Your employer may help cover this membership. Here’s how to check.
If your company offers a QSEHRA or wellness stipend, your sauna and cold plunge membership could be partly or fully reimbursed — tax-free. Here’s what that looks like and how to get started.
How it works
Ask your employer if they offer a QSEHRA or wellness stipend
This is sometimes called a health reimbursement arrangement, HRA, or wellness benefit. Your HR contact or benefits portal will know — if your company has fewer than 50 employees and doesn’t offer a group health plan, there’s a good chance they do.
Check if a membership qualifies
If your plan is a QSEHRA, a sauna and cold plunge membership typically qualifies when a doctor recommends it for a specific health condition — things like high blood pressure, chronic pain, anxiety, or recovery from an injury. A short note from your doctor is usually all that’s needed.
If your employer offers a general wellness stipend instead, your membership may qualify automatically with no doctor’s note required. Check your plan details to confirm.
Sign up and pay as usual
Join with any of our membership options. You’ll pay the normal way — reimbursement happens separately through your employer’s plan.
Get your receipt and submit it
We provide itemized receipts on request, formatted for reimbursement claims. Submit this along with your doctor’s note (if needed) through your employer’s benefits portal or to HR directly.
Get reimbursed, tax-free
Once approved, your employer reimburses you for the membership cost — and because it’s a QSEHRA or wellness benefit, that reimbursement isn’t taxed as income.
Regular sauna and cold plunge use is associated with benefits like lower blood pressure, reduced muscle soreness and faster recovery, better sleep, and reduced stress. If your employer is willing to put money toward your health, this is one of the more enjoyable ways to use it.
Don’t have a Qualifying Condition?
That’s okay. Some employers offer a separate wellness stipend that doesn’t require a doctor’s note. Ask your HR contact what’s available — and if nothing exists yet, this guide is a good thing to forward along.
QSEHRA and wellness stipends are simple and inexpensive for employers to set up. Feel free to share this page with your HR team — many small businesses are open to adding this kind of benefit, especially when an employee requests it.
Typically, one letter of medical necessity covers your membership for the period it specifies (often a year). Check with your employer’s plan administrator for specifics.
No. Reimbursements through a QSEHRA or qualified wellness benefit are not counted as taxable income, so there’s nothing extra to report.
Yes — just ask at the front desk or email us, and we’ll provide an itemized receipt suitable for reimbursement claims.
QSEHRA is available to all employers with fewer than 50 employees.
Companies are eligible for a QSEHRA if they have fewer than 50 full-time employees and do not offer any group health insurance plan to their employees. There’s no industry restriction—any small business meeting those two criteria can set one up.
2025 contribution limits: Up to $6,150/year for a single employee (~$512/month), or up to $12,450/year for employees with a family (~$1,037/month).
