Brand Review
Redwood Outdoors review: how the thermowood barrels and cabins compare
The six-person barrel is our pick of Redwood's five self-assembly hemlock saunas, which run $5,899 to $8,699 with a Harvia heater included.
By Adam Bognar, Editor
Redwood Outdoors suits buyers who'll build their own sauna, and its six-person barrel at $6,299 is the default pick. We compared all five of its outdoor rooms, from the two-person Duo at $5,899 to the eight-person Garden at $8,699. Every one is built from thermally modified Canadian hemlock, and each ships as a kit you assemble with a Harvia KIP heater in the price. Redwood is the brand behind a lot of the barrel saunas sold online in North America, and its lineup has grown well past the barrel. With prices this close together, choose by the footprint your yard and guest list call for, and by whether you'll give up a weekend to the build.
For a cedar barrel built on site, read our Nootka guide.
Thermowood keeps Redwood's prices below cedar's
Every Redwood sauna is built from heat-treated Canadian hemlock, which the industry calls thermowood. The lumber goes through a high-heat, low-oxygen kiln before milling, and the process drives out moisture along with the sugars that feed rot. The wood comes out darker and lighter in weight.
It's also far more dimensionally stable than ordinary kiln-dried hemlock, so it swells and shrinks less with the seasons. It resists decay without chemical treatment and takes stain evenly. The heat treatment costs some hardness, and thermowood dents more easily than clear cedar. The kiln also leaves it smelling of toast, without cedar's forest scent.
Nootka builds its barrels from inch-and-a-half Western Red Cedar and charges accordingly. We'd call both woods sound choices, and Redwood's hemlock is what lets its six-person barrel list at $6,299.
Redwood's six-person barrel costs $6,299 with the heater
Redwood's classic shape is a 71-inch by 72¾-inch barrel at $6,299, and it's the model that made the brand. Redwood rates it for six people, though four is the number we'd plan around. You'll find it in backyards across the continent because the price sits a couple of thousand dollars below anything comparable in cedar.
Redwood puts a 6 kW Harvia KIP and its rocks in that price. Its upgrades include an 8 kW KIP, a Harvia Spirit with Wi-Fi and a 9 kW Homecraft, and each one costs extra. Our barrel versus cube piece explains why the round shape has less air to heat.
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Barrel Outdoor Sauna - 6 Person. Redwood Outdoors photography.
See the specifications and priceThe Vista puts a glass wall on the same barrel
The Vista is Redwood's six-person barrel with a full glass back wall, and at $6,899 it costs $600 more than the plain one. It shares the barrel's footprint, and Redwood fits it with a 6 kW Harvia KIP that you can upgrade to 8 kW. Price it against the plain barrel if you want daylight and a view from the benches.
Redwood's two cabins cover the buyers the barrels miss. The Cabin is Redwood's compact four-seater at $7,299 with a 6 kW Harvia KIP. A gravity venting system comes with it, and the footprint fits a smaller yard without shrinking the benches.
At 90 by 90 inches, the Garden is the big one, and Redwood rates it for six to eight people across two bench levels. It costs $8,699 in FSC-certified hemlock with an 8 kW Harvia KIP, and Redwood's upgrades go up to a 10.5 kW Harvia Virta. A large tempered glass window lights one wall.
The Garden weighs 1,410 lbs, and Redwood accepts gravel or pavers under it as well as a concrete pad, so read the delivery guide before you order it. Buy it when the sauna is the centerpiece of your backyard.
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Even the two-person Duo needs a 240V circuit
Redwood's two-person outdoor Duo is a 62¾ by 50¾ inch cube in the same thermowood, and it costs $5,899 with a 6 kW Harvia KIP. Redwood buyers click its page on our site more than any other.
Every heater option on the Duo is hardwired 240V, and Redwood makes no 120V plug-in version at any price. We'd make the same call for a room this size, since a plug-in heater would never reach a proper temperature outdoors in winter. The electrician becomes part of the budget for even the smallest model, and our permits and wiring guide covers what the 240V run costs and who has to do it.
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Duo Outdoor Sauna - 2 Person. Redwood Outdoors photography.
See the specifications and priceRedwood's kit price leaves out the wiring and the build
Every Redwood price includes a Harvia KIP and its rocks, so the first extra is the wiring. The electrical work is a dedicated 240V circuit installed to code, and it runs from a few hundred dollars to a couple of thousand depending on how far the sauna sits from the panel.
You also do the assembly. The kit arrives as freight on a pallet, and two people with a rubber mallet can put a barrel together in a day or two, though the cabins take longer.
The warranty runs short for the money. Redwood covers the sauna itself for one year, and Harvia covers the heater's elements for a year and its other parts for five. Redwood's sauna warranty doesn't pay for labor or the electrician.
Redwood offers a $250 coupon to buyers who come through a partner link, which covers a fair share of the electrician. The saunas are also HSA and FSA eligible through Truemed, and our HSA guide walks through that route. If you want the sauna built for you, Nootka's higher prices pay for on-site assembly in the areas it covers.
Who should buy a Redwood?
Buy a Redwood if you want a real hot-rock sauna outdoors and you'll build it yourself. It suits you best when a few thousand dollars matters more to you than the gap between hemlock and cedar. The six-person barrel is the default pick. The Vista adds a glass wall for $600 more, and the Garden is for people who host.
Skip Redwood if assembly holds no interest for you, or if you want the wood itself to be the luxury. In that case, read our Nootka review next.
If you're after the cold half of the ritual, Redwood's Alaskan tub is a 130-gallon plunge in the same thermowood build. Our cold plunge roundup reviews it.
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Common questions
- What is thermowood, and is it as good as cedar for a sauna?
- Thermowood is lumber heat-treated in a low-oxygen kiln, which drives out moisture and sugars so the wood resists rot and moves less with the seasons without chemical treatment. Redwood uses thermally modified Canadian hemlock. It's more stable and cheaper than clear cedar, though it dents more easily and lacks cedar's scent. We think thermowood is a fair trade for the price difference.
- Do Redwood Outdoors saunas come assembled?
- No. Every Redwood Outdoors model ships as a self-assembly kit on a freight pallet. Two people can put a barrel together in a day or two, and the cabins and the Garden take longer. If you want delivery and assembly, Nootka's builders offer both around Vancouver and in some other areas.
- Which heater comes with a Redwood sauna?
- A Harvia KIP comes with every Redwood sauna. It's 6 kW on every model except the Garden, which gets 8 kW. Redwood sells upgrades at extra cost, up to 8 kW KIPs on the Vista and a 10.5 kW Harvia Virta on the Garden.
- What electrical does a Redwood sauna need?
- Every Redwood sauna needs a hardwired 240V circuit installed by a licensed electrician, including the two-person Duo. Redwood offers no 120V plug-in option. Budget for the run from your panel to the sauna's location before you pick the spot.
- Which Redwood sauna is best for a family?
- For a family on a firm budget, the best Redwood is the six-person barrel at $6,299 if you like the shape. The Vista is the same barrel with a glass back wall for $6,899. If six or more of you regularly bathe at once and want the big window, choose the Garden at $8,699 and plan a level, well-drained pad.
Sources
- 1.NFPA 70: National Electrical Code (NEC). National Fire Protection Association, 2023.
- 2.Publication 502: Medical and Dental Expenses. Internal Revenue Service, 2025.
- 3.Electric Power Monthly: Average Price of Electricity to Ultimate Customers. U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2025.
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