All sauna and steam rooms shall be designed and constructed in accordance with the following requirements:
(a) Temperature control. A sauna or steam room temperature shall be thermostatically controlled and shall not exceed 194 degrees Fahrenheit for a sauna room and 120 degrees Fahrenheit for steam room as measured at eye height.
(b) Doors and windows. A sauna or steam room shall be equipped with a free swinging type door or a door that swings outward freely and a window to facilitate viewing the interior of the room.
(c) Safety. The facility shall provide a one-hour timer to automatically disconnect all heating elements from the supply source at the end of one hour, or an attendant (meeting the definition of responsible person) who inspects the facility at a minimal interval of 15 minutes during all periods of operation of a sauna or steam room pursuant to 24 RCNY Health Code § 165.15(c), if the timer is not provided.
(d) Timing device and temperature indicator. A time and temperature indicator shall be provided in each sauna or steam room and shall be so installed as to be clearly visible to the patron in the sauna or steam room.
(e) Alarm system. An alarm system acceptable to the department shall be provided to indicate to the attendant and user any malfunction of the automatic temperature regulating control or of an electrical overloading of the equipment. The alarm system shall turn off the heat when the alarm sounds, and not allow it to be reset until the temperature has cooled to below the maximum allowable level. The operator shall be able to demonstrate the functioning of the alarm system to the department during an inspection. The alarm shall be tamper-proof. Patrons shall not be able to prevent the alarm from sounding, nor to prevent the heat from being cut off, nor to change the temperature set-point of the alarm.
(f) Heater.
(1) The heater unit used in a sauna room shall be approved by Underwriters Laboratories, Inc., or be equipped with equivalent control and safety features acceptable to the department, provided that the installation or any alteration of such unit has been approved by the Department of Buildings.
(2) If the unit is a gas-fired system, no door openings (either metal or otherwise) to the gas heater are to be located within the enclosure of the sauna.
(g) Steam generator. The size of the steam generator shall be adequate for the design capacity. There shall be adequate free space for access to the generator for maintenance.
(h) Warning signs. A durable plate bearing the following wording, in 24 point type (letters 0.25 inches in height) or more, permanently marked thereon in colors contrasting with the background, shall be prominently affixed outside the doors of the sauna or steam room at eye level containing the following: "Use of steam room or sauna should not exceed 30 minutes. Excessive exposure can be harmful to health. The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene recommends that persons who: – have poor health; or – have high blood pressure or a heart or circulatory disease; or – are using prescription medication; or – are pregnant not use this facility before consulting their physician. Persons under the influence of alcohol or drugs should not use this facility."