Choosing a sauna: cabin, heater and timber
You choose a sauna in three steps: the spot, the heater and the timber. Keep to that order and you will rarely be disappointed.
Indoors or outdoors
An outdoor sauna needs a level, frost-free foundation (paving on a stabilised sand-cement bed or a concrete slab), a power cable of sufficient cross-section and, ideally, a short, dry walk back to the house. Indoors, what matters most is headroom (at least 200 cm), good ventilation and a floor that can cope with moisture.
Electric or wood-fired
An electric heater is ready at the push of a button and usually needs a separate 400 V circuit for outputs of 6 kW and above. A wood-fired stove gives the real, slow ritual — but needs a flue, dry wood and half an hour of patience.
The timber
Western red cedar is light, stable and softly scented; aspen and alder are paler and contain no resin, which is pleasant for the benches. Thermally treated timber is darker and lasts longer outdoors.
How many people
Allow 60 cm of bench width per seated person and 180–200 cm per person lying down. A 200 × 200 cm cabin is comfortable for four.