Buying a Sauna in Ireland & the UK: The Complete Guide

Which sauna are you buying?

Most people buying a sauna fall into one of three groups. The questions, the budget and the rules are different for each, so start with yours.

What a sauna costs at a glance

We checked the prices that 67 sauna builders and suppliers in Ireland and the UK list on their own websites. Here is the spread, lowest listed price first, then the middle of the range.

Listed sauna prices in Ireland and the UK, checked 22–29 October 2026
	Irish sellers (€)	UK sellers (£)
Barrel sauna	From €1,899, typically €6,199 (25 products, 6 sellers)	From £2,390, typically £5,250 (37 products, 14 sellers)
Cabin or garden-room sauna	From €2,099, typically €8,401 (46 products, 12 sellers)	From £1,958, typically £9,999 (93 products, 28 sellers)
Cube or square sauna	From €2,899, typically €8,975 (12 products, 6 sellers)	From £3,250, typically £8,145 (20 products, 11 sellers)
Infrared cabin	From €1,999, typically €3,125 (8 products, 4 sellers)	From £1,199, typically £3,486 (16 products, 8 sellers)
Mobile or trailer sauna	From €6,500, typically €24,200 (8 products, 4 sellers)	From £10,000, typically £30,000 (11 products, 9 sellers)
Sauna heater or stove on its own	From €732, typically €916 (5 products, 1 seller)	From £350, typically £776 (6 products, 4 sellers)

The sauna is rarely the whole bill. Add a level base, an electrician (or a flue for a wood stove), delivery and sometimes a crane, and VAT where the price excludes it. Our full sauna cost guide breaks every item out.

Buying a sauna for your home or garden

Choose the shape first, then the heat, then the seller.

Garden sauna shapes compared
	Barrel	Cabin or cube	Infrared cabin
What it is	Curved staves held by steel bands; round inside	A small timber building with flat walls and roof	A cabin warmed by infrared panels, not hot air and stones
Heat	Wood stove or electric heater, 70–90°C	Wood stove or electric heater, 70–90°C	Usually 40–60°C, no steam from stones
Good for	Smaller gardens, quick heat-up, a classic look	More headroom, a changing room, glass fronts, year-round use	Indoors, short sessions, plugging in without a big heater circuit
Watch for	Low headroom at the sides; staves can shrink and leak in dry spells	Usually dearer per seat; may need more base work	No löyly (steam); a different experience from a Finnish sauna

Electric heaters are simplest to live with: a thermostat, a timer and no chimney. A wood stove gives the crackle and the scent, needs no mains power and suits off-grid spots, but needs a flue, dry wood and someone to tend it. Our guides to wood-fired vs electric and infrared vs traditional saunas go deeper.

Running one costs less than most people expect. Harvia, the Finnish heater maker, says a 6 kW heater uses about 7–9 kWh over a two-hour session.¹ At Ireland’s average household price of about €0.39 a kWh in early 2026,² that is roughly €2.70–€3.50. At the UK price cap of 26.32p a kWh from October 2026,³ it is about £1.85–£2.35.

Do you need planning permission?

Often not, if the sauna is a modest garden building used by your household. In Ireland, a shed or “other similar structure” behind or beside the house can be exempt if it meets set conditions. Since 27 July 2026 that includes a floor area of no more than 30 square metres, counting any sheds already there.⁴ In England, the Planning Portal lists sauna cabins among outbuildings that can be permitted development, within limits such as a height of 2.5 metres for any building within two metres of a boundary.⁵ Read planning permission for a sauna in Ireland or garden sauna planning permission in the UK before you order.

Electrics

A full-size electric sauna heater usually needs its own circuit from the fuse board, and sometimes a three-phase supply. In Ireland, the CRU says electrical work in your home must be done by a Registered Electrical Contractor: it is the law.⁶ In England and Wales, electrical work in your home or garden must meet the building regulations, and the Planning Portal advises using an installer registered with a competent person scheme.⁷ Our guide to sauna heater size and electrics explains what to ask for.

Buying across the border

Revenue says goods sent from Great Britain to Ireland are liable to Customs Duty and VAT.⁸ If you are in Ireland and like a British maker, ask for a delivered price that includes duty, VAT and any handling fee before you pay a deposit.

Buying a mobile or trailer sauna

A trailer sauna is a small sauna built on a road trailer, usually with a wood stove so it needs no power on site. They are heavier than they look: a 6–10 seat trailer can weigh 1.5–2.8 tonnes, which decides the licence you need and the car you tow with. In Ireland a category B licence covers a trailer of up to 750 kg fully loaded, or a heavier trailer where the car and trailer together weigh no more than 3,500 kg.⁹ In Great Britain, if you passed your test from 1 January 1997, you can tow a trailer of up to 3,500 kg MAM.¹⁰

Our mobile sauna trailer guide compares listed trailers, weights and prices, and our mobile sauna business guide covers pitches, council permits and insurance.

Buying a sauna for a business

A sauna that the public pays to use works harder than a home sauna. It runs for hours a day, takes 6–20 people at a time and is opened and closed by staff or a door code. That changes what you buy and what you need around it.

A commercial-rated heater or stove. Ask the seller whether the heater is rated for commercial use and how many hours a day. Many domestic heaters are not.
Permissions for the site. Planning, landowner consent, beach or council permits, and fire and health and safety duties all depend on where you put it.
Insurance. Public liability cover is usually asked for by councils and landowners before they agree a pitch.
A way to sell sessions. Online booking, payment, health terms and a plan for storms and cancellations.

Read what a commercial sauna costs, then the checklist for starting a sauna business in Ireland.

How long it takes

Weeks 1–2Choose a type, check planning and your electrics, and get two or three written quotes.
Weeks 2–12Lead time. In-stock saunas can arrive within days; made-to-order saunas usually take 4–12 weeks, bespoke builds longer.
Before deliveryLay a level base and have the circuit or flue ready.
Install dayMost garden saunas go up in one to four days, then the electrician connects and certifies the heater.

We list what 42 sellers say about their lead times in how long it takes to get a sauna.

Where to buy

The Olladay sauna industry directory lists 67 builders, suppliers and installers in Ireland, Northern Ireland and Great Britain, with prices, lead times and warranties from their own websites. Nobody pays to be listed.

Before you pay a deposit

Is the price for the sauna alone, or delivered, assembled and with the heater fitted?
Does it include VAT, and for a cross-border order, duty and handling?
What base does the seller want, and who lays it?
What power supply does the heater need, and will the seller’s electrician or yours connect it?
How long is the warranty on the timber and on the heater, and who services it?
When will it arrive, and what happens if it is late?
Have you sat in one? Visit a few public saunas near you first: it’s the fastest way to learn what size and heat you like.

How we wrote this page

Prices, sizes and lead times come from each seller’s own website. Every one links to the page we read, and we last checked them on 22–29 October 2026 for the Olladay sauna industry directory. Prices are the lowest listed for that product, before delivery, base and electrics unless the seller says otherwise, and can change at any time. Planning, electrical and towing rules are quoted from the official pages linked below. Spotted something wrong, or sell saunas and want your prices checked? Email us.

Olladay makes booking software for saunas. Nobody pays to be listed or ranked on these pages, and the tables are in price order, not in order of preference.

References

Harvia. The cost of heating a sauna is less than you think (manufacturer). www.harvia.com/en/ideas-and-trends/sustainability-and-safety/the-cost-of-heating-a-sauna-is-less-than-you-think
Eurostat. Electricity prices for household consumers, bi-annual data (nrg_pc_204), Ireland, 2,500–4,999 kWh a year, all taxes included. ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/nrg_pc_204/default/table
Ofgem. Changes to energy price cap between 1 October and 31 December 2026. www.ofgem.gov.uk/news/changes-energy-price-cap-between-1-october-and-31-december-2026
Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) Regulations 2026, S.I. No. 338 of 2026 (copy published by South Dublin County Council). www.sdcc.ie/en/services/planning-building-control/exempted-development/new-exemptions-27-07-26/regulations-2026-si-338-of-2026.pdf
Planning Portal. Outbuildings: planning permission (England). www.planningportal.co.uk/permission/common-projects/outbuildings/planning-permission
Commission for Regulation of Utilities. Electrical works in your home. www.cru.ie/consumer-information/home-safety/electrical-works/
Planning Portal. Electrics: building regulations (England and Wales). www.planningportal.co.uk/permission/common-projects/electrics/building-regulations
Revenue. Press release on eCommerce goods from Great Britain and the Union Handling Fee, 2026. www.revenue.ie/en/corporate/press-office/press-releases/2026/pr-092926-handling-fee.aspx
Citizens Information. Categories of motor vehicles and minimum age of drivers in Ireland. www.citizensinformation.ie/en/travel-and-recreation/motoring/driver-licensing/categories-of-motor-vehicles-and-minimum-age-of-drivers-in-ireland/
GOV.UK. Towing with a car: what you can tow. www.gov.uk/towing-with-car

Questions

How much does a garden sauna cost?

Irish sellers list barrel saunas from €1,899, and half are listed at €5,549–€7,399. UK sellers list barrels from £2,390, half at £3,999–£6,560. Cabin saunas vary more, from €2,099 or £1,958 for a small kit to far more for a bespoke cabin. Add a base, electrics or a flue, delivery and VAT where it is not included.

Do I need planning permission for a garden sauna?

Often not, if it is a modest building behind the house used by your household and it meets the size and height limits. In Ireland the exemption covers a floor area of up to 30 square metres with set conditions. In England, sauna cabins can be permitted development as outbuildings within height and boundary limits. Check with your council if in doubt.

Is a barrel sauna or a cabin sauna better?

A barrel heats quickly and suits smaller gardens. A cabin or cube gives more headroom, flat walls for a changing area and more seats, and is usually dearer per seat. Both reach 70–90°C with a proper heater.

How long does it take to get a sauna?

In-stock saunas can arrive within a week. Made-to-order saunas usually take 4–12 weeks, and bespoke builds three to six months. Installation itself takes one to four days for most garden saunas.

Can I tow a sauna trailer on a normal car licence?

In Ireland a category B licence covers a trailer up to 750 kg fully loaded, or a heavier one if the car and trailer together weigh no more than 3,500 kg. In Great Britain, drivers who passed from 1 January 1997 can tow a trailer up to 3,500 kg MAM. Many trailer saunas weigh 1.5–2.8 tonnes, so check the plated weight.

Do I need an electrician to install a sauna?

Yes for an electric heater. In Ireland the law requires a Registered Electrical Contractor for electrical work in your home. In England and Wales the work must meet the building regulations, and a registered competent person can self-certify it.

Buying a sauna.