1. Equipment
Current list prices across our catalog:
| Item | Price range |
|---|---|
| Electric heater package (heater, control, stones) 18 options | $2,716 to $6,471 |
| Wood-burning stove 71 options | $1,068 to $8,430 |
| Infrared sauna 3 options | $4,695 to $6,495 |
| Outdoor barrel sauna 22 options | $5,853 to $9,995 |
| Cold plunge tub 17 options | $3,987 to $20,500 |
Building your own room? Add the lumber, insulation, vapor barrier, benches and door, or start from a precut sauna kit.
2. Electrical work
Traditional electric heaters need a dedicated 240 V circuit. One 2026 installer guide prices a new circuit at about $500 to $800 for a run of 10 to 25 ft, $800 to $1,200 for 25 to 50 ft, and $1,200 to $2,500 or more for 50 to 100 ft or trenching. A panel upgrade adds $1,500 to $4,000 or more. Plug-in infrared rooms often skip this cost. Electrical requirements.
3. A base, for outdoor saunas
Outdoor saunas should never sit on bare ground. The same guide prices a compacted gravel pad at $100 to $400, a paver pad at $300 to $1,000 and a 4 in concrete slab at $800 to $2,000. Outdoor sauna planning.
4. Freight and delivery
Heaters, stones and saunas ship by freight on a pallet to the curb. We quote freight to your ZIP code before you pay. Budget for help moving a sauna to its spot: the guide puts local movers at $200 to $500.
5. Labor
A 2022 HomeAdvisor cost survey put labor at 30% to 50% of a sauna project, with $300 to $1,500 to assemble a prefab kit and $1,500 to $2,500 to assemble a precut kit. Prices have risen since, so treat these as a floor.
6. Running costs
An electric heater uses about its kW rating in kWh per hour at full power, then cycles once the room is hot. A 6 kW heater on for an hour uses up to 6 kWh; multiply by the rate on your electric bill. Wood stoves cost whatever your firewood costs.
Questions people ask
- How much does a home sauna cost?
- Equipment runs from a few thousand dollars for a heater package or small infrared room to over $10,000 for a large outdoor sauna. Add electrical work, a base for outdoor units, freight and labor. A cost survey put the typical installed total at $3,000 to $6,000, though that data is from 2022.
- How much does it cost to run a sauna?
- An electric heater uses roughly its kW rating in kWh per hour at full power, and less once it cycles. A 6 kW heater running one hour uses up to 6 kWh: multiply by your electricity rate.
- What is the biggest hidden cost?
- The electrical work. A short run near the panel is a few hundred dollars; a long trench to a backyard sauna or a panel upgrade can cost more than the heater.
Get a delivered price Size your heater
Sources: Sauna Emporium catalog list prices (updated with the catalog); Sunhome Saunas, outdoor sauna installation guide; HomeAdvisor, sauna installation cost (updated July 2022). Local prices vary; get quotes from your electrician and installer.