Brand Review
Almost Heaven Saunas review: how the indoor rooms and the barrels compare
The eight Almost Heaven rooms we list cost $4,176 to $7,455 and all run Harvia heaters. We fit each one to a house and list the costs the sticker omits.
By Adam Bognar, Editor
Almost Heaven saunas are thick-walled traditional rooms built in West Virginia, and every one we list comes with a Harvia heater. We'd start with the Auburn indoors and the four-person Pinnacle barrel outdoors, though your space will narrow the choice to one or two rooms almost immediately. We priced the three indoor rooms and four outdoor barrels that Select Saunas carries, plus the Aurora that Costco sells. Sale prices start at $4,176 for the two-person Salem barrel and top out at $7,455 for the Shenandoah, which adds a changing room to a ten-foot barrel.
Almost Heaven has built thick-walled saunas in West Virginia since 1977
Almost Heaven has built saunas in West Virginia's Greenbrier Valley since 1977, and it joined Harvia in 2019, which is why a Harvia heater comes with every room. It builds the walls from lumber an inch and three-eighths thick, tongue-and-groove for the indoor rooms and ball-and-socket for the barrels. Check the wall thickness first when you compare brands, since budget kits economize on it and it governs how evenly a room holds temperature through a long session.
Every model in this review is a traditional sauna, so you ladle water onto hot rocks for real löyly. Almost Heaven's own store has started selling a few infrared cabins too, like the two-to-three person Hinton and the one-person Laurel. We've left those out because Select Saunas doesn't carry them, and our infrared vs. traditional comparison is the place to start if you're still deciding between the two.
Eight Almost Heaven models run from $4,176 to $7,455
We list eight Almost Heaven saunas, four for indoors and four barrels for the yard. Seven of them sell through Select Saunas, and Costco sells the Aurora on its own. The cheapest indoor room is the Auburn at $4,260, and it costs $84 more than the Salem barrel.
Every model here runs a Harvia on a 240V circuit. The three 8 kW models need 40 amps, and everything else needs 30. Each model name in the table opens its own page with the full specifications.
| Model | Type | Seats | Heater | Electrical | Price | Sold by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salem | Outdoor barrel, about 6½ x 4 ft | 2 | 6 kW Harvia KIP60B | 240V, 30A hardwired | $4,176 | Select Saunas |
| Auburn | Indoor room | 2–3 | 6 kW Harvia KIP | 240V, 30A hardwired | $4,260 | Select Saunas |
| Madison | Indoor room | 2–3 | 6 kW Harvia KIP | 240V, 30A hardwired | $4,786 | Select Saunas |
| Pinnacle | Outdoor barrel, 6 x 6 ft | 4 | 6 kW Harvia KIP60B | 240V, 30A hardwired | $5,303 | Select Saunas |
| Princeton | Outdoor barrel, 6 x 8 ft | 6 | 8 kW Harvia KIP | 240V, 40A hardwired | $6,252 | Select Saunas |
| Aurora | Indoor room | 3 | 6 kW Harvia with Wi-Fi | 240V, 30A | $5,699.99 | Costco |
| Patterson | Indoor corner room | 6 | 8 kW Harvia KIP80B | 240V, 40A hardwired | $6,739 | Select Saunas |
| Shenandoah | Outdoor barrel with changing room, 7 x 10 ft | 4–6 | 8 kW Harvia | 240V, 40A hardwired | $7,455 | Select Saunas |
Prices from Select Saunas and Costco, checked Oct 5, 2026, and the Princeton's on Oct 8. Seat counts and heater specs come from Almost Heaven's own pages and the sellers' listings, checked again Oct 7, 2026. Costco lists the Aurora at 240V and 30A without saying whether it hardwires.
Footprint picks between the indoor Madison, Auburn and Patterson
Footprint decides between the three indoor models before anything else does. The Madison seats two or three for $4,786 in rustic red cedar or hemfir, and it comes with a 6 kW Harvia KIP. Its two bench levels sit behind a tempered glass door.
The Auburn seats the same two or three in knotty hemfir or rustic cedar and carries the same 6 kW Harvia KIP. Select Saunas says the Auburn reaches 180°F in under an hour, and its interior measures 65 inches wide by 42 deep by 77 high.
At the prices we checked, the Auburn costs $4,260, so you're getting the same heater for $526 less than the Madison. It stands 70 inches wide by 47 deep outside, by Select Saunas' figures, where the Madison measures 65 by 53. Our Auburn page covers the room it needs, from ceiling height to the circuit. Price the Auburn first. The Madison makes sense when its proportions suit your wall better.
The Patterson is the six-person corner room in Nordic spruce, and it costs $6,739. Almost Heaven rates its 8 kW Harvia KIP80B to take the room past 170°F. It's made to order and carries a limited lifetime warranty on the room. The corner layout lets the Patterson seat six without the full wall that six-person rooms usually demand.
Where to buy
Almost Heaven Saunas Indoor Saunas
Almost Heaven Auburn 2-3 Person Indoor Sauna
Almost Heaven Saunas Indoor Saunas
Almost Heaven Madison 2-3 Person Indoor Sauna
Almost Heaven Saunas Indoor Saunas
Almost Heaven Patterson 6-Person Indoor Sauna
Almost Heaven Auburn 2-3 Person Indoor Sauna. Almost Heaven Saunas photography.
See the specifications and priceCostco sells the Aurora on its own
The Aurora comes up in searches for Almost Heaven, but you won't find it at Select Saunas or in Almost Heaven's own online store. Costco sells it for $5,699.99, and its listing describes a three-person indoor room in Western Red Cedar with a Wi-Fi-enabled 6 kW Harvia on 240V and 30 amps. Almost Heaven ships it to the curb under Costco's direct-from-manufacturer program. When we checked on Oct 5, 2026, Costco showed it out of stock.
On paper we'd call the Aurora the Auburn's closest relative in the range, since both seat up to three on a 6 kW Harvia. The shapes differ. Costco gives the Aurora's outside as 57.75 inches wide by 63.75 deep, so it fits a square alcove, and the Auburn's 70 by 47 suits a long wall.
The Auburn costs $1,440 less. Almost Heaven's own store fits the Auburn with a Harvia smart heater and Fenix panel for $5,576 in cedar, if Wi-Fi is what draws you to the Aurora.
Where to buy
Almost Heaven Saunas Indoor Saunas
Almost Heaven Aurora 3-Person Indoor Sauna
The barrels scale from the Salem up to the Shenandoah
All four outdoor models are American-made. The Salem measures about six and a half feet by four and seats two for $4,176, and the Pinnacle runs six by six for four people at $5,303 with 64-inch benches down each side. Both ship with a 6 kW Harvia KIP60B on a 30A circuit and use the same inch-and-three-eighths lumber as the indoor rooms, milled with a ball-and-socket joint so the staves can follow the curve.
Select Saunas prints compare-at prices far above what it charges, $6,814 and $8,165, so we treat the sale price as the price. When we checked, Almost Heaven's own store had the Salem on sale for $139.50 less than Select. Both barrels arrive as freight on a pallet, and you'll build them over a weekend, as with nearly every barrel sold online.
The Princeton stretches the same build to eight feet, and Almost Heaven rates it for six on two facing benches. Select Saunas sells it for $6,252 with an 8 kW Harvia KIP on a 40A circuit and ships it free within the contiguous US. It comes without a roof, so add Almost Heaven's $446 canvas rain jacket if it'll sit out in the weather. Our Nootka vs. Almost Heaven comparison sets it against Nootka's 8ft barrel.
The Shenandoah stretches the barrel to ten feet and splits it in two. A six-foot hot room that Almost Heaven rates for up to six sits behind a four-foot changing room, which gives you somewhere dry to undress on a January night. We found it at Select Saunas for $7,455, against a $12,752 compare-at price and Almost Heaven's own $10,650. An 8 kW Harvia heats it on a 40A circuit, and Select Saunas says the room reaches 180°F in about an hour.
Plan the Shenandoah's delivery more carefully than anything else in the range. At 1,750 pounds it ships by flatbed with no liftgate. Select Saunas quotes 3 to 8 weeks and Almost Heaven 8 to 12, so ask before you plan the pad. You'll need three or four people to unload it piece by piece, or you can pay for the driver offload at checkout.
Where to buy
Almost Heaven Outdoor Saunas
Almost Heaven Pinnacle 4-Person Barrel Sauna
Almost Heaven Outdoor Saunas
Almost Heaven Princeton 6-Person Barrel Sauna
Almost Heaven Outdoor Saunas
Almost Heaven Shenandoah 4-6 Person Barrel Sauna with Changing Room
“Buy this barrel if you want a four-foot changing room out of the weather.”
Almost Heaven Salem 2-Person Barrel Sauna. Almost Heaven photography.
See the specifications and priceEach Harvia heater matches its room's volume
A Harvia ships with every model in the range, which is a good sign. Harvia is the Finnish default and its heaters are sound. Almost Heaven matches each heater to its room, so you don't have to size one yourself.
The Madison and the Auburn both carry the 6 kW KIP, and so do the two smaller barrels. The 8 kW heaters in the Patterson and the two longer barrels warm far more air, which is why those three want 40A at the panel while the smaller rooms run on 30A. If you're fitting a heater to a room you built yourself, size it from the heater maker's own chart, and our heater sizing guide has more on how.
Plan for the electrician and the freight
The price we quote covers the room and the heater, and the electrician is extra. Every model here hardwires at 240V, with 30A for the two-to-three person rooms and the two smaller barrels and 40A for the Patterson and the two longer barrels. Your electrician will price that work against whatever spare capacity your panel happens to have.
Freight takes planning too. Most of the range comes on a pallet weighing several hundred pounds, so you'll need somewhere to put it on delivery day. The Shenandoah comes on a flatbed that you unload yourself.
The Patterson is made to order and takes three to four weeks to ship. The Shenandoah's lead time depends on whom you ask, from 3 to 8 weeks at Select Saunas to 8 to 12 at Almost Heaven. Any of this can move the week you first sit in one, and our delivery and assembly guide covers what a pallet delivery involves.
Who should buy an Almost Heaven sauna?
Buy an Almost Heaven if you want a traditional hot-rock room for around $5,000 and you're happy to build it yourself. Indoors, the Auburn is our pick for two or three, because it costs $526 less than the Madison with the same 6 kW Harvia. Its weak spot is the 30-amp hardwired circuit, which an electrician has to add. Outdoors, the four-person Pinnacle gets you the most bench for the money at $5,303. You'll spend a weekend putting its staves together, and it has no roof unless you buy one.
If you'd rather someone else built it, read our Nootka vs. Almost Heaven comparison. Nootka assembles its cedar barrels on site in some areas and charges thousands more. Redwood Outdoors sells thermowood barrels and cabins from $5,899 with a Harvia included, and its warranty runs a year on the sauna. For a Canadian-built kit in eastern white cedar, our Dundalk LeisureCraft review prices the heater those kits leave out.
Where to buy
Almost Heaven Saunas Indoor Saunas
Almost Heaven Auburn 2-3 Person Indoor Sauna
Almost Heaven Outdoor Saunas
Almost Heaven Pinnacle 4-Person Barrel Sauna
Common questions
- What is the difference between the Almost Heaven Madison and the Auburn?
- The Almost Heaven Auburn costs $526 less than the Madison, and both seat two to three people on the same 6 kW Harvia KIP. At the Select Saunas prices we checked, the Auburn is $4,260 with an interior of 65 by 42 by 77 inches, and the Madison is $4,786. The Madison measures 65 inches wide by 53 deep outside, against the Auburn's 70 by 47. Pick the Madison when its layout suits your wall better.
- How big is the Almost Heaven Shenandoah?
- The Almost Heaven Shenandoah is a barrel of about 7 by 10 feet, and Almost Heaven lists it at about 82 inches wide by 119 long and 86 high. Inside, the sauna room runs 63¾ inches deep and Almost Heaven rates it for up to six. A changing room about 46 inches deep sits in front of it. Select Saunas sells it for $7,455 with an 8 kW Harvia on a 40A circuit.
- Where can I buy the Almost Heaven Aurora?
- Costco sells the Almost Heaven Aurora online for $5,699.99 as a direct-from-manufacturer item, and Almost Heaven handles shipping and delivery. The Aurora is a three-person Western Red Cedar room with a Wi-Fi-enabled 6 kW Harvia. Select Saunas and Almost Heaven's own online store don't list it, and Costco showed it out of stock on Oct 5, 2026.
- Are Almost Heaven saunas made in the USA?
- Yes. Almost Heaven builds its saunas in West Virginia's Greenbrier Valley, where it has worked since 1977, and its limited lifetime warranty covers the room against manufacturing defects for the original owner in the contiguous US. Harvia makes the heaters in Finland and covers them for five years, with one year on the elements.
- What electrical work does an Almost Heaven sauna need?
- Every Almost Heaven sauna we list needs a 240V circuit that an electrician installs, and Select Saunas lists each of its seven as hardwired. The Madison, Auburn, Aurora, Salem and Pinnacle want 30A, and the Patterson, the Princeton and the Shenandoah want 40A for their 8 kW heaters. Interior LED lighting runs on standard 110V. Price the electrical against your panel's spare capacity, since that varies more than the sauna does.
- Which Almost Heaven sauna is best for two people?
- Indoors, we'd pick the Almost Heaven Auburn for two, since it costs $526 less than the Madison with the same 6 kW heater. Choose the Madison if its proportions suit your wall better. The Salem barrel seats two outdoors for $4,176.
- Do Almost Heaven saunas arrive assembled?
- No. Almost Heaven saunas ship as freight, in pre-cut wall sections for the indoor rooms and ball-and-socket staves for the barrels, and you'll assemble them on site. The Patterson is made to order and takes a three to four week build before it ships. The Shenandoah comes by flatbed with no liftgate, so you'll unload about 1,750 pounds yourself or pay for the driver offload.
- What are the alternatives to Almost Heaven saunas?
- Redwood Outdoors is the closest alternative to an Almost Heaven sauna, with self-assembly thermowood barrels and cabins from $5,899 that include a Harvia heater. Nootka costs more and builds its barrels in Western Red Cedar, and it assembles them on site in some areas. Dundalk LeisureCraft sells eastern white cedar kits from $5,946 without a heater.
Sources
- 1.Association Between Sauna Bathing and Fatal Cardiovascular and All-Cause Mortality Events. JAMA Internal Medicine, 2015.
- 2.Sauna Bathing and Incident Hypertension: A Prospective Cohort Study. American Journal of Hypertension, 2017.
- 3.NFPA 70: National Electrical Code (NEC). National Fire Protection Association, 2023.
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