Six decisions, in the order that saves you money: where it goes, how many people, how you'll heat it, which shape, what it all costs, and who you buy from.
Choosing a garden sauna goes wrong in a predictable way: people fall for a shape, then find it’s too tall for the spot by the fence, needs a heater that isn’t in the price, and a cable run nobody priced. Make the decisions in this order instead, and each one narrows the next.
1. Decide where it will go
Everything follows from the spot. (Thinking of a sauna inside the house instead? See home sauna: indoor or in the garden?) Walk the garden and look for a level patch you can reach with a path, ideally with a view back to the house and somewhere to sit outside between rounds.
Three things to check before you fall for anything:
- The boundary. In England and Wales, a building within 2 m of a boundary must be no more than 2.5 m high, including its base, to be permitted development (the zone is 1 m in Scotland). Most saunas’ stated heights are under that, but 41 of the cabins in our data are taller. Run your spot through the planning permission checker.
- The space. Measure it and leave a gap all round for maintenance. The sauna finder shows every model that fits.
- The distance from the house. An electric sauna needs its own circuit from your consumer unit. The further the cable has to go, the more the electrician’s job involves.
2. Decide how many people, really
Retailers’ seat counts are generous: a “six-seat” sauna usually means six people close together on two benches. Think about how many of you will use it at once on an ordinary evening, not the most you’ll ever have.
| Seats | Models | From | Median price | Median footprint |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 seat | 1 | £3,995 | £3,995 | 1.6 m² |
| 2 seats | 34 | £2,000 | £4,878 | 2.2 m² |
| 3 seats | 30 | £2,150 | £4,975 | 3.4 m² |
| 4 seats | 118 | £2,300 | £5,993 | 5.2 m² |
| 5 seats | 15 | £5,000 | £12,550 | 10.1 m² |
| 6 seats | 120 | £2,500 | £7,950 | 5.9 m² |
| 7 seats | 1 | £5,721 | £5,721 | 8.9 m² |
| 8 seats | 20 | £5,781 | £9,091 | 6.8 m² |
| 10 seats | 1 | £29,299 | £29,299 | — |
125 listings did not state a seat count.
More seats mean a bigger room, a bigger heater and more to heat each time. A four-seater suits most couples and families; go bigger if friends will use it often, or if you want to lie down on the top bench.
3. Decide how you’ll heat it
- Electric is what most people choose: switch it on, often from your phone, and a thermostat holds the temperature. It needs a dedicated circuit. A 6 kW to 9 kW heater suits most garden saunas; see the heater size calculator and the electrical supply calculator.
- Wood-fired needs no heavy electrics and gives you a real fire, but you’ll buy, store and carry logs, and in a smoke control area the stove must be an exempt appliance: check yours with the smoke control area checker. Read wood-fired saunas before you choose one.
- Gas is offered on a few saunas and on sauna tents, running on bottled propane, with no wood smoke. In our data it’s sold by Steam & Oak.
- Infrared uses panels rather than a stove and stones. It runs at lower air temperatures, needs less power and has no steam. See outdoor infrared saunas.
4. Choose the shape
| Shape | Choose it if | Watch out for | Median price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barrel | You want a classic look and the most choice under 2.5 m | Curved walls mean less headroom at the edges | £5,272 |
| Cube or pod | You want more headroom and a flat floor in the same footprint | Rounded pods cost more, and few include a heater | £5,747 |
| Cabin | You want a proper room, a changing area or a veranda | Many are over 2.5 m; the biggest need building regulations | £9,429 |
| Outdoor infrared | You want the lowest running cost and a small footprint | No stones or steam; most seat two or three | £5,095 |
| Sauna tent | You want to try it, take it with you, or spend least | Fabric and a stove need care; not permanent | £1,895 |
If space is tight, start from small garden saunas; if you want the fire, start from wood-fired saunas.
5. Work out what it will all cost
The ticket price is only part of it. Only 29% of the saunas in our data include a heater, and almost none include assembly, the base or the electrics. Retailers’ own figures put assembly at £350 to £2,100 where they offer it, and Steam & Oak’s estimates for the electrics run from £400 to £1,500. The garden sauna cost calculator adds it all up from real prices, and the running cost calculator tells you what it will cost each time you use it. For the full picture, read how much a garden sauna costs.
6. Choose who you buy from
Two saunas that look alike can come with very different terms. Before you order, check:
- Delivery: almost always to the kerb. Some retailers crane it in or deliver a cabin assembled; most leave you a pallet to carry through the garden.
- Warranty conditions: Balance Recovery and Polar Recovery give 2 years when professionally installed but 1 year if you assemble it yourself; Polar Recovery’s also requires a breathable wood oil or sauna-safe finish; Waltons’ 10-year anti-rot guarantee requires preservative and a top coat every year.
- Returns: read the returns policy. When we checked them on 30 September 2026, some retailers’ policies excluded saunas once assembled or used, or charged for collection. Buying online, you can usually cancel within 14 days of delivery, but custom-made items are an exception, and faulty or misdescribed goods must be refunded whatever the policy says.
- The same sauna elsewhere: CenturaHeat’s range is also sold by Pro-Line Direct, and Vidalux’s barrels by Costco, sometimes for less.
All 23 retailers are compared on UK sauna retailers compared.
Sources: GOV.UK: Accepting returns and giving refunds. Checked 30 September 2026.
Looking after the timber
A garden sauna is a timber building outdoors, so it needs some care. 55 listings in our data are described as untreated, mostly from Palmako and Summerhouse24, which means treating the outside yourself. Thermally modified timber resists rot better, which is one reason it costs more. Whatever you buy, read what the warranty asks of you: some require a particular finish, or treatment every year, to stay valid.
Sources: International ThermoWood Association: ThermoWood. Checked 30 September 2026.
A quick checklist
- Spot chosen, measured and checked against the planning rules.
- Seat count decided by everyday use, not the maximum.
- Heat source chosen; electrician’s quote in hand for an electric sauna, or smoke control checked for wood.
- Shape and model shortlisted, height checked including the base.
- Total cost added up: sauna, heater, delivery, assembly, electrics, base.
- Retailer’s delivery, warranty and returns terms read.
When you’re there, compare every model in our table of all 489 saunas or start from our rule-based best garden saunas.