Guides
Guides and questions
What to check before you buy.
- Garden sauna electrics: 13 A plug, dedicated circuit or three-phase?
Which saunas run from a normal socket, which need a new circuit, and why a 9 heater can mean a 50 A supply. - Do you need planning permission for a garden sauna?
England's rules for outbuildings, applied to saunas: height, boundaries and where it can go. - Garden sauna base, delivery and access: what to plan
The level base a garden sauna needs, what it costs, and how kits arrive: , pallet or crane. - How much does a garden sauna cost to run?
About £1.97 a session for a 6 kW electric sauna at 26.32p per . Work out your own figure. - Is a garden sauna worth it? The payback against a public sauna
Compare a garden sauna with community sauna sessions over five years, using your own numbers. - Infrared or traditional sauna: what is the difference?
Temperature, running cost, power supply and price compared, from the sellers' published specs. - Barrel, cube or cabin sauna: which shape?
How the main garden sauna shapes differ in space, heating and price, using the models we list. - Wood-fired garden saunas and smoke control areas
Where you can burn wood in a sauna stove, what Defra exempt appliances are, and the fines. - Cold plunge: chiller or ice?
A costs about £187 a year to run at our assumptions. Ice costs per session. Compare both. - Choosing a sauna or cold plunge you can get in and out of easily
What to check if steps, low doors or high tub sides are a concern: door height, benches, plug-in power and installation. - Garden sauna buying checklist: 10 things to check
The checks that change the real price of a garden sauna, in the order to do them. - How much does a garden sauna cost in the UK?
Garden sauna prices by shape from UK sellers, and the extras that take the real cost higher: heater, electrics and base. - Ice baths and cold plunge tubs: what to buy in the UK
Inflatable ice baths, rigid tubs, barrels and chillers: what each costs, how much room and water they take, and what to check. - What size sauna heater do I need? kW by room size
How heater makers size a heater from the room volume, why glass and log walls need more power, and what that means for your electrics. - How to keep cold plunge water clean
Filters, and UV, covers and water changes: what keeps a cold plunge clean and what it costs to run. - Indoor saunas: a sauna in a spare room, garage or loft
What fits indoors, which saunas plug into a normal socket, and the floor, ventilation and access to check first. - Black Friday and January sauna deals: what to check
How to tell a real sauna or cold plunge deal from a bigger number: , heater, delivery dates and was-prices. - Will we actually use a home sauna? How to make sure you do
The worry that it becomes a garden ornament, answered: what makes people keep using one, and how cost per session falls with use. - Is a garden sauna safe? Fire, electrics and children
The safety questions buyers ask about a garden sauna: electrics, heater clearances, wood stoves, doors, children and slippery floors. - Cold plunging for beginners: how to start safely
How to start with a cold plunge or ice bath at home: temperature, time, never alone, children and the electrics. - How long does a garden sauna last? Upkeep and warranties
Whether a garden sauna will rot in the British weather, what upkeep it needs each year, and the warranties sellers give. - How hot does a sauna get, and how long does it take to heat up?
Typical temperatures for traditional and infrared saunas, heat-up times where sellers publish them, and what speeds it up. - Where to put a cold plunge or ice bath at home
Patio, decking, garage or indoors: weight, power, shade and winter for a home cold plunge.
Questions
Do I need planning permission for a garden sauna?
GOV.UK's guidance says a garden building usually needs no application in England if it is single storey, behind the front of the house, no taller than 2.5 m within 2 m of a boundary, and the garden is not already half covered. Listed buildings, flats and protected areas differ. Planning guide.
Can a garden sauna plug into a normal socket?
Only small infrared cabins under about 3 . Traditional sauna heaters (4.5 to 9 kW) need a fitted by an electrician. Electrics guide.
How much does a garden sauna cost to run?
About £1.97 a session for a 6 heater at 26.32p per , by our estimate. Work out your own.
Why is your price higher than the seller's?
We show the : the price plus a heater if it is not included, the electrics it needs and a base. Every sauna page shows each part and lets you change it.
Is the heater included?
It varies. Each sauna page says "included" or "extra", and adds the seller's heater price, or our standard figure, to the .
Do you test the saunas?
No. We compare the specs, prices and warranties the makers and sellers publish, with a dated source for each.
How do you make money?
Some sellers pay us a commission when you buy through our links. It never changes the order. Affiliate disclosure.
Does a cold plunge need a chiller?
Not if you are happy with tap-cold water or buying ice. A keeps it cold, down to 2 or 3°C on the ones we list, and usually filters it. Chiller or ice.
Is a sauna or cold plunge safe for me?
We don't give health advice. If you have a medical condition or are pregnant, ask your GP first.
How much does a garden sauna cost?
Sticker prices on the garden saunas we list start around £2,200, and most are between about £4,500 and £7,500. Add a heater if it isn't included, the electrics and a base. Prices by shape.
What size sauna heater do I need?
Measure the hot room: length × width × height in metres gives its size in cubic metres. Add a bit for glass or stone walls, then pick a heater made for that size. Heater sizing.
Is an ice bath the same as a cold plunge?
Yes. Both mean a tub of cold water to sit in, cooled with ice or a . Ice baths and cold plunges explained.
Can I put a sauna indoors?
Yes. Infrared cabins are the usual choice for a spare room or garage, and many plug into a normal socket. Indoor saunas.
How often should I change cold plunge water?
It depends on the filter and lid. Follow the maker's manual, and change it whenever it looks cloudy. Keeping the water clean.
How long does a sauna take to heat up?
About 45 minutes for a traditional sauna; Layzee publishes 45 minutes to 90°C for its 250 cm barrel. A timer or app means it is warm when you get there. Heat-up and temperatures.
Is a garden sauna safe?
Fitted by a registered electrician and used as the heater maker's manual says, yes. Supervise children and keep to the heater clearances. Garden sauna safety.
How do I start cold plunging?
Start warmer and shorter, never alone, and get in slowly. The RNLI says the first effects of cold water pass in under a minute. Cold plunging for beginners.
Will a garden sauna rot?
Not if it sits off the ground on a level base, is built from a rot-resistant timber such as and is treated outside once a year. Upkeep and warranties.