The short answer
Choose a portable sauna if you want regular heat sessions for under £400, have limited space or rent your home. Choose a traditional sauna if you want true 80 to 100°C Finnish heat, room for several people and have a budget of £1,400 to £10,000 or more, plus installation. Many people start portable and upgrade later.
A traditional home sauna is a wooden room or cabin with its own heater. A portable sauna is a tent, pod or blanket that plugs into a normal socket and packs away. Both make you hot and sweaty, but they differ a lot in price, heat and what they ask of your home.
Side by side
| Portable sauna | Traditional sauna | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | From £154.99 | From about £1,400 indoors, £3,000+ outdoors |
| Heat | Steam about 45–50°C; dry pods up to about 85°C | 80–100°C at head height, 10–20% humidity |
| Power | 350–1,500 W, normal 13 A plug | Typically 4.5–9 kW, often a dedicated circuit |
| Installation | None: set up in minutes | Base or floor, electrician, sometimes planning checks |
| Space | About an armchair’s worth; packs away | A room, corner or garden plot, permanently |
| People | Usually one | Two to eight or more |
| Renters | Yes | Rarely |
Heat and how it feels
A traditional Finnish sauna runs at 80 to 100°C at head height with low humidity, and you throw water on the stones for bursts of steam. That intense, dry heat is hard to match.
Portable steam tents usually reach about 45 to 50°C. That sounds much cooler, but the air is close to fully humid, so sweat cannot evaporate and it feels intense very quickly. Dry heat pods, such as The Pod Company Sauna Pod, are rated up to about 85°C and are the closest portable option to a traditional sauna. Sauna blankets use infrared and feel gentler again.
Cost to buy and install
Good portable saunas from established brands start at about £150, and most cost under £400. You plug them in and they work.
Traditional saunas cost far more. Indoor infrared cabins start at around £1,400, and outdoor barrel or cube saunas usually start at around £3,000 before extras. On top of that you may need a level base, delivery and assembly, and a qualified electrician to fit a dedicated circuit for the heater. Larger garden saunas with changing rooms can cost well over £10,000.
Running costs
Portable saunas use small heaters. A 1,200 W steam tent costs about 16p for a 30-minute session at full power at 26.32p per kWh, the current price cap.
Traditional electric saunas need to heat a whole room, often for 30 to 60 minutes before you get in. A 6 kW heater running for an hour can use up to 6 kWh, about £1.58 at the same rate. Wood-fired saunas avoid the electricity cost but need fuel and more effort. Try our running-cost calculator with your own unit rate.
Space and planning
A portable sauna needs a small patch of floor while you use it and a cupboard or under-bed space when you do not. That makes it the obvious choice for flats and rented homes.
A traditional sauna needs permanent space: a spare room or corner for an indoor cabin, or a level garden area for an outdoor one. Outdoor saunas often fall under permitted development, but rules depend on size, height and where it sits, so check with your local council if you are unsure.
Health research
Most of the research on sauna health, including the Finnish studies linking regular sauna use with better heart health, was done on traditional saunas at 80 to 100°C. Portable saunas run cooler, so you cannot assume the same results. Read our guide to sauna benefits for what the evidence does and does not show.
Which should you choose?
Choose a portable sauna if:
- your budget is under £500
- you live in a flat or rent
- you mostly sauna on your own
- you want to find out whether you will use a sauna regularly
Choose a traditional sauna if:
- you want true Finnish heat and löyly (steam from the stones)
- you want to share it with family or friends
- you own your home and have the space and budget for installation
Ready to start? See our best portable saunas, ranked.
Questions
Is a portable sauna as good as a real sauna?
Not quite. A traditional sauna runs at 80 to 100°C; a portable steam tent usually reaches about 45 to 50°C, though humidity makes it feel intense. Dry heat pods get closer, at up to about 85°C. A portable sauna still gives you a proper sweat for a fraction of the price.
How much does a traditional home sauna cost in the UK?
Indoor infrared cabins start at roughly £1,400, and outdoor barrel and cube saunas usually start at around £3,000, before delivery, a base and electrical work. Larger garden saunas can cost well over £10,000.
Do I need an electrician for a home sauna?
Usually, yes, for a traditional sauna. Electric sauna heaters typically range from about 4.5 kW to 9 kW and often need a dedicated circuit fitted by a qualified electrician. Portable saunas plug into a normal 13 A socket.
Which is cheaper to run, a portable or traditional sauna?
A portable sauna, by a long way. A 1,200 W steam tent costs about 16p for 30 minutes at full power. A 6 kW traditional heater can use up to 6 kWh in an hour of heat-up and bathing, about £1.58 at 26.32p per kWh.
Can I upgrade from a portable sauna later?
Yes, and many people do. A portable sauna is a cheap way to find out whether you will use a sauna regularly before spending thousands on a traditional one.
Sources
- Laukkanen et al. (2018). Cardiovascular and other health benefits of sauna bathing: a review of the evidence. Mayo Clinic Proceedings
- Ofgem: Energy price cap
This guide is general information, not medical advice. If you have a health condition, are pregnant or take regular medication, speak to your GP before using a sauna.