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By: Becky Jensen
Few things are more relaxing than a day at the spa, complete with a sauna, steam room and other feel-good heat therapies.
In addition to simply feeling good, studies have shown that spending time in saunas and steam showers has substantial health benefits. According to Healthline, “These range from better metabolism, weight loss and stress reduction to improved cardiovascular function, pain reduction, anti-aging and skin rejuvenation.”
Because of these benefits, it’s no surprise that health-conscious people across Northern Colorado want to recreate spa experiences in their own homes.
Photos by CassiHise Photography
“We’re installing more and more spa-like features, including saunas and steam showers,” says Scott Fetters, general manager at HighCraft Builders. He points to a remodeling project in southeast Fort Collins as a perfect example of the growing trend.
“The homeowners live an active lifestyle, and their unfinished basement was a blank canvas with a ton of space and potential,” Scott says.
HighCraft’s design-build team created a variety of unique “living zones” in the 2,200-square-foot basement, including a game room, lounge area, guest bedroom, rock climbing wall and an oversized bathroom that houses a sauna and steam shower.
“The sauna and steam shower were at the top of their wish list,” Scott says.
HighCraft’s production team knew that adding intense heat and steam to a windowless interior room could pose a problem if the installation wasn’t exact. Using top-quality products and materials, they ensured proper sealing and venting to protect against any possible moisture damage.
But the room is more than just a highly functional space.
“I’m really proud of our team’s craftsmanship on this one,” Scott says. He points out the perfectly flush wall where the drywall, tile and hand-planed cedar meet—a labor-intensive detail done right. The exterior mitered corners of the tongue-and-groove cedar, Scott adds, are a thing of beauty.
In the bathroom, a floating vanity provides storage, and pendant lights, with glowing copper shades, help define the space. The cedar sauna feels cozy—not cave-like—because it shares a glass wall with the adjacent steam shower. And speaking of glass, the floor-to-ceiling walls of the shower are locally manufactured, fit to one-sixteenth of an inch and installed into recessed wall tracks for less bracketing and hardware.
In the sauna, the HighCraft team also installed an aluminum membrane under the cedar planks to reflect heat back into the space and provide an additional moisture barrier. In the shower, the green tile and white bench add freshness and light, and three separate shower heads offer a truly therapeutic experience.
“It might look simple,” Scott says, “but it took a lot of careful space planning, interior design and precision installation to make the sauna, steam shower and bathroom come together seamlessly.”
He adds that at HighCraft, the team always strives to maintain clean, safe and productive jobsites. This basement remodel was no exception. To avoid a potential mess and disruption on the home’s main level, HighCraft delivered all materials and supplies through the basement’s egress windows, including the heavy bags of concrete required for the bathroom’s shower pan.
“Everything about the project required careful thought and incredible attention to detail,” Scott says. “Making those precise measurements, having the bathroom come together perfectly, seeing how thrilled the clients were with the end result. That’s what it’s all about.”
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