Comparison
Nootka vs. Redwood Outdoors: is the cedar barrel worth the extra money?
Priced with a roof and delivery, Redwood's 8-person barrel costs about $1,500 to $2,300 less than Nootka's 8ft. We set out what Nootka's extra money buys.
By Adam Bognar, Editor
Buy Nootka's 8ft if its builders cover your area or you want to burn wood, and buy Redwood's 8-person barrel if you'll build it yourself and want it in the yard sooner. Priced with a roof and delivery, Redwood's barrel costs about $2,300 less, and about $1,500 less once both can be started from your phone. We compared the two makers' barrels from their own stores, manuals, delivery pages and written warranties. The two barrels run within two inches of each other in length. Nootka also publishes its own side-by-side with Redwood, so we've kept to what each maker says about its own sauna.
Our Nootka Saunas buyer's guide prices every Nootka build, delivery included.
Which barrel should you buy?
Start with where you live. If Nootka's builders cover your area, the 8ft arrives and goes up for $950 across most of the US regions Nootka serves, and you never touch the crate. Everywhere else both barrels come in a crate, and Redwood's lower price and quicker shipping count for more.
The table lines up both makers' barrels. Redwood's 8-person and Nootka's 8ft are within two inches of each other in length. Our Nootka review priced against Redwood's 6-person, which is about two feet shorter.
| Barrel | Price with heater | Outside size | Seats, by the maker | Wood | Heater | Weak spot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nootka 8ft | $8,200 | 94 × 78 in, 86 in tall | 4 | 1.5 in Western Red Cedar | Nootka 9 kW, touchscreen | Roof costs $774 more |
| Nootka 10ft | $9,300 | 118 × 78 in, 86 in tall | 6 | 1.5 in Western Red Cedar | Nootka 9 kW, or a Harvia M3 wood stove | Ships in 4–5 weeks to most areas |
| Redwood Barrel 8 Person | $6,899 | 92½ × 72¾ in, 76½ in tall | 6–8 | Thermally modified hemlock; thickness not published | Harvia KIP 8 kW with dials | One year of cover on the body |
| Redwood Barrel 6 Person | $6,299 | 71 × 72¾ in, 76½ in tall | 4–6 | Thermally modified hemlock; thickness not published | Harvia KIP 6 kW with dials | About two feet shorter than Nootka's 8ft |
Prices from each maker's US store on Oct 8, 2026, before delivery. Sizes come from Nootka's blueprints and Redwood's product specifications. Seats are each maker's own counts, and Redwood counts more generously. Nootka's barrels measure 81 in wide with the metal roof. Nootka's product-page drawings, which our 3D models follow, show the barrels 80 in across and 82 in tall. For site prep, go by the blueprints.
What does each barrel cost with a roof, phone control and delivery?
Price them the way you'd use them and the gap narrows. Redwood's 8-person barrel includes a shingle roof in its price, and its own FAQ says water will leak through the roof boards without one. Nootka sells the 8ft bare and charges $774 for its metal roof, which Nootka says is what makes the barrel rainproof.
Phone control swings the other way. Nootka's LTE controller costs $375, cellular data for the first five years included, and the cheapest Wi-Fi heater Redwood offers for its large barrels adds $1,200. Delivery is close. Nootka's builders put the 8ft up for that same $950, and Redwood's freight to the curb costs $689, after which you build it yourself.
By our math the Nootka comes to about $10,300 standing and app-ready, and the Redwood to about $8,800 in a crate at the curb. Leave out phone control and the gap grows to about $2,300. The electrician is extra on both, and our permits and wiring guide budgets $600 to $2,500 for the circuit.
| Nootka 8ft | Redwood Barrel 8 Person | |
|---|---|---|
| Barrel with heater and stones | $8,200 | $6,899 |
| Roof | Metal roof, $774 | Shingles, included |
| Phone control | LTE controller, $375 | Harvia KIP 8 kW Wi-Fi, $1,200 |
| Delivery | Built by Nootka, $950 in most US areas | Crate to the curb, $689; you build it |
| Total before tax | $10,299 | $8,788 |
| Total without phone control | $9,924 | $7,588 |
Prices from the makers' US stores on Oct 8, 2026. Redwood's freight is its cart quote at six US ZIP codes, and Nootka's assembly price comes from the rate table behind its delivery checker and varies by area. Neither total includes the electrician.
Nootka builds in thick cedar, and Redwood in heat-treated hemlock
Nootka uses kiln-dried, select tight-knot Western Red Cedar an inch and a half thick. Redwood uses Canadian hemlock that it heats above 400°F in a kiln, the wood the trade calls thermowood, and it doesn't say how thick its staves are. Its design FAQ promises thick lumber and leaves it there.
Both woods suit a backyard. The heat treatment makes hemlock swell and shrink less and lets it resist rot without chemicals. Cedar does the same job with its own resins, and it brings the scent along.
Nootka's barrel is the roomier of the two by Nootka's own account. Its comparison with Redwood claims 8¾ inches more headroom and benches two inches wider than Redwood's porch barrel, which shares the 8-person's diameter. Redwood doesn't publish its inside height, so that figure is Nootka's alone.
Nootka quotes a 15-minute heat-up, and Redwood's manual allows an hour
Nootka's 9 kW heater runs from a touchscreen by the door, and Nootka's FAQ says it takes the barrel to 194°F (90°C) in 10 to 15 minutes. Redwood fits its 8-person barrel with an 8 kW Harvia KIP on dials, and its barrel manual plans on 45 minutes to an hour of preheating. Neither maker says how cold the barrel was when the clock started, so read both as claims.
The wiring differs too. Nootka's heater wants a 50-amp breaker that isn't a GFCI, and Redwood's electrical FAQ puts the 8 kW KIP on a 40-amp breaker with 8/2 wire. Both heaters go in through a licensed electrician.
Only Nootka sells a wood-fired barrel
Nootka swaps its electric heater for a Harvia M3 wood stove for $300, with a chimney kit in the box, and a wood stove spares you the electrician. Redwood sells nothing wood-fired now. Its only stove part, a chimney kit for that same M3, is listed as discontinued.
If you want fire, buy Nootka's 10ft. The M3 stands on the floor and reaches about 30 inches into the room, and Nootka's FAQ steers wood buyers to the longer barrel, which Nootka rates for four to six with the stove.
Where to buy
Nootka Saunas Outdoor Saunas
Nootka 10ft Barrel Sauna
“This longer barrel keeps the 8ft's cedar build and makes room for six.”
Redwood ships within days, and Nootka's builders assemble it for you
Redwood's product pages had both barrels shipping 12 days after an order placed on the day we checked. A box truck brings the crate to the curb with a liftgate, as Redwood's delivery page describes, and you put it together with a drill and a rubber mallet. Redwood says that takes a few hours.
Nootka lists four to five weeks to ship to most of its areas, and in those areas its builder does the assembly in five to six hours. Outside them, Nootka sends a crate too, and our Nootka owner's guide covers what that involves.
Nootka's warranty covers the structure for five years, and Redwood's covers the body for one
Redwood's warranty covers the sauna body for one year from delivery, for the first owner only, and never pays for labor or the electrician. Nootka's warranty runs five years on the structure. After the second year it covers only rot that runs all the way through a board, faulty glass and a rusting roof.
The heaters reverse the picture. Redwood's product pages give its Harvia heaters a year on the elements and five years on the other parts, though its manuals mention a single year for sauna and heater together. Nootka covers its own heater for two years and treats the elements as consumables, so they're excluded from the start.
Redwood lets you sit in one before you buy
Redwood runs showrooms in Seattle, Santa Monica, Salt Lake City and New York, so you can try a bench before you spend.
The terms differ as well. Redwood sells through Affirm financing and, by its order terms, lets you cancel free within seven days, and our HSA guide explains the Truemed route it offers for pre-tax money. Nootka's FAQ says it offers no payment plans. It takes a 15% deposit that it keeps after seven days, by its refund policy, and the balance comes due before the sauna ships.
Who should buy which?
Buy the Nootka 8ft if you live in one of Nootka's assembly areas or want phone control without paying $1,200 for it. It's also the barrel for buyers who want cedar and five years of cover on the structure. Its weak spot is commitment, with the roof extra, no financing and a deposit you lose after a week. Buy the 10ft if you want to burn wood.
Buy Redwood's 8-person barrel if you're happy to build it, you want it this month or you'd like to sit in one at a showroom first. It costs about $1,500 to $2,300 less than the Nootka once both are roofed and delivered. Its weak spot is the warranty, at one year on the body.
Where to buy
Nootka Saunas Outdoor Saunas
Nootka 8ft Barrel Sauna
“On-site assembly where Nootka offers it makes this thick cedar barrel worth its higher price.”
Barrel Outdoor Sauna - 6 Person. Redwood Outdoors photography.
See the specifications and priceHow we compared them
We read Nootka's and Redwood's US stores, product specifications, assembly manuals, delivery pages and written warranties on Oct 8, 2026, and priced Redwood's freight with its cart estimator at six US ZIP codes. Nootka's assembly prices come from the price list its delivery checker loads. Where Nootka's own Redwood comparison and Redwood's pages disagree about a Redwood sauna, we went with Redwood. Sauna Monthly earns a commission on Nootka sales and nothing from Redwood.
Common questions
- Is Nootka better than Redwood Outdoors?
- Nootka's 8ft barrel is the better sauna where Nootka's builders can assemble it, with inch-and-a-half Western Red Cedar, a 9 kW heater and five years of cover on the structure. Redwood Outdoors' 8-person barrel costs about $1,500 to $2,300 less once both are roofed and delivered, ships sooner and suits buyers who'll build it themselves.
- Which is cheaper, Nootka or Redwood Outdoors?
- Redwood Outdoors is cheaper. Its Barrel 8 Person costs $6,899 with an 8 kW Harvia heater and a shingle roof, and Nootka's 8ft costs $8,200 with its heater and no roof. With a roof, phone control and delivery, Nootka's 8ft comes to about $10,300 and Redwood's to about $8,800 before tax.
- Does Redwood Outdoors sell a wood-burning sauna?
- No. Redwood Outdoors sells only electric saunas, and its chimney kit for the Harvia M3 stove is listed as discontinued. Nootka sells both its barrels with a Harvia M3 wood stove for $300 more than the electric heater.
- Which has the better warranty, Nootka or Redwood Outdoors?
- Nootka's warranty is longer on the sauna itself, at five years on the structure against one year on Redwood Outdoors' sauna body. Redwood's product pages give its Harvia heaters five years on parts other than the elements, which beats Nootka's two years on its own heater.
Sources
- 1.Warranty. Nootka Saunas, 2026.
- 2.Frequently Asked Questions. Nootka Saunas, 2026.
- 3.Sauna Warranty. Redwood Outdoors, 2026.
- 4.FAQs: Sauna Heater & Electrical. Redwood Outdoors, 2026.
We review from makers’ documentation, owner reports and published research. How we choose products and write reviews.
