Swell Sport · Practical guide

Choosing the space for an ice bath beside an existing sauna

Map the bath, the chiller and the people before choosing a corner. A tub can fit within a courtyard while its lid, entry space or servicing route does not. The useful drawing is therefore a set of overlapping activities, not just a rectangle beside the sauna.

Start with a measured outline

The current Arctic U listing gives an outside body of 135 × 65 × 76 cm, with dimensions expressed as length, width and height. Its listed chiller is a separate 43 × 59 × 53 cm unit. Draw both outlines to scale rather than placing the chiller inside the bath rectangle. These are seller dimensions, not required installation clearances. ^[1]

For the Nordic Twin, the listed outside body is 160 × 110 × 76 cm. Its step is listed as 65 × 36 × 24 cm and its chiller as 43 × 59 × 53 cm. Include the step as a separate object on the drawing; do not assume it disappears into the tub footprint. ^[2]

Add an activity layer

Use a second colour to show where someone stands while entering, where another person can wait, and where the lid will be placed. Trace the existing sauna door through its full swing. Keep the route to the house visible rather than making every journey pass between the two appliances. These are layout tests, not a declaration that a particular gap is compliant.

Add a third layer for maintenance: the route used to reach connections, inspect the back of the bath and remove the chiller for service. Leave supplier-required ventilation and service clearances labelled “awaiting manual” until confirmed. A blank measurement should remain a visible unresolved item, not become an assumed minimum.

Try two layouts before committing

In a hypothetical narrow courtyard, an owner first places the long side of the bath parallel to the sauna. The body fits, but the proposed lid storage occupies the door landing. Rotating the bath may fix that clash while creating another at the garden gate. Compare both drawings with the lid off, a person at the entry and the service route in use.

Use tape or movable cardboard on an empty, dry site to mark the proposed outlines. Walk around them carrying a towel and imagine reaching the fittings. Do not climb into a makeshift mock-up or move installed equipment to test the idea. Photograph the preferred layout from the house and from the delivery entrance.

Turn the sketch into a decision

Give each candidate position three labels: body fits, activities fit, technical checks pending. Only the first two can be established from this exercise. Send the preferred sketch with photographs to the supplier and relevant trades for confirmation of the outstanding installation requirements. The best position is the one that remains workable after those answers arrive, not simply the one with the nicest view.

Your practical checklist

Record bath and separate chiller dimensions.
Mark step, lid-storage position and sauna door swing.
Draw entry, waiting and service routes in different colours.
Keep all unconfirmed clearance dimensions visibly blank.

Can I use the tub dimensions as the total area required?

No. They describe the listed body, not the step, equipment, open lid, people or service zones. The drawing must include these separately.

Should the bath touch the sauna wall?

Do not decide proximity from photographs. Submit the proposed relationship to both equipment suppliers with their installation instructions before finalising it.