Public Bath Project – Business Plan for Beginners

Public bathhouse project - a business plan for beginners
The incredible popularity of the steam room as a place to relax and relieve stress can be an excellent basis for planning and equipping a public bathhouse project as a private business. The history of the popular Sandunovsky Baths can tell you how popular and reliable such a business can be. At the initial stage, you don’t have to make incredible profits from a sauna, but the investment will certainly pay off if you are organizing a client-oriented business.

Choosing an enterprise format

Before you start planning your future business, you need to clearly understand what exactly will be included in the range of services, how many visitors and what pocket your bath center will be designed for. It’s worth mentioning right away that the modern word “sauna” translated from Finnish means the most ordinary bathhouse. The only difference between the two concepts is that in the first case we are talking about a steam room with drier air and high temperature.

Therefore, when considering a sauna business plan, we will talk about an establishment that will provide services of this order, including additional services. Without the latter, by the way, in modern conditions this direction may turn out to be less profitable, since most visitors still want to improve their health within the walls of the bath center, and not just have fun.

It is impossible not to take into account that the desire to please the consumer has made possible the emergence of new formats of establishments of this type. As an option, you can consider a business plan for a bathhouse on wheels; you can take a closer look at the option here, which will allow you not to be tied to one place.

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Types of baths

By offering clients exclusively steam room services, you can lose most of the visitors. Today there are several varieties of the bath itself:

• Finnish;
• Russian;
• Turkish hammam;
• Japanese ofuro.

The main differences are based on temperature conditions, humidity levels, and room design. In addition, the sauna business plan can include an individual approach to the needs of different clients. For example, for those who cannot stand the heat, the so-called sanarium, which includes an aromatic bath and features soft steam, is quite suitable.

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Additional services

Additional SPA procedures will also help increase the flow of clients, without which it is difficult to imagine a modern wellness project:

• massage;
• peeling;
• solarium;
• hydromassage;
• water procedures;
• snow cabins;
• pool.

If you intend to create a whole complex, then the following services need to be included in the sauna business plan:

• hookah bar;
• billiards;
• gym;
• small children's club.

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Business registration

The beginning of developing a sauna business plan will be the choice of the organizational form of the enterprise.

If the start-up capital is planned to be raised from only one person, then the optimal choice of business form will be individual entrepreneurship with the UTII taxation system.

This type of service falls under the category “Physical and recreational activities”, since its goal is to improve physical health and provide comfort. The code for this direction is 96.04.

As an option, you can choose LLC as an organizational form. But it is more suitable when we are talking, firstly, about several shareholders who are ready to invest in a new business, and secondly, if you are ready to work with customers by bank transfer.

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How to open a sauna?

Once the idea of ​​the future business and development trends have formed in your head, begin implementing the project.

Here I would like to highlight the following stages:

1. Register as an individual entrepreneur and apply for the most convenient taxation system - UTII. The coding for this type of activity is 93.

This includes the provision of bathhouse, shower, steam room and other services. At the initial stage this will be enough. Over time, you can expand and form an LLC.

Registration costs range from 10-15 thousand rubles.

2. A special issue is the premises. If you don’t have enough money on hand, then the only option is to rent. But keep in mind that converting a room into a steam room is an expensive process.

If the contract with the landlord is terminated, it will be difficult to return the money spent. A safer option is to purchase your own space (building) and further refurbish it.

But here, of course, proceed from your own capabilities. You can do it differently - find a room where a steam room has already been organized, make repairs in it, strengthen the wiring and, if necessary, remodel.

The minimum area for a sauna is from 150 square meters.

At the same time, immediately plan the placement of the following rooms - a soap bar (can be entertaining or wellness), a room for relaxation and tea drinking, a steam room itself (from 15 square meters), a shower room, a swimming pool (at the initial stage you can do without it), a plunge pool with ice water, staff premises, warehouses and so on.

If something is missing, it can be arranged additionally.

Pay special attention to communications - electricity, sewerage, water availability. If there is not enough power, then it is better to think about strengthening them in advance. Otherwise, you may encounter a number of problems during the approval process.

The average cost of renting such premises is from 70 thousand rubles.

Redevelopment, repair work - from 370-400 thousand rubles.

3. An important issue is sauna equipment, because this is one of the main cost items. The main element is the stove. It can be electric, gas or wood.

The first and second options are the most convenient, but true connoisseurs of steam rooms prefer the “wood-burning” options. Their disadvantage is difficulty in operation and a long melting process.

The most economical option is a gas oven. But here you risk attracting special attention from fire inspectors (additional permits will be required). An electric oven is a universal option.

It is convenient and reliable in operation. The main disadvantage is the high cost of paying for electricity.

Also, to start a business you will need a sauna cabin, shower cabins, air conditioning, furniture (tables, chairs, sofas, beds). Towels and disposable linen will be needed.

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The total cost of equipping a sauna with everything necessary is from 600 thousand rubles.

4. Select qualified personnel. This is one of the most important issues on which the success of a future business depends (even when purchasing a ready-made sauna business). At the same time, take into account the operating hours of your establishment and the volume of services provided.

As a rule, saunas are open from 10-11 o'clock in the afternoon until the last client. It is impossible to work one shift in this mode (this must be provided for when recruiting personnel).

So, you will need an administrator (it is advisable to take two specialists). This person will be responsible for receiving and processing orders, that is, working directly with the establishment’s clients.

Hire a fireman or a laborer. Such an employee is necessary to perform minor work - chopping firewood and kindling the stove (if it is wood-burning), tying brooms, carrying and distributing linen, removing snow, and so on.

You cannot do without a security guard who must ensure the safety of sauna equipment and clients’ belongings.

You will need a massage therapist if your sauna provides related services.

Total expenses for paying wages to employees range from 180-200 thousand rubles.

5. Advertise the establishment. To attract customers, you cannot do without a full-fledged advertising campaign.

Here it is important to work in several directions - organize advertising in the media (magazines, newspapers), take part in the life of the city (organize competitions, provide the winners with the opportunity to visit the sauna for free).

You need to make your own website where all the services of your establishment will be listed. It is mandatory to provide contact information to place an order.

Average advertising costs range from 18-22 thousand rubles.

Table No. 1. Price list for room service services in Russia

Room

An important item in the sauna business plan will be the premises for the future enterprise - the best option here would be a new building from scratch. This is due to the fact that it is sometimes simply impossible to convert existing buildings to the format you need, taking into account the peculiarities of internal communications.

The location of the sauna does not have to be the central part of the city. The main thing is that there is a densely populated residential area nearby. After all, clients will still only come to you by appointment.

You can start with an area of ​​100 square meters, a pool of 5 meters and a steam room of 13-14 square meters. Most often, a sauna business plan provides for dividing the entire territory into several zones:

• steam room itself;
• rooms (junior suites and suites).

The fundamental difference between the latter is that superior rooms contain a full range of services, including their own small swimming pool.

In addition, the project must include the costs of equipping the following rooms:

• women's and men's locker rooms - 10 square meters each;
• shower cabins – 10-15 meters;
• recreation rooms - about 50 square meters;
• the room where the massage will be done is 10 square meters;
• hall – 10 square meters;
• staff room – 10 square meters;
• technical rooms – 10-15 square meters;
• administration – 10 square meters.

The bathhouse business plan must also include the arrangement of a small parking lot.

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Sauna as a business

Naturally, the bathhouse, like any business, is focused on generating income, but remains a very risky enterprise. You will need to spend a lot of money at one time, and there is always a risk of missing out on clients.

The bath business is not selling shoes or baking bread, where the profit is small but stable. This is directly related to positive emotions among customers. For this reason, even a very experienced administrator will not undertake to think in advance whether a sauna will be profitable as a business and whether there is any benefit in this under certain conditions. From experience it became known that a business plan can only be drawn up if two main problems have been solved:

• A comfortable place in the residential areas of the city for a bathhouse project.
• Providing energy resources, primarily water and electricity.

The price of utility bills for renting space, payments for wasted heat and water remain the main threat to the profitability of a bathhouse as a successful business.

Helpful advice! Before opening a sauna or bath complex for profit, it would be wise to gain experience of how the business operates inside, from the point of view of a manager or administrator.

Only in this way will you be able to understand where the funds are going, and why the planning or working organization of the bathhouse complex does not suit the clients.

Equipment

The most significant expense item will, of course, be the purchase of equipment and arrangement of the complex as a whole. It is better to entrust external and internal design to professionals. To get started, include in your business plan for your future bathhouse:

• two steam rooms;
• two shower cabins;
• pool equipment;
• bar equipment;
• furniture for all rooms;
• ventilation system;
• a pool table;
• hookahs;
• a supply of firewood, if we are talking about a business plan for a wood-burning bathhouse;
• equipment for cleaning premises;
• disinfectants;
• cosmetical tools;
• brooms;
• robes;
• disposable slippers;
• barbecues;
• washcloths;
• towels

Don't forget to install air conditioning and heated floors in your establishment. The business plan for a VIP bath will have to include larger expenses at the initial stage. In a family-type establishment, you can limit yourself to a standard set of furniture - sunbeds, sofas, tables, TV, mirror, hairdryer.

Any project, regardless of its level of comfort, must be clean and, albeit inexpensive, have good repairs. Always remember that a bad reputation is earned very quickly, and its first criterion is unsanitary conditions.

The business plan for a bath-sauna must include funds for repairs and renovation of the interior decoration of the premises.

Approximately once every two years, it will be necessary to replace the wooden paneling in steam rooms and dressing rooms, furniture, and chimneys. Major repairs must be planned every five years. The approximate cost of such expenses can reach 20-30% of the amount invested at opening.

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What regulations should be followed?

All requirements and standards set out in the relevant documents must be strictly observed, since any violation entails a penalty or termination of the establishment’s work until all inconsistencies identified by regulatory authorities are eliminated.

Advice: To avoid numerous problems in the future, all design and construction work should be carried out in accordance with the standards. In addition, the operation of a public bath must also meet fairly stringent requirements.

Draft design of a public bathhouse for 50 people

Documentation for the design and construction of the premises

• SNiP 2.07.01 - this document regulates the location of a public bathhouse in a populated area, the location of structures on the territory, as well as the capacity standard depending on the area of ​​​​the premises.
• SNiP 2.08.02 regulates all issues related to technical equipment and the area of ​​each of the bathhouse premises, depending on its purpose. In addition, the document identifies the main premises that must be present in the project.

Note! Sometimes deviations are allowed, which may be due to climatic conditions, ethnic traditions and characteristics of the type of bath. Do not forget that all such establishments must be accessible to people with disabilities.

• SNiP 21.01 regulates the width of passages for road transport. This is due to both the convenience of access for customers and the free movement of special services equipment in the event of emergency situations.
• SNiP 2.04.01 and SNiP 2.04.05 regulate standards relating to high-quality heating, hot and cold water supply. In addition, these acts reflect the requirements for the installation of a sewerage system, as well as high-quality ventilation - without this, the bathhouse is unlikely to function fully.

Ventilation diagram for a steam room in a public bath that meets the requirements of regulations

Acts regulating the safe operation of the bathhouse

• GOST R 51232, SanPiN 2.1.4.544, SanPiN 2.1.4.1074 regulate the most important issue - the issue of water quality in public baths. Only clean water guarantees safety for health; this issue requires constant monitoring.
• If there is a swimming pool in the bathhouse, then the water in it must meet the requirements of SanPiN 2.1.2.1188. If it is not there, then this act is not required to be studied.
• SanPiN 982 determines that bath furniture should be easy to wash, disinfect and be resistant to high humidity. That is why the use of upholstered furniture in such premises is not allowed.

Wooden furniture is the optimal solution for a public bath

• GOST 28428 requires that all rooms be equipped with thermometers to control the temperature in all rooms of the bathhouse.
• GOST 12.1.019-79 reflects the most important requirements for electrical safety and regulates the conditions for ensuring the required level of safety during operation.
• GOST 12.1.004-91 contains a list of requirements for compliance with all fire safety standards; the document also helps to organize safe working conditions for workers and determines the list of necessary equipment and protective equipment that must be available.

Documents regulating the level of service

The level of service provided in the bathhouse must comply with both the general rules of trade and a special act that was developed specifically for such establishments.

GOST R 52493-2005 is the main document that should be followed by all owners of public baths and showers. In addition to the general set of rules, the act contains references to the main acts that regulate the activities of the bathhouse.

Opening hours and services

Visits to these types of establishments usually take place by appointment. Experience shows that the demand for these services is quite high, and therefore a large flow of clients can be expected during the cold season. To prevent downtime, it is better to diversify the capabilities of the center.

In general, the price list in a business plan for a bath-sauna should include:

• hourly rental of rooms and steam rooms; In case of holidays, daily reservations can be provided;
• anti-cellulite and therapeutic massages, relaxation programs;
• spa treatments: stone therapy, herbal barrels, mud;
• medicinal teas, salt inhalations, aromatherapy.

A public bath business plan should be based primarily on room reservations. Usually the client appears 15 minutes before his time. Since prepayment is usually not provided in this area, the reservation can be canceled 5 minutes before the start of the session.

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Market analysis and competition

The construction of baths, saunas, and washrooms has been an extremely popular and profitable type of business at all times. Many people, especially during the Soviet period, went to bathhouses in large groups to wash, talk, and spend a “profitable evening.” This trend has continued to this day.

Despite the high degree of competition within the market segment (the business share is 55%), there is still room for implementation of the plan. Areas related to the provision of additional services: SPA treatments, aromatherapy and massage still remain available, which means they can be included in the specialization of the future bath complex.

Staff

Particular attention should be paid to the selection of employees, especially since the cost item for paying them wages will not be the smallest of the entire financial business plan of the bathhouse. The staff will have to accept:

• administrator;
• castellana;
• a steamer (preferably two);
• electrician;
• washer;
• cleaning lady

A massage therapist and an accountant may be visiting. If you plan to carry out spa treatments, then you need to take care of the appropriate specialists for your project. It is very important to find professional bath attendants. In fact, their work will be decisive in the issue of status.

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Financial calculations

A business plan for a bath complex will be incomplete without considering the financial issue. To do this, let’s first calculate the expenditure part, in rubles:

• purchase of premises – 3 million;
• repairs – 500 thousand;
• equipment – ​​500 thousand;
• salaries – 1 million per year;
• advertising – 100 thousand

In the bathhouse business plan we will certainly include the costs of utility bills, unforeseen expenses and the purchase of equipment - that’s another 100 thousand.

Let's imagine the income part based on a profit of 200-300 thousand rubles per month. This is exactly how much a mid-level establishment can bring. With an annual revenue of 2 million rubles, payback can be achieved within two years.

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Financial part of the business plan

Summing up the finances of the sauna opening project and calculating economic indicators allows us to draw a conclusion about the feasibility or lack thereof of launching the entire project.

One-time business expenses when starting a sauna project include:

1. Purchase of premises - approximately 3,200,000 rubles.
2. Purchase of equipment and furniture, repairs and arrangement of premises - about 1,200,000 - 2,500,000 rubles.
3. Advertising activities - 320,000 rubles (per year).
4. Payroll – 800,000 – 960,000 rubles (annually).

The annual income from the sauna is 3,200,000 – 4,800,000 rubles.

The payback period for such a business providing sauna services is 2-3 years, but this period can be reduced due to additional profit received from the provision of related services (massage, beauty services, etc.).

for 350 rubles, from our partners, with a quality guarantee. It is not publicly available on the Internet. Contents of the business plan: 1. Confidentiality 2. Summary 3. Stages of project implementation 4. Characteristics of the object 5. Marketing plan 6. Technical and economic data of the equipment 7. Financial plan 8. Risk assessment 9. Financial and economic justification of investments 10. Conclusions

In the presented video, site users can gain useful information about organizing a business in the chosen direction