New Primitive sauna safety instructions

Start with the instructions for your equipment

These general precautions apply across New Primitive saunas. Your installed heater, controller, accessories and sauna configuration have their own operating limits and instructions. Read and follow those instructions and the permanent safety labels before use. This page does not replace them.

Do not operate the sauna if you cannot identify the equipment, find the correct instructions, or confirm how to start and stop it safely. Contact New Primitive for help with your installation.

Check whether sauna use is right for you

Ask a qualified healthcare professional before use if you are pregnant or may be pregnant; have heart, blood-pressure, circulation or other medical conditions; have a history of fainting; or take medication that may affect your response to heat. Ask your clinician or pharmacist about medication patches before entering a sauna; heat can increase medicine absorption. Do not stop prescribed medication on your own.

Do not use the sauna after drinking alcohol or taking recreational drugs, while otherwise impaired, when you have a fever or feel ill, or when you are dehydrated. Follow any advice from your healthcare professional to avoid heat.

Before every session

• Check that the heater and its surrounding clearance area are free of towels, clothing and other objects. Never use the sauna for storage or drying clothes.
• Know how to stop the heater and open the door. Keep the exit, walking area, vents and required clearances unobstructed.
• Check for damaged glass, loose benches, exposed wiring, damaged guards, abnormal odors or other faults. Do not use damaged equipment.
• Drink water before and after use, unless your clinician has instructed otherwise. Hydration does not prevent every heat-related risk.
• Keep children away from hot equipment. A child or anyone who needs assistance must never be left unattended. Follow the manufacturer's age restrictions and obtain appropriate medical guidance before allowing a child to use the sauna.

While you are inside

• Use only the temperature, session duration and occupancy limits approved for your installation. If those limits are missing or unclear, contact New Primitive before use. Start conservatively; never treat a time or temperature as a target you must reach.
• Leave immediately if you feel dizzy, faint, nauseated, weak, unusually uncomfortable or short of breath, or develop a headache or racing heartbeat. Do not push through symptoms.
• Stay clear of the heater, stones and other hot surfaces. Steam can burn. Keep your body, hair, towels and clothing away from the heater and its guard.
• Add water only if the installed heater's instructions expressly allow it, using the specified water quality and quantity. Keep people clear of the steam. Never pour water on controls or electrical equipment, or add pool water, salt water, oils or other additives unless expressly approved for that equipment.
• Do not sleep, exercise, smoke or vape in the sauna. Avoid glass drinkware and other breakable objects. Stand up slowly and take care on wet floors.
• Have help available. Anyone who needs assistance entering, leaving or recognizing overheating must have a responsible adult able to help throughout the session.

After your session

Leave carefully, cool down gradually and rehydrate as appropriate. Do not move straight into a cold plunge if you feel faint or unwell. Cold plunges have separate risks and instructions; this sauna guide does not cover them. Stop the heater using its controls after use unless an approved operating procedure for your installation specifies otherwise. Keep the sauna clear as it cools.

If something goes wrong

Get out of the heat and ask for help. Call 911 in the United States for confusion, collapse, loss of consciousness, seizure, chest pain, severe breathing difficulty or another medical emergency. Elsewhere, call the local emergency number. Move to a cooler place if safe, begin cooling with cool wet cloths and follow the emergency dispatcher's instructions. Do not give drinks to someone who is unconscious or not fully alert.

For dizziness, nausea, weakness or other possible heat-illness symptoms, stop use and seek medical evaluation. Call emergency services if symptoms are severe, worsen, or medical help is unavailable. Do not return to the sauna while unwell.

If you notice smoke, a burning smell, sparks or damaged equipment, leave, keep others out and call emergency services if there is a fire or immediate danger. Shut down only if it is safe. Do not restart until the cause has been identified and corrected by a qualified professional.

For owners and operators

Give every user access to these instructions and the correct equipment instructions before use, including guests and renters. Keep permanent warning labels visible. Removing the temporary sticker does not remove the need to warn and instruct future users.

Use qualified professionals for installation, electrical work, repairs and required inspections. Maintain the heater, stones, guards, door, controls and safety devices according to the equipment instructions. Never bypass sensors, guards, overheat protection or other safety devices.

Before any scheduled or remote start, personally inspect the sauna and heater for obstructions and unsafe conditions. Follow the controller's safety-confirmation procedure and use remote start only when the required safety equipment is installed and working. An app connection is not a safety inspection. If the controller trips, faults or overheats, stop use and have the cause checked before restarting.

Common questions

Questions before use?

Contact New Primitive at +1 385-526-2385 or use our contact page. If an instruction is missing or unclear, do not use the sauna until it has been resolved. For a medical emergency, call emergency services instead of New Primitive.