Infrared or traditional sauna — and what the running cost actually looks like

If you're comparing infrared against wood-fired, a correction first: we don't sell a wood-fired sauna. Our non-infrared cabins — the Bronte and Pennine Barrel ranges — are heated by a Harvia electric stove, the same brand serious Finnish sauna builders use, not a wood burner. The real comparison in our own range is infrared against traditional electric-heated.

The actual difference is how the heat reaches you. Infrared panels warm your body directly through infrared light at a lower ambient temperature, typically 45-60°C. A traditional cabin heats the entire volume of air in the room, which needs a much higher temperature — commonly 70-90°C or more — before it feels like a sauna. Heating a whole room's air to that temperature is why traditional saunas cost noticeably more to run than infrared for a comparable session.

Rule one. Infrared costs less to run because it heats less

An infrared panel warms your body directly rather than the air around you, so a session only needs the panels themselves powered, not an entire cabin's worth of air raised by 60-70°C. A traditional electric stove heats that whole volume before anyone gets the benefit, which is the direct reason it draws more power for a comparable session length.

This gap holds even though both are electric — the difference is what's being heated, not the fuel. Comparing our two ranges, this is the actual trade-off behind the price and experience difference, not just marketing language.

Rule two. Traditional gives you löyly — steam off hot stones — which infrared can't

A traditional sauna's stove holds volcanic stones you pour water over for löyly — the burst of steam and humidity that's central to the Finnish sauna experience, and something no infrared panel produces since there's no stove or stones involved. If steam and humidity are what you're picturing when you think 'sauna,' that's the traditional cabin, not infrared.

Infrared trades that experience for a gentler, drier heat that many people find easier to sit in for longer, and a faster start since there's no room to bring up to temperature first.

Rule three. Both need real installation — check power and space before choosing on running cost alone

A traditional cabin's electric stove typically draws more power than an infrared panel setup of a comparable size, which can mean a dedicated circuit where an infrared unit might not. Check the specific product's electrical requirements against your own supply before assuming either type is a straightforward plug-in.

Indoor infrared units need less structural change than an outdoor cabin of either type, which is worth weighing alongside running cost if space and installation are the bigger constraint for your home.

Seven of our saunas, sorted by type

Infrared first, then the traditional electric-heated cabins — so the type is clear before the capacity or price is.

The short version

We sell infrared and traditional electric-heated saunas — no wood-fired option. Infrared runs cooler (45-60°C) and cheaper, heating your body directly. Traditional runs hotter (70-90°C+), heats the whole cabin, and gives you real löyly steam infrared can't produce. Choose by the experience you actually want, then check the specific unit's power needs against your supply.