Nootka Saunas Barrel Sauna
Nootka 8ft Barrel Sauna
4.7 out of 5Sauna Monthly verdictNootka builds this four-person barrel sauna from kiln-dried, select tight-knot Western Red Cedar an inch and a half thick and heats it with its own 9kW electric heater. The configurator offers roof and rear-window options, and you can add a glass door.
- Western Red Cedar
- Electric
- 240V Hardwired
$8,200–$10,574
from $2,050 a seat
15% above the median for outdoor saunas.
We may earn a commission when you buy through this link, and you pay the same price. Price as recorded in our catalogue on Oct 7, 2026.
Good to know: Configurator lets you swap the electric heater for a Harvia M3 wood-burning stove. The base price comes with a touchscreen that runs sessions on the spot, and phone control and scheduling need the LTE or Wi-Fi controller at $375 more. Prices are from Nootka's US store in USD.
Read our Nootka Saunas buyer’s guide- seats
- 4
- heater
- 9kW
- hardwired circuit
- 240V
- per seat
- $2,050
- our rating
- 4.7/ 5
4.7
Out of 5 · Our rating
Sauna Monthly verdict
“On-site assembly where Nootka offers it makes this thick cedar barrel worth its higher price.”
By our pricing this barrel costs a couple of thousand more than a thermowood kit, and for a first-time buyer we think the extra is well spent. Where Nootka offers on-site assembly, its own builders deliver it and put it together. The walls are inch-and-a-half Western Red Cedar, and Nootka's own 9 kW heater comes in the price, with phone preheat a $375 controller upgrade. If you're happy to build a kit, the thermowood option saves you the difference.
Read the full reviewNootka 8ft Barrel Sauna in the wild. Nootka Saunas photography.
See it in action
The Story Behind Nootka Saunas
Customer review - Tyrell Mara
Explore in 3D
Outside
Nootka grades its Western Red Cedar select tight knot and kiln-dries it, which Nootka says keeps the staves from cracking or warping. At an inch and a half thick the staves hold heat through a long session. Cedar's natural oils keep rot away outdoors.
Cedar moves as the seasons change its moisture. When the staves loosen, you tighten the bands a turn and the joints close up again.
The front wall sits back about a foot, which keeps rain off the door. A cedar seat on each side gives you somewhere to cool off between rounds.
It's cedar with a pane of tempered glass. A full glass door costs $500 more and lets much more daylight in.
Set the temperature and the session length here. The standard panel starts a session on the spot, and the LTE controller, a $375 upgrade, adds Nootka's app so the heat can come on while you're still driving home. Nootka steers outdoor buyers away from Wi-Fi because the signal struggles to reach a sauna across a yard.
Nootka makes it from 24-gauge galvanized aluminum and rates it to last decades under snow and rain. They say it also cuts heat-up time by about 20%.
The 8ft weighs 1,450 pounds and sits on a base 4 feet wide. A level pad of compacted gravel or pavers will carry it.
Nootka's XL rear window adds $510 and uses 10 mm tempered glass. Point that end of the barrel at the best view you have.
Inside
Nootka doesn't say what starting temperature that figure assumes. The heater runs on a 240V, 50A circuit your electrician installs, and Canadian rules cap electric heaters at 194°F. If you'd rather burn wood, the configurator swaps in a Harvia M3 stove.
Each one is 21 inches deep and 75.5 inches long, so most people can lie down on it. They sit 22 inches off the floor.
You look straight out through it from either bench. The glass is 10 mm tempered, rated with the rest of the barrel for snow and wind loads.
The Lights package puts two warm strips under the seats. They light the floor and keep the glare out of your eyes. Nootka bundles them with its controller upgrades, starting at $215.
A circle fills about four-fifths of the square around it, so this barrel holds roughly a fifth less air than a box of the same width and length. That leaves the heater less to warm. Warm-up still depends on the heater's output and the insulation, and on how cold it is outside. Nootka pitches the curve for circulation and says no corners trap the air.
Nootka's essentials kit puts this cedar bucket and ladle in the box with a sand timer. It comes free with a sauna: add the kit to your cart and the SAUNAMONTHLY discount takes it off in the cart.
We built this model from Nootka's drawings and photographs, so small details can differ from the sauna that arrives.
By the numbers
Price in context
Where it sits among the 20 outdoor saunas we list
At $8,200, the Nootka 8ft Barrel Sauna starts 15% above the median for outdoor saunas. The cheapest is the Almost Heaven Salem 2-Person Barrel Sauna at $4,176, and the dearest the Nootka Cube Sauna at $14,340.
What it costs to run
Electricity for a 9 kW heater
- Per session
- 43¢
- Per month
- $9.39
- Per year
- $112
Sessions of 30 minutes at 16¢ a kWh, with the heater cycling as it holds temperature. 16¢ is the US average. Work it out for your own numbers.
How hot it gets
A traditional room heats the air itself
104°F50°C
122°F60°C
140°F70°C
158°F80°C
176°F90°C
194°F100°C
212°F110°C
230°F
The Nootka 8ft Barrel Sauna is a traditional sauna. Its heater warms the air to about 80–100°C (176–212°F), and sessions run 15 to 20 minutes. An infrared cabin runs at 45–60°C. Infrared or traditional?
Price your build
Pick your options and the builder adds them up at Nootka’s own prices, with a line for each one. It also lists the costs that never reach Nootka’s invoice.
Every option at Nootka’s own prices
Your build at Nootka
- 8ft barrel with Nootka's 9 kW heater$8,200
- Essentials and sealant kits
$230Free
Nootka’s page opens with these options picked. Add both kits to the cart and enter SAUNAMONTHLY, and the kits come off. We earn a commission when you buy through this link, and you pay the same price.
- What Nootka says this build does
- Nootka rates it for 4 people and quotes 10–15 minutes to heat.
- What it costs to run
- About $9 a month in power by our math, for five 30-minute sessions a week at 16¢ a kWh. Try your own rate.
- What Nootka doesn’t charge for
- An electrician runs the 240V circuit, which we'd budget at $600 to $2,500. You also supply the level base, which can be compacted gravel or pavers under the sauna’s cradles. Read the owner’s guide.
Prices from Nootka’s US store on Oct 8, 2026, before tax. Delivery prices come from the rate table behind Nootka’s delivery checker, and checkout has the final word.
What to know before you buy
Western Red Cedar, electric, 240V hardwired. These decide whether it suits your space and your electrical panel.
- Western Red CedarWestern Red Cedar is the high-end sauna wood, and it resists rot and insects naturally. It's aromatic and conducts heat poorly, so benches stay cool enough to sit on at 90°C.
- ElectricAn electric heater holds a steady temperature on its thermostat and needs no chimney. Many models add app or timer control.
- 240V HardwiredA hardwired model needs a dedicated 240V circuit installed by an electrician. Build roughly $600–$2,500 into your total budget for it.
Specifications
From Nootka Saunas’s own listing, checked when the page was written.
| Brand | Nootka Saunas |
|---|---|
| Model | Nootka 8ft Barrel Sauna |
| Type | Barrel Sauna |
| Seats | 4 |
| Heater | 9 kW |
| Heat | Electric |
| Power | 240V Hardwired |
| Wood | Western Red Cedar |
| Materials | Western Red Cedar, electric, 240V hardwired |
| List price | $8,200–$10,574 |
| Price per seat | from $2,050 |
| Where to buy | Nootka Saunas |
| Price recorded | Oct 7, 2026 |
How it compares
The Nootka 8ft Barrel Sauna beside the 3 closest models in our outdoor saunas.
| Product | |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $8,200–$10,574 | $9,300–$11,674 | $6,299 | $6,899 |
| Seats | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Heater | 9 kW | 9 kW | 6 kW | 6 kW |
| Heat | Electric | Wood-Fired, Electric | Electric | Electric |
| Material | Western Red Cedar | Western Red Cedar | Thermowood | Thermowood |
| Our rating | 4.7 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 | n/a | n/a |
| Links | Buy | See it | See it | See it |
Before you buy
- How many people fit in the Nootka 8ft barrel?
- Nootka rates the 8ft barrel for four adults on facing benches. If you host six or more most weekends, the 10ft barrel stretches the same cedar build to six seats.
- Is the 8ft barrel electric or wood-fired?
- The Nootka 8ft barrel is electric as standard. It ships with Nootka's 9 kW electric heater and a touchscreen that starts a session on the spot. Starting the preheat from your phone takes Nootka's LTE or Wi-Fi controller, a $375 option. If you'd rather burn wood, the configurator swaps in a Harvia M3 wood-burning stove.
- What electrical does it need?
- The electric Nootka 8ft barrel needs a hardwired 240V circuit, and Nootka's FAQ puts the standard 9 kW heater on a 50A breaker. Nootka's warranty rules out GFCI breakers, so tell your electrician before the job and budget for the circuit on top of the sauna's price. At 9 kW and near-daily use, the electricity comes to roughly $10 to $15 a month by our math.
- Is delivery and installation included?
- It depends on where you live. Nootka's FAQ says its own builders deliver and assemble the 8ft barrel in BC's Lower Mainland and Sea to Sky region, and buyers elsewhere in North America get one flat-packed crate by freight. Nootka's product page says it also offers on-site assembly in a lot of cases, and it quotes your options once you enter a zip or postal code.
- Should I get the 8ft barrel or the Cube?
- Buy the Nootka 8ft barrel if heat-up time and price come first. Nootka quotes 10 to 15 minutes for the barrel to reach 194°F and 30 to 45 for the Cube, and the barrel starts about $5,000 lower. Give the barrel the metal roof and XL rear window, since the Cube's price includes a roof and a big window, and the gap narrows to about $3,800. The Cube adds full-height walls and a fifth seat on two bench tiers, and our barrel vs. cube comparison covers the rest.
Nootka Saunas Barrel Sauna
Buy the Nootka 8ft Barrel Sauna
$8,200–$10,574
Add the Sauna Essentials Kit and Exterior Sealant Kit to your cart with the sauna, and the SAUNAMONTHLY discount takes their $320 CAD off in the cart. Ordering by phone? Ask for the kits and give them the same code.
Buy at NootkaWe may earn a commission when you buy through this link, and you pay the same price.
Where we’ve written about it
Outdoor Saunas
Nootka 8ft Barrel review: is the cedar barrel worth the premium?
Nootka's cedar barrel runs in hotel courtyards from Fairmont to Four Seasons. We checked what it's made of and what it costs all-in, then compared it with the cheaper kits.
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Outdoor Saunas
Dundalk LeisureCraft review: which Canadian Timber sauna fits your yard and budget?
Dundalk LeisureCraft builds cedar sauna kits in Ontario and sells them through dealers. We priced four Canadian Timber models with the heater each one needs and worked out the cost per seat.
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Infrared Saunas
Infrared vs. traditional sauna: which one should you buy?
Pick traditional for a hot room and steam off the stones, or infrared for milder heat and a smaller electrical job. The long-term research studied Finns in traditional saunas, so it can't choose for you.
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