FAQ · Sauna · Cold plunge
The questions before the switch. Or the launch.
Common questions about Zettlor for commercial sauna and cold plunge operators. What it replaces · why not a generic tool · ownership · pricing · migration · launch.Last updated · September 13, 2026
What Zettlor is (and isn't)
Is: Booking and operations software for commercial sauna and cold plunge rooms - shared seats, private hire/buyouts, memberships with included sessions, payments, and desk ops.
Isn't: Appointment software (one client, one provider, one slot). Not a class or fitness scheduler. Not a generic spa or salon tool retrofitted for rooms.
Primary product pages: sauna booking software, sauna membership software, and cold plunge studio software.
Pricing: Individual is $0 plus 3% per successful transaction. Pro is $369/mo plus 2%. Max is $5,000/yr plus 1%. See pricing.
Operator how-tos: Guides.
About Zettlor
Zettlor is booking and operations software for commercial sauna and cold plunge rooms. The platform handles online reservations, walk-ins, memberships, credits, gift cards, waivers, point-of-sale, dynamic pricing, and reporting - designed around how those rooms actually operate, not retrofitted from spa or salon software.
Read sauna booking software for how a commercial room is sold as shared sessions, memberships, events, and buyouts. See sauna membership software for recurring access, and cold plunge studio software for dedicated plunge rooms and contrast circuits.
Zettlor is built for operators running commercial sauna and cold plunge facilities:
- Sauna businesses
- Bathhouses and communal wellness spaces
- Multi-location sauna businesses
- Sauna studios
- Cold plunge and contrast therapy facilities
- Mobile sauna operators
- Sauna festival operators
- Infrared sauna studios
- Recovery and wellness centers offering sauna and cold plunge as core services
If your business sells access to heated or cold-immersion rooms, Zettlor is built for you.
Most booking platforms treat a sauna session like a haircut: one client, one provider, one time slot. Sauna businesses don't work that way. Sessions are shared or private, capacity is based on the room rather than a staff member, guests rotate between hot and cold, demand shifts with weather and season, and walk-ins are constant. Zettlor is built around these realities - resource-based scheduling, shared/private/buyout session types, walk-in queues, fair-draw allocation for sessions that sell out instantly, and automated dynamic pricing. See "What features does Zettlor include?" for the full list.
Booking and Guest Experience
Guests book a session by visiting the operator's Zettlor booking page, picking a date and time, choosing shared or private access, and paying online. The whole flow happens in the browser - no app download required.
After booking, guests receive a confirmation via SMS or email and can sync the reservation to Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, or Outlook through an iCal feed.
No. Guests book and pay without creating an account or setting a password. At checkout, they enter their name, phone number, and email - that's it. After booking, Zettlor creates a guest profile automatically so the operator has a customer record. If the guest wants to access their booking history, credits, or memberships later, they verify their identity with a one-time code sent via SMS or email. No passwords to create or remember.
Yes. Guests can cancel or reschedule through dedicated self-service pages without contacting the operator. Cancellation and rescheduling rules are configured by the operator - including cutoff windows, refund policies, and whether cancellations return credit to the guest's wallet or issue a refund to their payment method.
Guests can join a waitlist for fully booked sessions. If a spot opens up - through a cancellation or a capacity increase - the next guest on the waitlist is notified automatically and given a window to confirm their booking. Operators: see how a waitlist fills a sold-out sauna or cold plunge session.
For high-demand events or limited-capacity sessions, operators can use a fair-draw allocation with a registration window instead, so no one has to race the refresh button.
Yes. Each guest account includes an iCal feed they can subscribe to in Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, Outlook, or any calendar app that supports iCal. Bookings, cancellations, and reschedules sync automatically.
Guests can purchase digital gift cards through the platform and send them to anyone via email. Recipients redeem a gift card at checkout by entering the code. Gift card balances are tracked in the recipient's account and can be applied to any booking or store purchase. Operators: see how to redeem a gift card at booking.
Zettlor has a credits and wallet system separate from gift cards. Operators can issue credits to guests for any reason - a service recovery, a referral reward, a promotional offer, or a cancellation-to-credit policy. Credits have configurable expiration dates, and guests can view their balance and redemption history in their account. Credits are applied automatically at checkout or can be used selectively.
Yes. Many sauna purchases are inherently group decisions - a friend group splitting a private buyout, a couple sharing a wallet, an employer funding wellness for their team, a coach covering recovery sessions for athletes - but most booking platforms force one person to pay for everyone, then chase reimbursements through Venmo or expense reports. Zettlor lets any group create a shared balance that multiple people contribute to and any member can spend at checkout, with a share link to invite others and per-member visibility for whoever is funding it.
This unlocks customer relationships operators rarely capture today:
Friend groups splitting a private buyout - Everyone chips in toward a $400 private sauna evening; once the target is reached, any member books against the shared balance. No one fronts the full cost or chases reimbursements.
Households sharing a wallet - A couple or family tops up one balance and either partner books sessions, buys add-ons, or pays at the front desk. No separate accounts, no reconciliation.
Corporate wellness programs - A company funds a balance for their team, distributes a join link, and employees book sauna sessions independently. The employer controls the budget; usage is visible per employee.
Group gifts for birthdays or milestones - Instead of a stack of individual gift cards, a group of friends contributes to one balance for the recipient, who picks whatever combination of sessions, memberships, or retail they want.
Sports team and athletic recovery - A coach or team manager funds a balance for athletes to book recovery sessions after games or training. Each athlete books on their own schedule using the shared funds.
First responder, military, and educator wellness - A fire station, police department, military unit, or teachers' union funds a balance to give members access to sauna and cold plunge for stress relief and recovery. The organization controls the budget; members book independently.
Community sauna clubs - A group of regulars pre-funds a block of sessions at a volume they wouldn't each commit to individually. The shared balance covers bookings for any member, and the operator benefits from the upfront commitment.
Guests create and manage shared balances from the customer portal. Operators can also create and manage them from the staff dashboard, with full visibility into funding history and member activity.
Platform and Features
Zettlor covers the full operating stack for a sauna or cold plunge business:
Booking and scheduling - Online reservations for shared and private sessions, private buyouts, resource-based calendar management, walk-in queueing, waitlists, and real-time availability
Fair-draw allocation for sold-out sessions - Replaces the first-come-first-served refresh race with a registration window and a verified draw, with optional member priority weighting and SMS verification to block duplicate entries
Memberships, passes, and guest passes - Recurring memberships with configurable access rules, punch passes, day passes, multi-visit packages, and member guest passes (e.g., "bring 2 guests per month")
Credits and wallet - A flexible credits system for promotions, service recovery, referral rewards, and cancellation-to-credit policies, with guest-facing balance tracking
Guest flow and check-in - Digital waivers, check-in management, session tracking, and real-time occupancy visibility
Online store - A customizable storefront where guests browse and purchase memberships, packages, passes, and add-ons
Point-of-sale - Full POS with product categories, inventory management, line items, and sales tracking for retail items like towels, drinks, merchandise, and add-on services
Gift cards - Digital gift cards with purchase, delivery, redemption, and balance tracking
Promo codes - Configurable promotional codes for discounts on bookings, memberships, or store purchases
Dynamic pricing - Automated pricing via configurable rules and schedules based on time of day, day of week, seasonality, and demand patterns
Donation-based pricing - Operators can set a suggested donation amount and a minimum, ideal for community sessions or special events
Payments - Integrated payment processing through Stripe, including online checkout, in-person POS via Stripe Terminal, and automatic fee collection
Reporting and analytics - Revenue reporting, booking trends, occupancy data, membership metrics, credit balances, and business performance dashboards
Automated communications - Booking confirmations, reminders, waitlist notifications, and schedule updates via SMS and email, with customizable messaging
Customer portal - A guest-facing account at /account where customers view reservations, credits, memberships, and booking history
Seat and position assignment - Fixed-seat or numbered-position support for spaces with designated spots
Dynamic pricing is a Zettlor feature that automatically adjusts session prices based on rules the operator defines, such as time of day or day of week. Operators set the price points and conditions; the system applies them without manual intervention.
The goal is to fill off-peak sessions by lowering the barrier and capture fair value during high-demand periods, so you stop leaving revenue on the table during busy stretches and stop running empty rooms during slow ones.
The most-loved sauna sessions - seasonal openings, full moon Aufguss, festival evenings, harbor sauna slots in summer, special events at Sauna Festival - sell out the moment they go live. The default booking model rewards whoever has the fastest internet and the freest schedule to refresh at exactly 9:00 AM. That alienates working people, parents, and your most loyal members - and bots make it worse.
Zettlor replaces the race with a registration window. Guests sign up at any point during a published window (for example, "registration open Tuesday 9am-9pm"), and at the close of the window, spots are allocated through a verified draw with SMS confirmation to prevent duplicate entries. Members can be given priority weighting so loyalty is rewarded, without guaranteeing selection - which keeps the experience fair to first-time visitors and the broader community.
For operators, this turns a stressful customer scramble into something predictable and defensible: anyone can register at their convenience, allocations are auditable, and guests who don't get a spot are rolled into a waitlist for cancellations so no one has to keep refreshing.
Yes. Zettlor natively supports shared sessions, private sessions, and private buyouts on the same rooms - something most general booking platforms can't do. Unlike one-to-one appointment tools, Zettlor was built around the way sauna businesses actually run.
Shared sessions - Multiple guests book into the same time slot up to room capacity, with optional seat or position assignment.
Private sessions - A guest or group books exclusive access to a room for a set duration.
Private buyouts - A guest purchases every spot in a shared session to get the room to themselves, at a configurable buyout price.
Mixed scheduling - Operators can offer shared, private, and buyout options for the same room at different times or price points.
Yes. The platform supports multi-room scheduling - saunas, cold plunge pools, steam rooms, relaxation areas - within a single location, and multi-location management for operators running more than one facility. Each room or resource has its own capacity settings, seat configuration, availability windows, and pricing rules.
Yes. Zettlor covers every capacity scenario a sauna or cold plunge facility runs into - walk-in queueing, automatic waitlists, and a fair-draw allocation for sessions that sell out in seconds. See "How do operators allocate spots fairly when sessions sell out in seconds?" for how the draw works.
Walk-in queueing - Live queue for guests who show up without a reservation, slotted in as capacity allows.
Waitlists - Guests join a waitlist for fully booked sessions and are notified automatically when a spot opens, no manual follow-up needed.
Fair-draw allocation - For sessions where demand far exceeds capacity, guests register during a published window and spots are allocated through a verified draw instead of a first-come-first-served race.
Yes. Digital waivers are built into the guest check-in flow. Guests can sign waivers before arrival (during online booking) or at check-in. Every signed waiver creates a versioned legal record - if the waiver template is updated later, past signatures retain the original language. Signed waivers are linked to the guest's customer record and visible in the staff dashboard. See "Does Zettlor provide an audit trail?" for more on waiver recordkeeping.
Yes. Zettlor includes a full POS system for selling physical goods and add-on services alongside bookings - towels, robes, drinks, retail products, branded merchandise, and more. Operators can set up product categories, manage inventory, track sales by item, and process transactions at the counter via Stripe Terminal or online at checkout. POS sales appear in the same reporting dashboard as booking revenue.
Every Zettlor operator gets a customizable storefront where guests can browse and purchase memberships, session packages, punch passes, gift cards, and add-on items. The store is accessible at a dedicated URL and can serve as the primary entry point for new guest purchases. Operators control what's listed, how it's displayed, and what pricing or promo codes apply.
Yes. Operators create promo codes with configurable rules - percentage or fixed-amount discounts, expiration dates, usage limits, and restrictions by product or session type. Guests enter promo codes at checkout.
Yes. Zettlor's pricing engine includes a donation pricing type where operators set a suggested donation amount and a minimum. Guests see the suggested amount at checkout, and the operator controls the floor so no booking goes below a set threshold. This works well for community sessions, charity events, or introductory offerings where a fixed price might feel like a barrier.
Yes. Operators can configure multiple booking page variants with different layouts, branding, and session groupings. This is useful for operators who want different landing experiences for different audiences - for example, a general booking page and a separate page for member-only sessions or special events.
Memberships
Zettlor supports flexible membership structures that operators configure to match their business:
Unlimited access - Members book unlimited shared sessions per billing period
Session-count plans - A set number of sessions per month (e.g., 8 sessions/month)
Day-of-week restrictions - Access limited to specific days (e.g., weekday-only memberships at a lower price point)
Tiered access - Multiple membership levels with different benefits, from basic shared access to premium private-session perks
Each tier can include configurable benefits like priority booking windows, guest pass allowances, and discounts on retail or add-on services.
Yes. Member guest passes are a built-in feature. Operators define how many guests a member can bring per billing period (e.g., "2 guest passes per month"). When a member books, they can add guests to their reservation. Guest pass usage is tracked automatically and resets each billing cycle.
Yes. Operators can configure priority access windows that give members early booking access before sessions open to the general public. This works for regular scheduling and for high-demand sessions allocated through a fair draw, where member status can increase draw weighting. Operators: see member early access and the membership guide cluster.
Membership billing is automatic through Stripe. Operators set the billing cadence (monthly or annual), and Zettlor handles recurring charges, failed payment retries, and receipt delivery. Members can view their billing status, upcoming charges, and payment history in the customer portal.
Yes. Members can manage their subscription through the customer portal - including pausing for a set period or canceling with the terms the operator has configured. Operators control whether pausing is allowed, how long a pause can last, and what happens to remaining benefits during a pause.
Yes. Operators can create membership tiers with locked-in pricing for early adopters. When pricing changes later, existing members on a grandfathered tier keep their original rate. This is managed through Stripe's subscription pricing, so the rate lock is enforced at the billing level.
Yes. Members can receive priority weighting in the fair-draw allocation for high-demand sessions. Operators configure the weighting by tier - for example, founding members can receive higher priority than basic members. The weighting increases a member's odds of being selected without guaranteeing it, which keeps the system fair to first-time guests while still rewarding loyalty.
Cold Plunge and Contrast Therapy
Yes. Cold plunge pools, ice baths, and cold-immersion tubs are first-class bookable resources in Zettlor. Each cold plunge resource gets its own capacity settings, session durations, availability windows, and pricing - independent of sauna rooms. Operators running dedicated cold plunge facilities or adding cold plunge to an existing sauna use the same scheduling and payment tools.
Yes. Operators can configure contrast therapy circuits - combined sessions where guests rotate between hot and cold rooms during a single booking. Pricing, capacity, and duration are set per circuit, and the system manages availability across all rooms involved.
Each room or resource in Zettlor has independent capacity tracking. A sauna barrel that holds 8 and a cold plunge pool that holds 2 are managed as separate resources with their own availability, pricing, and occupancy counts. The system prevents overbooking each resource individually, even when they're part of the same facility or the same contrast therapy circuit. Operators: see shared-capacity seats on a sauna or cold plunge session.
A contrast therapy circuit is a session where guests alternate between hot (sauna, steam) and cold (plunge pool, ice bath) environments. In Zettlor, operators create a circuit as a bookable session type with its own pricing, duration, and capacity rules. The system handles multi-room availability automatically so no single resource is overbooked.
Yes. Infrared sauna studios typically run individual pods or rooms with 1-4 person capacity and fixed session lengths. Zettlor handles this with resource-based scheduling where each pod is a separate bookable unit with its own capacity, duration, and pricing. The platform supports the shorter, more frequent session patterns common in infrared studios.
Yes. Any facility that sells timed access to a physical resource - float tanks, ice baths, cryotherapy chambers, steam rooms - can use Zettlor. Each resource is configured independently with its own capacity (usually 1-2 for float tanks), session duration, buffer time between sessions for cleaning, availability hours, and pricing.
Sauna and Wellness Operations
The right pricing strategy depends on your market, capacity, and guest mix - and most operators are underpricing during peak windows and overpricing during slow ones. Zettlor's pricing rules let you define time-based and day-based tiers once, and the system applies the right price automatically. Operators can reach the Zettlor team for guidance on pricing and packaging for their facility.
No-shows are one of the biggest revenue leaks for sauna operators. Zettlor addresses this with a combination of tools that work together: prepayment and deposit requirements at booking, automated SMS and email reminders at configurable intervals, cancellation policies that can charge penalties or forfeit payments for late cancels, and automatic waitlist backfill that notifies the next guest when a spot opens. Operators who use these tools together see a significant reduction in empty seats.
Empty rooms during off-peak hours are lost revenue that can't be recovered. Zettlor gives operators multiple tools to fill those windows: automated pricing rules that adjust rates based on time of day and day of week, weekday-only membership tiers, targeted promo codes, and donation-based pricing for community sessions. The platform handles the mechanics so operators can experiment with what works for their market.
The right tier structure depends on how your guests actually use the facility - and most operators are guessing rather than building tiers around real data. Zettlor's reporting shows session frequency, visit patterns, and revenue per customer, which gives you the data to design tiers that match how your different customer segments behave. The platform supports unlimited access plans, session-count plans, day-restricted plans, and premium tiers with perks like private access and guest passes. Operators can reach the Zettlor team for help designing the right membership structure.
Zettlor supports any session length - operators configure durations per room and session type. Many operators offer different durations for different days or times, and Zettlor manages the scheduling automatically. Buffer time between sessions for cleaning and temperature recovery is configured per room and blocked off in the schedule so back-to-back bookings don't overlap.
Zettlor gives operators real-time visibility into occupancy across all rooms and multiple ways to control the flow: timed sessions with enforced capacity limits, configurable entry patterns, and walk-in queue management that slots guests only when space is available. The staff dashboard shows live occupancy so operators always know what's happening in each room.
Yes. Operators can create packages and multi-visit passes purchased in bulk - ideal for corporate wellness programs where an employer buys a block of sessions for employees. The purchaser receives credits or pass codes that can be distributed to individual employees, who redeem them at booking. Usage is tracked per code.
At minimum: acknowledgment of heat and cold exposure risks, confirmation that the guest has no medical conditions that contraindicate sauna or cold plunge use, emergency contact information, and agreement to facility rules. Zettlor's digital waiver system lets operators customize the waiver content, collect electronic signatures, and store signed waivers linked to the guest record for compliance.
Operators can create special event session types in Zettlor with custom pricing, capacity, and scheduling. Common event types include seasonal programming (live music, holiday events), full-facility private buyouts for parties or corporate retreats, themed sessions (guided breathwork + sauna, sound bath + plunge), and charity or community-access events with donation-based pricing. Events are listed on the booking page and can be promoted with dedicated promo codes.
Sauna Festivals and Events
Yes. Zettlor supports multi-day event scheduling with multiple resources running simultaneously. Festival operators can configure each sauna structure, plunge pool, or activity station as a separate bookable resource with its own capacity, session times, and pricing. Guests book individual sessions across the event, and the system prevents overbooking across all resources.
Yes. Timed entry ticketing is a core booking model in Zettlor. Operators create time slots with a fixed capacity, and guests purchase a ticket for a specific window. This works for festivals, pop-up events, or any scenario where controlling arrival flow matters. Tickets are confirmed via email or SMS and can include a QR code for check-in.
Yes. Mobile and pop-up sauna operators use Zettlor to manage bookings regardless of venue. Since the platform is entirely web-based, there's no hardware to install at the site. Operators configure sessions for a specific date range and location, accept online bookings and payments, and manage the guest list from any device.
Yes. Each structure - barrel sauna, tent sauna, mobile trailer, plunge tub - is set up as a separate resource with independent capacity, session length, and pricing. Guests can book across resources, and the operator dashboard shows real-time occupancy for every structure in one view.
Pricing and Payments
Zettlor has four plans:
Individual is $0/month with a 3% fee per successful transaction. Individual includes a public homepage for your users (like a LinkedIn bio), plus booking, analytics, jobs, a pre-launch waitlist, lottery and queuing, a smart waitlist for individual sessions, and event software.
Pro is $369/month with a 2% fee per successful transaction. Pro includes everything in Individual, plus a custom website (1 update per month included). Existing Pro customers stay on their current subscription.
Max is $5,000/year with a 1% fee per successful transaction. Max adds early access to advanced features and phone support.
Enterprise is custom. Talk to sales for custom buildouts, SLAs, custom integrations, and dedicated commercial terms.
zettlor.ai is pay as you go on every plan.
Stripe processing is separate and paid through your own Stripe account. There are no setup fees, no per-seat charges, and no long-term contracts beyond the billing period. Cancel anytime. See pricing or get started to activate your subscription.
Zettlor processes all payments through Stripe. Operators connect a Stripe account during onboarding, and the platform handles charging guests, deducting fees, and remitting the balance to your bank account automatically.
Accepted methods include credit and debit cards, mobile wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay), and contactless tap-to-pay. For in-person transactions, Zettlor integrates with Stripe Terminal for countertop and handheld POS hardware.
Yes. You can connect an existing Stripe account or create a new one during setup.
Operators define their own cancellation and refund policies within the platform. Options include:
Full refund if canceled before a cutoff window (e.g., 24 hours before the session)
Partial refund or no refund for late cancellations
Account balance credit instead of a monetary refund
No-show policies that charge the full amount or a penalty fee
Guests can cancel or reschedule through self-service pages. The system enforces the operator's policy automatically - no manual processing required.
Yes. Operators can enable tipping at checkout. Guests see suggested tip amounts or can enter a custom amount. Tips are processed through Stripe alongside the booking payment and are tracked separately in reporting so operators can distribute them to staff.
Yes. Operators can configure deposit-based booking where guests pay a percentage or fixed amount at the time of booking, with the remaining balance charged before or at the session. This is common for private buyouts, group bookings, and high-value reservations where a full prepayment might create friction.
Yes. Zettlor integrates with Stripe Terminal for in-person payments. Operators can use Stripe's countertop readers or handheld devices for walk-in bookings, retail POS purchases, and any transaction that happens at the front desk. In-person and online payments appear in the same reporting dashboard.
Yes. Because Zettlor processes payments through Stripe, operators can enable buy now, pay later (BNPL) methods including Affirm, Klarna, and Afterpay directly from their Stripe dashboard - no additional integration required. Guests choosing BNPL split their purchase into 4 interest-free installments or monthly payments up to 36 months. The operator receives the full payment upfront from Stripe; the BNPL provider handles collections and assumes the credit risk.
BNPL is particularly effective for higher-ticket sauna purchases where price can create checkout hesitation:
Private buyouts - A $400 private sauna evening becomes "4 payments of $100," removing sticker shock for group organizers
Annual memberships - A $1,200/year membership is easier to commit to as "$300 every two weeks" for the first month
Multi-session packages - Guests are more likely to buy a 10-pack or seasonal pass when the upfront cost is spread out
Gift cards - Larger gift amounts ($200+) convert better when the buyer can pay in installments
BNPL transactions carry a higher Stripe processing fee than standard card payments (rates vary by country and method; see Stripe's pricing page), and Zettlor's Pro or Max transaction fee still applies on top. Stripe's own data shows merchants offering BNPL see an average 14% increase in revenue and over two-thirds of BNPL volume comes from customers who would not have completed the purchase otherwise. For sauna operators, the higher per-transaction cost is typically offset by more private buyouts and premium package sales that wouldn't have happened at all without a flexible payment option.
Group bookings are purchased by a single booker who pays for the full reservation. Zettlor does not currently support splitting a single transaction across multiple payment methods at checkout. For group scenarios, operators can use credits or promo codes to offset individual contributions outside the platform.
Switching to Zettlor
Yes. Zettlor supports migrations from Acuity, Momence, Mindbody, and other booking systems with zero disruption to guests. The Zettlor team handles the migration alongside you - customer records, memberships, balances, booking history, and product configurations all transfer so guests can book on Zettlor without losing what they've paid for.
Onboarding covers four steps:
1. Connect Stripe - Link your existing Stripe account or create a new one
2. Configure your spaces - Set up rooms, session types (shared, private, buyout), capacity, seat assignments, and availability windows
3. Set pricing and policies - Configure base pricing, dynamic pricing rules, cancellation policies, promo codes, and membership tiers
4. Import data - If migrating from another system, import customer records, balances, and product configurations
Most operators are live and accepting bookings within 30 minutes.
Ongoing support is included. Operators can reach the Zettlor team at [email protected] for configuration changes, troubleshooting, feature questions, or strategic guidance on pricing and capacity. There is no separate support tier or per-incident charge. Ready to start? Get started here.
For Operators
Yes. Operators can invite team members and assign role-based permissions. Staff accounts can be scoped to specific capabilities - for example, front-desk staff might manage check-ins and POS while a manager has access to reporting, pricing, and settings. Each team member logs in with their own credentials.
Yes. Operators can configure the content and timing of automated SMS and email messages, including booking confirmations, reminders, waitlist notifications, cancellation confirmations, and membership updates. You control the messaging - Zettlor sends it on your behalf.
Yes. Zettlor provides an embeddable booking widget that operators can add to their existing website using an iframe. The widget inherits your booking page configuration and session availability, so guests can book directly from your site without being redirected. Embed settings are configurable in the operator dashboard.
Yes. Zettlor provides an API for operators who need custom integrations or want to connect with other systems. API credentials are managed in the operator dashboard. Contact [email protected] for documentation and integration support.
Yes. Zettlor's briefing agent generates a daily operator briefing that summarizes the day's bookings, expected occupancy, notable guest arrivals (members, first-timers, VIPs), and key business metrics. Briefings are delivered automatically so operators start each day with a clear picture of what's ahead.
Yes. Zettlor supports mobile sauna operators. The platform manages bookings, payments, and sessions regardless of whether your sauna is at a fixed location or rotates between sites. The platform is web-based and works on any device.
Yes. If your facility offers sauna sessions, cold plunge, ice baths, or contrast therapy as bookable services, Zettlor manages the scheduling, guest flow, and payments for all of them. Each service type and resource - hot room, cold plunge pool, steam room, infrared cabin - can be configured independently with its own capacity, pricing, and availability.
Guests receive iCal feeds that sync with Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, Outlook, and any standards-compliant calendar app. Operator-side, the scheduling interface is built into the Zettlor dashboard. Direct two-way sync with an operator's personal Google Calendar is not currently supported, though bookings can be exported.
Technical and Security
Zettlor is a web-based platform - nothing to install. Operators and guests access it through a browser on desktop, tablet, or mobile. The platform uses server-side rendering for fast page loads and is hosted on cloud infrastructure with a global CDN for reliability and speed.
Yes. Zettlor implements administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect business and guest data. All connections are encrypted, payment processing is handled by Stripe (PCI-DSS Level 1 certified), and Zettlor never stores raw credit card numbers. Application data is encrypted at rest, and access to operator accounts is protected by authenticated sessions with role-based permissions. For full details, see the Privacy Policy.
Yes. Upon termination, you can request a copy of your business data within 30 days. Zettlor provides the export in a commonly used format within 60 days of the request.
Contact the Zettlor team at [email protected] for any questions, technical issues, or onboarding help.
Yes. Zettlor runs on cloud infrastructure with automated monitoring, alerting, and redundancy. The platform is designed for high availability so booking and payment processing remain operational. Operators can contact [email protected] for uptime details or to discuss reliability requirements for high-traffic events.
Zettlor is not a healthcare platform and does not position itself as HIPAA-compliant. The platform collects waiver signatures and basic health acknowledgments (e.g., "I confirm I have no contraindicated conditions"), but does not store protected health information (PHI) as defined by HIPAA. Operators who need to collect detailed medical information should use a dedicated HIPAA-compliant system for that data.
Zettlor follows data protection practices aligned with GDPR and PIPEDA requirements, including data minimization, consent-based collection, the right to request data export, and the right to request deletion. For international operators or facilities serving EU or Canadian guests, Zettlor's data handling is designed to meet these standards. See the Privacy Policy for specifics.
Yes. Zettlor maintains a comprehensive activity log that records every operational event - bookings, payments, refunds, credits, membership changes, pricing updates, customer record changes, and more. Each event is logged with a timestamp and who performed the action. Operators access the full timeline from the staff dashboard with filtering by category and by customer.
Waivers have a dedicated audit record. Every signed waiver preserves the exact language the guest agreed to at the time of signing, along with their electronic signature and a stored copy. If a waiver template is updated later, past signatures retain the original text - critical for liability protection.
Refunds, outbound communications (SMS, email), and staff actions each have their own audit records so operators can trace exactly what happened and when.
Yes. Operators can serve their booking page on a custom domain or subdomain so guests see the operator's brand throughout the booking flow. The booking interface is configurable with the operator's branding, colors, and layout. Setup details are available during onboarding.
Comparisons
Mangomint and Fresha are general-purpose spa and salon platforms built around one-on-one appointments - haircuts, massages, facials. Sauna and cold plunge businesses operate differently: sessions are often shared, capacity is resource-based, guest flow involves rotation between rooms, and demand is driven by weather and season rather than stylist availability.
Zettlor is purpose-built for this model. Key differences: native shared and private session support, private buyout pricing, resource-based scheduling, walk-in queueing, waitlists, fair-draw allocation for sessions that sell out in seconds, automated dynamic pricing via rules and schedules, a credits and shared-balance system for groups and households, and an integrated POS for retail - all in a platform that doesn't require you to work around class schedules or appointment slots.
Momence and Mindbody are built for class-based fitness studios - yoga, pilates, cycling. Their scheduling model assumes instructor-led classes with fixed start times and per-class pricing. Sauna businesses typically offer continuous or rolling session times with capacity-based access, which doesn't fit into a class schedule.
Zettlor handles the workflows sauna operators actually need: room-based capacity management, shared vs. private vs. buyout session types, walk-in queueing, waitlists, fair-draw allocation for sessions that sell out in seconds, and automated dynamic pricing.
EasyWeek is a general appointment booking platform that includes a sauna marketing page but uses a standard appointment model underneath. Wunderbook positions itself as sauna-specific but focuses on basic booking without dynamic pricing, POS, credits, or advanced capacity tools.
Zettlor goes deeper: automated dynamic pricing via configurable rules and schedules, native shared/private/buyout session types, fair-draw allocation for sessions that sell out in seconds, a credits and shared-balance system for groups and households, a full POS for retail, an embeddable booking widget, migration tools for platform switching, and an integrated operations stack covering payments, memberships, waivers, guest flow, promo codes, and reporting.
Acuity Scheduling is a general-purpose appointment booking tool used by many sauna operators as a starting point. It handles basic one-on-one scheduling well but lacks sauna-specific features: no shared session capacity, no resource-based room scheduling, no walk-in queueing, no automated pricing rules, no fair-draw allocation for sold-out sessions, no integrated POS, and no membership management beyond simple Squarespace integrations.
Zettlor is a direct upgrade for sauna operators who've outgrown Acuity. The migration pipeline imports customer data, booking history, and balances so the switch is seamless for guests.
Square Appointments is designed for service businesses like salons and barbershops where scheduling revolves around individual service providers. For sauna operators, this means working around a model that doesn't fit: no shared sessions, no room-based capacity, no walk-in queues, and no demand-based pricing.
Zettlor replaces both the scheduling and the payment stack. Operators get purpose-built sauna scheduling plus Stripe-powered payments, memberships, credits, POS, and reporting in one platform.
Vagaro targets beauty and wellness businesses with appointment scheduling, marketing tools, and payment processing. Like other general wellness platforms, it's built around the provider-appointment model - one stylist or therapist, one client, one time slot.
Sauna businesses need shared-capacity scheduling, room-based availability, walk-in management, and occupancy-based pricing. Zettlor provides all of these natively. Operators who've used Vagaro for scheduling typically find that Zettlor eliminates the workarounds they've been using to simulate capacity-based booking.
The best sauna booking software is one built specifically for how sauna and cold plunge facilities operate - not retrofitted from spa, salon, or fitness scheduling. The right tool needs to handle shared and private sessions on the same room, walk-in queues alongside reservations, dynamic pricing for peak vs. off-peak hours, memberships with priority access, and a fair-draw allocation for sessions that sell out in seconds. Zettlor is purpose-built for this category. See the comparisons section above for how Zettlor stacks up against general booking platforms like Mindbody, Acuity, Vagaro, and Square Appointments.
Mindbody was built for class-based fitness studios with instructor-led, fixed-time classes. Sauna businesses don't fit that model - they need room-based capacity, shared and private sessions, walk-in queues, and demand-based pricing. Zettlor is a purpose-built alternative for sauna and cold plunge operators. The migration pipeline imports your customer data, memberships, balances, and booking history, so guests don't lose anything when you switch.
Acuity Scheduling is a general-purpose appointment tool that many sauna operators outgrow once they need shared session capacity, walk-in queueing, automated pricing rules, or memberships beyond basic recurring billing. Zettlor is a sauna-specific alternative built around resource-based scheduling, native shared/private/buyout session types, fair-draw allocation for sessions that sell out in seconds, an integrated POS, and full membership management. The migration pipeline handles the switch with zero disruption to guests.
Global Availability
Yes. Zettlor supports operators in any country where Stripe is available - including the US, Canada, the United Kingdom, every EU member state, Norway, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, the UAE, and 40+ other markets. The platform handles multi-currency payments through Stripe and adapts to local payment methods (SEPA, iDEAL, BECS, Bacs, MobilePay, TWINT, Vipps, Klarna, and others) automatically.
Yes. Zettlor is fully available to Canadian sauna and cold plunge operators. Payments are processed through Stripe, which supports CAD and all major Canadian payment methods. Zettlor's data handling is aligned with PIPEDA requirements, and the audit trail preserves the records Canadian operators need for liability and compliance purposes.
Yes. UK sauna and bathhouse operators can use Zettlor with full GBP support through Stripe, including local methods like Bacs Direct Debit. Zettlor's data handling is aligned with UK GDPR and Data Protection Act requirements. The platform's dynamic pricing, memberships, and fair-draw allocation for sessions that sell out in seconds are particularly relevant for the rapidly growing UK bathhouse, wild swimming, and Nordic-style sauna scene around Margate, Brighton, Bristol, the Cornish coast, and the Lake District.
Yes. Finnish sauna operators - public saunas, smoke saunas, hotel saunas, floating saunas, and rooftop concepts - can use Zettlor with full EUR support through Stripe and local methods including SEPA Direct Debit and Klarna. The platform fits the Finnish operating reality where shared sessions, walk-in capacity, and oversubscribed public saunas are the norm. The fair-draw allocation for sessions that sell out in seconds is particularly suited to high-demand public saunas, and memberships match the recurring-visit pattern of regular Finnish sauna-goers.
Yes. Swedish bastu operators - including the growing harbor sauna (kallbadhus) scene in Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö - can use Zettlor with SEK support through Stripe and local methods including Klarna and SEPA. The platform's shared-session model fits the traditional Swedish bathhouse format where guests rotate between sauna, cold plunge, and rest, and contrast therapy circuits can be configured for kallbadhus operations that combine bastu with sea bathing.
Yes. Norwegian sauna and cold-plunge operators - including the rapidly growing badstu and floating sauna scene in Oslo, Bergen, Tromsø, and along the coast - can use Zettlor with NOK support through Stripe and local methods including Vipps. The platform supports the dual sauna and sea-bathing model that defines Norwegian sauna culture, with separate room-level capacity for each space and waitlist tools for sold-out coastal sessions.
Yes. German sauna operators - from large multi-sauna Thermen and FKK-Saunalandschaften to neighborhood Aufguss venues - can use Zettlor with full EUR support through Stripe and local methods including SEPA Direct Debit and giropay. The platform handles the multi-room, multi-session-type complexity typical of German sauna parks, where guests rotate through hot rooms, cold plunges, and steam rooms across a single visit. Memberships, credits, and shared group balances for households and corporate wellness programs fit the recurring-visit model common to German sauna culture.
Yes. French sauna, hammam, and cold-plunge operators - from Parisian rooftop saunas and banyas to hammam circuits in Lyon and Marseille, hotel spa programming across the Côte d'Azur and the French Alps, and the growing bain glacé and cold-water swimming scene on the Atlantic and Brittany coasts - can use Zettlor with full EUR support through Stripe and local methods including Cartes Bancaires (CB), SEPA Direct Debit, and Klarna. The platform's shared and private session types fit hammam cabins paired with shared steam rooms, multi-room scheduling handles full spa circuits, and memberships match the recurring-visit pattern of French spa-goers.
Yes. Estonian sauna operators - including traditional smoke sauna (suitsusaun) facilities, whose practice is recognized by UNESCO - can use Zettlor with EUR support through Stripe and local payment methods. The platform's digital waivers and audit trail preserve the safety acknowledgments specific to traditional sauna practices, and donation-based pricing supports community and heritage-oriented saunas.
Yes. Dutch sauna operators - including large multi-zone sauna parks and city Aufguss venues - can use Zettlor with EUR support through Stripe and local methods including iDEAL and SEPA. The platform's multi-room scheduling, shared and private session types, and contrast therapy configurations fit the multi-zone sauna landschap format common across the Netherlands.
Yes. Danish sauna operators - including the harbor sauna (havnesauna) and Aufguss venues popular in Copenhagen and Aarhus - can use Zettlor with DKK support through Stripe and local methods including MobilePay and Dankort. The fair-draw allocation for sessions that sell out in seconds and waitlist tools handle the high-demand booking patterns of harbor saunas, and contrast therapy circuits fit the sauna-and-sea model.
Yes. Austrian sauna and Therme operators - including alpine wellness resorts and urban Aufguss venues - can use Zettlor with full EUR support through Stripe and local methods. The platform's memberships, shared group balances, and contrast therapy circuits fit the recurring-spa-visit and multi-modality model that defines Austrian wellness culture.
Yes. Swiss sauna and wellness operators can use Zettlor with CHF support through Stripe and local methods including TWINT and PostFinance. The platform's multi-room scheduling, private session and buyout tools, and memberships fit alpine spa, mountain hotel wellness, and high-end urban facilities.
Yes. Irish sauna and cold plunge operators can use Zettlor with EUR support through Stripe. The platform fits the rapidly growing wild swimming, coastal sea sauna, and recovery facility scene around Dublin, Galway, Cork, and the Wild Atlantic Way, with waitlists and a fair-draw allocation for sessions that sell out in seconds for the high-demand booking patterns typical of pop-up coastal saunas.
Yes. Australian sauna, cold plunge, and contrast therapy operators can use Zettlor with AUD support through Stripe, including local card schemes, BECS Direct Debit, and digital wallets. The platform supports the multi-room, shared-session model common in Australian bathhouses and recovery centers, and the fair-draw allocation for sessions that sell out in seconds handles the high-demand bookings typical of summer beach-adjacent and winter recovery facilities.
Yes. New Zealand sauna, cold plunge, and recovery center operators can use Zettlor with NZD support through Stripe and local payment methods. The platform supports the multi-modality recovery format - sauna, ice bath, contrast therapy - common across New Zealand wellness centers, with room-based capacity for each resource and memberships for repeat visitors.