- PIR roof insulation (30 mm) for heat efficiency
- Split-level benches in premium knotless alder (28 x 90 mm)
- Weather-treated floor frame (45 x 95 mm) with integrated water gutter
- 4 x double-glazed bronze windows (approx. 690 x 1860 mm, 8 mm tempered glass)
- 2 x glass doors (approx. 690 x 1860 mm, 8 mm tempered glass)
- External mouldings treated in black for a crisp, modern contrast
From there, you can build out your ideal setup with a curated range of accessories: heaters (electric or wood-fired), stones, buckets and ladles, backrests and pillows, lighting kits, sand clocks, thermometers, cold plunge tubs, outdoor showers and care products to keep the timber looking its best.
Crafted in Europe, Supported in Australia & NZ
The Patio L Plus is manufactured in Europe by award-winning sauna specialists and offered by Shym Saunas for Australian and New Zealand homes. Priced around $33,000 for the cabin (excluding heater and optional upgrades), it ships across Australia, with Tasmanian delivery and interstate freight options available. Pick-up from the warehouse is free, and installation services can be arranged if you’d rather leave the build to the pros.
New Zealand customers can contact Shym Saunas directly for purchase and shipping quotes, as freight is tailored per project.
A Backyard Pavilion for Moments That Matter
The Patio L Plus isn’t just “somewhere to sweat”. It’s a little architectural gesture in the backyard that says: this is where we slow down. This is where we meet each other again after long days. This is where we swap the blue light of screens for the amber glow of timber and glass.
With its three-space layout, thermowood construction, and social, open feel, the Patio L Plus is for people who want their sauna to be more than a box in the corner – they want it to be a place where memories are made.
If you’ve been dreaming of a wellness area that feels like a private retreat, a social hub and a year-round outdoor room all in one, the Patio L Plus might be the sauna that finally makes that vision real. Step inside, close the door, and let the warmth and conversation do the rest.