Sauna and ice bath builder for Ubud villas and retreats

Jungle villas and retreat centres around Ubud

Ubud's property splits into two. Private villas on the ridges of Sayan, Penestanan and Kedewatan look over the Ayung or a side valley, are reached by steep private driveways, and have terraces stepped down the slope that suit an outdoor cabin with a plunge one level below. Retreat and yoga centres around Tegallalang, Mas and Payangan run programmes for groups and want a sauna for 8–20 people, with a 9–12 kW heater or two on three-phase, plunges for several guests at once and a hygiene routine staff can follow. The cooler nights, 22–24 °C against Canggu's 26 °C, make a sauna feel more natural in Ubud than anywhere on the coast, and guests at retreats expect one.

We build in Ubud regularly, and the Pererenan project and the eight-person studio sauna are the closest references for a villa and a retreat brief respectively. Transport from Canggu to Ubud is 60–90 minutes and carries a small charge; surveys are grouped by day.

Humidity, rain, leaves and power in Ubud

Humidity is the whole story. The valleys hold moisture, morning mist is normal for half the year, and the wet season delivers rain most afternoons from December to March. Timber that would dry out in Canggu stays damp in Ubud, so every cabin here has the foil vapour barrier taped at every joint, a 20 mm vented gap that is open top and bottom, and an exhaust vent that draws when the heater is off. Outdoor cabins get a roof with a 60 cm overhang, a raised hardwood base off the ground, and a weekly ten-minute dry-out heating when the owner is away. Plunges go under a roof, because leaf fall from the canopy fills a skimmer in a day; chillers stand in the shade with airflow and, with Ubud's cooler air, hold temperature with less effort than on the coast. Termites are a real risk in the jungle: cedar and thermowood resist them, but nothing wooden touches the soil.

Power on older Ubud villas is often 2,200–5,500 VA; retreat centres commonly already have 11,000 VA or three-phase for kitchens and pumps. A 6–9 kW heater needs 7,700–11,000 VA, applied for and paid by the owner; where that is not possible, an infrared cabin in an air-conditioned room is the alternative. The dry sauna page covers cabin sizes from two to twelve people.

Nearby areas

• Sayan
• Penestanan
• Tegallalang
• Mas
• Payangan