A home infrared sauna costs roughly $0.25 to $0.45 in electricity per one-hour session, or about $5 to $8 a month at four sessions a week, using $0.18 per kWh. A traditional electric stove sauna costs roughly $1.10 to $1.60 per session, or about $18 to $28 a month at the same pace. Those are estimates built from the circuit ratings and stove sizes of the saunas we sell, and the assumptions are spelled out below so you can swap in your own electricity rate.
Running cost is one of the four factors in our Home Sauna Buying Guide. It is also the one that most surprises people, in a good way, once they see the actual numbers.
The formula behind every sauna running cost
Cost per session = power draw (kW) × hours running × your electricity rate ($/kWh)
Three inputs. The power draw comes from the sauna's specs. The hours include warm-up, not just the time you sit inside. The rate is on your utility bill: US residential rates have been in the high teens of cents per kWh on average, with a spread from roughly $0.11 in the cheapest states to over $0.40 in Hawaii. We use $0.18 as a round working figure. If you pay $0.30, multiply our numbers by 1.7. If you pay $0.12, multiply by 0.67.
How we estimated the power draw
Most infrared sauna listings, including ours, state the electrical circuit rather than a measured wattage. So we use the circuit rating as a ceiling and treat it as a worst case: a cabin on a 120V/15A outlet cannot draw more than 1.8 kW, and one on a dedicated 120V/20A circuit cannot draw more than 2.4 kW. Real draw is lower (a breaker is sized above the load, and panels cycle off once the cabin is at temperature), so your bill will likely come in under these figures. Traditional stoves are easier: the stove size is printed on the spec sheet, 6 kW or 8 kW on the Golden Designs cabins and 4 to 9 kW on the Sweat Kingdom models.
Session assumptions: for infrared, one hour total (30 to 45 minutes of warm-up plus a 30 minute session, with the panels cycling toward the end). For traditional, 45 minutes of warm-up at full stove power plus a 30 minute session with the stove cycling at about half power. Four sessions a week is about 17 sessions a month.
How much does an infrared sauna cost to run?
| Infrared cabin | Circuit (from the spec sheet) | Maximum draw | Cost per 1-hour session at $0.18/kWh | Per month at 4x/week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 2 person (Dynamic Avila, Maxxus Seattle, Golden Designs Reserve 1 and 2 person) | 120V/15A standard outlet | 1.8 kW | up to $0.32 | up to about $5.50 |
| 3 to 4 person (Dynamic Lugano and Bergamo, Maxxus 3 and 4 person) | Dedicated 120V/20A | 2.4 kW | up to $0.43 | up to about $7.40 |
| 6 to 8 person (Golden Designs Monaco, Catalonia) | Two 120V/20A circuits or 240V/30A | about 4.8 kW | up to $0.86 | up to about $14.70 |
Worked example: a 2 person Maxxus Seattle on a 15A outlet, used every weekday for a month (22 sessions), costs at most 22 × $0.32 = about $7 in electricity. In practice the panels are not at full draw for the whole hour, so expect less.
The Dynamic and Golden Designs infrared cabins follow the same pattern: 1 to 2 person on 15A, 3 to 4 person on a dedicated 20A, and only the 6 to 8 person cabins move to two circuits or 240V.
How much does a traditional sauna cost to run?
A traditional sauna heats the whole room to 170 to 190°F before you go in, so the stove is three to five times the size of an infrared panel set. The Golden Designs 2 to 3 person cabins (Sundsvall, Hanko, Andermatt, St. Moritz barrel) use a 6 kW stove on a 240V/30A circuit; the 3 to 6 person cabins (Forssa, Copenhagen, Osla, Kuusamo, the outdoor barns) use an 8 kW stove on 240V/40A. Sweat Kingdom's cedar cabins are sold with a 4 kW slim heater (the 1 person Sweat Box), or 6, 8 or 9 kW Harvia, HUUM or Homecraft stoves.
| Stove | Energy per session (45 min warm-up at full power, 30 min at half) | Cost per session at $0.18/kWh | Per month at 4x/week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 kW (Sweat Box) | about 4 kWh | about $0.72 | about $12 |
| 6 kW | about 6 kWh | about $1.08 | about $18 |
| 8 kW | about 8 kWh | about $1.44 | about $24.50 |
| 9 kW | about 9 kWh | about $1.62 | about $27.50 |
If you leave the stove on for a 90 minute evening with friends, roughly double the session figure. The Golden Designs traditional saunas list the stove size and circuit in the spec table on each product page.
What about hybrid saunas?
A Golden Designs hybrid has both systems in one cabin: an infrared panel set and a 6 or 8 kW stove (Harvia on the indoor Soria and Toledo). An infrared session costs what the infrared table shows; a stove session costs what the traditional table shows. Households that buy a hybrid usually end up running infrared on weekdays and the stove on weekends, so the monthly bill lands somewhere between the two.
Is running cost a reason to pick infrared over traditional?
Only partly. The gap is real (about $5 to $8 a month versus $18 to $28 at four sessions a week), but over a year that is roughly $150 to $250, which is small next to the purchase price. Pick the heat you will actually use. Where running cost does matter is in deciding whether to size up: a 4 person infrared cabin costs about 35% more per session than a 2 person one and needs a dedicated 20A circuit, so if you will mostly sauna alone, the smaller cabin is the better buy on both counts.
Four ways to lower your sauna's electric bill
- Size for your real usage. A 2 person cabin used by one person heats faster and draws less than a 4 person cabin used by one person.
- Do not over-preheat. Infrared cabins reach working temperature in about 30 to 45 minutes; starting it an hour early just burns power. Use the built-in timer.
- Keep the door closed and the room warm. A cabin in a 70°F basement reaches temperature faster than one in a 50°F garage in January. Outdoor saunas run their stoves longer in winter for the same reason.
- Check your rate plan. If your utility offers time-of-use pricing, an evening or weekend session can cost noticeably less than a late-afternoon one.
Frequently asked questions
How much electricity does an infrared sauna use per session?
A 1 to 2 person infrared sauna on a 120V/15A outlet uses at most about 1.8 kWh for a one-hour session including warm-up, which is about $0.32 at $0.18 per kWh. A 3 to 4 person cabin on a dedicated 20A circuit uses at most about 2.4 kWh, or about $0.43.
Is an infrared sauna cheaper to run than a traditional sauna?
Yes, by roughly three to five times per session. An infrared cabin draws at most 1.8 to 2.4 kW, while a traditional sauna runs a 6 to 8 kW stove that has to heat the whole room to 170 to 190°F before each session.
How much does it cost to run a home sauna per month?
At four sessions a week and $0.18 per kWh, an infrared sauna costs about $5 to $8 a month and a traditional electric stove sauna about $18 to $28 a month. Your own figure scales directly with your electricity rate.
Does a home sauna need a special electrical circuit?
Infrared saunas for 1 to 2 people plug into a standard 120V/15A outlet; 3 to 4 person infrared cabins need a dedicated 120V/20A circuit. Traditional and hybrid saunas need a 240V/30A or 40A circuit for the stove, installed by an electrician.
Every sauna ships free to the contiguous US by freight, delivered curbside on a pallet, and the carrier calls ahead to schedule. You have a 30 day return window from delivery; change-of-mind returns must be unused and unassembled and carry a 25% restocking fee, while damaged or defective units are fully covered. Details are in our Shipping Policy and Return and Refund Policy, or call +1 (855) 772-2008, Monday to Friday 9 AM to 6 PM EST.
Ready to choose?
If the lowest running cost and no electrician is the goal, start with a 1 to 2 person infrared cabin; if you want stove heat and have a 240V circuit, go traditional.
- Saunas: the 1 to 2 person infrared cabins that run on a standard outlet, Dynamic from $1,399 and Maxxus from $2,299 on the day of writing.
- Golden Designs traditional saunas: stove saunas from $4,999, with stove size and circuit listed on every product page.
- Home Sauna Price Guide: What You Get at Every Budget: the full picture of what each budget buys.
Every order ships free to the contiguous US, freight is insured, you have 30 days to return, and we are an authorized dealer for every brand we sell, so your warranty is valid and we handle any claim for you. Not sure which model fits your space or your rider? Call 855-772-2008 (Monday to Friday, 9 to 6 EST) or email support@distinctpicks.com and we will tell you straight.