Updated Sep. 18, 2024
A home sauna makes your outdoor space feel like a luxurious day at the spa. Our editors tested a few outdoor saunas—here’s our list of the best.
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Why go to the spa or gym to enjoy a sauna when you can have a relaxing sweat session at home?
Many people find saunas to be relaxing, mood-boosting and even therapeutic for the mind and body, and there’s been an increasing demand to install at-home saunas in backyards.
That’s why we rounded up different types of saunas—wood-fired saunas, infrared saunas, portable saunas and more to suit a wide variety of preferences. We even had our editors test a few saunas in their own backyards. So, whether you’re looking for a budget option or want to splurge, we’ve got you covered with the hottest (see what we did there?) options on the market.
Read on to find your perfect home sauna match.
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Shopping editor Nancy Snyder tested the Sun Home Saunas Luminar, a two-person, full-spectrum infrared sauna. It measures 57 inches wide by 51.5 inches deep by 82.7 inches high. “It’s more than spacious enough to comfortably accommodate two people (or, if you prefer the extra space, just yourself),” Nancy says.
This sauna features bench seating and a Bluetooth surround sound system, along with impressive features like a mobile-app-enabled control system to adjust the sauna settings from your phone. Other features include an oxygen ionizer to purify the air, cup holders, a towel rack, a tablet holder and a magazine rack. The powerful sauna has six full-spectrum infrared heaters, medical-grade chromotherapy LED lighting, and ultra-low EMF/ELF shielding for the industry’s lowest and safest electromagnetic field exposure.
After ordering the sauna, Nancy opted for Sun Home Saunas’ third-party installation crew, Pure Install, to come out and assist with installation. This runs about $1,100 to $1,300 for the two-person Luminar model.
Nancy says the two-person team did an impeccable job, assembling the sauna in roughly two hours and discarding the pallets and trash when they left. However, she realized later that the Luminar 2-Person Sauna requires a dedicated 240-volt, 20-amp GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter), which a licensed electrician must install.
The required electrical wiring ended up costing Nancy an additional $1,350. But it was all worth it. “I could easily see adding this to my daily routine,” she says. “Not only did I feel so much better after one session, but research suggests that infrared saunas may have a number of health benefits when used long-term. I was overly impressed with the experience.”
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If you’re looking for a budget sauna solution, this dome sauna from Clearlight can be used wherever, whenever. Plus, it costs a fraction of a full-size outdoor sauna. Editor Van Van Cleave tested The Curve Sauna Dome, a portable sauna that lies on the ground and promotes detoxification, relief of muscle pain and more. “As soon as I unboxed this sauna, it became a part of my morning routine,” they say. “After a run, it effectively helps my muscles recover and has greatly reduced my stress levels.”
This portable sauna has two lightweight domes, making it easy to move and store away. With your head outside the sauna, your body can withstand high temperatures for longer, achieving the optimal core body temperature for the best results.
“It takes about 30 minutes to set up initially and then five minutes per use afterward,” says Van Van. “It does weigh about 100 pounds, so if you can lift 100 pounds, it’s easy to assemble and disassemble. To start, simply plug the mat and dome into standard electrical outlets, then turn them on using the control panels.”
Van Van says they love that this sauna lets you keep your head out of the heat. “I found that I enjoyed the experience without getting dizzy, which can happen to me in other full-body saunas,” they say. Van Van adds, “I also greatly appreciate the collapsibility of this sauna. I live in a small 2-bedroom apartment with very little storage space, so it’s pretty incredible to enjoy the benefits of a sauna at home without losing valuable floor space.”
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Another top pick from Clearlight is the Sanctuary 3, a three-person infrared outdoor sauna with a contemporary design. Like the Sun Home Sauna above, the Clearlight Sanctuary 3 can be controlled remotely via smartphone and has a built-in Bluetooth audio station that lets you play music from your phone or tablet.
This fully-equipped sauna has inside and outside lights, heat panels on all sides and below the bench, a door mat and a glass tablet. Plus, it’s compatible with Clearlight’s mountable accessories like red light, salt therapy and aromatherapy units. It also has medical-grade chromotherapy, EMF/ELF shielding, a programmable timer and cabinetry.
Van Van tested this outdoor sauna, too. “This is a dry infrared sauna that uses both far-infrared heaters and full-spectrum heaters for high-power, surrounding, penetrating heat,” they say. “There is a bench, and it is incredibly comfortable. Both the seat and the backrest are slightly curved for ergonomics.” Clearlight also offers cushions and portable backrests that you can purchase separately.
“If you’re looking for a holistic wellness experience for more than one person, this sauna delivers,” says Van Van. “I love how intentional the design details are, from the ergonomic seats to the USB charging cable to the satisfying door snap closure. The chromotherapy and deep heat offer total relaxation. Though a luxury splurge, this sauna delivers an indulgent wellness experience for mind and body.”
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This Mini-Cube Sauna from Redwood Outdoors is made of Scandinavian softwood kiln-fired for up to 96 hours. It features a Harvia electric heater (which is the industry’s gold standard), sauna rocks and interior benches. In under an hour, it heats up to 195 degrees Fahrenheit and can be enjoyed wet or dry.
The Scandinavian mini-cube sauna is simple yet strong, with a bead and cove system that allows the lumber staves to expand and contract naturally to form a tight seal. Its energy-efficient design helps distribute the heat evenly throughout the sauna’s interior.
Redwood Outdoors’ digital Wi-Fi heaters can be controlled via the digital wall pad or from any smartphone or tablet. That means you can pre-heat your sauna from anywhere—whether inside your house or on the way home from a workout. With a few taps on your phone, your sauna will be ready when you are. Wi-Fi heaters can also be pre-set to come on at a specific time.
The Thermowood Sauna is delivered as a kit, ideal for DIYers. All the pieces are pre-cut and grooved, so even novice DIYers can build this sauna. Anyone with beginner-level woodworking skills could build one in approximately four hours. You’ll just need the required tools: Phillips screwdriver, 7/16″ and 9/16″ open-end wrenches, 9/16″ deep socket wrench, vise grips and a mallet.
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Round or barrel saunas, like the Almost Heaven Audra, are popular partially for their ease of construction. They typically come with two round end units and a series of planks that you’ll fit around the ends. From there, simply nail and strap the planks into place. You (and three pals) can easily fit inside this spacious outdoor sauna.
This sauna is made of rot-resistant and water-resistant solid cedar wood with an antimicrobial finish. It has interior LED lighting and exterior benches, so you can sit down and take off your shoes and shirt after a hard workout before entering the Audra for a sauna session.
If you get too hot, you can cool off on the outside benches and then hop back in. The canopy-style barrel is about 6 feet by 6 feet in size and heats up to 195 degrees Fahrenheit. It has a top-of-the-line Harvia electric heater that can start immediately or be set to start at a delayed time.
Accessories like a backrest, leg rest, magazine rack, robe hook and drink shelf are sold separately, but Wayfair sells a matching Sauna Accessory Kit from Almost Heaven made of grade-red cedar. This sauna doesn’t have all the high-tech features like Bluetooth connectivity that some other saunas do, but it’s made with top-quality materials.
Our shopping editor, Nancy Snyder, who helped us compile and test the saunas on this list, has over five years of experience working with a major landscape supplier on various topics. Her expertise lies in developing ways to elevate your outdoor spaces, like upgrading your space with an outdoor home sauna.
For this piece, Nancy went as far as ordering, installing, and using the Sun Home Sauna above to gain up-to-date, real-life experience on backyard sauna buying. Our editor Van Van Cleave also had saunas assembled at his home. All that is to say, we go the distance, even if it means sacrificing our backyards, to help you make the best consumer-informed decisions.
If you’re shopping for an at-home backyard sauna, then you probably know how big of a shopping process it can be. Many outdoor saunas take weeks to ship, some require assembly, and a few even require rerouting your electrical. There are many things to consider when buying an outdoor sauna, and the only way to know how the buying process will go is to gain insight from someone who has already done it. That’s why Nancy Snyder and Van Van Cleave tested saunas for this piece.
They ordered, assembled, installed and tested most of the saunas above. Additionally, our product and shopping teams spent hours researching home saunas, analyzing specifications, and poring over customer reviews. We hope to test more outdoor saunas in the future should more of our editors be willing to go the distance and withstand the heat of testing these major outdoor appliances.
Outdoor saunas can provide many benefits, such as relaxation, muscle pain relief, improved sleep, boosted immunity and improved heart health. If you’re a health and wellness fanatic looking to upgrade your at-home self-care routine, an outdoor sauna may be just what you’re looking for. However, they do come with high costs and, sometimes, complicated installations. It’s important to thoroughly research product options before buying one.
Epic Hot Tubs & Swim Spas estimates that operating an outdoor sauna costs between $300 and $600 annually, depending on its size, usage and the outdoor temperature (especially in cold winter climates).
Originally Published: September 18, 2024
