What Does a Sauna Cost?

Owners of a NorthUp sauna standing in front of their newly delivered sauna.

What Does a Sauna Cost?

The truth is -- the answer is always "it depends". A sauna can mean anything from a tent sauna that fits 2 people to a custom commercial sauna build that fits 20. To keep this focused, let’s assume you’re like most sauna shoppers — comparing personal saunas for your home, cabin, or backyard.

  • Sauna Tent
    • $1,500+
    • Simple and rugged.
    • Portable, great for camping or short-term use.
    • Usually lasts a few years before fabric and frame fatigue.
  • Pre-fab sauna barrel kit shipped from overseas
    • $5,000+
    • Mass-produced overseas and shipped as a kit. Multi-day DIY assembly required.
    • Affordable entry point, but limited lifespan.
  • NorthUp sauna
    • $6,500+
    • Handcrafted in Minnesota using premium, cost-efficient materials.
    • Built to last years longer than imported kits, designed for real northern climates.
    • Can be delivered fully assembled or ordered as a kit that only takes a few hours to assemble.
  • Other custom sauna builders
    • $15,000 - $50,000+
    • Fully handcrafted designs with endless customization. Using ultra-premium materials, some builds can cost more than a new vehicle depending on selections.

The 4 Biggest Factor That Affect Sauna Price

1. Size and Capacity

A 2-person sauna might only need 25–30 square feet, while an 8-person sauna could more than double the material cost and required heater output.

2. Materials

Premium Western red cedar remains the gold standard in the US for for its smell and naturally heat, mold, and rot-resistant properties, and what we use for the framing and benches in every NorthUp sauna build.

Insulation, tile, tongue and groove walls, and large windows all add to the material and labor cost.

Historically, reducing the price of a sauna often meant reducing the quality of materials. Learn how we pioneered a new sauna concept and designed our NorthUp sauna to be affordable without sacrificing build quality.

3. Sauna Heater

Stove choice can drastically change the price of your sauna build. 

  • Electric: clean and convenient. Wifi start available for additional cost. ($1000+) Requires a licensed electrician to run 220V/50A breaker (cost varies greatly depending on distance from outlet).

  • Wood-fired: traditional experience, turn-key, works anywhere. Often more material cost built-in due to size and chimney.

4. Location and Installation

Factors to consider --

  • Does your location and sauna style require pouring a foundation? NorthUp saunas are so light they do not! You can set a NorthUp sauna directly on the ground or on pavers, gravel, or blocks.
  • Is your location easily accessible by truck/trailer? If buying a fully assembled sauna, factors like disassembling fences or even needing a forklift or crane could drastically change the install price.

What About Mobile Saunas and Sauna Trailers?

The short answer is adding a trailer can drastically increase the cost of a sauna build. A person may decide to have a sauna on wheels for various reasons -- a commercial business where the sauna moves, a location that can't have a permanent sauna due to local ordinance, or a use-case requiring the ability to be mobile like moving back and forth from a home to a cabin property.

While NorthUp does offer a mobile sauna on a trailer, all of our sauna builds are semi-mobile by nature. The NorthUp XL only weighs ~700 lbs and can be slid onto a drop down trailer or towed on its skids around a property.

Ongoing Costs - Power and Maintenance

Power

Electricity costs or wood fuel costs will vary based on location, but here is a good starting point.

  • Electricity -- running an 8kw sauna stove in Minnesota at full power would cost about $1.20/hr. This means a typical sauna session (1-2 hours, including heat up time) may cost you a few dollars.
  • Wood-fired -- if you have readily available wood on your property or access to very cheap wood, this method can be sustainable and nearly free (besides the labor of chopping the wood). If not, the cost of firewood can vary pretty drastically from $200-$600 per cord depending on your location and wood quality. At the mid-point ($400), you'd land in a similar range per session as an electric heater.

Maintenance

Maintaining a sauna is actually a breeze and assuming you buy a quality sauna should not be a significant cost of ownership. Read about why saunas beat hot tubs for maintenance.

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