Wellness & recovery services
Books and taxes for infrared sauna studios.
Membership sauna sessions sold ahead of time, an electric bill that runs high, and heating panels that eventually need replacing. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
January came in at $8,600. New Year sign-ups pushed memberships up, and I kept the new panel heaters as equipment since a full room replacement runs into the thousands.
- Vagaro payoutSingle sessions
- Monthly membership feesMemberships
- Electric utility billUtilities
- Heating panel replacementEquipment
- Towel laundry serviceLinens
Why your books are different
A sauna studio's real cost is the room, not the register.
Five private rooms drawing power for eight hours a day cost more to run than most storefronts ever see on a utility bill, and a panel that quietly wears out does not send a warning before it needs replacing. A bookkeeper who has never run a sauna studio treats both like ordinary overhead, and the month stops making sense.
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1
An empty room can still show revenue
A member pays $120 a month for unlimited sessions whether they show up once or ten times. Counted as income the day it clears without a look at how many rooms were actually booked, a quiet month can still look strong on paper.
What we doKeeps membership fees in their own line and tracks session counts from your booking data, so revenue and actual room use tell the same story. -
2
The power bill scales with the rooms, not the storefront
Running infrared panels across five private rooms for most of the day pushes the electric bill well past what a typical retail space pays, and folded into general overhead, it hides which rooms are actually worth keeping open.
What we doKeeps electric costs in their own line against session count, so cost per room is visible instead of buried in one overhead figure. -
3
A panel swap is not a repair, it is equipment
Heating panels wear out on their own schedule and get replaced a room or two at a time, sometimes running thousands of dollars each, which can make one month look like something went badly wrong.
What we doFlags panel replacements the day they happen and logs them as equipment, not repairs, so the accountant can decide how to write them off. -
4
Chromotherapy upgrades and drinks get lost inside the session price
A light therapy upgrade or an electrolyte drink sold at the front desk gets folded into the session total, so there is no way to tell whether the extras are actually worth offering or just add-ons nobody notices.
What we doKeeps add-ons and retail sales in their own line, apart from the base session price.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for an infrared sauna studio.
Set up once for how you get paid and what you spend. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Single sessionsWalk-in and first-time sauna sessions, paid through Vagaro or Mindbody.
- MembershipsMonthly unlimited or set-session plans, kept apart from single sessions.
- Session packagesPrepaid multi-session packs, tracked as owed sessions until used.
- Add-ons and retailChromotherapy upgrades, electrolyte drinks, and oils.
Money out
- UtilitiesElectric costs for running panels across multiple rooms.
- Heating panels and equipmentPanel replacement and sauna room upkeep.
- Towels and linensLaundry service and replacement stock.
- Booking softwareVagaro, Mindbody, or a similar scheduling tool.
- Cleaning suppliesDisinfectant and sanitizer between sessions.
What we watch for you
- Session count
Total sessions run against membership fees collected, so usage matches what members are paying for.
- Cost per session
Electric and upkeep divided by sessions run, so pricing reflects the real cost of a room hour.
- Add-on revenue
What upgrades and retail bring in, apart from base sessions, so extras earn their shelf space.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things sauna studio owners ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
I logged it as equipment, not repairs, so it will not distort your monthly cost line. It is a real cost, but a different kind.
I kept it in its own line against session count. If cost per session is climbing, that is worth a look at which rooms are actually booked.
Yes, membership fees count as income when collected, since they are a flat monthly charge, not a prepaid bundle of sessions.
The tax side
The tax side of an infrared sauna studio.
Most of what trips up a sauna studio is where a big equipment cost gets filed and whether the front desk staffer is really a contractor. Neither is complicated once the books are set up right.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Equipment write-offsSauna rooms, panels, and chromotherapy equipment can usually be written off the year they are bought. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Worker classificationA front desk staffer who works your schedule and uses your equipment is usually an employee, not a contractor, even if paid per shift.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when the books are right all year.
- Sales tax on retailElectrolyte drinks, oils, and other retail items sold at the desk are usually subject to sales tax, which varies by state. Sessions themselves are often treated differently.
Deductions infrared sauna studios miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Heating panel replacement
- Electric utility costs
- Towels and linens
- Booking software
- Front desk wages
- Cleaning and sanitizing supplies
- Liability insurance
- Marketing and lead fees
- Chromotherapy equipment
- Retail inventory
- License and permit fees
- Room build-out repairs
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
A sauna studio's year, kept every month.
New Year sign-ups bring a rush, and summer can bring a lull as people spend less time indoors. Your team keeps you ahead of the tax calendar through both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
New Year membership sign-ups get counted right, last year's return gets started, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether the summer session dip changed the number.
- October
Before the holiday rush
Gift memberships and packages start selling before the holidays. Gus looks at any panel or room upgrades worth doing before December.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for infrared sauna studios. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions sauna studio owners ask first.
How does Gus handle unlimited memberships versus session packages?
Memberships count as income when the fee is collected, since it is a flat charge. Packages count as income only as sessions get used, so a big package sale does not inflate one month.
Our electric bill varies a lot month to month. Is that a problem?
No. Gus keeps utilities in their own line against session count, so you can see whether cost per session is climbing, not just that a bill went up.
We use Vagaro for booking. Do we need to change anything?
No. Keep booking sessions the way you do. Gus works from your bank statement, and when a deposit is unclear he asks you once and remembers the answer.
Can I write off a full room's worth of new panels at once?
Often you can. Equipment bought for the business can usually be deducted in the year you buy it, and sometimes spreading it out is the better call. Gus flags the purchase and the accountant decides.
My studio ran at a loss the first year with startup costs. Is that normal?
It happens often given how much a build-out and panels cost upfront. Gus tracks the loss correctly against future years, and the accountant makes sure it is used right on your return.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
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What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever