Outdoor Garden Saunas — UK
The full range of garden saunas for UK homes: barrel, cube, cabin and glass-fronted, from two-person cabins to six-person rooms with a changing area and covered terrace. Real Finnish heat — electric, wood-fired or off-grid gas — in kiln-dried Scandinavian timber and Estonian thermowood, with a UK warranty and free UK delivery.
Choosing a sauna for a garden is a different decision from buying one for indoors. An outdoor sauna is the version most people actually want. It keeps the heat, the humidity and the timber smell out of the house, it gives you somewhere to walk to rather than a room to convert, and it works all year — the cold walk back is part of the point.
Choosing a sauna for your garden
Every sauna here is built in Estonia and delivered to your door with a UK-rated heater and a 2-year warranty. Lead times vary with stock and specification — ask us and we will tell you the real date before you commit.
When people ask us how to pick a garden sauna in the UK, three things decide it: how much space you have, how many people use it, and whether you have power at the far end of the garden. Everything else is preference.
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Tight space or a side return — a shallow cube such as the Solo 205 needs only 1.25 m of depth. A small barrel needs about 2 m.
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Two to three people — a 4–8 m³ room. Quick to heat, cheap to run, and enough for a couple or a solo session.
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Four to six people — 10–15 m³, ideally with a changing room so the hot room stays hot when people come and go.
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No electricity in the garden — an off-grid propane sauna avoids the trench, the armoured cable and the electrician's quote entirely.
By format
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Barrel saunas — curved, traditional and quick to heat. No cold corners for the heat to hide in, and the smallest footprint for the bench space you get.
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Cube saunas — modern, more headroom, and easier to fit against a wall or fence than a curved shell.
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Glass saunas — full-height glazed fronts and blackened timber. You sit facing the garden rather than a wall.
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Sauna cabins and sauna houses — the most room-like, with changing rooms, terraces and in one case a built-in outdoor shower.
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Wood-fired saunas — off-grid, real fire, no electrics at all.
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Gas saunas — off-grid propane, and the only route to a sauna at the bottom of a garden with no supply.
Outdoor sauna FAQs
How much does a garden sauna cost?
Our outdoor saunas start at £3,750 for a two-to-four person barrel and run to around £10,000 for a fully assembled, insulated sauna house. Most people spend £4,000–£7,000 including a heater. The main things that move the price are size, timber (spruce is the value option, thermowood the durable one) and whether you want a changing room or terrace.
Barrel, cube or cabin — what's the difference?
Barrel heats fast and has a classic look with a smaller footprint; cube is modern with a glass front and more headroom; cabin is the most room-like, garden-room feel. Our Outdoor Sauna UK guide walks through each.
Do I need planning permission for a garden sauna?
Usually not — most garden saunas fall under permitted development, but there are exceptions for size, placement and listed or conservation areas. See our planning permission guide.
Electric, wood-fired or gas?
Electric is the most convenient, but needs a garden supply and an electrician. Wood-fired needs no electrics and gives the traditional crackle, but means tending a fire. Gas is the third option and the one most retailers do not offer — a propane heater runs off a standard bottle, so there is no cable, no trench and no consumer-unit work. Several models offer a choice of all three.
How long does a garden sauna take to heat up?
A well-insulated 5–8 m³ room reaches temperature in roughly 30–45 minutes from cold with a correctly sized heater. Thicker walls take a little longer to get there and hold it far better once they do — which is the right trade if you run long sessions.
Do you build the sauna for me?
Yes. Our outdoor barrel, cube and cabin saunas arrive flat-packed and we offer a construction service from £500 (by-the-mile beyond a certain distance — send your postcode for a quote). We apply insulating paste between every panel as we build, sealing the gaps that are the most common cause of a sauna losing heat — so yours reaches temperature properly and holds it. See our sauna installation FAQs.
What base does an outdoor sauna need?
A flat, level, load-bearing base — paving slabs, a concrete pad or a rated deck — prepared before delivery. Keep it draining well so the timber stays dry underneath. Heavier log cabins need a proper slab rather than gravel.
Can a garden sauna be used in winter?
That is when it is best. Wall thickness is what matters: 42 mm timber or better holds heat through a British winter, and an insulated cabin holds it better still. Contrast between the heat and the cold air outside is the whole point of the ritual.
