Used in Finland for thousands of years, saunas have become popular all over the world thanks to their many health benefits. Over the past few decades, companies have started offering solutions to bring the sauna experience to living spaces. Our selection of outdoor sauna designs feature modular and prefab builds that allow users to add custom features and finishes. Created to enhance well-being, these saunas are also designed with style in mind. Whether more traditional or modern, closed for privacy or designed with glazing that immerses users in nature, these outdoor saunas provide the perfect solution to create a relaxing refuge in a garden, pool area, or wild natural landscape.
Iglusauna
A design inspired by traditional wood roof shingles.
Based in Estonia, Iglucraft draws inspiration from the principles of slow living and mindfulness to make small cabins and outdoor saunas. The designs put the focus on the users’ well-being, offering a space where they can relax away from the fast-paced rhythm of modern living. The company also draws inspiration from traditional crafting techniques. The Iglusauna is a great example. Like the Igluhut, it’s made with a distinctive wood shingle exterior and a rounded silhouette. Customers can choose between single saunas that can accommodate 4 people, double saunas with a changing room and space for 6 people, and the triple saunas that also have a washing room. Apart from selecting the exterior and interior finishes, customers can also pick between a wood-fired or an electric heater.
Lumipod Sauna
A prefab sauna with a curved glass wall.
Designed by French company Lumicene, the Lumipod Sauna features a similar design to the Lumipod cabin. The sauna has the same cylindrical shape but a more compact size. Made from pine wood and steel, this sauna boasts a curved glass wall that frames the surroundings. Inside, warm alder wood covers the surfaces of the two benches and walls. Integrated bench lighting brightens the space while anthracite tile flooring completes the design. The sauna comes with a Tylö electric stove and various accessories. Apart from materials and finishes, customers can also order a sauna with a roof terrace.
Aire Sauna
A high-end sauna designed to maximize the connection to nature.
Wales-based Heartwood Saunas aims to bring the outdoor sauna culture of the Nordic countries to the UK. The company’s Aire Sauna series combines elegant design with traditional craftsmanship and high-end features. Made from cedar wood, these saunas boast a dark stained finish on the exterior that adds contrast to the warmth of the interiors. Angled glazing maximizes the access to views, immersing the users into nature. Other features include two-tier benches, wool insulation, and LED lighting in the sauna and on the porch. Customers also have the option to add a built-in outdoor shower. The Aire series comprises two designs; one seats 6 people while the other accommodates up to ten people and also features a changing cabin.
Outdoor Luxury Bio-Sauna
A modern sauna with an integrated Bluetooth speaker.
A family-run business, Alpha Wellness Sensations has been operating in Belgium since 1934. The company is a leading name in the wellness industry and has a wealth of experience producing saunas, cabins, steam rooms, and other similar products. Bespoke features and quality, sustainable materials are also a crucial part of the brand’s offerings. Their Outdoor Luxury Bio-Sauna is modern and packed with high-end features. Made with Canadian cedar wood cladding, it has a simple rectangular shape and seamless front glazing. The benches feature LED lighting and also have comfortable headrests. Other features for the standard model include a speaker with Bluetooth connectivity, ceramic tiles with a wood pattern design, sauna control unit, and an Alpha PRO XL stove.
Outdoor Sauna Rhombus
A completely bespoke sauna design.
German Corso Sauna Manufaktur was founded in 1968. When new owners, brothers Max and Benedictus Lingens, took over in 2012, the company started focusing on bespoke saunas made to order. The Corso Outdoor Sauna Rhombus takes its name after the Rhombus profile wood that boasts vertical gaps in a timeless, elegant design. Following the company’s custom sauna policy, each module is crafted to order according to the customers’ specifications. They can choose the size of the sauna, the interior layout, and the equipment as well as the heater type, from Finnish-style or Bio saunas. And if they run out of ideas, customers can also browse through the company’s Inspirations gallery, where they can pick anything they like to integrate into their own garden sauna.
Forest Sauna
A Corten steel and wood outdoor sauna.
Established in 1980 in the heart of the Abano-Montegrotto region, Stenal is a family-run company with over 35 years of experience in sauna design and construction. The company has its own lab where specialists develop custom techniques to enhance the skillfully crafted saunas with modern features. The Stenal Forest Sauna has a simple gabled roof design reminiscent of barns. Unlike most saunas, it boasts a Corten steel envelope. Wooden surfaces give warmth to the interior that features an anteroom with hangers for clothes and comfortable benches. Glass doors provide access to views of the surrounding landscape. Optional features range from LED lighting and a touch control unit to a Bluetooth audio system.
Nature Sauna
A sauna designed to blend into nature
Founded in 1975, Starpool is an Italian company that specializes in saunas, swimming pools, and various wellness products and accessories. Like its name suggests, the Nature Sauna is specially made to become a part of nature. Designed by aledolci&co, it features exposed wood cladding and brushed copper that will both react differently to the elements and develop distinct textures and colors. The company offers customers the option to choose between light thermo-treated fir wood or black fir cladding. On the front, the tempered glass doors open the interior to the landscape, while on the side, wooden slats filter the light. This outdoor sauna comes with an electric stove and features white LED lighting.
Sauna Cube
A cube-shaped sauna with a modular build.
Based in Vicenza, Lifeclass is an Italian brand that offers products and services in the wellness industry. The company’s sauna designs include Finnish-style products as well as infrared saunas. The Sauna Cube is part of the former category. Modern and compact, it has a cube-like silhouette with rounded corners. The CNC-machined parts and modular construction allow the easy assembly and installation of each outdoor sauna. While the exterior can feature light brown, dark brown, white, or black finishes, the interior is made with pale spruce planks or optional Canadian hemlock or European aspen. The Abachi wood benches and headrests feature LED lighting. Customers can also add an optional all-glass front window for this design as well as a front module that can act as a changing room or lounge area.
Talo Outdoor Sauna
A garden sauna with a terrace.
German company KLAFS has been making saunas since 1952. The brand designs and manufactures saunas and spas for both private and commercial clients. Their Talo Outdoor Sauna is specially designed for gardens and features larch wood cladding in a light color and a built-in rainwater drainage system. A terrace with optional roofing offers a great solution to create an outdoor lounge space. Inside, Scandinavian spruce covers the walls and ceiling. This sauna has an anteroom with a bench and hangers for clothing and towels. A glass door offers access to views of the surrounding spaces. Customers can select the size of the sauna and the external cladding as well as the type of heater and sauna control system. Finally, a custom app allows the user to adjust the temperature and humidity with a phone or even start the sauna on the way home.
Omnia
An award-winning sauna made from chrome steel, slate, and wood.
Founded in 1974, Küng greatly contributed to saunas’ rise in popularity in Switzerland. Unlike many other brands at the time, the company put a focus on good design with the aim to transform these wellness spaces into the heart of a home or the centerpiece of a garden. The award-winning Omnia sauna represents Küng’s approach to design perfectly. Subtly futuristic, this outdoor sauna scores top marks on style. It features rounded corners and a chrome steel envelope with pine wood interiors and a natural slate shower cubicle. Features include LED lights and a Biosa® tower heater as well as a touch-screen sauna control system. A frameless glass front completes the refined design and offers uninterrupted views of the surroundings at the same time. Omnia has received the German Design Award 2018.
Lushna Sauna
An A-frame design with a glazed façade.
Glamping specialists Lushna from Ljubljana, Slovenia, aim to bring people close to nature. The team is made up of outdoor enthusiasts, architects, wood builders, and hospitality experts, all working together to design and make natural resorts and eco cabins that connect inhabitants to natural landscapes. The Lushna Sauna does the same thing, while also providing a perfect solution to relax and enjoy a Finnish sauna experience – along with its therapeutic benefits. Designed with a classic A-frame reminiscent of mountain chalets, the sauna is crafted from solid wood with a larch roof and an eco wood fiber insulation. Through the triangular window, one can easily admire the setting. The interior features two benches and an elegant electric heater that can be adapted for a Finnish or an IR sauna system.
Sauna Box
A modern sauna built inside a shipping container.
Founded in 2009 in Toronto, Castor Design makes award-wining furniture, lighting, and accessories that push the limits of materials, challenge established concepts, and also blend art and design. The Sauna Box showcases the company’s creative approach to design. Built inside a shipping container, the sauna features a Corten steel exterior and a Western red cedar wood interior. The unit is completely self-contained and has a wood-fired stove and solar power. The unconventional design includes an iPod stereo and a guitar hook-up as well as a magnetic truck light and bronze antlers. Castor Design can customize each Sauna Box to suit the clients’ needs and the requirements of the site.
Natura
A modular sauna design.
Estonian company Thermory launched Auroom as a brand for ready-made, customizable saunas. Named Natura, this outdoor sauna provides an oasis of tranquility in any urban or natural environment. The simple design combines clean lines with the beauty of solid wood. Made with both quality and style in mind, the sauna features thermo-treated Nordic spruce cladding completed with a dark paint. Beyond the reddish-brown hues of the terrace, however, there’s a light wood interior with comfortable seating and LED lighting. The large front window connects the sauna to its surroundings. Conveniently modular, the design allows customers to either enlarge the standard unit with a lounge module or to connect two saunas with a terrace.
Luna Garden Sauna
An elegantly simple outdoor sauna.
A brand of German company TPI GmbH, Infraworld makes cabins and saunas with infrared heating systems. The Luna Garden Sauna features a simple, versatile design that looks great in any garden or outdoor space. Designed with a rectangular shape, the sauna comes with different types of cladding. Customers can select between spruce, larch, or modern panels with a smooth surface and black finish. The interior boasts light aspen wood surfaces, comfortable benches, backrests and headrests, as well as a floor grate and a protective heater grille. The company also offers the option to choose between Finnish-style heaters or Bio-O, lower temperature heaters. Both options come with included sauna stones.
Outdoor Sauna and Steam Room
A modular unit with a sauna and steam bath.
Another design from Alpha Wellness Sensations, this sauna from the [emailprotected] series offers the complete spa experience. The prefab, modular design incorporates a sauna with a hammam or Turkish steam bath. Made with wooden cladding (available choices include red cedar and hemlock) and a welded steel structure, the unit also features a glazed front, aspen wood interiors, LED lighting, a Bluetooth audio system, and Ezarri mosaic tile flooring. Customers can also choose between traditional Finnish or IR heaters for the sauna. In the steam room, there’s a steam generator with a control unit and an aromatherapy diffuser. A shower unit is also available.
FAQs
How much space do you need for an outdoor sauna? ›
A typical sauna can be as large as 8 feet by 12 feet or as small as 3 feet by 3 feet. A smaller room will be easier to heat and keep hot. Allow 2 feet of seating space for each person or 6 feet of bench space for reclining per person.
Where should an outdoor sauna be placed? ›If your sauna is placed outdoors, make sure there is adequate drainage so that water cannot pool around the base of the sauna. Do not place the sauna on grass, gravel or rock. If placed near or on cool surfaces (like concrete and basement walls), warm-up can be impacted.
Can you put a sauna in the garden? ›If you have a cosy garden with space at a minimum, a one-person sauna can slot in anywhere with some measuring as small as 900mm x 900mm.
Can you build your own outdoor sauna? ›Building your own outdoor sauna can be as simple or as complicated as you make it. In its most basic form, an outdoor sauna is essentially an insulated shed with a heat source. Even the best outdoor sauna doesn't have to be complicated to build.
How do you make a small outdoor sauna? ›Construct a small drain in the floor as well. Next, build a standard sauna doorway of two feet by six feet. Construct upper and lower benches at eighteen or twenty-four inches deep. Insulate walls with R13-rated insulation, and ceiling with R22-R26 before stapling over with a sauna aluminum foil vapor barrier.
How thick do sauna walls need to be? ›In addition to a wall thickness at least 40 millimetres (the thicker, the better!), the Sauna should be well insulated, especially on the ceiling, as heat is known to rise upwards.
How long do outdoor saunas last? ›Overall, outdoor saunas are built to last for decades. Most saunas hold up anywhere from 15-25 years with the proper care and maintenance. Regular upkeep of the sauna, both exterior and interior, is essential to keep it in good condition for it to last as long as possible.
Does an outdoor sauna need a vent? ›Sauna ventilation is not required for safety reasons, but it makes the sauna experience more comfortable. And improper or insufficient air flow can impede heater operation. Sauna venting is not like venting for a shower. You are not venting humidity (saunas are basically very dry) and you do not vent to the outdoors.
Do outdoor saunas work in the winter? ›The short answer is YES! Not only do saunas work in the winter, but their traditional construction is perfect for the cold weather that comes with it.
Do saunas use a lot of electricity? ›For example, a 1000W sauna, run for one hour, will generally use 1 KWh of electricity – in the USA, this will cost you around 12c. As you can see, the cost of running your infrared sauna is relatively miniscule – most people, using their sauna for an hour a day, use less than $5 worth of electricity each week.
How do you take care of an outdoor sauna? ›
Cleaning surfaces from contamination
The easiest way to care for the outdoor sauna is wet cleaning with a brush and water. The last person, leaving the outdoor sauna, should quickly rub the shelves, walls, etc. with a wet brush.
You place sauna stones on top of the sauna heater to warm up. Once the stones are hot, you can sprinkle water on them, creating steam. The steam circulates within the room, raising the temperature and causing you to perspire.
Do you need planning permission for outdoor sauna? ›Due to the size of Loghouse outdoor saunas, you are unlikely to require planning permission – but always check with your local authority, just in case. It is common to find saunas outside as they work well as separate buildings.
Do you need planning permission for an outside sauna? ›Outbuildings such as a shed to house an outdoor sauna are considered to be permitted development and therefore not in need of planning permission. However, there are limits and conditions to this which could affect your proposed sauna. No outbuilding on land forward of a wall forming the principal elevation.
How big of a sauna do I need for 4 people? ›The typical traditional sauna is 6 feet by 5 feet, with upper and lower benches, easily enough room for a family of four.
Can you build a sauna in a shed? ›The first thing we did was to get some insulation for the walls of the shed which we were converting into a sauna. We used rolled, fiberglass insulation for both the walls and ceiling. Insulation is described in terms of its “R” value. R13 is good for the walls of a sauna and R26 for the ceiling.