9 Best Home Saunas 2024

In a world where wellness trends come and go, the humble sauna has stood the test of time. But if you thought the best home saunas were limited to bougie spas or celeb-endorsed resorts, think again: At-home saunas are having a major moment.

“Given the short- and longer-term health benefits, saunas can be an integral part of a wellness routine that also includes fueling well, regular exercise, getting quality sleep, and maintaining social connections,” says Rachelle Reed, Ph.D., Director of Health and Science at Perspire Sauna Studio. Those perks range from improving heart health to better athletic performance.

And there’s really no need to leave your own home to get your sweat on. From sleek, infrared-powered pods that heat your body from the inside out to wood-burning tents and cabins and even foldable blankets that deliver similar benefits on the go, it’s never been easier to elevate your wellness routine. We put some of the most popular models to the test to determine which of the best at-home saunas are worth your money—and space.

We chose the Sunlighten mPulse Believe Smart Sauna as the best overall home sauna because it combines smart technology to give you a tailored therapy experience with top-of-the-line features in a good-looking, energy-efficient package.

• Best Home Sauna Overall: Sunlighten mPulse Believe Smart Sauna
• Best Infrared Home Sauna: Sun Home Saunas Equinox Full-Spectrum Sauna
• Best Traditional Sauna: Redwood Outdoors Cabin Sauna
• Best Home Sauna for Small Spaces: Plunge Home The Sauna Mini
• Best Portable Home Sauna: SweatTent Outdoor Sauna Portable Outdoor Sauna
• Best Sauna Blanket: Higher Dose Infrared Blanket
• Best Outdoor Home Sauna: Sun Home Luminar Outdoor 5-Person Full Spectrum Sauna
• Best Infrared Sauna Under $5,000: Heavenly Heat Infrared Sauna
• Best Infrared Sauna on Amazon: Dynamic Andora Infrared Sauna

We also tested:

• Serene Life Full Size Portable Sauna
• SaunaBox SmartSteam Kit
• Sunlighten Solo

Sunlighten

Sunlighten mPulse Believe Smart Sauna

$8,900

Sunlighten

Pros & Cons

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Pros

• Requires a lot of additional surrounding space
• No tools required for assembly
• Comes with control tablet

Cons

• Upgrades to eucalyptus and cedar woods are significantly more expensive
• Indoor only (except with cover)
• Wi-fi connection is required

The Sunlighten mPulse Believe Smart Sauna uses technology to demystify sauna therapy and ensure you’re optimizing the benefits of infrared heat in every session.

What’s better than a sauna that does the work for you? The Sunlighten mPulse Believe Smart Sauna maximizes the benefits of every type of infrared wavelength the full-spectrum heater offers while you bask in its warmth. Using the in-sauna Android-powered tablet, choose a session that offers the benefits you crave—near infrared for an energy boost or cell regeneration, mid infrared for increased blood flow, far infrared for recovery, or a mix of the above—and the right wavelengths beam into your skin via 15 heaters. And as long as you’re within 1,500 feet of the Wi-Fi-enabled sauna, you can remotely schedule sessions using a mobile app. Even with all that tech, the company says the sauna runs on the same wattage as a blow dryer.

Aesthetically, this sauna is just as smart as the tech that powers it. Thick, insulating basswood—a durable, lightweight choice that’s less expensive than cedar or eucalyptus—seamlessly fits together via a magnetic sealing system to lock in the warm air, even if you’re ducking in and out for cooling breaks. And premium features like a Blaupunkt stereo and speakers, touchscreen control panel, LED light panels, chromotherapy lighting (which uses colored lights to enhance your wellness experience), and the ability to watch streaming services on the included tablet make this a standout option on the sauna market.

Sun Home

Sun Home Saunas Equinox Full-Spectrum Sauna

$7,699

Sun Home

Pros & Cons

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Pros

• Assembly requires no power tools, screws or nails
• Medical-grade chromotherapy LED lights included
• Only requires 120v outlet

Cons

• 3 people might be a tight fit
• Requires a lot of space
• No app controls

Wrapped in eucalyptus wood and powered by high-output heaters, the Sun Home Saunas Equinox Full-Spectrum Sauna isn’t just a sauna—it’s a personal retreat.

While traditional saunas rely on heat to warm the air around your body, the Sun Home Saunas Equinox Full-Spectrum Sauna uses infrared energy to heat your body from the inside out. The full-spectrum approach—which is right there in the name—means this sauna combines all three types of infrared energy (near, mid, and far) to penetrate deeper into your body than a single type, offering a more well-rounded, effective sauna experience. It also uses high-quality shielding to limit your exposure to potentially dangerous ELF/EMF (extremely low frequency electric and magnetic field) levels; the company claims exposure is lower than most household appliances.

That cutting-edge tech blends nicely with the Equinox’s contemporary design. It's constructed from durable eucalyptus wood (a more expensive material than the more frequently used cedar, but a more sustainable one because it grows much faster for re-harvesting) and equipped with high-output 500W heaters. Plus, the sauna can reach up to 165°F—higher than any other infrared sauna on the market, the company claims (and so toasty, you may need to jump into a cold plunge tub after your sweat sesh). Use the digital control panel to set a “reservation” time so the sauna’s ready exactly when you want it. The built-in surround sound system and ambient lighting elevate the atmosphere, turning any session into a spa-like retreat.

The Redwood Outdoors Cabin Sauna blends centuries of tradition with high-tech craftsmanship in a compact cube that offers two types of therapy in one.

Transport yourself to Northern Europe, where saunas date back thousands of years, in the Redwood Outdoors Cabin Sauna. While the design is a nod to the practice’s history, the construction is entirely modern. It’s crafted from Scandanavian Thermowood, a type of wood that’s kiln-treated to prevent swelling, cracking, or warping, and is resistant to rot and fungi. The result: better insulation and increased durability when exposed to the elements.

Inside, this surprisingly compact sauna offers two levels of seating, which not only allows for multiple users—our testers reported that the benches are wide and deep enough that no one will end up with a knee in their back—but enables you to cycle between high and low heat. Heat rises, so if you want a more intense experience, pick the top bench, or if you’re already there and need to tone things down, just move to the lower level—no heater adjustments necessary. If you prefer steam over dry heat, just toss water on the heated stones. Either way, make sure to don the traditional felt sauna hat that comes with your purchase.

Plunge

Plunge The Sauna Mini

$10,940

Plunge

Pros & Cons

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Pros

• Can fully assemble in two hours
• Can be used indoors or outdoors
• Bench has angled back for more comfortable seating

Cons

• Requires dedicated 220-240V, 20A for power, as well as NEMA L14-20 outlet
• Can lose temperature quickly when the door opens
• Benches are narrow

Bring Scandinavian sauna culture into your home with Plunge The Sauna Mini—a sleek, space-efficient design that’s as practical as it is luxurious.

Fun fact: In Finland, there are an estimated 3.3 million saunas for a population of 5.5 million inhabitants. You, too, can trick out your home with compact at-home models like the The Sauna Mini from Plunge. This streamlined design—constructed from six easy-to-assemble, pre-wired panels—takes up minimal square footage, and still manages to fit all the essentials (two levels of seating, a cage for sauna stones, and an adjustable air flow vent) inside.

It’s a traditional sauna, just like you’d find throughout Scandinavia. Cedar wood allows the heat, which can reach up to 230°F, to flow evenly throughout the sauna while keeping the surface of the wood cool enough for you to relax against. Our testers reported that the Mini maintained its temp well with the door shut, but it did cool and took some time to heat back up every time they stepped in and out for breaks—likely due to its smaller size. While there are dials inside to control the lights and fan, you can also use the Plunge App to control those features during your session and start a session remotely.

SweatTent

SweatTent Outdoor Sauna Portable Outdoor Sauna

$1,500

Sweat Tent

Pros & Cons

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Pros

• Easy to assemble
• Comes with a carry bag
• Weather-resistant

Cons

• Wood-burning saunas require more maintenance
• Not for indoor use
• 80 pounds isn’t always portable

Chop your own wood and stoke your own fire to warm up the SweatTent Outdoor Sauna Portable Outdoor Sauna, which was built to hold up against the toughest elements.

If you prefer the idea of old-fashioned, DIY nature of wood-burning heat, opt for the SweatTent Outdoor Sauna Portable Outdoor Sauna. With a layer of insulation sandwiched between two layers of durable fabric, this tent will keep you warm in even the most extreme cold—it heats up in 30 minutes and can maintain temperatures up 200°F in temperatures as low as 10°F. You can leave it outside permanently, or pack it up in the included carrying bags to switch up the location (just don’t bring it indoors, for safety's sake).

Wood-burning stoves generate a ton of heat and humidity, but they also require more of a hands-on approach. How much and what type of firewood you use will impact the heating time, although you only need three or four pieces of split hardwood firewood to get the tent heated to the recommended 176°F. But the lack of bells and whistles is proof that you don’t need much for a good sauna session; the durability, portability, and high heat output of this tent make it a worthy investment.

HigherDOSE

HigherDose Infrared Sauna Blanket

$699

HigherDose

Pros & Cons

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Pros

• Portable design
• Heats up quickly
• Very easy to set up

Cons

• Costs extra for blanket inserts if you prefer not wearing clothes in it
• May be too short for taller users
• Doesn’t show temperature ranges

Wrap yourself in the Higher Dose Infrared Blanket to enjoy the benefits of infrared heat without using a single construction tool.

If you don’t want a sauna taking over your indoor or outdoor space—or don’t have the funds to even dream about that kind of at-home luxury—the Higher Dose Infrared Blanket is a great way to get the benefits of heat therapy without breaking the bank. That’s not to say it’s cheap, but after vetting lower-priced sauna boxes and tests, our testers were convinced the Higher Dose sauna blanket offers better value.

This plain black blanket is made out of non-toxic vegan leather, and wouldn’t look out of place draped on any bed or sofa if you left it out when you weren't using it (but it also folds up and can easily be stashed out of sight). It takes about 10 minutes to preheat, and the coils offer nine levels of heat. Our testers found it to be a little tricky to adjust temperature while you're inside, because the control is plugged into the bottom of the blanket and there's a lot of cord to deal with, but it’s not a dealbreaker. It’s worth noting that Higher Dose makes a lot of woo-woo health claims, like using a layer of charcoal, clay, and magnets as well as an amethyst and tourmaline layer for various vague-sounding benefits, but those were much less of a selling point to our testers than the portability and practicality of this sauna blanket.

Sun Home

Sun Home Luminar Outdoor 5-Person Full Spectrum Sauna

$11,199 $10,399

Sun Home

Pros & Cons

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Pros

• Built from weather-resistant materials
• Minimal tools needed for assembly
• EMF/ELF shielding technology ensures safe exposure

Cons

• Very large and very heavy
• Requires dedicated 240V for power, as well as a NEMA L6-30p plug
• More of a 4-person sauna

Sauna therapy’s a party in the Sun Home Luminar Outdoor 5-Person Full Spectrum Sauna, a weather-resistant cocoon that maxes out the number of heaters to optimize infrared heat’s benefits.

Turn your backyard into a year-round oasis with the Sun Home Luminar Outdoor 5-Person Full-Spectrum Sauna. A combo of durable aluminum paneling and insulating cedar wood was used to protect this sauna from the elements, while creating a cozy space for multiple people to enjoy the benefits of full-spectrum infrared energy. One 6'3'', 240-pound tester said four people of his size could comfortably share the wide, deep bench that extends along two sides of the interior.

The heat generated by this sauna is unmatched, with 15 infrared heaters strategically placed to powerfully and evenly distribute that warmth. Our testers found that even with the double-paned glass doors—which allow for a panoramic view while you sweat—open for short amounts of time, the sauna was able to crank up the temp (the max is 170°F). A mobile app acts as your digital control center, where you can not only manage the heat, but also operate the medical-grade chromotherapy lighting, interior and exterior LED accents, and Bluetooth premium surround sound.

An ergonomic bench ensures you’ll never want to leave the Heavenly Heat Infrared Sauna, a compact sauna solution that offers luxury design at a price that won’t make you cry.

Most at-home saunas cost a cool five figures, so finding one—especially one as aesthetically pleasing as the Heavenly Heat Infrared Sauna—for under $5,000 is actually a deal. The cost-cutting here likely comes from the use of just far infrared energy, which penetrates the body most deeply; you’ll still get the soft tissue and cellular benefits, but it’s less of a holistic treatment than with full-spectrum saunas.

There are plenty of other selling points, though. The light wood paneling and unobtrusive control panel would be an aesthetic upgrade for any home, and the addition of chromotherapy lights is a nice touch. The sauna heats up to a toasty 165°F (our testers found it took about 30 minutes to make the jump from 75°F to 130°F—a bit slower than the brand's promised "quick heat" of 10-15 minutes) and the hemlock wood, a cheaper alternative to cedar, is durable and insulating. Our testers of all heights were pleasantly surprised by the curved contour in the bench, which supports your legs and reduces strain on your hip flexors. Technically, it’s designed for two people, but using it as a solo sauna would be most comfortable.

Dynamic Saunas

Dynamic Andora Infrared Sauna

$2,415

Amazon

Pros & Cons

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Pros

• Sleek, intuitive display panel
• Energy efficient
• Includes premium amenities at a lower price

Cons

• Installation process is a little complicated
• Requires a 110V/15 AMP circuit
• Only goes up to 140°

Get premium features at a lower price in the Dynamic Andora Infrared Sauna—which ships for free within the week if you have Amazon Prime.

You can buy anything on Amazon these days, including the Dynamic Andora Infrared Sauna—our top pick among the countless offerings on the site. Like more expensive models we tested, this sauna uses far infrared heat, powered by six carbon heating panels to reach up to 140°F, to deliver the same kind of benefits. Our testers were impressed by the consistency of the temperature, which didn’t change much when dipping out for a little break (and even when it did, adjusting the temp was as simple as hitting the up or down arrows on the control board of the unit).

Aesthetically, this stands up to higher-end options. The wood paneling (crafted with Canadian hemlock, a material used by another home sauna that’s twice the price), attractive display, and glass door give it more of an upgraded look and feel than the price tag would imply. Premium features like a Bluetooth connection, two built-in speakers, and an automatic time also elevated the Dynamic Andora Infrared Sauna—and while it might be more comfortable for a solo session, it’s still roomy enough to fit two people around 6'2'', one tester confirmed.

These prices represent the pre-discount base costs for the best at-home saunas.

Rest assured: We have broken a sweat in every sauna on this list. Our goal when testing fitness products is to make sure that we can stand behind every recommendation, and we can’t do that without putting them—and ourselves—through the wringer first. We use a detailed, multi-tester approach to ensure we’ve analyzed each product from every possible angle.

To determine whether these at-home saunas were good enough for you to shell out some serious cash, we assessed everything from the obvious—like the amount of space they take up, how hard they are to assemble, the type of heat they offer and how hot they actually get, and how much they cost—to the things you might not think about, including what extra features are included, the durability of the materials, the ergonomics of the design, warranties, brand reputation, and more. And with every sauna, we’re asking testers to compare their experience to other models they’ve tested as well as other sauna experiences they’ve had in the past.

Sauna has a slew of benefits supported by science. “The heat from saunas boosts blood flow, which delivers more oxygen and nutrients to sore muscles and joints, helping them heal and relax,” says Thomas Pontinen, M.D., a co-founder and physician at Midwest Anesthesia and Pain Specialists, the largest pain management center in the Chicago area. “This kind of therapy tends to be especially helpful for people dealing with chronic pain conditions or athletes recovering from intense workouts.” Let’s break down the main reasons you might want to break a sweat.

Not sure which type of home sauna is best for you? Take a look at this breakdown before you go shopping.

An at-home sauna is a big investment—not just financially, but literally. With the amount of space even the smallest models take up, you want to be confident you’re making a choice that you’ll be happy staring at (and using) for the long-term.

Rachelle Reed, Ph.D., is the Director of Health and Science at Perspire Sauna Studio and an exercise physiologist.

Thomas Pontinen, M.D., is a co-founder and physician at Midwest Anesthesia and Pain Specialists, the largest pain management center in the Chicago area.

This article was medically reviewed by Andre Panagos, M.D., M.Sc. Dr. Panagos is double board-certified in physical medicine & rehabilitation and pain medicine with fellowship training in interventional spine/orthopedic surgery. He has also had additional training in regenerative medicine, functional medicine, and acupuncture.