Who Makes The Best Home Sauna Kit? We review Auroom, SaunaLife, Almost Heaven, and Finnleo

Occasional sauna use may help, but research suggests 4-7 times per week in the heat is where the benefits REALLY kick in. But who has time for that?

If you want to create a new healthy habit and make it stick, you have to make it SUPER easy.

That’s why we like to recommend a home sauna kit in a location that fits into your daily routine. Next to the shower, in the bedroom, in the home gym, etc. Where do you go everyday? Where do you have downtime, or recover from workouts? These are the best places to put a home sauna that will get used.

And the more you use it, the more you benefit. And for most of us a sauna kit is the best way to achieve a high-performing sauna just about anywhere. Here’s why.

Common mistakes when buying a home sauna

Until recently you had to hire a contractor or buy a cheap kit (more on those later). In North America, contractors are not familiar with sauna construction and likely to make mistakes that trap moisture in the walls that can cause mold.

At Sauna Marketplace we use the same software that architects and building performance professionals use to evaluate the best performing homes on the planet. This allows us simulate real world sauna conditions and see if condensation is likely to form inside the wall assembly. And if it does, we can see if that moisture will dry out or cause mold based on the materials.

This is ESPECIALLY important for basement sauna projects.

The stakes are high. Here’s a common wall assembly that DIY builders and well-meaning contractors build inside homes when constructing saunas:

Bad Sauna:

The specific materials don’t matter, but here’s the fatal mistake most contractors make: a non-permeable layer on the interior and exterior side of the wall. These builders know just enough to be dangerous.

They know saunas benefit from a radiant barrier on the interior side of the sauna, but they don’t realize that this can be the only vapor-closed material in the wall assembly. Most don’t care to ask or discover if there is a vapor-closed material on the exterior side of the wall. Vapor closed materials include rigid foam, tar paper, vinyl siding, steel siding, etc.

To make it worse, they use fiberglass insulation which fails and can grow mold when the moisture is trapped. Fiberglass, or glass wool, should NEVER be used in a sauna wall assembly.

To be clear, it is very possible to properly build a custom indoor sauna, and Sauna Marketplace techs would be happy to help you design a wall assembly that won’t create problems.

But for MOST of us, a really good sauna kit is a better option. However…

Poorly designed home sauna kits can be even worse:

Unfortunately sauna kits are not immune to bad design. Many introduce rigid foam inside the wall cavities, spray foam, or fail to put a proper vapor barrier on the interior side of the wall assembly.

This is why so many sauna kits show water marks, often a sign of bigger problems.

There’s a better way.

High-End Home Sauna Kits

Well designed European sauna kits are now readily available on Sauna Marketplace. These saunas follow the best practices in sauna design and use premium materials like Mineral Wool Insulation, Thermally Modified Wood (Thermowood), and aluminum radiant barriers.

But most importantly, they have designed these sauna kits with building performance in mind.

The walls are constructed in a way that moisture will never get trapped. They have good ventilation, and some even have aluminum base frames in case water pools up on the floor.

So who makes the best indoor sauna kits? Surprisingly, we don’t even think that’s controversial.

Auroom Wellness makes the best home sauna kits

At least with what’s readily available in North America, this European comply stands out. They are the first European, fully insulated, easy to assemble home sauna kits available in North America.

They have good ventilation, modern minimalist design, and exceptional heat distribution.

Most importantly these home sauna kits were designed to dry out and last a lifetime with minimal maintenance. The experience in an Auroom-quality sauna is totally different than standard sauna kits in North America that are cheaply made.

They are fully customizable and can be built into bathrooms and showers.

They can also be built into nooks and drywalled in:

Matching wood can be ordered to extend into your bathroom or bedroom:

Standard Auroom Saunas

The Auroom Cala Glass is the standard entry model for European quality at home.

It comes in 4 standard sizes including this one person Cala Glass Mini!

Click the picture below for 360° Virtual Tours of the Cala Glass and Cala Glass Mini.

Like most Auroom saunas, these come with the option of darker thermally modified aspen or the light aspen. It comes down to preference, but we really like the thermally modified aspen as it may last longer and perform better in the long run.

But it doesn’t stop there. The Cala also has a wood front option for those who like a more private, meditative, and traditional sauna experience. It’s called the Cala Wood (available in 3 sizes):

One thing about the Cala models is they have a wood base. If you want the most protection from moisture, or if you are putting the sauna in a bathroom, basement, or garage we would recommend going with one of the options below.

These premium designer saunas were created in partnership with well-known architects and designers in Europe. They still have clean lines and minimalist aesthetic but they have additional lighting and features like wavy contoured benches, glass bench supports, and wood door options.

The list is long, but we’ve found that almost everyone is drawn to a different model or two that they love for their home. Have a look and book a planning session with Sauna Marketplace to see if it’s right for you and your home.

The Auroom Baia is one of our favorites. That wavy bench is not only comfortable but it gets your feet elevated and delivers more even temperatures to the bather. Even temperatures will make the sauna more comfortable.

We’ve always believed a sauna should be enjoyed, not endured. That’s why we’re such big fans of Saunum heaters (climate equalizing heater), the Auroom Baia, and Sauna Hats. All make the sauna a more enjoyable experience and (we think) can increase the health benefits.

Nativa, Libera, Emma, Familia, and Electa

These all have similar aesthetics and options but the different wood profiles, lighting, and design. They all have aluminum base frames and premium wood options. Do any of these jump out at you?

Familia, Emma, and Libera have the option for a wood front (Like the Cala Wood) for a more private, meditative, and traditional experience.

Specialty Saunas

One of our favorite home sauna options is the Auroom Vulcana, a shou sugi ban burn black wood that contrasts with warm thermo-aspen. It’s an invigorating experience with or without the heat. Absolutely stunning in person.

Last but not least, we have the Auroom Lumina which we haven’t been able to experience yet. It’s new in North America this year and we think we may have a new favorite home sauna kit.

What sets this apart is the wood profile that was specially made by Thermory for Auroom. The larger sizes also have a wood door on the side.

Just imagine carrying on these wood lines throughout a bathroom or bedroom space:

So good.

Custom Home Sauna Options

Auroom will customize any of these sauna kits or Sauna Marketplace can work with you from scratch to design the sauna of your dreams. Sauna Marketplace and Auroom specialize in traditional Finnish Saunas but they can now create combination infrared saunas if that’s what you’d like.

Just check out some of these projects:

Book a planning session at Sauna Marketplace to request a quote for a custom home sauna.

Budget Indoor Sauna Options

For some of us, a budget indoor sauna will be good enough. We still need to be careful and enjoy cheaply made junk. Too many American and Canadian companies are importing very low-quality products you could find on Alibaba for a fraction of the price.

The sauna are loaded with problems and not built with a good understanding of sauna.

The brands that are bringing these in promote “Canadian wood”, “American companies”, etc and lead you to believe you are buying a sauna that was made in America or Canada. We feel this is dishonest.

The budget saunas we feature on Sauna Marketplace are not the cheapest, but they are from Europe with quality, thick wood, and made with sauna design principles to deliver a safe, comfortable sauna experience with oxygen rich air.

They will last much longer and get used much more.

We like, the SaunaLife Experience line as a budget home sauna option.

Finnleo

Finnleo is a well known sauna brand with good roots. They are now owned by a VERY large coporation called Masco which focuses on faucets and hot tubs. We still think you can find a good sauna from them but it’s become much trickier.

Many of their saunas are now imported from China and they don’t tell you which ones.

We recommend avoiding Finnleo for now.

Almost Heaven

Almost Heaven is owned by Harvia and has really focused on selling cheap saunas through Costco in North America. You can get a great deal but again, we recommend sticking with the SaunaLife X6 and X7 line.

More about Almost Heaven options here.

Next Steps

No matter what stage of the process you are in, we’d love the opportunity to chat about your unique space, preferences, and options. There are a lot of things to consider from power to ventilation to flooring. Whether you buy from us or not, it doesn’t matter. We can help you avoid some common mistakes and get the sauna of your dream.

You can book a sauna planning session at SaunaMarketplace.com

We’re looking forward to connecting!