Garden saunas · Infrared · Ice baths
Buy the right sauna once.
Know the full cost first.
Plain-English UK guides to home saunas and cold plunges. We compare what retailers actually publish, add up the extras they leave out, and show what it costs to run at today's electricity price.
- Prices checked 10 November 2026
- Running costs at the Ofgem cap: 26.32p/kWh
- Every figure linked to its source
Start with what you're buying
Garden & barrel saunas
Outdoor barrel, cube and cabin saunas: sizes, heaters, bases, electrics and what they really cost to buy and run.
Infrared saunas
Plug-in and hard-wired infrared cabins for spare rooms, garages and garden rooms.
Indoor saunas
Traditional heater-and-stones saunas built for inside the house, and the wiring they need.
Ice baths & cold plunges
Inflatable tubs, barrels and chiller-equipped plunges, from under £400 to over £4,000.
Buying guides
Buying guides are labelled Ad because they contain affiliate links. What that means.
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Best outdoor saunas UK 2026: 8 garden saunas compared on price and spec
Eight outdoor saunas from UK retailers compared on price, heater, size and power needs, from a £2,900 two-person cabin to a £7,899 six-person barrel. Prices checked 10 November 2026.
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Best barrel saunas UK 2026: 8 models compared, from £2,945
Barrel saunas from four UK retailers compared on length, timber, heater and real starting price, including which ones come without a heater. Prices checked 10 November 2026.
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Best home infrared saunas UK 2026: 8 cabins compared, from £1,349
Plug-in and outdoor infrared saunas from UK retailers compared on price, wattage, footprint and power supply, with the electricity cost of a 30-minute session. Prices checked 10 November 2026.
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Best indoor saunas for UK homes 2026: 6 traditional cabins compared
Traditional heater-and-stones saunas for inside the house, compared on size, heater, electrical supply and price, from £1,750 for two people. Prices checked 10 November 2026.
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Best outdoor saunas under £5,000 (UK, 2026): what the money really buys
Every outdoor sauna we found under £5,000 at four UK retailers, with heater included or not, plus what you'll pay on top for a base, electrics and assembly. Prices checked 10 November 2026.
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Best ice baths and cold plunges UK 2026: 9 compared, from £395
Inflatable tubs, timber barrels and stainless steel plunges with chillers from UK retailers, compared on price, capacity, cooling and power. Prices checked 10 November 2026.
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Best cold plunge chillers UK 2026: 6 ice bath chillers compared, from £499
Standalone ice bath chillers from UK retailers compared on price, coldest temperature, power draw and tub size, with what they cost to run against buying ice. Prices checked 11 November 2026.
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Best sauna blankets UK 2026: 5 infrared blankets compared, from £299.99
Five infrared sauna blankets sold in the UK compared on price, temperature range, timer, power and warranty, with what they cost to run and what to check before buying. Prices checked 11 November 2026.
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Best sauna heaters UK 2026: 9 electric and wood-burning heaters compared, from £409.99
Harvia, HUUM and Narvi sauna heaters from UK retailers compared on price, output, room size, controls and stones, with how to size a heater for your sauna. Prices checked 11 November 2026.
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Harvia vs HUUM vs Narvi: which sauna heater brand? (UK prices 2026)
The three sauna heater brands UK retailers sell most often, compared on price, controls, stone capacity, wood-burning options and warranty, using retailer listings checked on 11 November 2026.
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Polar Recovery Sauna Cube review 2026: specs, real price and the small print (desk review)
A desk review of the Polar Recovery Sauna Cube from its UK listing: what's included, sizes, heater, electrics, base, warranty conditions, returns and total cost, checked on 11 November 2026. We haven't tested it.
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Sauna and cold plunge on a budget UK 2026: hot and cold setups from £348.99
Five budget ways to get a home sauna and a cold plunge in the UK, from a sauna blanket and an inflatable tub to a garden sauna with an inflatable tub, with real prices checked on 10–11 November 2026 and the running costs.
Costs, planning and electrics
Costs
Garden sauna cost UK 2026: the all-in price, line by line
What a garden sauna really costs in the UK once you add assembly, a base and a dedicated electrical supply, with three worked examples from £4,100 to £10,600 and sources for every figure.
Costs
Sauna running costs UK 2026: cost per session at the current price cap
How much electricity a home sauna uses per session, worked out for 1.9kW infrared cabins up to 9kW heaters at the Ofgem cap of 26.32p per kWh, with every assumption shown.
Guide
Do you need planning permission for a garden sauna? (England, 2026)
When a garden sauna counts as permitted development in England, the height and boundary limits that catch people out, building regulations, listed buildings, and wood-burning rules.
Guide
Sauna electrical requirements UK: supply, Part P and what an electrician costs
What a home sauna needs electrically in the UK: dedicated circuits, 13A plug-in infrared cabins, 32A heaters, three-phase, Part P notification, BS 7671 Section 703, and typical installation costs.
Guide
Infrared vs traditional sauna: price, heat, running costs and power compared (UK 2026)
How infrared cabins and traditional stove-heated saunas differ on temperature, purchase price, running cost, electrics and space, using UK retailer listings checked in November 2026. No health claims, just the practical differences.
Guide
Barrel vs cube sauna: which garden sauna shape suits you? (UK prices 2026)
Barrel and cube garden saunas compared on price, space inside, heating, delivery, warranty and upkeep, using UK retailer listings checked in November 2026.
Guide
Wood-fired vs electric sauna: costs, rules and practicalities (UK 2026)
Wood-burning and electric garden saunas compared on upfront price, installation, running costs, smoke control rules and day-to-day use, with real UK prices for the same saunas with each heater, checked in November 2026.
Costs
Garden sauna base options UK 2026: concrete, paving, timber or ground screws?
What a garden sauna needs underneath it, and what concrete slabs, paving, timber bases and ground screws cost in the UK, with published 2024–2026 prices and the load figures sauna retailers ask for.
The sticker price is only part of it
A garden sauna usually needs a base, a dedicated electrical circuit and assembly as well. Our calculator adds them up and shows the cost per session, with every assumption on the page for you to change.
How we work
We're a small independent publisher, not a retailer. We don't sell saunas and we haven't tested the products in our buying guides. What we do is read the retailer listings, manufacturer manuals and official guidance carefully, put the numbers side by side and point out what's missing. Each guide lists its sources and the date we checked prices.
We earn money when readers buy through our affiliate links, which are always marked Ad. Retailers can't pay to be included. More about us.