In describing the COVID-19 situation, Govornor Tim Walz told Minnesotans to be prepared for a long winter, not a storm. Now in our second winter of Covid lockdowns, many of us are sitting at home, looking for routines and healthy activities.
Part of preparing for the storm, as far as we're concerned, was answering the question - what does a home sauna costs?
The sauna could have been tailor made for this situation. It's a space to reflect, meditate, breathe, and gather with family. It also has remarkable health benefits, and it might even help prepare your body to fend off coronavirus.
Unfortunately they aren't accessible to everyone, but home saunas can be more affordable than most people think. There are special deals right now, and financing available.
We encourage you to consider how you can not just survive these times, but how to thrive. How can we look back at these challenging times and reflect on how we improved our health, relationships, and habits? For us, a home sauna is an important part of that.
If nothing else, let this be a time to improve your sauna routine, and let the sauna improve your health. We promise you will never want to go back to the gym sauna after having an authentic sauna experience at home. But what does a home sauna cost? It depends on what type of sauna we're talking about.
What Does A Sauna Cost?
Outdoor Saunas
If you have the outdoor space for a sauna, it's hard to beat an outdoor sauna by the pool, by lake, or garden. We've even seen saunas on roofs, driveways, boats, and in trees. Be creative. These are the types of outdoor saunas and how much they cost.
Pod Saunas
Check out prices and learn more home POD Saunas here.
Barrel Saunas
Find out why we love barrel saunas so much, and find the best prices, how to assemble one, and where to buy a home barrel sauna here.
Outdoor Shed Saunas
Check out our full article about outdoor shed saunas here, where you'll also find some of the best prices and deals online.
Sauna Tents
So if you have less than $2,000 to spend, you can still get an authentic sauna experience with an outdoor sauna tent. Just stay away from those weird indoor saunas where your head sticks out while you watch TV. Anyways, there are a few great options from a Russian sauna tent company, Mobiba Saunas.
Learn why sauna tents are gaining traction and respect here.
Custom Outdoor Saunas
Custom home saunas are a great option if you can afford it and have the time to have it designed, built, and delivered. The custom sauna above is from Ox Builders in Minnesota.
Indoor Sauna
OK, so you don't want an outdoor sauna because you have nosy neighbors, no land, or you're afraid to go outside. We're not here to judge you. An indoor sauna can be a great addition to your home or basement. You benefit from being able to have a sauna right before bed, or jump in a cold shower between rounds (learn why hot/cold therapy is so good here).
So here are the types, and what an indoor sauna costs will cost you...
Custom Indoor Sauna
If you can find a local sauna builder who really knows what they're doing, you're in luck. Converting a part of your basement, or a spare bedroom into a custom home sauna is a great option if you can afford it. But don't expect it to be a great investment, as most buyers these days unfortunately don't value saunas like they used to. If you plan on moving soon you may want to consider something that can move with you.
A custom indoor sauna will vary in price depending on a lot of things. Remember, the scale of the project (if done properly) isn't much different from a major kitchen or bathroom renovation. The price will be similar. Expect to pay between $4,000 to $25,000 for a professionally built indoor sauna.
If you want to do it yourself, we recommend buying a precut kit like this:
Indoor Sauna Kits
There are some good indoor sauna kits available on Amazon, eBay, HomeDepot.com, Costco, and even Walmart.com - but you have to be VERY careful because most of them are infrared saunas but they don't always say that.
Both infrared saunas and authentic Finnish saunas (what we recommend) can both be labeled 'electric saunas'. What you want to look for is a sauna that advertises a KW rating. KW=Authentic Sauna. Any sauna advertising low EMF ratings (even though they're usually lying) is an infrared sauna. Authentic saunas don't have to worry about EMF ratings.
OK, I feel like we lost some folks. Here are all the authentic (NOT infrared) saunas currently on the market:
Personal Sauna - Infrared
We, along with most readers of this site would strongly advocate for a true, Finnish (AKA Dry/Wet/Authentic) Sauna but if you are looking for a personal infrared sauna - make sure you get something with low (or no) EMF. We recommend SaunaSpace.
A personal, one person infrared sauna costs between $1,000 (again, look into EMF ratings) to $5,600 for a premium sauna tent like SaunaSpace.
Important Considerations
These are often overlooked costs of installing or building a sauna at home.
- Electrical work - Make sure you have room on your circuit breaker to handle the additional power draw from the sauna. You'll likely have to hire an electrician to run power where you need to go. If you're using an electric outdoor sauna this is a significant cost, possibly more expensive than the sauna itself!
- Prep - If hiring a contractor, make sure you're clear on who is responsible for the prep work like gutting a room or preparing the ground outdoors. An electrician may need a trench built to run electrical underground, which may not be included in the quote.
- Extras - Make sure you're factoring in anything your sauna does not include. Some outdoor saunas don't include the shingles or roofing materials, so that's a big one. Obviously, make sure your sauna includes the heater (or factor that in).
- Gut The Room First - If you're having a custom indoor sauna built, we recommend you or your contractor gut the room before the design is finalized so you know what's behind the walls. You may have more (or less) room than you think once it's gutted.