How HSA/FSA sauna purchases work
Health Savings Accounts (HSA) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) allow you to pay for qualifying medical expenses with pre-tax money. Saunas qualify when a healthcare provider determines they are medically necessary for a specific condition.
Select Saunas integrates with TrueMed, a platform that handles the Letter of Medical Necessity (LMN) process. At checkout on selectsaunas.com, you choose TrueMed as your payment method. TrueMed connects you with a licensed provider who evaluates whether a sauna is appropriate for your health needs. If approved, you pay with your HSA/FSA card. The entire process happens during checkout.
This is not a loophole. The IRS allows HSA/FSA spending on medical equipment prescribed for specific conditions. Saunas have clinical evidence supporting their use for cardiovascular health, chronic pain, inflammatory conditions, and mental health.
What conditions qualify
Common conditions that providers approve for sauna therapy include:
Cardiovascular conditions: hypertension, congestive heart failure, peripheral artery disease. The Kuopio study (2,315 men, 20 years) demonstrated significant cardiovascular risk reduction with regular sauna use.
Chronic pain: arthritis, fibromyalgia, chronic back pain, joint inflammation. Infrared and traditional sauna therapy both have strong clinical evidence for pain reduction.
Mental health: chronic stress, anxiety, depression. Sauna use reduces cortisol and increases endorphins.
Musculoskeletal conditions: muscle soreness, injury recovery, post-surgical rehabilitation.
The provider makes the determination, not you and not us. TrueMed's network includes licensed providers who understand the clinical evidence for sauna therapy.
The math: how much you actually save
HSA and FSA contributions are pre-tax. When you spend $5,000 on a sauna with after-tax dollars, you first earned $6,250-8,333 (depending on your marginal tax rate) to have $5,000 left after taxes.
At a 25% combined tax rate: a $5,000 sauna costs you $5,000 in pre-tax HSA dollars vs $6,667 in after-tax dollars. Savings: $1,667.
At a 35% combined tax rate: same $5,000 sauna costs $7,692 in after-tax dollars. Savings: $2,692.
At a 40% combined tax rate (high-income earners in states like California or New York): $8,333 in after-tax equivalent. Savings: $3,333.
This makes the Almost Heaven Pinnacle ($5,715) effectively cost $3,429-4,286 depending on your bracket. The Dundalk Georgian ($7,009) drops to $4,205-5,256 in real spending power.
HSA vs FSA: which one works?
Both work. The key differences:
HSA (Health Savings Account): Available with high-deductible health plans. Funds roll over year to year. No deadline to spend. You can accumulate funds and make a large sauna purchase when ready. Most flexible option.
FSA (Flexible Spending Account): Use-it-or-lose-it. Funds expire at year-end (some plans allow a small carryover or grace period). If you have FSA funds approaching expiration, a sauna is a legitimate way to use them before they disappear.
Both require a Letter of Medical Necessity. Both are processed through TrueMed at Select Saunas checkout.
How to buy
1. Browse saunas on our vetted picks or outdoor saunas and decide what you want.
2. Go to the product page on Select Saunas (every product page on our site has a "Check Price" link that goes directly to the retailer).
3. At checkout, select TrueMed as your payment method.
4. TrueMed connects you with a provider for the Letter of Medical Necessity evaluation.
5. If approved, pay with your HSA or FSA card.
The process is straightforward. The biggest variable is provider approval, which depends on your health history and the specific condition being addressed.