Sauna pods: garden pods and cubes compared

“Sauna pod” covers two kinds of garden sauna: rounded pods (ovals, cocoons and ellipses) and cube saunas, which are built like a barrel but with a squared-off profile. Both sit between a barrel and a cabin: more headroom and a flatter floor than a barrel, less building than a cabin. We list 26 pods and 86 cubes from 17 UK retailers, each checked on 30 September 2026.

Looking for a portable steam pod, the fabric kind you sit in with your head out? That’s a different product, and we explain the difference further down.

Shortlist: four pods and cubes worth a look

Each pick is the top model on the rule under it, among models whose retailer publishes the seats, size, height and heater. A model already picked is skipped. Prices checked 30 Sep 2026; how we pick.

Every sauna pod and cube for sale in the UK

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.

Pods and cubes: what’s the difference?

Cube saunas use the same stave-and-band construction as a barrel, but the staves form a square or rounded-square section, so you get straight walls and more room at shoulder height. They’re far more common: 86 listings, median £5,267, from £2,151.

Rounded pods are ovoid or egg-shaped shells, usually with a glass end. There are fewer of them (26 listings) and they cost more: median £6,999. Only 3 of the 26 include a heater, so most need one adding.

Retailers don’t all use the words the same way. Some call a cube a “pod”, some call a pod a “cabin”. We’ve grouped them by shape, so check the pictures on the retailer’s page.

Portable steam sauna pods

Search for “sauna pod” and you’ll also find folding fabric pods sold for home use, at a fraction of the price of anything on this page. They’re a different thing:

• They’re a folding fabric tent with a chair inside, and you usually sit with your head outside.
• The heat comes from a small plug-in steam generator, not a sauna heater and stones.
• Most are sold for indoor use, not as garden buildings.

We don’t list them, because they aren’t outdoor saunas and they don’t compare on the same measures. If one suits you, check the plug, the steamer’s power and the maker’s safety instructions. If you want something portable that works outdoors, look at sauna tents instead, or at compact outdoor infrared saunas.

Sauna pod prices

The median pod or cube costs £5,747, close to a barrel (£5,272) and well under a cabin (£9,429). With a heater included, the median is £5,000. For everything else you’ll pay for (base, electrics, delivery), see the garden sauna cost guide.

Sizes and seats

29 listings did not state a seat count.

A four-seat pod or cube is typically about 2.24 m long, and a six-seater about 2.75 m. If you’re short of space, our list of small garden saunas pulls together every model that fits in 4 m² or less.

Every pod and cube we could measure is 2.5 m or lower

Of the 68 pods and cubes with a stated height, all 68 are 2.5 m or lower. That’s the limit for an outbuilding within 2 m of a boundary under permitted development in England and Wales, so these are the ones to shortlist for a spot near a fence. The figure is the retailer’s, before your base, and the sauna still has to meet every other limit. See installing a garden sauna for the rest of the rules.

Sources: Planning Portal: Outbuildings - Planning permission. Checked 30 September 2026.

Glass fronts and panoramic ends

24 of the pods and cubes have a glass front or panoramic end, which is a big part of their appeal. Glass loses more heat than insulated timber, so a glass-fronted sauna needs a more powerful heater for the same room. Our heater size calculator adds the glass area in, following HUUM’s rule of thumb.

Heaters for pods and cubes

Most pods and cubes take a 6 kW to 9 kW electric heater, or a wood-burning stove. Where a heater is included, Harvia is the most common named make (14 listings). Compare heaters on sauna heaters, and estimate what yours will cost per session with the running cost calculator.

Who sells pods and cubes

Compare delivery, warranty and finance terms on UK sauna retailers compared.