Nothing beats enjoying the luxury of a proper sauna in your own home. The popularity of saunas exploded in the recent years, as various companies started offering their clients everything that they need to set up one at home. There are now a great many deal of types of saunas to choose from: dry saunas and wet saunas, wood and salt-based saunas and so on. Just try each type out, decide which is your favorite and the world is your oyster!
The only thing left to worry about once you decide on the specifics of your sauna layout is the heating. You need a reliable source of heat in order to power up your new miracle chamber. But what is the best one to choose? Should you go for electric or gas-based? What capacity is optimal? What brand is more durable? To help you get the best sauna heater for your particular set-up, we’ve put together this guide on everything there is to know.
OUR TOP PICK
Finlandia FLB-60
- Stand Out Features - Why We Love It
- Highly reputable brand
- Manufactured in Finland
- Stainless-steel components
- Allows you to preset the time of the heating
- Includes the sauna stones
- Heats up to 300 cubic feet
EDITORS CHOICE
Turku Wet&Dry Electric
- Stand Out Features - Why We Love It
- Classic Turkish sauna stove
- Runs on electricity
- Very small and highly functional
- Allows you to turn a dry sauna into a wet one fast
- 60 minutes operating time
- Built-in thermostat
BEST VALUE
VEVOR Wall Mount 9KW Steam
- Stand Out Features - Why We Love It
- Suits a 9-13 square meters sauna room
- Heats up to 194 degrees Fahrenheit
- Wall mount design
- Strong heat dissipation
- Very affordable
TURKU TU90WD-OD – Residential 9KW Wet & Dry 240V
- Stand Out Features - Why We Love It
- Silent timer and very accurate thermometer
- Traditional design, suitable for wet and dry heating
- Perfect for larger sauna rooms
- Heats up to 450 cubic feet
- Very safe (shuts down by itself if the air overheats)
Harvia M3 SL wood burning
- Stand Out Features - Why We Love It
- Suitable for small saunas
- Ideal for those who prefer wood burning
- Made by cult Finnish brand Harvia
- Looks elegant
- Several optional accessories available
Coasts AM60MI 6 kW Wet and Dry Sauna Heater
- What Makes This Sauna Heater Stand Out
- Certified to be energy efficient
- Safety shut down built in
- Outer and inner tanks made from rust resistant materials
- Matches the Aleko saunas perfectly
- Extremely affordable
TYLO Sense Sport 8
- Stand Out Features - Why We Love It
- Powerful (240 V, 8 gauge wire)
- Suitable for both home and commercial spaces
- Heats up to 420 cubic feet of space
- Thermosafe casing protects the inner works
- Built-in timer and thermostat
240-Vico Ultra Gas / Propane
- Stand Out Features - Why We Love It
- High power gas fired heater
- Safety cut-out built-in
- Specially treated stainless steel
- Includes high density rocks for ideal amount of steam
How To Choose A Sauna Heater – Buying Guide
Here are the main aspects to pay attention to before making the final decision.
Electric Sauna Heater
There’s a lot to be said in the debate regarding an electric vs. wood-fired sauna stove. Each type has its own advantages, so there’s no right or wrong choice per se. What you need to decide is which one is better for your current needs and sauna set-up. In our opinion, an electric sauna heater is more convenient for those who lack the time and dedication to maintain a traditional sauna stove.
Wood-Fired/Wood Burning Sauna Heater
On the other hand, if you don’t mind doing a bit of extra work but you really admire the Nordic way of life and what the whole sauna culture is about, then a wood burning heater for sauna is ideal for you.
Infrared Sauna Heater
While there’s no question that all saunas have their own proven health benefits, an infrared sauna takes it up a notch. There’s even evidence that an infrared sauna can help you fight cancer, diminish signs of ageing, boost your metabolism and vitality and much more. So, since an infrared sauna heater can contribute to the general wellness points of your sauna, we’re naturally all for it.
However, bear in mind that the maintenance for such a sauna heating device can be a little more complicated than the one required by more traditional models. Should anything start malfunctioning, the repair costs necessary for an infrared heater for sauna can be steep.
Size
There are two aspects to consider here. First, there’s the matter of its own size: the best sauna heater for you has to fit in your home without ruining the design of your spa room.
Secondly, there’s also the size of the room it can heat. Most sauna heaters mention in their product specifications that they can heat up a certain amount of cubic feet. If your sauna room exceeds that number, that means the sauna stove is too weak for your needs.
Stone Capacity
The power of your sauna stove is measured in stone capacity. It means the sauna heater is capable of heating up a certain weight equivalent of sauna stone material. The higher this number is, the more powerful your sauna heating device is.
Heat-up time
Obviously, in today’s age of hurriedness, everyone wants their sauna to heat up as fast as possible. It’s true that the best sauna heaters are able to go from zero to max in less time than their less performant counterparts.
However, bear in mind that the faster your sauna heating unit fires up, the less durable the heat will be. Sauna which take a longer time to heat are made from materials with more temperature inertia, which means they stay hot for a longer time.
If you’re not sure if your home sauna heater is fast or slow, or if it’s working as it should, don’t forget that you should measure its performance with a thermometer. All home saunas need to be equipped with sauna thermometers for safety reasons, anyway.
You might also like: Near Infrared vs. Far Infrared: 5 Main Differences You Need To Know
Set Up
Last, but not least, remember that you need to consider the difficulty of set-up before deciding on the best sauna heater for you. Do you want to install it by yourself? If so, look for one who promises an easy install. But, if you prefer to let a professional do the work anyway, then the complexity of the set-up shouldn’t weigh in your final decision.
FAQs
Q: What Is The Difference Between A Infrared And Electric Sauna Heater?
Just because these two types of sauna stove don’t use wood as a fuel doesn’t mean they are the same. An infrared sauna heating unit will use electricity as its source of power, it’s true, but it is capable of heating the human body at a much lower surrounding temperature. An electric sauna heater, on the other hand, will need to heat the air around your body first, in order to heat you up afterwards.
Infrared sauna heaters have their own health benefits as extras, but don’t go well with water or humidity, so they are only suitable for a dry sauna.
Q: Are Sauna Heaters Safe?
One of the main concerns of sauna designers and sauna stove manufacturers is the safety of people using their products in their home. So, the answer to this FAQ is that they are perfectly safe, but only if you choose a high-quality product from the list of the best sauna heaters. Go only for reputable brands which offer guarantees and make sure you read some other sauna heater reviews for the model you’re interested in.
Globo Surf Overview
We hope our guide on choosing the best sauna heater for your needs helped you make your decision. Once you find the perfect solution for heating up your sauna, all that’s left is to indulge in the amazing benefits of your home sauna. Enjoy!
More Watergear Hot Tube Reviews:
- Sauna Suits
- Sauna Backrests
- Barrel Saunas
- 2 Person Infrared Saunas
- 3 Person Infrared Saunas
- Outdoor Saunas
- Sauna Thermometers
- Sauna Rocks
- Infrared Heating Pads
More Heater Reviews: