From the founder

I started New Primitive to build places that bring people back.

Modern life keeps us moving. Heat, cold, and quiet create a pause. You breathe differently. You talk differently. You remember what it feels like to be fully where you are.

I want that pause to live at home, not somewhere you visit once a year. A few steps from your door. A place you can return to every day, alone or with the people you love.

“This is not about escaping your life. It is about returning to it more present.”

Cole Painter Founder, New Primitive

Two people sharing a quiet sauna session at home

§ 02 Thesis From the founder

A thesis from the founder

Modern progression. Ancient traditions.

New Primitive is the balance between modern progression and ancient traditions, an experience that connects us back with the root of our human experience.

Living in a modern, high-performing society, we’ve become dysregulated and disconnected from true nature. This is a calling back to our roots: to get quiet, to slow down, to get back into our natural rhythm of who we are at the core.

Our body has a natural clock that heats up during the day and cools down at night. Living life at 72 degrees, we miss the natural triggers that keep us in rhythm. The tools and spaces we make introduce contrast stimulus, a signal back to the body to sync again.

A New Primitive owner in the red-lit calm of their sauna

At the core of what we do is connecting back with our true nature.

Cole, Founder

Hand-built in our dry factory.

Dry factory interior, wood, hands, work in progress — Every kit is built indoors in a climate-controlled dry factory in Utah. No outdoor weather exposure during construction. No moisture in the wood when it ships. Materials are natural, biodegradable, and decarbonizing, built to last a lifetime, and to be relocated if you ever move. Leaving no trace.

What we build with. And why.

Three layers, envelope, interior, decking, and a short list of materials chosen for performance, finish, and the way they age. Full taxonomy on the Materials page.

Exterior cladding

The face of every build. Weather-facing, 50-yr warranty.

Shou Sugi Ban. Vertical board & gap, deep char, oiled matte. Doesn’t fade, gets quieter with the years.

50 yr cladding
·
10 yr finish

Thermally-modified ash. Warm grain, dimensionally stable, holds finish through dry heat and storm cycles.

Thermo-modified
·
50 yr cladding

Honest, workhorse exterior. Lighter tone, ages with the site. Good for warmer regions.

Sustainably sourced

Interior paneling

Inside the sauna cabin. Raw, breathable, no sealer.

Western Red Cedar, clear vertical grain, 7/8" slat with 1/2" reveal. Sanded to 180 grit. No varnish, no sealer.

Vertical grain
·
180 grit

Primitive Panel, board and batten interior

Board & batten profile. Stronger horizontal rhythm. More material weight inside the room.

Board & batten
·
Cedar core

Lighter tone, harder surface, lower resin. The right call for hotter operating temperatures.

Thermo-modified
·
Low resin

See the full Materials library →

The standard.

We are happy to lose a sale to keep a standard.

We will

Hand-build every unit indoors in a dry factory. No outdoor exposure during construction.
Use natural, biodegradable, decarbonizing materials. Wood that came from somewhere, and goes back.
Deliver to the spot. Cranes, forklifts, ledges, retaining walls, our team handles placement.
Answer the phone for the lifetime of the unit. Real humans.

We won’t

Ship anything we wouldn’t put in our own backyards. Period.
Run marketing automation against your inbox. Every email is a real reply.
Put a Space on a map until you can actually visit it. No aspirational pages.

Where you can experience it in person.

Flagship

Park City, UTOpen daily

By appointment

Salt Lake City, UTBy appointment

Partner

Jackson Hole, WYWeekends · seasonal

Coming 2026

Aspen, CONotify me

Real installs. Real days.

Cara & Brody Thermal Suite Designer

Jeff Thermal Suite

Matt Gay 212 Designer

Josh Bridges Primitive Retreat

Mitch Delivery day

The Practice A daily ritual

Talk to Cole.

Quiz in 90 seconds. Render in your own backyard. A real conversation with Cole.

Take the Quiz Talk to Us

For builders & developers, partner with us →

Keep exploring.

Take the product quiz

Three minutes to find the right sauna and cold plunge for your space.

Browse the lineup

Hand-built saunas and cold-plunge suites across three tiers. From $26k.

The Craft

Engineered plans, sauna-grade materials, and how we build to last.

Owner stories

Real saunas and cold plunges installed in real backyards.

FAQs

Timeline, cost, permits, delivery, warranty. Straight answers.

Request a quote

Pick your model and finishes. Cole follows up within 2 business days.

FAQ

Common questions.

Who builds New Primitive saunas?

Cole founded New Primitive in 2022. Everything is hand-built by our own crew in Utah, not sourced from a catalogue and rebadged.

Where do you build, and where do you deliver?

We build in Utah and deliver nationwide. See owner stories for installs outside Utah.

What makes your build different?

Engineered and stamped plans, thermally modified wood, and a finish level closer to a room in your house than a shed. Build quality covers it in detail.

Can I see one in person?

Often yes, depending on where you are. Get in touch and we will tell you what is close to you.

How do I start a project?

Request a quote or take the quiz. Cole follows up within two business days.