A cabin with a sauna in Slovakia, private wellness in Levoca valley

Q: Do you need to book the sauna in advance or pay extra?

No. The sauna is part of your stay and you can use it any time during it.

25/07/2026

You walk into a hotel wellness and a clock glows above the door. Fifteen minutes left on your slot. A stranger sweats across from you, someone takes a call beside you, and instead of resting you keep watching the time. A sauna is meant to relax the body. This only tightens it.

At Chalet Martuška in the Levoča Valley, in the Spiš region of Slovakia, the Finnish and infrared sauna are yours alone, just for your group. No guarded minutes, no strangers. But the best thing about a sauna isn't that you have it. It's what you take away from it. And autumn is made for exactly that.

A sauna no one else holds a key to. And around it, a whole day you plan for yourselves.

Why autumn is the best time for a sauna

In summer the sauna can wait. In autumn the body asks for it on its own.
The evenings turn cooler, the days shorter, and hot timber suddenly makes sense. A regular sauna before winter builds resilience; the switch between heat and cold gets the circulation going and readies the body for the cold months. And the surroundings are empty. Thermal baths with no queues, gorges with no crowds, the valley yours alone.

How to get the most from the sauna

A sauna isn't about who lasts longest. It's about rhythm.
Warm up for eight to twelve minutes, until you feel pleasantly hot. Then out into the cold, a cool shower or a few minutes on the terrace in the fresh air. And rest, until your breathing settles.

Repeat the whole thing two or three times. That switch between heat and cold is the entire point, not one long spell in the heat.

Drink water between rounds and don't go into the sauna after a heavy meal. Save the last round for the evening, before bed. When the body cools down after the sauna, sleep comes more easily and runs deeper.

Finnish or infrared: when to use which?

You have two to choose from, and each suits something different.

The Finnish sauna

is dry, hot heat. It warms the body fast, opens the pores, and loosens the muscles after a day outdoors. It's the one for a proper, deep heat.

The infrared sauna

warms more gently and more deeply. It puts less strain on the circulation and warms you pleasantly even at the end of a long day, when you only want to sit quietly. It suits children and a shorter evening wind-down better.

Thermal baths by day, your own sauna by night

When it's raw outside, warm water does wonders. And there's plenty to choose from nearby.

AquaCity Poprad is a short hop away, with geothermal water and pools open year-round. Closer to the High Tatras is Thermal Park Vrbov, with warm thermal pools, and in the north of the Spiš region the Vyšné Ružbachy spa.

A day in hot water, then back to your own sauna in the evening, no queues, no strangers. Your body will thank you twice.

For cold-water lovers, the chill outdoors

If you love the cold, autumn has something for you.

Right in the Levoča Valley there's a natural bio-pool, its water cleaned by plants, not chemicals. In summer it reaches up to twenty-six degrees; by autumn it's for the hardy only. A little further, in Vyšné Ružbachy, you'll find the Kráter, the largest travertine lake in Slovakia, cold all year round.

From the sauna straight to the fireplace

The wood crackles, mist rises from the forest outside, and you don't have to go anywhere.

At night it is completely silent here, no towns, no street lamps, just the valley and the stars. You step from the cold back into the warmth and all is well. This is the kind of wellness you won't find on any price list. Not seventy minutes. Your whole stay.

When the snow falls, the sauna makes even more sense. The ski slope is two minutes away down in the valley, and after a day on the snow there's nothing better than warmth of your own. More in our blog about the cabin two minutes from the slope.

And Christmas at the cabin, at our place, is all about the sauna, the fire, and the quiet; if you'd like holidays like that, start planning them back in autumn.

Why base yourself in the Levoca valley

Here is the quiet secret of this region: you do not need to move.

Instead of a new hotel every night, you settle into one place and let the sights come to you. Chalet Martuška is a whole wooden cabin rented to a single group at a time - no reception, no neighbours through the wall. A sauna, a fireplace, bikes at the door, and the whole valley to yourselves. Levoča is 6 km away, the High Tatras a 45-minute drive, and four UNESCO sites are day trips you come home from each evening.

A whole log cabin with a sauna starts at 32 euros per person per night; the minimum stay is three nights. When you book directly with us, you get the best price and the entire place to yourself.

Book a stay

Frequently asked questions

Is the sauna in the cabin private?

Yes. The Finnish and infrared sauna are yours alone for your whole stay, with no booking slots and no strangers, just for your group.

How often and how long should you stay in the sauna?

A good rhythm works best: eight to twelve minutes in the heat, then cooling down and rest, repeated two or three times. Drink water between rounds and don't go in after a heavy meal.

What's the difference between a Finnish and an infrared sauna?

The Finnish sauna is dry heat that warms the body fast and loosens the muscles, ideal after a day outdoors. The infrared sauna warms more gently and deeply, puts less strain on the circulation, and is more pleasant for children and a shorter evening wind-down.

Where can you go for thermal baths near the cabin?

The nearest is AquaCity Poprad with year-round geothermal water, then Thermal Park Vrbov and the Vyšné Ružbachy spa. Perfect for a cold autumn day, with your own sauna waiting in the evening.

Can you swim outdoors in autumn too?

The natural bio-pool right in the Levoča Valley has warm water only in summer; by autumn it's cold. The same goes for the Kráter in Vyšné Ružbachy, a cold travertine lake.