Sauna guides
The questions that decide a sauna purchase, answered with UK prices and UK rules: what a session costs to run, which heat suits you, and what the installation actually involves.
How much does a sauna cost to run in the UK?
A traditional session costs about £1.57 and an infrared session about 42p at the current price cap. Here is where every unit goes, and what changes the number.
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BuyingInfrared vs traditional sauna: which should you buy?
One heats the air, one heats you. The difference decides your install cost, your running cost and whether you will actually use it nightly.
PlanningDo you need planning permission for a garden sauna?
Usually not in England, as long as the cabin stays under the height limits. Here are the rules that decide it, and the four situations where they stop applying.
InstallationHome sauna electrical requirements in the UK
A traditional heater needs its own circuit, a registered electrician and a certificate. What that costs, and which saunas avoid it entirely.
BuyingHow to choose a home sauna
Six decisions, in the order that matters. Get the first two right and the rest of the shortlist writes itself.
BuyingWood-fired vs electric sauna heaters
One needs a certified circuit, the other needs a flue and possibly a DEFRA-exempt stove. The rules decide this more often than the romance does.
BuyingSauna heater size guide: what kW do you need?
Roughly 1kW per cubic metre, then adjustments for glass, log walls and outdoor placement. Undersizing is the mistake you pay for every session.
BuyingWhat size sauna do I need?
Sixty centimetres of bench per seated adult, 1.8m to lie down. The number on the listing is the most misleading figure in the category.
BuyingSauna vs steam room: which should you choose?
One is hot and dry, one is warm and saturated. At home the decision is mostly about waterproofing, and almost nobody should install both.
InstallationWhat base does a garden sauna need?
Six hundred kilos empty, more once it is full of people and water. Lawn and loose gravel are not options, and the base has to be down before delivery day.
InstallationOutdoor sauna maintenance in a British climate
British weather is wetter than the Nordic climate these cabins were designed for. The annual treatment is usually a warranty condition, not a suggestion.
PropertyDo saunas add value to your home?
Nobody can honestly quote you a percentage. What decides whether a sauna helps or hurts a sale is documentation, not the sauna.
UsingHow to use a sauna properly
Ten to twenty minutes, cool down, repeat. Most first-timers sit too long once instead of going in three times, which is the whole technique.
UsingSauna and ice bath: contrast therapy at home
Heat, then cold, three times, finishing cold. What the evidence actually supports, and what a home setup costs once the chiller is included.
CultureBritain's sauna boom: public, beach and mobile saunas
More than 600 public saunas now operate across the UK, and the mobile trailer sector has doubled every year since 2018. Here is what changed.
