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An infrared sauna warms you with heating panels in the walls; a traditional (Finnish) sauna heats the air and a load of stones with an electric heater, and you pour water on the stones for steam. The way each one heats decides almost everything you can measure before you buy: the watts, the circuit, the time it takes to warm up and what a session costs. We leave out what the makers say heat does for your body: those are claims for them to prove, and the FTC holds them to it.
Side by side, from our check
All the figures below come from the 116 saunas we read on November 7, 2026 (43 infrared, 73 traditional); medians and costs are our arithmetic.
| In our check (Nov 7, 2026) | Infrared | Traditional (electric heater) |
|---|---|---|
| Models read | 43 | 73 |
| Lowest, median and highest price [calc] | $2,499, $6,999, $16,750 (27 with a price) | $4,172, $6,738.90, $45,299 (73 with a price) |
| Published power: lowest, median, highest [calc] | 1,260 W, 2,750 W, 7,200 W (34 published) | 3,500 W, 8,000 W, 10,500 W |
| Current: lowest, median, highest [calc] | 10.5 A, 16.7 A, 30 A | 14.6 A, 33.3 A, 43.8 A |
| Models that plug into a 120 V outlet | 22 | 0 |
| Models hardwired at 240 V | 0 | 48 |
| Top temperature the makers print | Peak: up to 150°F; Sun Home Solstice 2: 140°F; SaunaBox Solara: 158°F | SaunaBox Forge: up to 200°F; Sweat Kingdom: 170 to 200°F; Sun Home Nova: 230°F |
| One run at the median power, U.S. average (18.16 ¢/kWh) [calc] | $0.62 (45 + 30 min) | $2.18 (60 + 30 min) |
Power and wiring
The median infrared cabin in our check is rated 2,750 W; the median traditional heater 8,000 W, about three times as much [calc]. That gap decides the wiring. Small infrared cabins (1,260 to 2,820 W) run on 120 V, mostly on a dedicated 20 A circuit with a NEMA 5-20 outlet; bigger ones move to 240 V on a 20 or 30 A circuit, with a plug. Traditional heaters from 3.5 to 10.5 kW are all 240 V, and the makers ask for 20 A (SaunaBox Forge, 3.5 kW) up to 50 A (9 kW models at Redwood Outdoors and Sweat Kingdom). Work out yours with the panel check.
Heat-up and running cost
Harvia's heater manual says a properly sized heater takes "about an hour for a properly insulated sauna" to reach bathing temperature; SaunaBox says its Solara 2-Person "reaches 158°F in approximately 45 minutes". Combine power and time and a traditional session costs roughly three to four times more electricity than an infrared one. In money, that is still a few dollars a week for most states: run your own numbers in the cost calculator.
Price
The cheapest sauna in our check is infrared (SaunaBox Solara 1-Person, $2,499); the cheapest traditional is an indoor kit (Almost Heaven Logan 1-Person, $4,172 with a 6 kW heater). Medians are close ($6,999 infrared, $6,739 traditional [calc]) because the traditional side is full of mid-priced barrels and kits, while the infrared side has premium cabins with red-light panels.
Indoors or outdoors
Most infrared cabins are indoor furniture; the outdoor ones in our check are Sun Home's Luminar and Peak's Patagonia, El Capitan and Kilimanjaro, all on 240 V. Barrels and garden cabins are traditional almost by definition: see outdoor barrel saunas.
Every model, both kinds: the home sauna comparison.
Frequently asked questions
Is an infrared sauna cheaper to run than a traditional one?
Per session, yes, in our check. At the U.S. average of 18.16 cents per kWh, a 75-minute run at the median infrared power (2,750 W) costs at most about 62 cents, and a 90-minute run of the median traditional heater (8,000 W, with its longer heat-up) at most about $2.18 [calc].
Which gets hotter?
Traditional, by the makers' own figures: SaunaBox prints up to 200°F for its Forge, Sweat Kingdom 170 to 200°F, Sun Home 230°F for its Nova heater. The infrared makers we read print 140°F (Sun Home Solstice 2), 150°F (Peak Saunas) and 158°F (SaunaBox Solara) at most.
Can I pour water on an infrared sauna?
No: there are no stones to pour on, and water on the panels can damage them. Steam (löyly) comes from water on the rocks of a traditional heater. Some hybrid saunas, such as several Almost Heaven indoor kits, add infrared panels to a traditional heater as an option.
Which is easier to install?
Infrared, if you pick a 120 V model: in our check 22 infrared cabins plug into a 120 V outlet, most on a dedicated 20 A circuit. Every traditional sauna we read is 240 V and most are hardwired by an electrician.