Wood-burning saunas are a crowd favorite among sauna fans looking for the most authentic, traditional sauna experience. Saunas date back to Finnish traditions from before there was even electricity. And back then, a sauna would be heated using a wood-burning sauna stove.
Many sauna enthusiasts find that wood-heated saunas don’t only give you the traditional feel of a sauna but can have more potent and relaxing benefits than other sauna types. They are also a stylish, durable, and economical way to have some “me time” without going out to the spa.
But what exactly is a wood-burning sauna besides the obvious? Read on to find out more about wood-heated sauna stoves, how it compares to other types of sauna heaters, and how to buy one for your at-home sauna.
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What Is a Wood-Burning Sauna?
For thousands of years, wood-fired saunas have been part of the regular routine and time-honored tradition in Scandinavian countries associated with myriad sauna health and wellness benefits. In simple words, the wood-burning sauna is the old-fashioned way.
The principle of a wood-burning sauna is very simple, much like a fireplace—you use wood to build a fire to heat a pile of sauna rocks on top of the stove and produce heat inside the room. If you want to add some moisture to the air, you ladle water over the heated stones to create a cloud of steam.
Pros:
- Convenience: Without any reliance on electricity, you can install a wood-burning barrel sauna anywhere, even deep in the woods.
- Low running cost: If you live somewhere with high utility bills, getting firewood for your outdoor wood-burning stove at a low cost can be an ideal solution in terms of savings.
- Fragrant: The soul-warming scent of burning wood adds a natural aromatherapy and pleasurable component to a sauna bath.
- Relaxing experience: Watching or hearing the crackling fire in the wood-burning sauna stove adds to the relaxing and soothing sauna experience.
Cons:
- Temperature precision is hard to achieve: To maintain a consistent temperature in a wood-burning sauna, you’ll need to prepare and stoke the firewood in the stove. But even then, temperature precision takes a lot of work to achieve.
- Upkeep is more complex: The maintenance of a wood-burning sauna stove is more complex. Besides needing a steady supply of firewood and a dry place for storage, you will need to clean out the coals and ash regularly and clean the chimney periodically.
- Not ideal for indoors: The smoke produced by burning wood doesn’t make a wood-heated sauna ideal for indoor installation.
Wood-Burning Sauna vs. Other Sauna Types: How It Compares
For sauna purists, there’s no looking past the wood-burning sauna. But is a wood-fired sauna the right choice for you? Find out below how it compares with other sauna types.
Installation
One of the advantages of wood-burning saunas is they are not so difficult to build. Once you have a properly ventilated sauna room with a chimney, installing the wood-burning sauna stove is easy and quick. Whereas other sauna types, like electric and gas-powered saunas, will most likely need a professional to install them. Infrared saunas may also need to be professionally installed because of the wiring.
Operation
It seems simple enough to throw a few logs into the wood-burning sauna stove and wait for it to heat up, but using a wood-fired sauna can be a little more complicated than that. The complication mainly lies in the additional work of building a fire and making sure to keep it burning. You’ll need to monitor the flames and add wood to keep the heat of the sauna. Whereas other types of saunas, like electric and infrared saunas, operate by merely flicking a switch.
Heat-Up Time
The heating time varies depending on the type of sauna heater or how the room is used. Some factors that affect the heat-up time of a sauna include the ambient temperature, insulation in the walls, and the ventilation of the sauna room.
But typically, a wood-burning sauna heater takes around 30-60 minutes to heat to the desired temperature. It’s slow to heat up compared to electric sauna heaters and infrared sauna heaters, which only take around 30-40 minutes and 10-15 minutes to reach an optimal temperature, respectively.
Sauna Temperature & Control
The ideal temperature varies for different types of saunas. For example, the ideal temperature for traditional saunas—electric or wood-burning—is between 150 to 175 degrees Fahrenheit. Meanwhile, infrared saunas run a little cooler than traditional saunas, with an ideal temperature of 120 to 130 degrees Fahrenheit.
Another huge difference is temperature control. With both an electric sauna and an infrared sauna, you can easily set your desired temperature and change it anytime, giving you more control over precise temperature. In contrast, temperature control is less precise with a wood-burning sauna. Once the fire is running, you can’t simply turn the heat down or adjust the temperature.
Maintenance
A little regular maintenance is necessary to help extend the life of a sauna, whether you’re using an electric, wood-burning, gas, or infrared sauna. In most cases, you need to clean the sauna at least once a month—scrubbing the wooden benches, walls, and backrests, mopping the floor, and cleaning the sauna rocks and heater.
However, wood-burning sauna stoves require additional upkeep to ensure it doesn’t become a fire hazard. You will need to dispose of the leftover ash and clean the chimney, which adds a little job to operating a wood-burning sauna compared to other sauna types.
Get Your Own Wood-Burning Sauna: 4 Variations
Below are the top four wood-burning sauna stove recommendations for your outdoor wood-fired sauna.
Harvia M3 Wood-Burning Sauna Heater
Efficient and practical, this wood-burning sauna heater from Harvia is an excellent option for smaller sauna rooms of up to 460 cubic feet. It’s durably built with cast iron and stainless steel, matched with an updated modern look that includes a tempered glass window to highlight the crackling fire for ambiance.
HUUM Hive Sauna Stove
This is a sleek and modern wood-burning sauna heater from the Estonia-based HUUM brand. It features a round stainless steel cage with 198 pounds of stone—designed with minimal metal to maximize the good negative ions from the rocks.
Although it’s a bit pricey, the HUUM Hive sauna stove comes with a 5-year guarantee. This wood-burning sauna stove can heat up a 210 to 460 cubic feet sauna. A firebox extension also allows you to heat up a sauna from another room.
Harvia Legend 300 Wood-Burning Sauna Heater
This Harvia wood-burning sauna heater is stylish and large, perfect for up to 989 cubic feet of medium to large-sized saunas. What makes it genuinely eye-catching is the 2-in-1 design that combines an efficient wood-burning stove and a fireplace with up to 507 pounds of sauna rocks.
BZB Barrel Sauna Kit
This barrel-shaped sauna is made up of fragrant Nordic spruce with a classic cylindrical shape designed to keep the steam inside but moving around the sauna for maximum circulation. It’s reasonably sized and seats up to four people with an option to get a Harvua M3 wood-fired sauna heater or an 8KW electric heater.
Using a Wood-Burning Sauna FAQs
Question: What are some safety concerns with wood-burning saunas?
Answer: Saunas are all susceptible to fire hazards since they are usually heated with burning wood or electric heaters, so a fire can start if something malfunctions. So, it’s vital that once done with your sauna session, and the firebox has cooled down, remember to clean out the firebox.
Question: Are there health risks to burning wood?
Answer: Yes, there are some health risks to burning wood. Wood smoke may cause wheezing, coughing, and asthma attacks for some people. Burning wood may also generate smoke and carbon monoxide, which is why correct ventilation is critical for wood-burning saunas.
Question: What is the best wood to use in your sauna heater?
Answer: Both softwoods and hardwoods are suitable as fuel for a wood-burning sauna heater. Softwoods—cedar, spruce, pine—are the cheaper option and great for starting a fire, but they have a slower heating time with a faster burn. Hardwoods—oak, birch, maple—have a slow, long burn but can be slightly expensive.
But one thing to remember: avoid using trees that contain sap, as they may release burning liquid or toxic fumes when ignited.
Final Thoughts
Wood-burning saunas offer an overall pleasurable sauna experience, complete with the soft crackling fire and the fragrant scent of burning wood in the background. It makes for a cozy space to relax and cash in on the sauna’s health and wellness benefits.
