Harbor Saunas is a Northeast based design and build studio focusing on building design-led outdoor saunas. We provide a portfolio of thoughtfully designed ready-to-purchase models, as well as custom sauna design services.

Combining design elements and build technique from the Northeast with Scandinavian minimalism, our saunas draw inspiration from the timeless structures found still standing throughout these maritime regions. By taking a nod from these structures and integrating modern build standards with a blend of time-honored and contemporary materials, we design outdoor saunas that honor this centuries-old ritual while reflecting the same thought and intention found in working coastal buildings.

Harbor Saunas was introduced in 2024 by founder HB Mertz with a clear intention: to design and build outdoor saunas that felt like an extension of the home.

During a career spent documenting the maritime regions found throughout the Northeast and Scandinavia, he was introduced to sauna culture and developed a deep admiration for the people, work ethic, and architectural intent that has carefully shaped these places. The buildings in these parts of the world historically were built with a defined purpose, and the material selections were chosen to age gracefully within particularly harsh environments.

When it became time to build his own sauna, the gap in the American market was immediately apparent. Readily available options felt temporary or disconnected from the architectural language of the home, or were positioned primarily as wellness tools rather than experiences. The question became simple: What if a sauna could be designed with the same sense of permanence and material honesty found in centuries-old working coastal buildings?

The concept for Harbor was brought to a manufacturing group with decades of experience building and installing outdoor cabins and timber frame structures. After many careful rounds of product development, Harbor opened its doors in 2024 with the introduction of our Lighthouse Sauna, which quickly received global recognition, including a feature in Gestalten’s Ridiculously Good-Looking Saunas.

Since then, Harbor has developed a growing portfolio of saunas that carefully reflect the same principles found in maritime architecture. Each sauna is shaped by time-honored construction methods and materials chosen for how they weather, perform, and belong within the landscape.

Today, Harbor’s team of designers and expert craftsmen has installed saunas for private residences from coastal Maine to the islands off the coast of Washington and beyond. Even as our work evolves, we carry a commitment to preserving the ritual of sauna within our builds, the same one that has been passed down for centuries.