Welcome to our FAQ!
Here you will find some important information about the sauna boat on Lake Lugano, booking, use and general tips. We have compiled the most frequently asked questions for you to make your planning as easy and relaxed as possible. However, if you have any further questions, don’t hesitate to contact us directly – we will be happy to help you!
- All
- Boat and navigation
- Boat rules
- Booking and reservation
- Capacity
- Facilities and services
- Safety and emergencies
- Sauna- & Bathing rules
- Weather
When two motor vessels of the same category cross paths, the right-of-way applies.
Where two motor vessels of the same category, neither of which is required to give way, are on crossing courses such that the risk of a collision cannot be ruled out, the vessel which has the other vessel on its starboard side (the right side of the boat) must give way (right-of-way).
If the storm warning is active, we are not allowed to let the boat leave for safety reasons. If this is the case, there are the following options:
- Take a sauna on the boat at our jetty (without leaving the harbour) – 30% reduction on the booking amount.
- Postpone the booking to a new date free of charge.
- Cancel the booking, whereby a minimum cancellation fee of CHF 30.00 will be charged.
If thunderstorms are forecast, a trip is not possible. In this case, it is also not possible to take a sauna in the harbour. Unfortunately, we only have two options here:
- Postpone the booking to a new date free of charge.
- Cancel the booking, whereby a minimum cancellation fee of CHF 30.00 will be charged.
If the sauna boat is returned late, we will not be able to properly prepare the ship for the next customers. The sauna boat must be cleaned and recharged between slots. So if the sauna boat is returned too late, the next group will not be able to start on time. In this case, we will charge a fair play fee. The longer the delay, the higher the fee.
Fair play fee
- for the first 30 minutes or part thereof: CHF 50
- after 30 minutes: CHF 100
In the event of a breakdown, e.g. you can no longer raise the anchor or the sauna boat does not start, please call us, Sauna Boat Lugano. You will be given the number on the day of your booking.
For all accidents or emergencies, read more under ‘What do we do in an emergency?’
If several boats are involved in a shipping accident, the accident report must be completed and the police must be contacted. If people have been injured, killed or are missing, the police must be notified immediately. The lessor must be contacted in the event of any accident.
Emergency call: 117
The rental number will be provided to you on the day of your booking.
Respect the inner shoreline zone
of 150 m! Enter this zone only for mooring, unmooring, or anchoring. Always take the shortest route
Motor vessels may only navigate within the inner shore zone (0 to 150 metres) for the purpose of mooring or casting off, or to pass through narrows; in doing so, they must take the shortest route (at right angles to the shore). Parallel travel to the shore is prohibited. Driving in parallel is
only permitted beyond the shore zone (150 metres). Anchoring in the inner shore zone is prohibited.
Make your desired selection on the sauna boat booking page. (Date/time/number of people)
By clicking the button ‘BOOK NOW’, the next page will open where you can select additional extras such as bathrobes or sauna towel sets.
You can then enter and apply your voucher code in the shopping basket. If it is correct, it will be automatically deducted from the purchase price.
Pay attention to strong wind and storm warnings! In case of a storm warning, return to the harbor immediately.
Strong wind warning: Orange flashing light, 40 times per minute. You must contact the rental company and return to the vicinity of the port where you picked up the boat.
Storm warning: Orange flashing light, 90 times per minute. Proceed immediately to the nearest harbour. Contact the rental company.
Rental company number: +41 91 923 57 33
Emergency number: 117
Only use the sauna and go into the water if you feel well and in good physical health – never swim on a full or completely empty stomach.
If you are not feeling well or are ill, your body is already under increased strain. Be particularly careful in this state and pay attention to your body’s signals.
After a meal, the body requires more energy for digestion. This is why one often feels tired and sluggish after a heavy meal. Due to reduced blood flow to the brain, physical activity shortly after a meal can lead to dizziness and nausea. In the worst-case scenario, one might lose consciousness in the water and drown silently.
Umgekehrt sollte man nicht mit komplett leerem Magen schwimmen, da eine Unterzuckerung im Wasser einen Hungerrast zur Folge haben kann.
Never swim whilst the engine is running! Maintain a minimum distance of 2 m from the engine. Do not take any risks.
Contact with the propeller can cause serious injury. When people are in the water, the engine must always be switched off. In addition, people in the water must always maintain a minimum distance of 2 metres from the engine to avoid any risk.
Never jump into the water when overheated! – Your body needs time to adjust.
If you jump into cool water whilst overheated, the difference in temperature between the sauna and the water puts the body under enormous strain. Your muscles will ache, and you may experience muscle cramps and circulatory problems. As your blood vessels constrict suddenly, the blood can no longer circulate properly. In the worst-case scenario, this can lead to cold shock, fainting or even a heart attack.
As a precaution, having a shower before going into the water will help you cool down. If there is no shower available: enter the water slowly, dip your arms in one at a time, and splash your face and upper body with the cool water before submerging yourself completely.
Never enter the sauna or the water whilst under the influence of alcohol or drugs! Medicines and addictive substances affect your body.
Medicines and addictive substances cloud the mind. Dangerous situations go unrecognised and one’s own abilities are overestimated. Pain and general physical sensations are not felt or are dulled. This can, for example, lead to circulatory problems that cannot be properly assessed. As a result, the risk of circulatory collapse is significantly increased.
Mooring points must be chosen so as not to obstruct navigation.
Furthermore, it is prohibited to moor in areas with aquatic plants such as reeds, rushes and water lilies. As a general rule, a distance of 25 metres must be maintained. When anchoring and using a sauna, please maintain a distance of 50 metres from the shore. To avoid noise disturbance, please do not use a sauna near residents.
Maintain a minimum distance of 50 m from others! Choose mooring places so as not to obstruct shipping.
The minimum distance from scheduled vessels and other vessels is 50 metres.
No, there are no toilets on the sauna boat. You are welcome to use the public toilets nearby before departure and after arrival.
No, there is no shower on the sauna boat. There is a rain dipper on board for you to douse yourself with fresh lake water after your sauna session.
Our guests get changed directly on the sauna boat. There is also storage space for clothing and luggage.
First of all, have a quick look in your spam folder to see if the confirmation email for your booking has landed there.
If you can’t find anything in your spam folder either, send us an email with your details (name, surname, booking date, booking time) to: info@saunaboat-lugano.ch
We will get back to you as soon as possible.
If you really don’t want to enjoy your sauna boat break with us on the wonderful Lake Lugano, we can cancel your booking.
Our terms and conditions apply.
Write us a short email with your request to: info@saunaboat-lugano.ch
We will get back to you as soon as possible.
The sauna boat can take a maximum of six people. This number must not be exceeded for safety and legal reasons. Children also count as one person.
You arrive at our base, ideally 10-15 minutes before your booking. After that, you will receive a detailed handover and introduction from us. This is also a great opportunity to ask any questions you may have, and then you’re off.
You set off, look for a cosy spot, drop anchor and enjoy your own personal sauna time-out on the water in the middle of beautiful nature.
Just before the four hours are up, you set off on your return journey. First, retrieve the bathing ladder. Hoist the anchor and store it.
It would be great if you could air the rooms a little on the way back.
Go to the “Voucher” product on our website and click on it to open a new page. There you can select one of our three voucher variants:
Voucher options:
CHF 200.00
CHF 350.00
CHF 450.00
You can also specify the desired quantity of vouchers. Click on the ‘Add to basket’ button to add the voucher(s) to your shopping basket. You can review your purchase in the shopping basket.
As soon as you have successfully completed your purchase, you will receive an automatic confirmation of purchase by email. In this email, you will find a download link to the voucher you have purchased.
You can make a reservation for a sauna boat experience on Lake Lugano here.
Here you can now enter the number of people (2-6) and select a psuitable date/slot for you. The calendar only shows the dates and slots that are still available/bookable. The sauna boat can be booked up to three times a day.
Mon-Sun: from CHF 450.00
Mornings: 08.00-12.00
Afternoons: 13.00-17.00
Evenings: 18.00-22.00
When you click on a date, the available slots will appear below the calendar. If a slot is no longer available, it will no longer be displayed. If an entire day is already booked, this will be shown crossed out in the calendar.
The time between the slots is needed to clean the sauna boat and prepare it for the next booking.
Once you have made your selection, click on the ‘BOOK NOW’ button.
The next page will open: Now you have the option to select additional extras such as bathrobes and towels.
If you have a gift voucher to redeem, you can enter it in the shopping basket and apply it.
The payment/booking process begins when you click on the ‘Continue to Checkout’ button.
As soon as the booking has been successfully completed, you will receive an automatic confirmation email with all the details of your booking.
Strong wind warning: Orange flashing light, 40 times per minute. It is advisable to return to the port of embarkation.
Storm warning: Orange flashing light, 90 times per minute. Enter the nearest port immediately.
If you have purchased a voucher online, it will be sent to you automatically by email after a successful purchase. This email contains a download link with the voucher.
Give way to vessels with blue lights, scheduled services, cargo ships, commercial fishermen, sailing vessels, rowing boats, people and animals.
You must keep a constant watch on your surroundings so that you can react in good time. In addition to giving way to other vessels, you must also pay particular attention to people, animals and objects in the water.
Don’t jump into murky or unfamiliar waters! The unknown can harbour dangers.
Jumping into unknown waters can lead to serious injury. Head and back injuries, in particular, can have fatal consequences. If you do need to jump into unknown waters as part of a rescue or recovery operation, always jump feet first to avoid plunging deep into the water.
Other hazards, such as tree stumps, branches and underwater rocks, are not always visible. Particular care must be taken after heavy storms.
Don’t take any risks.saunaboot2026-05-05T14:30:03+02:00
Don’t be reckless!
Don’t take any risks.
You don’t need to prove anything to yourself or anyone else. Unnecessary risks must be avoided.
Basically yes. If the storm warning is active, we are not allowed to let the boats leave for safety reasons. If this is the case, there are the following options:
- Take a sauna on the boat at our jetty (without leaving the harbour) – 30% reduction on the booking amount.
- Postpone the booking to a new date free of charge.
- Cancel the booking, whereby a minimum cancellation fee of CHF 30.00 will be charged.
Absolutely! When it rains or snows, sweating is twice as fun when you are relaxing in the hot sauna on the lake.
Never cool off alone after the sauna – always keep an eye on one another.
Another person, who is keeping an eye on the refreshing dip in the lake from the boat, can provide quick assistance in an emergency, organise help or even carry out a rescue.
After the sauna:
- Cool off in the fresh air and have a stroll around the deck – take it easy and take your time.
- Cool off with the water scoop.
- Descend slowly into the lake using the bathing ladder.
- Another person is on deck.
If you are unable to keep your reservation on the sauna boat or would like to postpone or cancel your reservation, our general terms and conditions apply.
Please send us an e-mail so that we can clarify the next steps together.
Breathe normally and in a controlled manner when cooling off in the lake – hyperventilating is life-threatening.
Hyperventilation can occur unconsciously (for example, due to excitement or physical exertion) or consciously (through repeated deep inhalation and exhalation). In the early stages, hyperventilation can be brought back under control through conscious breathing. If this is not successful, it can lead to dizziness and loss of consciousness.
There is a life jacket for every person on board. During the on-site instruction, you will be shown where these are located on the boat.
Dogs and other animals are not allowed on the sauna boat for hygiene reasons.
As long as the children are supervised by an adult, they are of course welcome on the sauna boat.
If you wish, you can book bathrobes or towels when you make your booking.
If you only realize later that you would also like to have bathrobes or towels with you, you can also book these spontaneously on site. Payment can be made by card, TWINT or in cash.
At least one person must always remain on board – ready to maneuver the boat at any time.
This ensures that, even in an emergency, assistance can be provided quickly, help organised, or even a rescue carried out. Fundamentally, the skipper is in command and bears responsibility on board.