Your Comprehensive Sauna Buying Guide
Types of Saunas Experiences
There are three typical ways to experience sauna. A traditional dry sauna, steam sauna, and infrared sauna.
Traditional Sauna
A traditional sauna, also sometimes referred to as a Finnish sauna, is a sauna that is meant to be heated to an ambient temperature of 150-190 degrees, with a relatively low humidity of up to 30%.
Steam Sauna
Steam saunas use a lower ambient temperature, typically between 120-150 degrees, and can be up to 100% humidity.
Infrared Sauna
This is a modern "sauna" experience, which uses infrared waves to to directly heat you within the sauna, instead of using ambient heat. Despite the name, these are not actual saunas since they do not fit the definition of a hot-air or steam bath.
Or to get more into the culture of sauna, infrared lacks "Löyly" (pronounced low-loo), which is a Finnish term that literally refers to the steam generated within a sauna, but is also a reference to the soul of the sauna experience. Without löyly, you don't have a sauna.
Wood Heated vs Electric
Focusing on traditional and steam sauna, saunas don't need to be specially built to accommodate one experience or the other. Controlling the heat and humidity levels of the sauna allow both to be experienced without needing to buy two separate units. Which brings us to one of the major purchasing considerations. Wood fired or electric?
Wood Heated Saunas
Wood fired saunas are going to be the most traditional sauna experience. Various sized wood stoves can be used in saunas. Larger stoves can be fired hotter, faster, which means the sauna is able to heat up quicker. While smaller stoves are more budget friendly, but make take some additional firings, or will need to be fired longer to bring things up to temp.
With wood fired stoves, the sauna will also need a chimney installed either in the wall or ceiling.
In our experience, it is best to plan for 1-2 hours to bring a sauna up to temperature with a wood stove. This provides time for separate firings, and allows the wood of the structure to retain some heat before use.
Electric Heated Saunas
Electric heated saunas are an easier, hands off approach to using sauna. These heaters can be equipped with wifi controls for remote monitoring.
These take less effort to start and can be hot and ready to use within an hour.
Similarities & Differences / Pros & Cons
Regardless of the type of heater, both will heat stones that are used to provide ambient heat, as well as allow for steam to be generated by splashing them with water. Wood stoves hold the stones in a basket above the firebox, while electric heaters have a heating element that the stones are placed around.
One major factor of choosing a stove is whether you have access to wood. If you are in an area where firewood is plentiful, or if you have property that allows you to make your own, then a wood fired option make be the most cost effective. Alternatively, if firewood is expensive or difficult to get, then electric will make more sense.
Wood fired saunas are more traditional and will accent your sauna experience with the smell of burning wood, which for some people is part of the experience that they wouldn't give up. Others may be sensitive to the smell of firewood and would prefer to just enjoy the natural smell of the sauna and steam.
Electric heaters are easier and faster to set up to use. This makes them a great option for people that are disinterested or unable to maintain and check on a fire as the sauna gets up to temperature. That said, wood fired stoves may be more cost effective to run, especially if you have access to firewood on your property.
Lastly, electric heaters do require power to be run to them. This can make installing an electric sauna at a cabin or more remote property incredibly expensive. Wood stoves can be fully off grid and are not dependent on any outside utilities. As long as you have firewood and water, you can sauna.
Size of Sauna & Seating
The size of the sauna is the next major consideration. Many saunas are rated on their size based on the number of people that can fit inside them. So you will of course want a sauna that can accommodate the average number of people that you plan on having enjoy it at the same time.
However, there are pros and cons of sizing a larger sauna than you need. The advantage to going larger is that sauna is best experienced when the entire space is able to equalize to a comfortable temperature. If the sauna is the minimum size needed, that usually means one or two people will be closer to the heater than everyone else in the sauna. This means they are closer to the heat and may have a hotter sauna experience than the rest of the group.
This is also true for saunas that make use of multi-level seating. Higher seats will experience the heat and steam more intensely than lower seats. In a group of people, if all of these seats are being used at once, then there is no room to shift seating within the sauna to either increase or decrease the temperature of the sauna session without adjusting the heater/stove.
As a quick side note, multi-level seating saunas are great for people that don't want to worry about controlling the heat too precisely. Heat and steam rises, so higher benches will always experience a hotter sauna comparatively. Some days you may think you want a hotter sauna, but when you get in you may decide you its a bit more than you care for at that time. Having lower benches available means you can still sauna without needing to adjust the temperature.
Having a larger sauna allows for more flexibility in where you sit and how you experience a sauna, and provides a larger space for the heat to distribute and equalize.
The disadvantages to a larger sauna are fairly straightforward. A larger sauna is going to have a higher upfront cost and it will be more expensive to heat. It also will typically take longer to heat and if you do not have a large amount of space, it may not be feasible to go with a larger unit.
Sauna Materials
Saunas are commonly made from a few different types of wood. Cedar, Canadian Hemlock, Aspen, Alder, and Pine woods. Most saunas you will find in North America typically come in cedar options - in fact, all of our wood sauna offerings are cedar wood - but ironically, cedar is not native in Finland where sauna originated.
Cedar is very common in North America because it is naturally insect and rot resistant, which is great for a structure that will see a large amount of water throughout its life. The pleasant smell is a great bonus on top of that.
Woods like hemlock, aspen, alder, and pine are great budget friendly options, but they may require a bit more maintenance. Woods with a high amount of pitch, which most people call sap, will tend to sweat it out during many of the first firings as it takes at least 24 hours of exposure to high heat to get it out of wood during the curing process (pine is especially notorious for this). This is actually why most sauna benches aren't made of pine, even if the rest of the structure is.
After all, I don't think anyone would describe sitting in hot pitch as a relaxing experience.
The type of wood used though isn't a fundamental aspect of what makes sauna, sauna. Quality of the board, availability of the wood for production, and budget are the main driving factors that determine what saunas are made of in different areas.
Location of Sauna
Where the sauna will go is an important part of determining the design and style of the sauna that you want. A cabin style sauna will look great up at the lake, while a cube style sauna will fit better into a modern environment. Barrel saunas are a classic and fun style that can fit into several places.
Saunas come in a large array of styles, and where you are putting it may inform your decision of what design and size you want. It can also effect what kind of features you want the sauna to have.
If the sauna will be close to your house or cabin, then you may not need to worry about features like a changeroom. If your terrain is rougher, or you don't want to walk back to your house/cabin after a sauna, then a porch space may make sense. And the opposite of both cases is also true.
Think about where you want your sauna to be positioned and imagine how you want the experience to go before, during, and after. This will give you an idea of what you want near the sauna and what you don't.
Indoor vs Outdoor
There are also indoor sauna options available. Indoor saunas don't usually have the same variety of options that an outdoor sauna will have. For one, they are indoors so they don't need to have additional spaces like changerooms or porches.
Secondly, virtually all indoor saunas that are prebuilt will feature electric heaters for safety reasons. Unless the house is specifically built with a sauna room in mind, adding a wood fired stove is not usually feasible for indoor sauna.
These do have the convenience of being easy to use and access at any time, but you will need to take into account venting and space requirements to install a sauna indoors.
Cleaning and Maintaining Your Sauna
A sauna can last a very long time with the proper care and maintenance, and for most people this just means keeping the sauna clean between uses.
Sauna's are high moisture environments, so to prevent mold and mildew, make sure to ventilate the sauna for about 30-60 minutes after your session to allow it to dry out. You should also wipe down benches with a damp cloth to keep them clean and remove any towels, buckets, or anything else that can hold water.
If using weekly, sweep out the interior and for a more thorough clean, use a mix of 1:3 vinegar and water (one part vinegar, three parts water) to wipe down surfaces, and make sure any vents are clear of blockages.
Sauna stones will also need to be checked to see if they are cracking or crumbling. If so, remove and replace these stones. For people using their sauna weekly, stones may need to be replaced within1-3 years, but you only need to do so if there are signs of damage. The heater should also be checked and cleaned regularly to improve its efficiency and increase its lifespan.
You can check out our full guide to sauna maintenance here.
Insurance Considerations
If you plan on insuring your sauna, it is important to discuss your insurance policy with your provider. The insurance company, where the sauna is installed, and the type of heater you use within the sauna can all be factors in how you receive coverage.
Insurance may have specific requirements how how far the sauna must be from other structures on the property. Depending on where you live there may also be specific considerations based on whether you want a wood stove or an electric heater.
Again, these will vary from place to place and it is important you discuss these questions with your insurance provider if it is something you plan on doing.
Saunas We Offer
We carry a wide variety of traditional style saunas, manufactured in Canada from cedar woods. These include wood stove and electric options, and are highly customizable to fit your style and needs. Please contact us today to get your personal consultation.