20.03.2025
Unwind in Luxury: 4 Homes with Private Saunas
Ah, the sauna! In these gray days of winter’s chill, is there anything more satisfying than the relaxing, bone-deep heat of the sauna? It’s more than just a good sweat. In today’s luxury homes, the sauna is a vital component of holistic wellness suites, encompassing yoga, exercise, massage—everything from Peloton bikes to plunge pools.
We’ve come a few thousand years from the Native American sweat lodge and its sacred rituals, or the Bronze Age community-centric saunas of Finland. Today’s saunas come in many guises, from the traditional dry-heat sauna to the high-tech infrared models, which heat the body directly at a lower temperature. The theme, however, remains the same: Relax, recharge, and embrace the healing powers of the löyly—spirit of the steam—emanating from the hot rocks.
Thus, the ancient sauna takes center stage in this edition of Luxury Defined, as a 21st-century deluxe home amenity.
1. Luxury Massaria in Salento, Puglia, Italy
This magnificent Tuscan masseria, or farmhouse estate, is in the heart of the picturesque Salento peninsula, the heel of Italy’s boot.
This rambling contemporary farmstead was built in 2014 by local craftsmen using authentic materials such as pietra leccese (beige limestone) and carparo sandstone.
There are five spacious double bedrooms with en suite bathrooms, each with a private entrance and courtyard access. Modern comforts include underfloor heating, air conditioning, smart-home technology, and a Sonos sound system, as well as solar panels and geothermal energy.
The main level offers stylish living and dining rooms, a fully kitted modern kitchen, a utility room, and a guest bathroom. The lower level houses a luxurious spa with a fitness area, sauna, steam room, Jacuzzi with chromotherapy, heated floors, as well as a wine cellar with a refrigerator and storage.
The outdoor spaces offer a large, heated pool and deck, a tennis court, pétanque court, a pizza oven and barbecue, and two vine-clad pergolas for outdoor dining. The garden, with fruit trees, flowers, and lawns, is picturesque year-round.
The 28-acre grounds include centuries-old olive groves and three historic trulli, ancient drywall limestone dwellings.
