Wood-burning sauna stoves

A wood-burning sauna stove heats the room with a log fire under a load of stones, and sends the smoke out through a flue. It needs no electrical supply, which is why it suits a sauna at the far end of the garden, and you get the sound and smell of a real fire. This page lists the 15 wood-burning stoves and stove kits we found for sale in the UK, from Aqualine Saunas, Finnmark Sauna, Palmako, Steam & Oak, Waltons, with the room size and inclusions each retailer states, checked on 30 September 2026.

In a town, check the smoke rules before anything else: our smoke control area checker finds your council and what it says.

Every wood-burning sauna stove for sale in the UK

Prices as shown on each retailer's page on 30 September 2026. Room sizes and supply are the retailer's stated figures. Aqualine Saunas and Leisurequip do not say whether their prices include VAT; Leisurequip shows “from” prices only, so some rows have no price.

The room size is the sauna volume the maker recommends, as the retailer states it. Several listings don’t give one, so check the maker’s manual for those before you buy.

How to choose a wood-burning sauna stove

• Size it by the room. Size a wood stove by the room volume its maker states, rather than by kW. The Harvia M3, for example, is listed for 6 m³ to 13 m³, which covers most four-seat garden saunas; the Pro 20 (8–20 m³), Pro 26 (10–26 m³) and Pro 36 (14–36 m³) suit big cabins. Work out your room’s volume with the heater size calculator.
• Fed from inside or outside. “SL” stoves have a longer firebox that goes through the wall, so you load logs from outside or from a changing room and keep ash and bark out of the hot room. They cost more: Aqualine lists the M3 SL at £1,175 against £755 for the standard M3.
• Stones. Most stoves are sold without stones. Aqualine’s listings say how many boxes each one needs: two for the M3, six for the Cilindro 16 and the Legend 150.
• The flue. A sauna stove needs its flue fitted to the maker’s clearances through the roof or wall. If you’re buying the stove on its own, price the flue kit too.
• Smoke control. In a smoke control area, the stove model must be on Defra’s exempt appliance list for your nation.

Stove only, or a kit with the flue?

A bare stove looks cheaper than a kit, but the kit usually includes the parts you’d otherwise buy separately. What the retailers say is in the price:

If a listing doesn’t say what’s included, ask before you order. The flue, heat shields and stones can add a lot to a bare stove’s price.

Smoke control areas and the wood you burn

Many towns and cities are smoke control areas. In England, wood is an unauthorised fuel there, so it can only be burned in an exempt appliance, and the rules cover a stove with a chimney on a garden building. The penalty for smoke from a chimney is up to £300. Wales has the same structure, and Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own lists. Before you buy, check:

1. Are you in one? Use our smoke control area checker, then confirm with your council.
2. Is the stove exempt? Search the stove’s exact model on Defra’s exempt appliance list for your nation. If it isn’t listed, a wood stove isn’t a legal option in a smoke control area; an electric heater is.
3. Is the wood dry? In England, wood sold in quantities under 2 m³ must be certified Ready to Burn, which means a moisture content of 20% or less.

Sources: GOV.UK: Smoke control areas: the rules; Defra UK Smoke Control Areas (authorised fuels and exempt appliances); GOV.UK: Selling wood for domestic use in England. Checked 30 September 2026.

Fitting, the flue and fire safety

The Finnish Sauna Society says the most common cause of sauna fires is too little clearance to flammable material, or a stove that doesn’t suit its flue. So:

• Fit the stove and flue exactly as the maker’s instructions specify, including the heat shields and the flue’s clearance through the roof.
• Use a competent installer: for wood stoves, for example, one registered with HETAS.
• Burn only the fuels the maker allows, and never leave the stove unattended while it’s heating.
• Any wood stove can make carbon monoxide, which you can’t see or smell. Fit an audible carbon monoxide alarm where the alarm’s maker recommends.

Meeting the rules doesn’t stop a neighbour complaining: in England, smoke from premises can be a statutory nuisance even outside a smoke control area, so think about where the flue points.

Sources: Finnish Sauna Society: Fire safety in the sauna; NHS: Carbon monoxide poisoning; GOV.UK: Statutory nuisances: how councils deal with complaints. Checked 30 September 2026.

Wood stove or electric heater?

Compare every electric heater on sauna heaters, and size either kind with the heater size calculator.

Saunas sold with a wood stove fitted

If you’d rather buy the sauna and stove together, 13 saunas in our data come with a wood-burning stove fitted. The cheapest:

All of them are on wood-fired saunas.