Session vs Periode
Session and Periode are both built for saunas, so this is a close comparison. Both sell sessions, memberships, bundles and gift vouchers. The real differences are what each costs per booking, how payments reach you, and lock and oven automation for unstaffed saunas.
Updated 9 October 2026
Periode’s US prices read on periode.no
In the UK or Australia?
Compared on
Price per booking
Monthly cap
Card payments
Lock and oven automation
Switching over
PRICE PER BOOKING
About a quarter less
On a US$30 US card booking, about US$1.32 all-in on Session against US$1.77 on Periode.
MONTHLY CAP
Capped every month
Session’s 0.5% stops at US$150 a month in the US. Periode doesn’t publish a cap.
AUTOMATION
Periode for unstaffed saunas
Periode connects to locks and ovens. Session reaches door hardware through webhooks.
WHAT SESSION ADDS
What Session adds
Periode is a strong sauna platform. These are the places Session is different.
Cheaper per booking
About 3.4% + US$0.30 all-in on a standard US card, against Periode’s 4.9% + US$0.30.
A monthly cap
Session’s 0.5% stops at US$150 a month in the US, however busy you get.
Paid into your own account
Card, Apple Pay and Google Pay payments land in your own Stripe account.
Flexible start times
Guests choose how long they stay, and starts that overlap share the sauna’s spaces, so it’s never overbooked.
Per-guest waivers
Each guest signs on their own phone, and staff see who has signed at check-in.
Several locations
Run more than one site from one account, each with its own booking page.
Ask Claude about your venue
Connect Claude and ask about revenue, occupancy and customers in plain English.
Shifts and calendar feeds
Plan your team’s rota against the schedule, and see sessions and shifts in Google, Apple or Outlook.
Gift vouchers to print
Buyers can print a voucher with your logo and a QR code that books with the code applied.
AT A GLANCE
Session and Periode side by side
SESSION
PERIODE
Saunas
Saunas
0.5% platform fee, plus Stripe’s card fee of 2.9% + US$0.30 on US cards
4.9% + US$0.30 on US cards, 6.4% + US$0.30 on non-US cards, card fees included
0.5% capped at US$150 a month
Not published
Card, Apple Pay and Google Pay, into your own Stripe account
Cards
Yes, with included sessions, member rates and early access
Yes
Yes
Yes
Guests choose a length, and overlapping starts share one set of spaces
Several lengths per product, with capacity counted per start time
The booker or every guest signs, checked at check-in
Signed by the customer at booking
Several locations from one account, each with its own booking page
One product per location, grouped with tags
A rota with hours for payroll, and calendar feeds
Not published
Connect Claude to ask about your venue
Not published
Booking webhooks can drive door hardware
Built-in integration with locks and ovens
Periode details as published on periode.no on 9 October 2026. “Not published” means we couldn’t find it on the vendor’s own site.
PRICING
The pricing difference, plainly
Periode puts everything into one rate that includes card processing. Session splits it: a 0.5% platform fee, capped each month, plus Stripe’s own card fee, paid from your own Stripe account. On a standard US card that’s about 3.4% + US$0.30 all-in.
See full pricing
On a US$30 US card booking
SESSION
PERIODE
Platform fee
US$0.15
Included
Card fee
US$1.17
Included
Total
US$1.32
US$1.77
Stripe’s standard rate for US cards is 2.9% + US$0.30, plus 1.5% on international cards. Periode charges 6.4% + US$0.30 on non-US cards.
WHERE PERIODE FITS
When Periode is the better pick
Periode is well established with sauna operators, and for some it’s the right choice.
Unstaffed, self-service saunas
Periode integrates with smart locks and ovens, so a cabin can open and heat for each booking. Session can drive door hardware through webhooks, but it isn’t built in.
Norway and the Nordics
Periode is Norwegian and built for that market first.
One all-in rate
If you’d rather see one number that includes card fees, Periode’s single rate is simpler to read.
Both are sauna tools. It comes down to where you operate, how much you take, and whether your saunas are staffed.
“What I also like is that Session doesn’t take a fixed fee, but 0.5% with a monthly cap. So in quiet months, the fees are low, and in busy months, you know you won’t pay more than £100.”
R
Renny V
Sauna Uno, switched from Periode
Switching from Periode
Send us your Periode exports and we run the import, keeping gift card codes working.
Read the switching guide
Common questions
Is Session or Periode better for my sauna?
Both are built for saunas, so it’s close. Session costs less per booking, caps its fee each month, pays card payments into your own Stripe account and gives each location its own booking page. Periode is the stronger pick for unstaffed self-service saunas, with built-in lock and oven integration.
How much does Periode cost compared to Session?
Periode’s US rates include card processing: 4.9% + US$0.30 on US cards and 6.4% + US$0.30 on non-US cards, with no cap published. Session charges 0.5% per paid booking, capped at US$150 a month, plus Stripe’s card fee of 2.9% + US$0.30 on US cards. On a US$30 booking that’s about US$1.32 with Session and US$1.77 with Periode.
Can Session run self-service saunas like Periode?
Periode integrates with smart locks and ovens out of the box. Session sends booking events by webhook, which can drive a door lock or other hardware, but that takes setting up rather than being built in.
Can I move from Periode to Session?
Yes. Send us your Periode exports and we’ll run the import: bookings and customers, gift cards as gift vouchers with their original codes, prepaid session balances as bundle credit, and your mailing list. On switch day, turn off both bookings and gift card sales in Periode.
Booking software built for saunas
Free to set up. 0.5% per paid booking, capped each month in your own currency.
Last updated: 9 October 2026. Written by the Session team. Periode’s details are as published on its own site that day.