Barrel Saunas

When it comes to selecting the most suitable barrel sauna for your yard, there are a few key things to consider;

1. How many bathers need to be able to fit in at once?
2. Do you want to be able to see outdoors, or do you prefer a darker, more private sauna experience?
3. Are you going to build a wood-fired or an electric outdoor sauna?

After answering the questions above, it will be easier to build a suitable sauna kit for your needs.

Different Barrel Sauna Structures

We offer barrel saunas from 3 different manufacturers; SaunaLife, Dundalk Leisurecraft, and Scandia. All of these manufacturers offer high-quality Finnish saunas. These barrels are made in the US, Canada, and Estonia. This means you won't find any barrel saunas made in China from this collection.

SaunaLife barrel saunas are made in Estonia from Finnish Thermo-Spruce, which is the most common sauna construction wood in the leading sauna country Finland. Benches of the SaunaLife barrels are made out of Thermo-Aspen.

Leisurecraft barrel saunas are made in Canada from Canadian Cedar.

Scandia Manufacturing electric barrel saunas are made in Idaho from US sourced Cedar.

Which is better wood for an outdoor barrel sauna, thermo-spruce or cedar? In our opinion, both work well and customers should choose based on personal aesthetic preferences rather than the wood. No scientific studies are comparing these wood types against each other in sauna use. However, both are extremely popular in saunas, which tells us they have been proven to perform under the conditions. Here's our outdoor wood burning sauna collection.

DIY Sauna Kits

Saunas under $25k are almost without exception sold as DIY kits. The main reason is the transportation cost. Wooden crates that these sauna kits come in are less likely to get damaged in shipping compared to sending fully assembled barrel saunas around. Also, they take significantly less space when shipped as pre-cut wood kits, thus making them more cost-effective.

Barrel sauna construction is quite straightforward. These kits are not insulated, so you simply just stack staves on top of each other, tighten them with metal straps and your barrel sauna has come together. In case you go with an electric sauna heater, electrical work needs to be done by a certified electrician. A wood-fired sauna heater can be installed on your own. We have varieties of wood burning sauna kits product range available.

Other construction considerations include building a foundation under the sauna and running electrical lines to the placement of the sauna if needed. We recommend that you make a simple sturdy gravel under your sauna, so it stays level. You can also place the barrel on your balcony or terrace. 

Sauna heaters require 240V electrical line to be run into them and lights in some of these barrel saunas typically require a 120V line, so consider this when making your placement.