Sauna House Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $1.6M – $3.8M
- Disclosed sales
- partial, no system average
- SBA charge-off
- Under 10 loans (3)
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Sauna House is a wellness franchise offering communal infrared and traditional sauna, cold plunge, and contrast bathing. Franchisees run the facilities, managing sauna operations, memberships, and appointments.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A SAUNA HOUSE franchise requires a total initial investment of $1.6M – $3.8M, including a $50K franchise fee and an ongoing 7.0% royalty[2]. The 2025 FDD on file does not yield a unit-revenue figure we can publish. FranchiseVerdict grade: C (Average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: medium - issued 12 to 24 months ago; a newer filing is likely on file
Evidence: partial✓ Investment (Item 7)✓ Item 19 status✓ Units and owners (Item 20)✗ SBA loan coverage✓ Litigation (Item 3)✓ Financial statements (Item 21)✓ Franchisor identityhow this is scored6 of 6 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing.
Overview
- Investment
- $1.6M – $3.8M
- 82nd pct Healthcare
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Company-owned onlyn=1
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- 37th pct Healthcare
- Units
- 3
- 11th pct Healthcare
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Healthcare · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Healthcare median · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- COSTTotal investment $1.6M – $3.8M including a $50K franchise fee, 7.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSItem 19 reports one company-owned bathhouse in Asheville, North Carolina: 'This FPR is limited to data from 1 Company-Owned Outlet ... It does not include data from any Franchised Outlets' (printed p.39). The year is also not typical — Hurricane Helene closed the outlet in late September and for all of October 2024, and the same outlet reported $1,712,223 the prior year.
- RISKVerdict C (Average), verdict score 40/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHNegative, pipeline stalled: 10 agreements signed but not yet open against 3 open outlets (Item 20).
- DATAItem 19 reports outlet revenue, but not in a form that yields a per-outlet average we can compare across brands. Ask franchisees directly for full unit-level revenue.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Sweat Ventures, LLC
- Parent company
- Sauna Party, LLC
- Predecessor
- Sauna House Community Baths, LLC
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- Founder and Chief Executive Officer
- Andrew Lachlan Nehlig
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- North Carolina
- HQ
- 2000 Riverside Drive, Ste. 27, Asheville, North Carolina 28804
- Auditor
- Kezos & Dunlavy
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $55K
- Most recent fiscal year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Andrew Lachlan Nehlig
- Headquarters
- NC
- Founded
- 2022
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 2
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 741% above the typical healthcare franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown19 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $50K | $50K | |
| Property Surveysnot refundable | $3K | $25K | |
| Lease Deposit & 3 Months' Rent | $34K | $105K | |
| Architect Review Feenot refundable | $2K | $2K | |
| Architect Feesnot refundable | $65K | $150K | |
| Project Management Feenot refundable | $25K | $25K | |
| Build Out & Improvementsnot refundable | $750K | $2.2M | |
| Startup Packagenot refundable | $175K | $395K | |
| Signagenot refundable | $5K | $30K | |
| Decorating, Furniture & Furnishingsnot refundable | $30K | $65K | |
| Technology Systemsnot refundable | $24K | $54K | |
| Systems Setup Feenot refundable | $2K | $2K | |
| Equipment and Fixtures (excluding Startup Package)not refundable | $250K | $400K | |
| Initial Inventory (excluding Startup Package)not refundable | $3K | $6K | |
| Grand Opening Advertisingnot refundable | $15K | $15K | |
| Utility Depositsnot refundable | $6K | $11K | |
| Professional Feesnot refundable | $7K | $8K | |
| Insurancenot refundable | $6K | $14K | |
| Additional Funds (3 months)not refundable | $113K | $243K | |
| Total initial investment | $1.6M | $3.8M |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $1.6M – $3.8M
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $113K – $243K
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Franchise fee
- $50K – $50K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 9.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 7.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $1K |
| Training fee | $200 |
| Transfer fee | $25K |
| Renewal fee | $10K |
| Inventory (initial) | $3K – $6K |
| Total fee load | 9.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
No Item 19 revenue figure for SAUNA HOUSE is on file. The return models need a revenue figure to start from, and the operating costs that turn gross sales into a profit are in no FDD. Enter your own and the calculator runs on your assumptions — nothing here is modelled until you do.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one SAUNA HOUSE unit return on the cash you put in?
Illustrative category typicals — not sourced to any filing, survey or sample. Replace them with figures from franchisee validation calls before you rely on the output.
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Your modelled return on total invested capital, before any debt financing.
—
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for annual revenue, COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
These models are for research and scenario planning only. Not investment advice. Actual results depend on your specific location, management, and market conditions. Consult a franchise attorney and accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
Item 19 · Source: 2025 FDD
Financial Performance
Item 19 reports one company-owned bathhouse in Asheville, North Carolina: 'This FPR is limited to data from 1 Company-Owned Outlet ... It does not include data from any Franchised Outlets' (printed p.39). The year is also not typical — Hurricane Helene closed the outlet in late September and for all of October 2024, and the same outlet reported $1,712,223 the prior year.
Company-owned outlets only - not franchisee performance
Based on a single reporting unit - not a system average
- Item 19 type
- Company-Owned
- Sample size
- 1
- vs category median 20 · small
- Reported figure
- $1.4MCited, not corroborated — printed on page 47 of the 2025 FDD. Nothing else in our record independently restates or re-derives it.
- A single outlet — not a range
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2025
- Disclosed in the 2025 filing, covering 2024
- Transparency
- 6 / 10
- vs category median 3 / 10 · above
Compared against 162 Healthcare brands
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 9.0% (near the Healthcare median).
Disclosure
Item 19 reports outlet revenue, but not in a form that yields a per-outlet average we can compare across brands.
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Healthcare medians
How Sauna House Compares
Category median of published Healthcare brands that report the figure; the middle half spans the 25th to 75th percentile and n counts the brands behind it. Medians are used because a few very large systems pull an average far from the typical brand. Revenue is disclosed gross sales, not profit.
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 3
- Opened
- 1
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- N/A
- Company-owned
- 2
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 33%
- vs corporate-owned
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 0
- Not renewed
- 0
- Transferred
- 0
- Reacquired
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Signed, not yet open
- 10
- 3.33 per open outlet · Item 20 Table 5
- Projected new
- 16
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 2 states reported
The Territory Map
FDD Item 12 reports the state count, but the specific list isn't in our current data. The map will appear once we re-extract from the FDD or enough franchisee contacts are available.
2
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 3 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 3
- Loan volume
- $7.9M
- Median loan
- $2.4M
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- Under 10 loans (3)
- Insufficient SBA coverage: 3 loans, rate hidden below 10
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- Under 10 loans (3)
- 5-yr charge-off
- Under 10 loans (3)
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 2
- Defaults
- N/A
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
What could kill this investment?
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Early-stage franchisor (2022) flagged with financial distress that is explicitly early-stage; only $54,610 revenue and unaudited financials across 3 units. No litigation, no bankruptcy, no going-concern note. Treated as minor given startup status and limited history.
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: officers or affiliates. The franchisor is not a named party in these cases.
No litigation is required to be disclosed in this Item.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Kezos & Dunlavy
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 40 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORUnaudited financials, only $54,610 revenue
- 02MINORNo litigation or bankruptcy; small 3-unit early-stage system
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 9.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Protected territory | No |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory population | 9 |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 25 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Buncombe County, North Carolina |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | North Carolina |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation is required to be disclosed in this Item.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 41 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 20 hrs
- Training location
- Online & your Bathhouse or Company-Owned Bathhouse
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Field support
- 20 hrs/yr
- On-site visits per year
- Site selection
- Franchisor approves sites proposed by franchisee within a designated Site Selection Area; franchisee must use a franchisor-designated/approved real estate broker
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Boulevard
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Boulevard
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a SAUNA HOUSE franchise?
The total investment to open a SAUNA HOUSE franchise ranges from $1.6M – $3.8M, with an initial franchise fee of $50K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do SAUNA HOUSE franchise owners earn?
Item 19 of the SAUNA HOUSE FDD discloses outlet figures from $1.4M to $1.4M but no single average across all outlets. These are gross sales figures, not profit; the Revenue section shows what the filing reports and on what basis. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Who owns SAUNA HOUSE?
SAUNA HOUSE is franchised by Sweat Ventures, LLC. Its parent company is Sauna Party, LLC. Source: FDD Item 1, 2025 filing.
What is Item 19 in the SAUNA HOUSE FDD?
The FDD section where a franchisor may disclose financial performance of its outlets. Disclosure is optional and formats vary; figures are typically gross sales, which is revenue before expenses, not profit. FranchiseVerdict extracts these figures directly from the SAUNA HOUSE FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is SAUNA HOUSE's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for SAUNA HOUSE (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many SAUNA HOUSE franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, SAUNA HOUSE has 3 total units in the United States, including 1 franchised units and 2 company-owned units. 1 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is SAUNA HOUSE a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates SAUNA HOUSE as a C-grade franchise with a verdict score of 40 out of 100 (higher is better). The grade is a deterministic score built from six weighted dimensions — financial health, unit economics, unit growth, scale, legal, and transparency — then calibrated against SBA loan charge-off rates and FDD age. Transparency is one of the six, so a filing that discloses less scores lower on that dimension than one that discloses more. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.