Sauna Heater Choices - Wood or Electric?

Traditionally, outdoor home saunas have been heated with a wood burning sauna heater. In modern times, electric heaters have become more popular, especially with folks who have easy access to electrical outlets. At Northern Lights, we offer high quality choices in both kinds of sauna heaters.

So, which kind of sauna heater is the best fit for you? Our cedar barrel saunas make highly efficient use of the heat that is put out by either type of heater, so it really comes down to your personal preference (assuming you aren't limited to a wood heater due to lack of available electricity).

Sauna purists will tell you that a wood burner is the only way to go - that it produces the truest sauna experience. However, with the more modern electric heaters, like the ones we include with our saunas, there is no appreciable difference in terms of your sauna experience.

If you're looking for the more carefree of the two heaters, clearly the electric heater is a better fit. No wood to find and haul in... No ashes to clean up... No worries over dirty vents or flues from the soot. It's the ultimate in convenient, worry-free sauna bathing. This is why our cedar barrel sauna kits come with a stainless-steel electric heater as standard equipment.

Our choice of Home Craft electric heaters comes from our extensive experience with them. They are superior quality electric sauna heaters, made by a company with a long track record of dependable durability. The stainless-steel covers ensure that you will have many years of trusty service from your sauna heater with no rust worries.

Regardless of how you heat your sauna, steam is created by pouring water over the stones that are held on top of the heating element. While the exact temperature inside your sauna is up to you, most sauna bathers report that around 85 degrees C (about 185 F) works best. Our heaters allow you to control the temperature, and if you always keep a bucket of water handy at all times, you can easily create more steam as your wishes dictate.

If you find that the heat inside your sauna is uncomfortable for you, but others report liking it that hot, you can always cool yourself down by simply moving from the upper bench to the lower one. This way, you can remain in the sauna with the others and everyone's happy! Each of our cedar barrel saunas comes with this bi-level bench seating arrangement.