We’re a mobile wood-fired sauna based in West Lothian, Scotland.

We are also available for hire all across Scotland for private hires and events.

About the sauna

Fat Cat Saunas has been in development for some time, involving extensive research and the sourcing of materials. Indeed, the sauna stove had sat on a shelf in Elliot’s workshop for around three years, earmarked for the future “sauna project.” We wanted the sauna to be quirky, interesting, and blend seamlessly into the landscape. So, rather than fashioning a box on wheels or converting a horse box, we built the sauna from scratch, from the ground up. Our sauna has been designed to look whimsical, with quirky angles and a shingle-clad exterior reminiscent of a wee Gingerbread house. Its materials have been carefully selected to provide an authentic Finnish-style sauna experience while incorporating locally sourced Scottish materials.

The construction of a sauna is critical to the experience it provides and its overall performance. Our sauna is constructed with care and attention to detail. The sauna is thoroughly insulated with sauna-rated insulation and incorporates a vapour barrier and air gap behind the interior Nordic spruce cladding to allow airflow. Fresh air within the sauna is controlled via an adjustable vent located below the top bench, allowing plenty of fresh, preheated airflow from behind the stove to circulate throughout the sauna, so it never feels stuffy or stale. We’ve chosen to elevate the benches, which are constructed from thermally stabilised Radiata Pine. The elevated benches mean your feet stay cosy, and the Radiata Pine retains just the right amount of heat, keeping your butt toasty too. Concealed dimmable lighting behind the backrests provides a calming light that complements the flickering glow from the stove.

The sauna is heated with an efficient, small wood-burning stove with a hand-woven stainless steel rock basket. Typically, the sauna operates at around 65°c to 80°c, with humidity levels dependent on your use of löyly.

Overall, our sauna is also extremely lightweight, weighing less than 1000kg, allowing it to be easily moved by hand or pushed across a lawn into position without damaging the ground surface. Outside, our sauna features decking steps, a designated area for hanging clothing or towels, a small, reclaimed barrel table for storing water bottles or glasses, and exterior lighting.

When the sauna is not out on private hires or making a guest appearance at events, it lives on our own Croft, nestled within an acre of private and secluded grounds. Read more about Fat Cat @ The Croft.

About us

Elliot has been passionate about design and fabrication his whole life; previously running a landscaping business, building kit cars, teardrop caravans, and renovating properties… Aside from building things, Elliot loves to be outside and has spent many long weekends off on adventures with his girlfriend and cat in the campervan or canoe camping, pitching up somewhere beautiful and just… chilling. He loves to wild swim and keeping him out of any body of water on a sunny day is nearly impossible! He often thought how cool it would be to have a hot tub or sauna you can travel with to warm up after an icy dip. Lockdown gave him some unexpected free time and sparked a lockdown project of fabricating the Trailer Hot Tub, which went on many adventures around Scotland. In his downtime, Elliot has often gravitated to the heat of a sauna. He’s visited several saunas across Scotland and Europe to experience and learn about sauna culture.

Sammi is a medical doctor with a big love for the outdoors and all things health and wellness. While Elliot was busy physically building the sauna, she was deep-diving into research on the benefits of thermal therapies—and will happily chat your ear off about the latest studies if you let her! She’s also a firm believer that sauna friends are the best friends!

And of course Fatty is our very silly persian cat who is the inspiration behind the Fat Cat Sauna name.