Most sauna buying guides start with products. That is the wrong end. The thing that decides what you can own is your room and your power supply — everything else follows from those two. A 6 kW heater in a rented apartment is not a budget problem, it is a wiring problem, and no amount of saving up fixes it.
So answer five questions and the picker below tells you which of the seven realistic routes fits: a blanket, a tent, an infrared cabin, an indoor kit, an outdoor cabin, a custom build, or simply a membership somewhere warm until you know what you like.
Interactive tool
Five questions about your space, your power supply and how you want to use it. You get one recommendation, two alternatives, and the things that trip people up — wiring above all.
Estimates for planning, not a quote. Cabin sizes, heater output and price bands are typical US figures and vary by brand, region and installer. Always confirm electrical work with a licensed electrician.
How the picker decides
Three of your answers do the heavy lifting. Where the heat goes rules options in or out before anything else: an apartment with 120V outlets and a landlord rules out a 240V traditional heater, and a garden rules in wood-fired. What it costs sets the band — under $1,000 is blanket and tent territory, and no wishing turns it into a cabin. What kind of heat decides between rocks and infrared panels, and that choice is not a detail: only one of them lets you pour water and get steam.
Group size and intended use then adjust the result. Recovery after training favours something you will actually switch on four times a week, which is usually the fastest to heat. The full ritual with guests and a cold plunge favours a bigger bench and, if there is a garden, moving the whole thing outdoors.
The part people underestimate: the circuit
A traditional heater above about 4.5 kW wants a dedicated 240V circuit with its own breaker and GFCI protection. That is an electrician’s job, it is not optional, and in an older house it can mean a panel upgrade. Get a quote for the electrical work before you order a cabin, not after it arrives in pieces on your driveway. Infrared cabins for one or two people often run on a standard 120V outlet, which is a large part of why they sell so well in apartments.
Then work out what it costs to run
Once you know which route you are on, the running cost is simple arithmetic: heater kilowatts × hours × your rate per kWh, with the heat-up counted in. For most home saunas it lands between a dollar and three dollars a session — less than people expect, and worth knowing before you buy. Our running cost calculator does the maths, the heater size calculator tells you how many kilowatts your room actually needs, and if a build is on the table, the build cost calculator prices the materials and the three routes.
Price bands and sizes on this page are typical US figures for planning. They are not a quote, and they vary with brand, region and installer.