The Best Home Saunas (2025): A Heated Approach to Recovery

There are two reasons we named the Sun Home Equinox 2-Person Full-Spectrum Infrared Sauna as our best home sauna overall. The first can be found in the name—it utilizes full-spectrum infrared heating, as opposed to most home saunas that just use far infrared heating. What’s the difference? Far infrared heating penetrates deep into the skin, which is good because it can help you sweat out toxins and provide other benefits. Full-spectrum, on the other hand, provides three levels of heat for complete penetration.

The second reason we like the Equinox is its use of high-quality shielding to limit your exposure to potentially dangerous ELF/EMF levels (low-frequency electric and magnetic fields).

To be honest, we haven’t tested this infrared model yet, but the GGR team has experience with other Sun Home products, so we’re confident in naming this our top choice, and just by looking at its materials—kiln-dried eucalyptus wood along with the full-spectrum infrared heaters—we can rate it a 4.5 out of 5 for durability. Sun Home also claims their infrared saunas are the only ones capable of reaching temperatures up to 165 degrees.

Remember how your mother said too much of a good thing is bad for you? Well, there are some infrared sauna dangers, so it’s important to limit your exposure to 15 minutes per session.

It also comes with a Bluetooth-connected surround sound system and medical-grade chromotherapy LED lighting, though all those features come at a cost—$6,399, to be exact. A limited lifetime warranty makes that price a little more digestible, as does the ability to finance the purchase.

For a more budget-friendly option that still seats at least two people, you could consider the Almost Heaven Morgan Barrel Sauna.

If you’re looking for the best outdoor sauna featuring a traditional, yet modern, design and ultimate durability, look no further than the Redwood Outdoors Thermowood Mini-Cube Sauna. We like its compact design for an outdoor two-person sauna and its durability for the outdoors. It’s easy enough to hop in after some outdoor training, too.

The sauna is made of Thermowood, created by heat-treating Scandinavian softwood to temperatures between 180 and 230 degrees in kilns for days at a time. This helps reduce the risk of wood swelling, cracking, or warping over time. Thermowood is also resistant to rot and fungi, and can provide increased longevity and insulation to your sauna.

The two-person sauna kit is a compact solution for people living in the city wanting an outdoor sauna. Being just over 5 feet long and 4 feet wide, it can provide a nice space for two users without taking up your entire backyard space.

Although we haven’t had our hands on the Mini-Cube Sauna yet, we’ve tested its bigger brother, the Redwood Outdoors Thermowood Cabin Sauna. In our Redwood Outdoors Sauna review, lead reviewer of Garage Gym Reviews Everything Lindsay Scheele rated the four-person sauna’s performance a solid 5 out of 5. “We got the temperature up to 190 degrees Fahrenheit in just over half an hour,” says Lindsay. “More importantly, it held its temperature and humidity with no issues.”

The biggest callout for the Thermowood Cabin Sauna was its assembly and installation. The slats of the sauna interlock easily enough, but the assembly video provided was for an older model. “We had to troubleshoot a bunch of pieces together,” Lindsay recalls, “since we had over 300 different pieces to work with—and a ton of them looked similar to one another.” 

The screws were also cheap, so they had to buy better quality ones to finish the build, earning the cabin a 3 out of 5 for its delivery and setup. At a glance, the Thermowood Mini-Cube Sauna does look a bit simpler, since its front and back wall come preassembled. Still, there will be a sizable assembly required for this sauna.

For the Mini-Cube Sauna, you can order your choice of Harvia heater; it comes with a Harvia KIP wall-mounted heater, but you can upgrade to a stronger heater, WiFi control, or to a Harvia Spirit stone heater. Just understand that any upgrade will add to the already sizable cost of the Mini-Cube’s price of $5,699. 

The electric heater will also require 220 volts, which is a less common voltage; we had to get ours installed by an electrician. Another drawback is Redwood Outdoors only provides a one-year warranty for the hefty piece of equipment, which is short for such a costly piece of equipment. However, if you want a durable and high-performing traditional sauna experience for the outdoors, this is a great choice.

Love the traditional wood sauna look? You could also consider the full-spectrum Sunlighten Amplify II Infrared Sauna.

With a lot of smart tech and capabilities, the Sun Home Luminar Outdoor Sauna is also built to last year-round, through different seasons and different weather conditions, making it not only our pick for the best infrared sauna, but also a great pick for an outdoor sauna.

This is a full-spectrum infrared sauna, providing near, mid, and far infrared heat at the same time from carefully-placed heating panels. Along with this, the Luminar boasts mobile-app control capabilities, Bluetooth premium surround sound, and LED lighting.

“You can feel it heating up in seconds,” says Linday Scheele, lead product reviewer for Garage Gym Reviews Everything. This was more than enough for it to earn a 5 out of 5 for its performance.

This infrared sauna has a sleek but functional design for the outdoors and has grade-A carbonized wood on the exterior, preventing the wood from warping, shrinking, or cracking. “Overall, I enjoyed this sauna a lot,” Lindsay adds. “I would for sure take this home with me.”

This sauna earns 5 out of 5 stars for construction.

RELATED: Infrared Sauna Benefits

As is the case with many outdoor saunas, the Sun Home Luminar will require 240 volts for power. Also, this is pricey, costing about $10,000 for the 2-person home sauna. Still, assembly is minimal, as the website says you’ll only need the included Allen wrench to attach glass to the frame, and a screwdriver (not included) to attach the door handle, making it a solid choice for an outdoor sauna, with minimal hassle.

The charred, carbonized wood exterior and cedar interior give the sauna a sharp look, along with the large dura-glass exterior, which provides a nice panoramic view of the outside while in use.

Read our in-depth Sun Home Sauna review, where we cover the 5-person variation of this outdoor infrared sauna.

Is the Sun Home Sauna’s premium price tag too high for your budget? You can save a bit by going with the HigherDOSE Full-Spectrum Infrared Sauna.

Our favorite two-person sauna goes to the Sunlighten Amplify II Infrared Sauna. This full-spectrum infrared sauna also comes as a single-person or three-person sauna, with a similar structure and features. Although we have not tested out the Sunlighten sauna yet, we like several of its features, and have used a few other Sunlighten products, like the Sunlighten Solo Sauna.

One feature we like is that this indoor sauna is customizable in the type of wood used: eucalyptus or basswood. Each has its pros and cons, but eucalyptus is heavier and more durable, while basswood is hypoallergenic.

Additionally, this indoor sauna is compatible with 120-volt outlets, meaning you won’t have to get any electrical work done for your sauna to run properly. The sauna uses full-spectrum infrared heat across two heaters and far-infrared heat in four heaters, used to help heat the body from within and safely raise your heart rate. Extra features include chromotherapy lighting, a built-in sound system, and an LED control panel to adjust temperature and timers.

Due to the customization and choice of wood for the sauna, you’ll have to request a quote from Sunlighten for the exact price of the unit. Suffice it to say, though, that it’ll be one of the pricier options for a two-person sauna. Still, with the added features and convenience of a 120-volt plug, it could be worth the cost.

Don’t need all the bells and whistles of a built-in sound system? The Heavenly Heat Far Infrared 2-Person Sauna is a more eco-friendly alternative with the same seating capacity.

Our choice for the best dry sauna for your home is the Almost Heaven Morgan Barrel Sauna. The cylindrical design of the Morgan Barrel Sauna allows the dry heat to circulate around the entire sauna, leading to better heat distribution throughout. 

It’s powered by an electrical Harvia heater and can reach up to 190 degrees Fahrenheit. The Harvia heaters features 40 pounds of sauna stones, which will allow you to ladle water over the stones and create steam (if you want). Otherwise, the sauna can be used without water for a dry heat.

USA Weightlifting Junior National Team Coach Sean Rigsby, CSCS, has it at his gym and is impressed with how quickly it can get warm, giving the sauna a 5 out of 5 for performance. He explains, “I’ll usually turn it on about half an hour before my athletes are ready to use it, and it’ll be around 190 degrees by the time they hop in.”

The main callout we have about the Almost Heaven sauna is the delivery and assembly process, which earns 3 out of 5 stars. The instruction manual isn’t specific to the Morgan model—it was a generic system on assembling barrel-style saunas from Almost Heaven—which left room for interpretation when building it. “It certainly complicated things for an already lengthy build,” recalls Sean.

Lastly, you may like knowing this barrel sauna can be used indoors or outdoors and has a manufacturer’s limited lifetime warranty on the sauna and five years on the heater. It can be purchased online for about $5,000, which includes shipping in the continental United States.

Looking for a high-quality dry sauna alternative? The Plunge Sauna functions as either a traditional steam or dry sauna.

We like the unique design of the Plunge Sauna because it offers a modern take on a traditional sauna. A slanted back wall with an attached upper and lower bench provides an ergonomic backrest as well as space to seat up to five people (seven with the XL version).

“After spending some time in the sauna, I think it’d fit more like four people comfortably…maybe closer to three, depending on the size of the people,” one of our expert product testers says.

However, to stand or stretch in the sauna, the foldable benches can be flipped up to provide more space.

RELATED: The Best Mobility Exercises

The exterior and benches are constructed with incense cedar, providing an aromatic wood smell. The interior has a blend of pine and hemlock. This high-quality sauna also has a waterproof roof, allowing it to work inside or outside of your own home. For construction, the Plunge Sauna earns 5 out of 5 stars.

The Plunge Sauna has a WiFi controller that can be controlled through a mobile app, along with customizable accent lighting. It’s worth noting that during our testing experience for our Plunge Sauna review, it took just under an hour for the sauna to go from 70 to 185 degrees.

“But once it reaches the goal temperature, it holds it really well,” one of our product testers reports. The Plunge Sauna earned 4 out of 5 stars for performance.

The heater is made by Huum, and is a wall-mounted sauna heater, keeping extra space for the sauna. The sauna also comes with 121 pounds of sauna stones, perfect for heat or steam.

Both the standard and extra-large versions of the Plunge Sauna will require a 240-volt outlet, and you should consult an electrician to install a dedicated outlet for the sauna. Additionally, this is an expensive sauna, at $11,990 for the standard size sauna (although it’s often marked down). Still, Plunge does offer financing options. With its unique design, this sauna may be worth the cost.

If you’re in the market for a high-end sauna but don’t need such a large seating capacity, the Sun Home Luminar Outdoor 2-Person Infrared Sauna is a fantastic alternative.

Available on Amazon, our pick for the best portable home sauna is the SereneLife Full Size Portable Sauna, which is available as a steam or infrared sauna (we reviewed the latter). This is lightweight at around 30 pounds and folds out into a nearly 6-feet tall portable sauna that the manufacturers also call a home spa.

Certified personal trainer and Garage Gym Reviews Everything lead reviewer Lindsay Scheele says it gets pretty hot, though it struggled with holding its temperature, earning it a 4 out of 5 for performance. “It’s been ranging from 125 to 135 degrees and it has not held at 140 degrees for an entire 20-minute session since bringing it home,” she says in our SereneLife Portable Sauna review. You use a remote control to set the temperature to your liking.

RELATED: Best Portable Home Gym

It’s also worth mentioning that Lindsay didn’t enjoy the foot-warming pad that comes with the sauna tent. “I found this useless,” she says. “The temperature that the foot pad provides is less than the overall temp of the sauna. You’re already pretty warm, and it didn’t feel like it added anything.”

Folded out, the spa’s dimensions are nearly 3 feet by 3 feet by 6 feet, but it can be folded away easily to move to another room, or just for storage. While you’ll need some space to use it, the portability scores it a solid 4 out of 5 in its footprint and portability.

The steam option comes with a 4-liter steamer, used to increase the humidity and temperature of the interior of the sauna. It’s tall enough for most people to stand, but a sauna chair is included to sit in while in the steam sauna.

With the steam sauna, the interior will only get so warm, with a maximum temperature of 122 degrees Fahrenheit. So, if you’re looking for a sauna to get warmer, you may want to go for the infrared option. Also, with a height of 70.9 inches, it may be difficult for taller people to stand in. With that said, this is one of the best budget options available for saunas, and its portability makes it a great choice for a home sauna.

If portability is your priority, you could also consider the HigherDOSE Infrared Sauna Blanket, which will also help you save money.

Capable of heating up to 158 degrees Fahrenheit, the HigherDOSE Infrared Sauna Blanket provides all-around heat and comfort in a portable and easy-to-use package. “If you love sauna sessions and need a more portable option, I think this is great,” says certified personal trainer and Garage Gym Reviews Everything lead reviewer Lindsay Scheele in our full HigherDOSE Infrared Sauna Blanket review. “I felt super relaxed and enjoyed using it.”

While it’s still a little pricey, it’s much more affordable than larger at-home saunas. It works just like the sleeping bags you use at camp or during childhood sleepovers—with some twists.

“Sauna blankets use infrared heat to warm your body, causing you to sweat like in a regular sauna,” explains Dr. Raj Dasgupta, MD, FACP, FCCP, FAASM. “The idea is to help with relaxation and detox by making you sweat it out.”

The HigherDOSE Infrared Sauna Blanket takes about 10 minutes to preheat, and you’ll need a heatproof surface to lie on. Once it’s at your desired temperature, you hop in and set a timer for as long as you want to remain in the blanket.

Fair warning: You’ll get very sweaty, and if you don’t have an insert or blanket inside, cleanup can be a bit of a hassle. Lindsay says the $89 inserts are worth the extra price because your sweat could cause the sauna blanket to break down faster, which is why she rated it a 3.5 out of 5 for durability.

It received a 4.5 out of 5 rating for portability because it’s 71 inches long and wide, compact enough to be thrown in the back of a car during a vacation. “I wouldn’t want to carry this around all the time,” Lindsay adds, “but being able to take with with you for a weekend trip is great.”

Although HigherDOSE says on its website that its blanket can reach up to 158°F, the programmable thermostat only reads settings from one to eight so it’s hard to tell exactly how hot it is at any given moment.

“Most sauna blankets go from around 80°F up to 160°F, so you can adjust the heat to what feels right for you,” Dr. Dasgupta adds.

If you need a portable option but want a bit more bang for your buck, check out the Sun Home Infrared Sauna Blanket, which reaches 167 degrees and is $200 less that the HigherDOSE blanket.

If you need something small and portable, the SaunaBox is an ideal choice. One of the best portable saunas we’ve tested, it offers a compact footprint with enough room for one person to sit comfortably. It’s also easy to set up anywhere, like a little pop-up tent. 

“This can be used both indoors and outdoors,” says certified personal trainer and GGR Everything lead reviewer Lindsay Scheele.

The SaunaBox is a bit different from the other saunas we’ve tested because it’s a steam sauna versus a dry sauna. It can heat up to 130 degrees with nearly 100% humidity, which is emitted into the SaunaBox through a plastic hose from the SmartSteam chamber. To get the steam flowing, you’ll pour water into the SmartSteam chamber and set the heat setting from 1 to 7. The chamber also allows you to set the length of your sauna session. 

For performance, the SaunaBox earns 4 out of 5 stars.

Anthony O’Reilly, a certified personal trainer and GGR performance editor, says the SaunaBox took a little longer to heat up than the advertised 15 minutes, but once it got hot it stayed hot. We gave it a 4.5 out of 5 on temperature. Anthony’s 6 feet, 3 inches tall and said he felt comfortable inside the pop-up sauna, though it requires you to bring your own chair.

While the maximum temperature is 130 degrees, the humidity will likely make your sessions feel hotter than that. Plus, steam saunas have the potential to increase your heart rate and internal temperature¹ more than dry saunas. 

With water vapor heating the SaunaBox, you may like knowing that it’s constructed from antimicrobial materials to help prevent the buildup of mold and bacteria. It’s also BPA-free and does not contain microplastics. 

“The setup on this is incredibly easy,” Lindsay says. “It should take you less than 10 minutes and about 10 minutes to disassemble and clean it thoroughly.” SaunaBox earns 5 out of 5 stars for delivery and setup.

The brand recommends wiping down the tent wall and leaving the door flap open to help dry out the SaunaBox between uses. You’ll also receive an absorbent floor mat that is machine washable, so you can wash it after every use. 

Prefer a steam sauna over other options? The Almost Heaven Morgan 4-Person Barrel Sauna allows you to use steam or dry heat.

Our pick for the best indoor home sauna is the HigherDOSE Full-Spectrum Infrared Sauna because it’s roomy without taking up too much space in your garage or home gym, has great heat retention, and comes with multiple features to enhance your sauna sessions.

RELATED: What Is Biohacking?

Plus, the wood exterior and mahogany interior is a great touch to any home. “This sauna is very attractive,” says certified personal trainer Lindsay Scheele, who used it for our HigherDOSE Infrared Sauna review. “The color palette they worked with also looks sharp, and very intentional to be something that is modern-looking but will stand the test of time.”

When it comes to getting things hot, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. Our sauna arrived with two non-working heaters, though to HigherDOSE’s credit they quickly shipped out replacements that arrived the next day (we’re giving them a 4 out of 5 for customer experience, only docking a point because the installers didn’t bother to check that everything was working before leaving the GGR HQ). Lindsay adds, “Replacing the heaters took fewer than five minutes with two people.” It was no sweat (pun intended).

After firing it up, she noticed the sauna never got to the advertised maximum temperature of 150 degrees Fahrenheit. It mostly stuck around 107 degrees Fahrenheit, though the good news there was no heat leakage. For that reason, it gets a 3.5 out of 5 for performance.

Considering this sauna costs nearly $10,000 after shipping and assembly costs, it’s good to know that it seems sturdy. Lindsay’s main concern is another heater breaking in the future, but it still earns a 4 out of 5 for durability.

RELATED: AchedAway Cupper Review

You can get this as a 2- or 3-person sauna, and Lindsay says there’s ample room for your sauna buddies. While inside, they can enjoy Bluetooth connectivity, an iPad shelf, and a removable bench. HigherDose added LED chromotherapy color lights to add to the ambiance.

Concerned about the adding shipping costs and not getting the most bang for your buck? We recommend checking out the Sun Home Saunas Equinox 2-Person Full-Spectrum Infrared Sauna.

If you’re on the hunt for a home sauna that’s eco-friendly, the Heavenly Heat Far Infrared sauna might be your best bet. The sauna is built from Canadian hemlock wood that isn’t finished with any resins or chemical treatments. 

The brand also builds saunas without plywood, glues, or stains to keep the wood as unaltered as possible. Instead of glue, you can expect nails and screws holding this sauna together. Our tester and GGR Head of Content Nicole Davis thought the construction of the sauna was both high-quality and durable, earning it a 4-out-of-5-star rating. She notes the sauna bench was contoured, which was a nice detail. 

It’s also specifically designed to have a low electromagnetic field, with the use of low EMF heaters and grounded faraday shielding. The sauna is also designed without telecommunications like radio, WiFi, or Bluetooth to reduce radio frequencies. 

“Sauna blankets are also typically made with materials that have low EMF emissions to keep radiation exposure safe,” says Dr. Raj Dasgupta, MD, FACP, FCCP, FAASM.

However, the heat performance left Nicole a little disappointed. The website boasts that this two-person sauna has a fast heat-up time of 10 to 15 minutes. Nicole found that it was actually around 30 minutes to get to the highest temperature. 

Expert tester Lindsay Scheele, CPT, also found that the sauna took close to 30 minutes to heat up, but she noticed that it still felt warmer than others, even before reaching its maximum temperature.

“I got in around 130 degrees and I started to sweat, which has not happened while testing other saunas during the pre-heating phase,” says Lindsay. “I think the placement of the carbon heaters on the walls of the sauna contributes to raising your core temperature quickly.” 

“I know heat rises, but the bottom of the sauna was much cooler than the top,” Nicole points out.

At $5,600, this isn’t the cheapest sauna, but Lindsay Scheele, CPT, still rates it 4 out of 5 stars for value. She said, “I feel like that’s a pretty decent price. That’s considering the high-quality build, Canadian hemlock wood, and low-EMF and ELF sauna heaters.”

To learn more, read our complete Heavenly Heat Sauna Review.

Want an indoor sauna that offers tech conveniences? The HigherDOSE Full-Spectrum Infrared Sauna boasts Bluetooth connectivity, an iPad shelf, LED chromotherapy color lights, and more.