Compared
Session vs Periode
Session and Periode are both built specifically for saunas — this is a close, specialist-vs-specialist comparison, not generic-vs-niche.
Both do memberships, gift cards, drop-ins and capacity. The practical differences are three:
Pricing: Periode's all-in UK rate is 3.5%+ per booking with no cap; Session's all-in cost is roughly 2% — a 0.5% platform fee capped at £100/month plus Stripe processing into your own account — so it's cheaper, and the gap widens as you grow
Multiple locations: Session runs them from one account with location-aware pages; Periode is built around single venues
Region: Session is UK-based on Stripe with multi-currency; Periode is Norway-based and built around Vipps
What Session adds for a UK, US or Australian sauna
Cheaper all-in, and capped. Compared like-for-like, Session runs about 2% + 20p per booking (a 0.5% platform fee capped at £100/month, plus Stripe's ~1.5% + 20p into your own account) against Periode's all-in 3.5% + 20p on debit (3.9% on credit, 5.25% on cards issued abroad), with no cap. On a £20 booking that's roughly £0.60 vs £0.90 — and the platform half of Session's fee stops at £100/month, while Periode's percentage never does.
Multiple locations from one account, each with its own location-aware booking page — Session is built for operators running more than one site. Periode is built around single venues.
UK & Australia native — local currency, Stripe payouts to your own account, region-aware tax, and Apple/Google Pay your customers already use. Periode is Norway-first and built around Vipps.
Sauna-native depth — part-session pricing (book the first or second half of a slot), per-guest waivers signed at checkout and verified by QR at check-in, and a dedicated staff check-in page.
Where Periode fits
Periode is a strong, well-established platform, and the obvious choice for some operators:
Scandinavia — it's Norway-built with Vipps at the core, and the Nordics are the world's biggest sauna market. For a Norwegian or Nordic operator, it's region-native.
Unstaffed self-service — Periode integrates with smart locks and ovens, so a cabin can unlock and pre-heat automatically. If you run 24/7 self-service saunas, that automation is a genuine strength Session doesn't match natively (Session is built for staffed/community sessions, and integrates door/heater hardware via webhooks rather than out of the box).
A long track record with sauna operators across Europe.
This isn't specialist-vs-generalist — both are sauna tools. It comes down to where you operate, how you price, and whether you run one site or several.
The pricing difference, plainly
Both publish UK pricing — but they're structured differently, so compare them all-in. Periode bundles everything into one rate that "includes card processing and banking fees": 3.5% + 20p on debit, 3.9% on domestic credit, and 5.25% on cards issued abroad, with no cap (plus 10p per SMS). Session splits it: a 0.5% platform fee, capped at £100/month, plus Stripe's own processing (about 1.5% + 20p on UK cards), paid straight into your own Stripe account — roughly 2% + 20p all-in on a standard card.
So on a £20 UK debit booking, the fee is about £0.60 with Session versus £0.90 with Periode — around a third less. The gap widens on credit cards, on Periode's 5.25% international rate (a real cost if you get tourists and visitors), and as you grow, because Session's platform fee stops at £100/month while Periode's percentage applies to every booking, forever. Periode's single all-in rate is simpler to read; Session's is cheaper, capped, and lands in your own account.
FAQ
Is Session or Periode better for a UK sauna? For a UK or Australian sauna, Session is usually the more natural fit: it's English-native, runs on Stripe in your local currency with payouts to your own account, runs multiple locations from one account, and is cheaper all-in with a capped platform fee. Periode is an excellent platform but is Norway-based, built around Vipps, and oriented to single venues.
How much does Periode cost compared to Session? Periode publishes all-in UK rates that include card processing: 3.5% + 20p on debit, 3.9% on credit, 5.25% on cards issued abroad, with no cap. Session is around 2% + 20p all-in — a 0.5% platform fee capped at £100/month plus Stripe's ~1.5% + 20p into your own account. On a £20 debit booking that's about £0.60 with Session versus £0.90 with Periode, and the gap grows on credit, international cards, and at volume.
Can Periode and Session both handle memberships and multiple locations? Both handle memberships, gift cards and punch passes well. Multiple locations is where they differ: Session runs several sites from one account, each with its own location-aware booking page, while Periode is built around single venues. If you operate more than one sauna, that's a meaningful difference.