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.
Quick answer
Barrels are usually the cheaper way into a garden sauna. The barrels we've listed cost £3,495–£7,899 with a heater, against £4,500–£8,599.99 for cubes. A barrel's round section means less air to heat and fewer corners, but less headroom and bench space at the sides. A cube gives you upright walls, more usable room and a squarer footprint, but it usually costs more for the same number of people. Check delivery too: some cubes arrive fully built and need a crane or forklift, while most barrels come as kits.
Most garden saunas are either a barrel (a horizontal cylinder of timber staves held by metal bands) or a cube (a square-sided cabin, often in thermowood). Here’s how they compare on the things that affect what you’ll pay and how you’ll use it. We haven’t tested any of these saunas. Prices and specs are from retailer listings checked on 10–11 November 2026.
Side by side
| Barrel | Cube | |
|---|---|---|
| Price with heater (models we’ve listed) | £3,495–£7,899 | £4,500–£8,599.99 |
| Inside space | Full headroom only along the middle; curved walls at the sides | Vertical walls, so more usable headroom and bench space |
| Air to heat | Roughly a fifth less than a box of the same outside width and height | More for the same outside size |
| Typical delivery | Kit of pre-cut parts (e.g. Vaat 200) | Varies: flat pack (Polar Cube) or fully assembled (Ruutu 200) |
| Look | Traditional Nordic | Modern, squarer lines |
Price
Barrels were cheaper for the same capacity in the listings we checked:
- Barrels: Steam & Oak Vaat 200Ad £3,495 with a Harvia Wall 6kW (£2,945 shell only), CenturaHeat 4–6 person barrelAd £3,750 (listed as reduced), Rustic 6ft cedar barrelAd £3,895, SaunaPlunge Pennine 4 personAd £4,500, Holvi 170Ad £5,865 and Holl’s OrphéeAd £7,899.
- Cubes: CenturaHeat hybrid cubeAd £4,500 (listed as reduced), Polar Recovery Cube MiniAd £4,699.99, Polar Recovery Sauna CubeAd £4,999.99, Steam & Oak Ruutu 200Ad £7,925 with a 9kW Cilindro, and the Polar Recovery 6–8 person cubeAd £8,599.99.
None of these prices include the base, electrician or delivery extras. See garden sauna costs.
Space inside
A barrel’s cross-section is a circle, so you get full height only in the middle. Benches run along the sides, where the wall curves in over your head. A cube’s walls are upright, so you can sit back against them and use the whole floor.
Compare like for like using the internal sizes. The Ruutu 200 cube is 175 × 197cm inside and 192cm to the ceiling (about 6.6m³), and the Polar Recovery Sauna Cube lists 5.5m³ inside. For barrels, look at the internal diameter and hot-room length.
Heating
A circle fills about 79% (π ÷ 4) of the square drawn round it. So, for the same outside width, height and length, a barrel holds about a fifth less air than a box. Less air to heat should help a barrel warm up, though wall thickness, glass and the heater matter too. We haven’t measured warm-up times.
Barrels and solid-timber cubes both count as solid log walls for heater sizing. Steam & Oak says Harvia’s rule is to add 50% to the room volume for solid timber and about 1.2m³ for each square metre of glass. On that basis it treats the 6.6m³ Ruutu 200 as roughly 11m³ with its glass door. A big glass front on either shape means a bigger heater. See best sauna heaters.
Delivery, build and warranty
Check these before you order, because they vary by model rather than by shape:
- Steam & Oak Vaat 200 (barrel): a pre-cut kit with numbered parts, delivered kerbside by crane on mainland Great Britain, typically 3–4 weeks. The warranty is 5 years, provided the timber is treated as recommended. The spruce version needs an exterior wood treatment after assembly.
- Steam & Oak Ruutu 200 (cube): delivered fully assembled, kerbside, needing a crane or forklift on the day. The warranty is 2 years on craftsmanship and manufacturing defects. Steam & Oak says its rounded corners avoid the hard roof-to-wall joints where rain can sit on a conventional cube.
- Polar Recovery Sauna Cube: flat-packed, made to order with 3–4 week delivery on a tail-lift lorry. The warranty is 2 years and requires a breathable oil to be applied. Read our desk review of the Polar Cube.
Either shape needs a firm, level base. See sauna base options.
Which should you choose?
- Choose a barrel for the lowest price, the classic look, and less air to heat.
- Choose a cube for more usable space inside, a squarer footprint that fits against a fence or patio, and a modern look.
- Short on space? Check the outside sizes against your garden, and keep anything within 2m of a boundary to 2.5m tall or under to stay within permitted development.
Compare models in best barrel saunas and best outdoor saunas.
Frequently asked questions
Is a barrel sauna or a cube sauna better?
Neither is better overall. Barrels are generally cheaper and have less air to heat for their size. Cubes have vertical walls, so more headroom and usable bench space. In the UK listings we checked, barrels with a heater started at £3,495 and cubes at £4,500.
Do barrel saunas heat up faster?
A circle fills about 79% of the square around it, so a barrel holds roughly a fifth less air than a box with the same outside width and height. Less air to heat should help, but wall thickness, timber, glass and the heater matter too. We haven't measured warm-up times.
How much does a cube sauna cost in the UK?
On 10–11 November 2026 the cubes we've listed cost £4,500 (CenturaHeat hybrid cube, listed as reduced), £4,699.99 (Polar Recovery Cube Mini), £4,999.99 (Polar Recovery Sauna Cube), £7,925 (Steam & Oak Ruutu 200 with a 9kW heater) and £8,599.99 (Polar Recovery 6–8 person cube).
Do I need planning permission for a barrel or cube sauna?
Usually not in England, whichever shape you pick, as long as it meets the outbuilding limits, including no more than 2.5m tall within 2m of a boundary. See our planning permission guide.
Sources
We read each of these on or before 10–11 November 2026. Retailer links in this list are plain links, not affiliate links.