What's the Best Electric Sauna Heater? - Health Benefits Of Sauna

So you’re looking to install a sauna in your home, or maybe you’re just looking for an upgrade. Having a high-quality and reliable sauna heater is a crucial piece of this at-home experience! A sauna heater is the core of what makes a sauna relaxing and beneficial in terms of health improvement. The sauna heater you choose will dictate the temperatures you can reach in your sauna and how quickly your home sauna will be able to get to these temperatures. For this you don’t only want to invest in a high-quality electric sauna heater that will bring the hot and relaxing temperatures to your sauna but also one that will be able to last for years down the road. With this article and comparison we hope to put you in a position to purchase the best electric sauna heater you are willing to pay for that will keep you happy for years and allow you to continuously experience a warm and relaxing sauna atmosphere. If you are unsure of the different heating options, this article will provide you with additional information on your Traditional Sauna Heating Options.

Before thinking about brands

There are a few things you will need to think about or research before thinking about what brand or model may be best for your home sauna. Spending a little bit of time beforehand looking into these aspects will save you a big headache that may come with purchasing an electric sauna heater that either does not fit within your unit or does not have the functions and capabilities that you may have hoped!

Picking an electric sauna heater based on size of sauna:

Before thinking about a brand, we need to do some simple math to determine how big your sauna is going to be or already is to help us choose the right size electric sauna heater for the job. As a rule of thumb, you will need about 1kw of power for every 45 cubic feet of space that your sauna is. As a quick example let us imagine that you are installing a home sauna unit that is 8ft x 8ft x 7ft. With a little magic and a calculator we determine that your home sauna unit is 448 cubic feet. In order to properly heat this sauna we will need to equip it with an electric sauna heater that offers 10kw of power (448 / 45 = 9.95). Keep in mind that if your sauna unit is outdoors you should think about adding an additional 1 or 2kw to this equation.

Decide where you will place your sauna heater:

Now that you have determined the power needed for your electric sauna heater you will need to decide which type of unit you want in your sauna. You may either choose a wall-mounted electric sauna heater or a floor standing unit. Many electric sauna units are adaptable and can used either way, but if you specifically want a wall-mounted unit it is best to look for one that is designed for it. It will come with the hardware and mounts required. A wall-mounted electric sauna heater will save you a little bit of room and with home sauna units often times being narrow quarters, this can be a plus. The bigger your home sauna unit, the bigger your heater may need to be and the less options you may have to mount your unit on the wall. Always remember that it is best to install your electric sauna heater as close as possible to the center of your sauna as opposed to a corner. This allows for even and quick heat distribution. The final option you may want to consider when researching an electric sauna unit is controls.

Pick the control panel options you desire:

This is one of the final options to consider, and what we have considered, while putting together the best options for at home electric sauna heaters. All heating units will feature a control panel integrated in that allow you to adjust heat levels and timers. Some of these are basic knobs, but there are also more advanced units that feature digital control panels and have additional options. These can range from internal/external lighting controls, heating and cooling fans, advanced timing options, music control, and digital or touchscreen display. Now these options are just additional benefits and should not be chosen with a sacrifice your home sauna units needed power supply.

With these three requirements we can now think about what options are out there for the best electric sauna heater. There are many different brands and manufacturers available to purchase from as well as websites and suppliers. The great thing I have found (and this comes from years of sauna experience and researching as well as using various brands and units) is that all of the top models I have decided on can be found and purchased on Amazon as well as the manufacturers website. I am a fan of Amazon as a shopping platform due to shipping costs with these heavy units and their undisputed warranties and return policy.

Top Sauna Heater Models

We have narrowed down the Top 3 brands of electric sauna heaters to give you a great range of quality options that will offer the power, mounting, and control needs you desire. These 3 brands include: Baltic Leisure, Finlandia, Hanko, and Turku.

Baltic Leisure Electric Sauna Heaters

Baltic Leisure is family owned and operated and has been in the business since 1970. Their units range from $700 – $2,200 and can be found on Amazon here. The model we recommend is the Baltic Leisure Harvia Club 12.5KW, 208V-3PH.
This unit features:

• Stainless Steel build with 52.7 AMPS

• 12.5kw suitable for areas 500-900 cubic feet

• Griffin controls & power supply

• Includes sauna stones

• Available for $2,088 + Free Shipping

As seen in our test scenario above which is an average at-home sauna unit size, this unit features 12.5kw of power and would adequately heat our sauna. These units are high quality and will last you many relaxing years.

Finlandia Electric Sauna Heaters

Finlandia is an American sauna company located in Portland, Oregon and is the oldest sauna company still under original ownership. Finlandia is known for being specialists in the sauna industry and only focus on creating sauna units using Oregon softwood and sauna heating units. Finlandia electric sauna heater units average between $800 – $2,400 and can be found on Amazon here. The model we recommend is Finlandia FLB-80 Sauna Heater. This unit features:

• Stainless steel interior and components

• 8kw at 33.3 AMPS suitable up to 425 cubic feet

• 1 hour countdown timer

• Available for $905 + Free Shipping

This unit by Finlandia is more suitable than our Baltic Leisure model for wall mounting due to its size and shape. With simple controls and a sleek design this is a great option that will give you the great warm temperatures you desire.

Hanko Electric Sauna Heaters

Hanko sauna heating units are known in the industry to be top of the line and are a major competitor in the commercial sauna industry. They also make incredible home sauna units with superior performance. These units are manufactured in Sweden can can be found here on Amazon on average between $600 – $1,700. The model we recommend is the Hanko SK-80. This unit features:

• Full stainless steel build

• 8kw with 33.3 AMPS and 8 gauge copper wire

• Wall mount ready with built in controls that can be placed on the left or right side

• Lighted control panel and included Finnish stones plus thermal insulation

• Available for $1,199 + Free Shipping

These Hanko units are built with quality materials down to the controls and are sure to last a decade or longer. With a digital display and wall mount ready, this unit is a sleek and fitting addition to your home sauna unit. Hanko electric heaters are known to have the highest level of water vaporization ranging from 80-100%. This means when water is ladled onto the hot rocks for steam purposes, a majority of the water will be vaporized where other units will allow water to drip through the unit and to the floor.

These are 3 of our top rated, mid-range electric sauna heating units. Always remember to do your research before purchasing to be the happiest with your decision. Record your measurements and plan your sauna setup ahead of time and finish off this process by pairing up an incredible electric sauna heating unit.

Thank you for reading, and we’d love to hear of any success you have had with a home sauna project or electric sauna heater reviews!