Sauna kits: what's in the box, and what isn't

A sauna kit is a sauna delivered in parts for you, or someone you pay, to put together: the walls, roof, benches and door, cut to size, with or without a heater. Many garden saunas reach your kerb this way, but not every retailer says so. This page lists the 114 outdoor saunas in our data from 6 retailers whose pages describe self-assembly, from £1,999, and sets out what a kit does and doesn’t include. Other retailers sell kits too: the table further down shows what each one says. Prices were checked on 30 September 2026.

The cheapest sauna kits with a heater

The eight cheapest self-assembly kits with a heater in the price. “Not recorded” or a dash means the retailer doesn't state that figure in a form we could use.

Outdoor sauna kits: every model

Prices include VAT. Each row shows the date we checked it against the retailer's own page; the latest check was 30 September 2026. Prices change: the retailer's checkout price is what counts. Height chips show the retailer's stated height: green 2.5 m or lower, amber taller. That's before your base, and it isn't a planning check (see why 2.5 m matters). “Not recorded” means we could not confirm the figure on the retailer's page.

We’ve grouped these six because each describes self-assembly at retailer level. They aren’t the only ones: other retailers’ listings also mention flat-pack delivery or self-assembly. The full table has every model, and the next section shows what each retailer says.

Which retailers say what about assembly

Quoted or closely summarised from each retailer's own pages on 30 September 2026.

A few things stand out. Waldenhaus describes self-assembly as “Two people, one weekend” and publishes its manual. Summerhouse24 says DIY assembly typically takes one to two days. Vidalux says installation isn’t included, that its outdoor saunas are assembled from a kit, and that you’ll need separate quotes from an electrician and a groundworker. At the other end, Nuovo Luxury says most of its larger cabins are delivered fully assembled, and Costco sells one model with installation in the price.

What’s in a sauna kit, and what isn’t

Typically listed as included: the timber walls or staves, the roof, the benches and a glass door. Costco’s Palmako barrel set, for example, lists a 3.6 kW heater and stones, roof shingles, aspen benches and a treated timber frame for it to stand on.

Check the listing for:

• The heater. 18 of these 114 kits include one. Across every sauna we list, 141 include a heater and 237 are priced without. The cheapest electric heater in our data is £355; see sauna heaters.
• The roof covering. Some Palmako prices include roof shingles and others list the roof covering as optional.
• Timber treatment. Many kits are untreated. Palmako says untreated wood must be treated with a wood preservative straight away, and Polar Recovery’s warranty requires a breathable wood oil or sauna-safe finish.

Not normally in the price:

• The base. Palmako says installation starts with a perfectly level and square foundation. See the base.
• The electrical supply. Almost every electric sauna heater needs its own circuit, and in England a new circuit is notifiable work under Part P. See the electrical supply calculator.
• Getting it into the garden. Kits are usually delivered to the kerb. Costco, for example, describes a crate given as 210 × 110 × 85 cm and up to 400 kg, left at the boundary for you to unpack and carry through.

Sources: Palmako UK: Anita S barrel sauna bundle product page; GOV.UK: Approved Document P - Electrical safety, dwellings (2013 edition). Checked 30 September 2026.

How long does a sauna kit take to build?

Of the six retailers here, two give a figure, and both say about a weekend: Waldenhaus says “Two people, one weekend”, and Summerhouse24 says DIY assembly typically takes one to two days. Elsewhere in our data, Steam & Oak’s listings give half a day for two adults on one model and 10 to 16 hours for two people on another, and Gardj gives 12 to 14 hours. Those are the sellers’ own estimates for their own kits, and they don’t include the base or the electrics.

For tools, Palmako lists an assembly aid, spirit level, knife, ladder, screwdriver, tape measure, hammer, saw, pliers, drill and protective gloves.

Sources: Palmako UK: Anita S barrel sauna bundle product page. Checked 30 September 2026.

What it costs to have a kit assembled

If you’d rather not build it, these are the prices retailers state for doing it for you:

Paying for assembly can also affect the warranty: Polar Recovery gives a two-year guarantee when a professional builds its Sauna Cube and one year if you assemble it yourself. Add assembly to your budget with the garden sauna cost calculator.

Barrel sauna kits

29 of the kits are barrels, from £2,151.

The ten cheapest barrel kits. See every barrel, including those from other retailers, on the barrel saunas page.

Compare all 144 barrels on barrel saunas.

Indoor sauna kits and cabins

For a sauna inside the house there are two routes. The first is a ready-made indoor cabin, usually infrared. These are the ones we checked; we didn’t record how each is supplied, so check whether it arrives assembled or as panels to put together:

The second is to build a sauna room in place and fit a heater: see how to build a sauna. Either way, read home sauna: indoor or garden? first. The kits further up this page are sold as outdoor saunas, and we haven’t checked whether any can be used indoors.

DIY sauna kit or build from scratch?

A kit gives you the joinery done and the parts counted. Building from scratch gives you any size and shape, at the cost of doing the insulation, vapour barrier, panelling and ventilation yourself, to the heater maker’s manual.