Why we love barrel saunas more than regular sauna cabins

 What is a barrel sauna, and why do we love it so much?

If you've ever tried a sauna, you'll know how relaxing and therapeutic it can be, with some great physical and mental health benefits. Well, thanks to barrel saunas, you can relive that experience in your back garden. Outdoor barrel saunas are a great way of adding a touch of uniqueness to your back garden design.

From a structural point of view, barrel saunas are ingeniously designed. They get their cylindrical shape through several wooden planks assembled in connection with each other and two circular walls at each end. It's also possible to have an indoor barrel sauna. Many barrel saunas are designed to be both indoor and outdoor barrel saunas. The method comes from Finnish immigrants who built wooden water towers. Some 'coopered' barrel saunas have bent staves resembling wine barrels.

Barrel sauna benefits


Because they use a single layer of wood that acts as the interior and exterior surface, they don't have much insulation to keep in the heat and keep out the cold. The barrel sauna overcomes the lack of insulation by efficiently using space and convection to rapidly and evenly heat up.

First, a barrel sauna has 23% less space to heat than a cabin-style sauna of the same size. This is a considerable advantage and goes a long way to compensating for its lack of insulation, but that's only part of it.

The signature circular design keeps heat from settling at the top of the barrel. The hottest air inside is constantly created at the heat source (either a wood stove or electric heater). Due to convection, the hot air rises to the top. The less-dense air at the top of the sauna circulates back to the bottom, where it becomes hot again. The circular design of a barrel sauna means that the hottest air is constantly in motion, resulting in a steady, efficient heat throughout the interior space.

The wood expands as it heats up, creating a better seal to keep moisture and hot air escaping through the staves.

Advantages of sauna barrels
1. A barrel sauna heats up faster
A barrel sauna heats up faster. A circle will fit into a square, but a square will not fit into a circle. Use this comparison when thinking of a barrel-shaped sauna versus a square sauna. There is extra but unused space in a square sauna, and the heater is forced to heat that space. A barrel sauna has less unused airspace but an equal amount of usable air space, allowing the same sized heater to get the room hotter faster. It can reach optimum heat levels in 45 minutes.

2. The circular design results in a more even distribution of heat within the sauna.
Since heat rises, the top of the sauna is always hotter than the lower parts of the room. In a square sauna room, the heat gets trapped at the top, beyond the reach of a user who wants to experience the heat. In a barrel sauna, the curvature of the room allows the upper heat to be pushed down the sides and back into the sauna as new heat rises from the heater. This brings the higher temperatures lower into the sauna and allows the heat to flow evenly throughout the room.

3. An outdoor barrel sauna is hugely efficient
Thanks to the efficient use of air space, there is less energy used to heat the room. Plus, the thick red cedar staves are excellent insulators, allowing the sauna's exterior to remain cool to the touch, even at the top of the sauna. You will most likely not experience a noticeable effect on your utility bill with any regular use of your barrel sauna.