Vol. 1 · No. 4 · October 2026

The current issue
Sauna Monthly

The monthly read on heat, cold & recovery

Sauna Monthly

Department · 11 listings

Heaters & Stoves

The heater is the sauna's engine, and its spec sheet is easy to get wrong. Size it in kilowatts to the room's volume and add margin for glass and outdoor walls. Then choose between a compact wall-mount unit and a tower, whose hundreds of pounds of stone store enough heat to keep the steam rolling. A wood stove frees you from the grid entirely, and an electric unit with a Wi-Fi controller has the sauna hot when you walk out the back door.

Median start
$1,595
Cheapest
$675
Dearest
$3,150

List prices across 9 models, from the Sauna Price Index.

Browse the catalogue· 11 listings

Every listing in Heaters & Stoves

Nootka Smart Sauna Heater (7.5kW / 9kW)

Nootka Saunas Heaters & Stoves

Nootka Smart Sauna Heater (7.5kW / 9kW)

Electric240V Hardwired
$2,100
Nootka Saunas Smart Controller

Nootka Saunas Heaters & Stoves

Nootka Saunas Smart Controller

Electric
$675
Harvia KIP80W 8kW Electric Sauna Heater

Harvia Heaters & Stoves

Harvia KIP80W 8kW Electric Sauna Heater

Electric240V Hardwired
$1,054
Analog thermometer and hygrometer gauge on a dark wooden table

The NumbersJuly 2026

What does a sauna cost to run? Work out your cost per session

Running an electric or infrared sauna costs cents a session. We run the formula for electric and infrared heaters and for a wood stove, with real numbers.

“An 8 kW heater costs about 38 cents to run for a 30-minute session at the average US electricity rate.”

InsideThe formula multiplies heater power by your time and rate · An electric hot-rock sauna costs about $0.38 a session · Infrared cabins cost less to run than hot-rock saunas

Read the article7 min
Harvia Cilindro PC80E 8kW Electric Sauna Heater

Harvia Heaters & Stoves

Harvia Cilindro PC80E 8kW Electric Sauna Heater

Electric240V Hardwired
$1,270

Session length

19+ min

In the KIHD cohort, sessions over 19 minutes were associated with roughly half the sudden-cardiac-death risk of sessions under 11 minutes.

The fix: Size the heater to the room's volume so it can hold protocol heat through a long session.

JAMA Internal Medicine, 2015
Harvia M3 Wood Burning Sauna Stove

Harvia Heaters & Stoves

Harvia M3 Wood Burning Sauna Stove

Wood-Fired
$969
HUUM DROP 6 6.0kW Sauna Heater Package

HUUM Heaters & Stoves

HUUM DROP 6 6.0kW Sauna Heater Package

Electric240V Hardwired
$3,150
HUUM HIVE 12 12kW Electric Sauna Heater

HUUM Heaters & Stoves

HUUM HIVE 12 12kW Electric Sauna Heater

Electric240V Hardwired
$2,848

What helps

The sizing checklist

The heater decides whether your sauna reaches protocol heat or plateaus lukewarm. Match its kilowatts to the room's volume, then plan for the circuit and the running cost.

HUUM CLIFF 9 9kW Electric Sauna Heater

HUUM Heaters & Stoves

HUUM CLIFF 9 9kW Electric Sauna Heater

Electric240V Hardwired
$2,638
Close-up of a modern sauna heater filled with dark stones in warm light

Buyer's GuideJuly 2026

How to size a sauna heater (and why tower heaters make better steam)

A sauna heater's kilowatts have to match the room's volume, and a heater sized that way makes 90°C easy to reach. Get the match wrong and you've built a warm box.

“Where a wall heater holds 50 lbs of stone, a tower holds 200+, and all that extra stone banks heat for every ladle of water.”

InsideMatch the heater's kilowatts to your room's volume · Stone mass makes the steam

Read the article6 min
Saunum AIR 7 Sauna Heater (Black)

Saunum Heaters & Stoves

Saunum AIR 7 Sauna Heater (Black)

Electric240V Hardwired
$3,095
Saunum AIR 10 Sauna Heater (Black)

Saunum Heaters & Stoves

Saunum AIR 10 Sauna Heater (Black)

Electric240V Hardwired
$3,395
Cozy Heat 12kW Wood Burning Sauna Stove

Cozy Heat Heaters & Stoves

Cozy Heat 12kW Wood Burning Sauna Stove

Wood-Fired
$1,595

The science

Why heaters & stoves? The science

The heater is the sauna's engine, and its spec sheet is easy to get wrong. Size it in kilowatts to the room's volume and add margin for glass and outdoor walls. Then choose between a compact wall-mount unit and a tower, whose hundreds of pounds of stone store enough heat to keep the steam rolling. A wood stove frees you from the grid entirely, and an electric unit with a Wi-Fi controller has the sauna hot when you walk out the back door.

Common questions

How many kW do I need?
As a rule of thumb, allow 1 kW per 45 cubic feet of room volume, then add roughly 25% for a glass door or uninsulated outdoor walls, and more in cold climates. An 8×6×7 ft room holds about 336 cu ft, which lands on an 8 kW unit.
What's the point of tower heaters like the Cilindro or HIVE?
Tower heaters hold 200+ lbs of stones, and a wall heater holds 50 lbs. More stone stores more heat, so the room stays hot longer and each ladle of water gives you more löyly.

Sources

  1. Association Between Sauna Bathing and Fatal Cardiovascular and All-Cause Mortality Events · JAMA Internal Medicine (2015)
  2. NFPA 70: National Electrical Code (NEC) · National Fire Protection Association (2023)
  3. Electric Power Monthly: Average Price of Electricity to Ultimate Customers · U.S. Energy Information Administration (2025)

The Monthly Dispatch

Get one issue a month by email.

Each issue covers new saunas and gear, along with session protocols and the heat-therapy research behind them. We'll only send you the issue, and you can unsubscribe at any time.