The Cooling Off Area

 A rustic privacy fence was constructed around the perimeter of the remaining deck area to create a cooling off area. The fence copied the design of our existing backyard fence. 2"x4" treated cross pieces at the top and bottom of the fence sections were connected to the vertical posts. 1"x6"x6' long treated pine dogear boards were then attached to the horizontal cross pieces with a 3/4" to 1" overlap. 1"x4" treated boards were then attached horizontally at the top and bottom of the fence sections on the interior of the fence. The fence has a 3.5" gap at the bottom to allow us to push some snow off of this deck area in the winter. All of these treated boards will be stained to give the fence a more finished look once they are totally dry.

Two rocking chairs allow sauna users to sit back, cool off, and lounge in a comfortable private area.

I have found that using the term "rustic" to describe some items gives leeway to them being constructed a bit more imperfect but still functional.

Besides being a functional door to our cooling off area, the sliding rustic barn door we built adds a nice touch to the entrance of our sauna and cooling off area. 

I started making a barn door using some 1"x6" cedar boards I had left over from my last sauna build (over 25 years ago!) that I found the rafters of our garage but their 6 foot length didn't prove to be adequate in length so I purchased some 1"x8" pine tongue and groove boards to make the door out of.

 I stained the door and attached door handles and hardware. The door, like the fence has a small gap at the bottom to allow it to move even if we have a few inches of snow on the deck.

My brother Allyn made us a nice sauna sign which we hung on the barn door. Each letter is cut with his scroll saw to produce slightly indented letters. 

Also in the photo is our dog Niiko. He is not a fan of hot weather so I doubt he will want to take a sauna with us, but he does enjoy lounging in the shade of our cooling off area, or in the winter, laying on the floor or on the bench in the  changing room.

Niiko also has become quite a mouse chaser and I suspect he is responsible for knocking over our wood pile in pursuit of his tiny prey.

 A dump shower bucket is located in the corner of the cooling off area. Pulling on the attached rope drenches the user with a bucket load of cold water.

We weren't sure if we would use this feature much but we have learned to LOVE how it can instantly cool you off after a hot sauna session. 

We disconnect and take the bucket down during the winter and reinstall it in the spring.

Our original dump bucket (pictured above) started to fall apart so we replaced it with an aluminum stock pot which should last a very long time! The 32 quart pot gives us about 5 gallons of cool refreshing water to drench ourselves with!

The dump shower bucket has a float (repurposed side connection toilet float) which automatically refills the bucket with cold water after each use. The float is connected to a hose running from our backyard water spigot.