Garden sauna cost UK 2026: the all-in price, line by line

Retailers advertise the price of the sauna. You also pay to put it together, to give it something solid to stand on and to get power to it. This guide puts numbers on each part, with sources, then adds them up for three real saunas. To try your own figures, use the sauna cost calculator.

The cost, part by part

Part	Typical range	Where the figure comes from
The sauna	£2,900–£8,000+	Retailer prices for two-to-six-person outdoor saunas with heaters, 10 November 2026
Delivery	Often free on the UK mainland	Outdoor Living 365 lists free UK delivery on its SaunaPlunge saunas; check others at checkout
Assembly	£0 (DIY) to £2,000	Steam & Oak £750; Outdoor Living 365 £850 for a barrel; Polar Recovery £1,200–£2,000 depending on location
Base	£0 (existing strong patio) to £1,500+	Concrete £60–£80/m² laid (JobPrices); £90–£140/m² for a reinforced slab (Derby firm); Checkatrade guide £500–£750 for a 6 × 4ft base
Electrics	£0 (wood or gas) to £2,000+	£700–£1,100 up to 15m; £1,200–£2,000 for 15–30m; trenching through hard surfaces £300–£700 extra (M62 Electrical, 2026)
Finishing and extras	Varies	Exterior oil for spruce, sauna stones if not included, bucket and ladle, a cover for a cold plunge

Assembly

Most garden saunas arrive flat-packed on a pallet. Polar Recovery says a handy person with a helper can build its Cube in a day, and most people take two. Assembly and electrics are usually separate jobs: Polar Recovery’s listing asks for a clear, level surface for its build team and recommends a qualified electrician wires in the heater once the sauna is assembled. Ask any retailer exactly what their installation includes.

The base

The retailers we checked all ask for a firm, level base. Polar Recovery says its Cube’s base must carry about 1,000kg including people; Outdoor Living 365 suggests decking, paving or concrete, away from standing water. A garden sauna footprint is small, often 2 × 2m or less, so a small slab is usually enough, but small slabs cost more per square metre.

• Concrete slab. JobPrices puts a laid base at about £60–£80 per m², or £500–£600 for 2 × 3m. A Derby groundworker quotes £90–£140 per m² for a reinforced slab.
• Paving slabs. Cheaper for light buildings on firm ground. Check the sauna maker accepts them.
• Ground screws. Useful on slopes or poor access. One firm quotes £1,200–£2,800 for a typical garden building.

Electrics

Every electric sauna in our guides needs a hard-wired, dedicated circuit. That usually means armoured (SWA) cable buried from your consumer unit to the sauna, an isolator and possibly a sub-board, then testing and Part P certification. M62 Electrical’s 2026 guide puts this at £700–£1,100 for a detached building within 15m and £1,200–£2,000 for 15–30m. Thicker cable for a bigger heater or a longer run costs more: one supplier lists 6mm² SWA at about £4.10 a metre and 10mm² at about £6.90. See garden sauna electrics for what the heater actually needs.

Three worked examples

All sauna prices were checked on 10 November 2026. Base and electrics use the ranges above. These are estimates, not quotes.

1. Small two-person cabin, self-built: about £4,100–£4,750

Item	Cost
SaunaPlunge Brontë 1–2 personAd with 4.5kW Harvia heater	£2,900
Assembly (DIY)	£0
Small concrete base (Checkatrade: £500–£750 for 6 × 4ft)	£500–£750
Dedicated 20A supply, up to 15m	£700–£1,100
Total	£4,100–£4,750

2. Four-person barrel with retailer installation: about £6,550–£7,050

Item	Cost
SaunaPlunge Pennine Barrel, 4 personAd with 6kW Harvia heater	£4,500
Barrel installation (retailer add-on)	£850
2 × 3m concrete base (JobPrices)	£500–£600
Dedicated supply, up to 15m	£700–£1,100
Total	£6,550–£7,050

3. Glass-front thermowood cube, professionally assembled, longer cable run: about £8,900–£10,600

Item	Cost
Polar Recovery Sauna Cube 3–5 person, glass frontAd with 6kW Harvia Vega	£5,999.99
Professional assembly (retailer range by location)	£1,200–£2,000
2 × 3m concrete base (JobPrices)	£500–£600
Dedicated 32A supply, 15–30m with sub-board	£1,200–£2,000
Total	about £8,900–£10,600

Costs people forget

• Timber treatment. Untreated spruce needs an exterior finish after assembly; Polar Recovery says treating the wood inside and out is required to activate its warranty.
• Access. If the pallet can’t reach the garden, ask how the retailer handles it. Polar Recovery’s delivery uses a tail-lift truck and pump truck “as close to your desired location as access allows”.
• Planning. Most garden saunas in England are permitted development, but not all. Check planning permission for a garden sauna before you buy, especially near a boundary, in a conservation area or at a listed building.
• Wood-burning rules. In a smoke control area, a stove with a chimney on a building can only burn wood if it’s a Defra-exempt appliance. Your council can tell you if you’re in one.
• Running costs. A 6kW heater costs roughly £2 a session at today’s price cap on our assumptions. See sauna running costs.