Guide

Infrared or traditional sauna: what is the difference?

Temperature, running cost, power supply and price compared, from the sellers' published specs.

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An infrared sauna runs cooler, around 60°C, and the small ones plug into a normal socket. A traditional sauna heats the air to 80°C or more with a stove and stones you can pour water on, and almost always needs a new circuit or a wood burner.

	Infrared	Traditional
Top temperature (published)	60 to 65°C (Steam & Oak Kajo 2, Polar Nova 2)	80 to 100°C
Steam from water on the stones (the Finns call it )	No	Yes, water on the stones
Power	1.6 to 3.3 ; many plug in	4.5 to 9 kW electric, or wood
Running cost a session (our estimate)	about £0.53	about £1.97 at 6 kW
Where	Mostly indoors; a few outdoor cabins	Mostly outdoors

Some people who find 80°C too hot prefer infrared's lower temperature. If you have a medical condition, ask your GP before using either.

See all infrared and indoor saunas or garden saunas.

Common worries

"The electrics sound like a nightmare."

It is one visit from a registered electrician. Every sauna page says what power it needs, and we add a typical cost to the price (£450 for a new circuit). 8 saunas we list plug into a normal socket, and 46 garden saunas take a wood stove with no electrics at all. Sauna electrics, explained →

"My garden's too small."

The smallest garden saunas we list take 1.20 × 1.20 m, about the size of a garden shed. No garden at all? Infrared cabins fit in a spare room, and a cold plunge needs less than a metre square. Saunas for small spaces →

All ten sauna worries