A cedar barrel sauna with a round glass end sits on a small deck beside tall dry grass.

Buyer's Guide

What are the best saunas made in Canada?

Photo: Andrea Davis on Pexels.

Nootka's 8 ft barrel from Squamish is our pick. We compared saunas from 12 Canadian makers on where they build, what the wood is and what the price leaves out.

By Canada's Saunas Editors

Published Oct 10, 202610 min read

Nootka's 8 ft barrel is the sauna made in Canada we'd buy first. It's built to order in Squamish, BC, from western red cedar milled nearby, and the bare shell starts a little under $8,000. If price matters more, True North's cedar barrel kit from Owen Sound costs less, and SaunaSpa in Quebec delivers its barrels fully assembled.

Twelve Canadian makers compared side by side

We compared the outdoor and infrared saunas of 12 Canadian makers. For every pick we say where it's built, what it's built from, what the price leaves out and what we'd check before buying.

Each row is a sauna its maker says it builds in Canada. The first eight are our picks, in the order this guide takes them, and the last four are worth a look if you live near the maker. Prices are what we read on the maker's Canadian store, so check what each one includes before you compare them.

How the saunas built in Canada compare
SaunaBest forBuilt inWoodSeatsPrice (CAD)Heater in the price?Weak spot
Nootka 8 ft BarrelMost buyersSquamish, BCWestern red cedar milled in BC4$7,950–$11,649From the middle of the range upOutside the Lower Mainland you assemble a crate
True North BarrelThe lowest price for Canadian cedarOwen Sound, ONWhite or red cedar the maker calls CanadianNot stated$5,500NoYou assemble it, and the model page says $6,400
LeisureCraft Georgian CTC88WOntario wood, groups of sixMelancthon, ONEastern white cedar from Ontario mills6$10,300NoSold only through dealers
Copperwood 8 ft Round BarrelAlberta, and a Canadian heaterSpruce Grove, ABCanadian western red cedar6$7,750–$12,365From the middle of the range upDelivery quoted beyond the Edmonton area
SaunaSpa Barrel Sauna ClassicArriving fully assembledSaint-Chrysostome, QCWestern red cedar, source not stated2–10$4,399–$9,199NoDelivery charge not posted
Forest Cooperage BarrelA coopered barrel of clear cedarSooke, BCClear western red cedar from BC2–8$15,495–$19,495NoHighest price here, 8–12 week build
Bunkie Life Barrel SaunaA cottage lot with no 240V serviceOntarioPine the maker calls Canadian4–6$8,995Yes, a Harvia M3 wood stoveA WETT-certified installer for the flue
SaunaRay SR2Infrared, inside the houseCollingwood, ONOntario basswood2About $5,495Yes, ceramic infraredNo published price list
Northern Lights 8×7 BarrelA Canadian heater in the priceCanada, town not statedClear western red cedar the maker calls CanadianNot stated$16,710–$17,573Yes, a Saunacore 7.5 kW or a wood stoveHighest price for a barrel
Bramari Eight FootCalgary, heater includedCalgary, ABSelkirk cedar, source not statedNot stated$10,550–$11,000Yes, Harvia or HUUMWood source not stated
BnB Barrels 8 ftFree assembly in Calgary and EdmontonCalgary, ABWestern red cedar, source not stated6$9,580NoHeaters add up to $5,700
Coldture PROA metal-clad cubeCanada, town not statedWestern red cedar, source not stated3$16,999Yes, a HUUM 6 kWIts heater comes from Estonia

Prices from each maker's Canadian store, and from Backyard Canada for LeisureCraft, read Oct 10, 2026, before tax and freight. Seats are the maker's rating. SaunaRay publishes no prices, so its figure is the new price implied by its own reconditioned-unit offer. Northern Lights' range is a sale price.

Nootka's 8 ft barrel is our pick for most buyers

Buy the Nootka 8 ft barrel if you want a four-person cedar barrel built start to finish in British Columbia. Nootka builds every sauna to order in Squamish from western red cedar milled nearby, its FAQ says. In the Sea to Sky and the Lower Mainland its own crew delivers and builds it, and everyone else gets a flat-packed crate by carrier.

The bare shell starts a little under $8,000, and a fully fitted electric barrel runs closer to $11,650. Nootka sells its 9 kW heater under its own name, and its Cube page says the Cube comes only with a Homecraft Revive, which Homecraft builds in BC. The heater wants a 50-amp breaker, so budget for an electrician. The wood-fired version swaps in a Harvia M3 from Finland and needs no circuit at all.

The weak spot is distance. Past the Sea to Sky and the Lower Mainland, the barrel arrives as a crate you or a local carpenter put together. Hosting six most weekends? The 10 ft barrel stretches the same build, and the Cube adds a second bench tier for five.

Where to buy

True North sells the cheapest Canadian cedar barrel we found

True North's barrel costs $5,500 in its cart as a kit, the lowest price we found for a barrel the maker says is built from Canadian cedar. True North hand-builds its saunas in Owen Sound, Ontario, from solid Canadian cedar, its barrel page says, and you choose eastern white or western red. The barrel comes in lengths up to 3 m (10 ft).

You're buying a kit, and you'll put it together yourself unless True North quotes you assembly. It ships in crates, and the heater is a separate purchase. Its model page says the barrel starts at $6,400, so get the price in writing before you pay a deposit.

If the shape matters more than the price, the Large Pod gives you more headroom under an arched roof. The Cabin trades the curve for a peaked roof and a porch.

Where to buy

LeisureCraft builds from Ontario's own white cedar

LeisureCraft is the maker to call if you want Ontario wood in an Ontario-built sauna. It builds the Canadian Timber line in Melancthon from eastern white cedar it sources from Ontario mills, its collection page says, and even the Georgian's steel shingles come from Listowel. Our pick is the Georgian, the line's biggest cabin, which LeisureCraft seats six in.

LeisureCraft sells only through dealers and publishes no prices. We priced the line from Backyard Canada, a Calgary dealer that ships anywhere in the country for one flat fee, where the Georgian kit lists at $10,300 without a heater.

For two to four bathers, the Harmony barrel and the MiniPOD each cost about $2,800 less. Every Canadian Timber model arrives flat, so plan to assemble it or hire someone who will.

Where to buy

Copperwood can put a Canadian heater in an Alberta barrel

Copperwood is our pick for the Prairies, and it gets closer than anyone here to a sauna that's Canadian from the walls to the stones. It builds its barrels in Spruce Grove, Alberta, from Canadian western red cedar, and its barrel page offers a Homecraft heater, which Homecraft builds in British Columbia. Copperwood seats six in the 8 ft barrel.

The base price leaves out the heater, and a fitted barrel runs past $12,000. Pickup in Spruce Grove is free and delivery around Edmonton is cheap, while farther away you'll need a quote. Copperwood says the barrel takes 45 to 60 minutes to reach 90°C (194°F).

For a cabin that leaves the shop fully built, the Modern Sauna 6×8 wraps cedar in fibre-cement siding. Plan on a forklift or a crane at your end.

Where to buy

SaunaSpa delivers its barrels fully assembled

SaunaSpa suits a buyer who'd rather not spend a weekend with a drill. It builds in its own shop in Saint-Chrysostome, Quebec, its founder writes, and delivers the Barrel Sauna Classic ready to use, mostly to buyers in Quebec and Ontario. At $4,399 for the 5 ft barrel without a heater, it has the lowest starting price in this guide.

The weak spot is the wood's trail. SaunaSpa calls its cedar western red and doesn't say where it grows, which keeps these saunas in our second group. Delivery isn't priced on the site either, and SaunaSpa's own 8 kW electric heater adds $800.

The Cube seats up to eight on thick cedar boards, and the Moderna puts a wall of glass across the front.

Where to buy

Forest Cooperage builds a barrel the way it builds a cask

Forest Cooperage made its name on cedar hot tubs and water tanks, and it coopers its sauna from clear western red cedar staves held by stainless bands. It builds each one to order in Sooke, on Vancouver Island, from BC cedar, its FAQ says. It's our pick for a buyer who wants clear cedar inside and out and doesn't mind the price.

That price is the catch. It starts near $15,500 before a heater, about double a Nootka shell, and each barrel takes two to three months to build. When we checked, the product page showed sold out while sizes could still be chosen, so ask before you plan around a date.

Where to buy

Bunkie Life ships its barrel with the stove in the box

Bunkie Life puts a Harvia M3 wood stove from Finland in the crate with its barrel kit, so the $8,995 price covers a sauna you can light. Bunkie Life says it handcrafts the kit in Ontario from Canadian pine, and rates it for four to six bathers. It suits a cottage lot without 240V service.

Plan for the flue. Bunkie Life says a WETT-certified technician should install it, and a heat shield goes under the stove. Lead time runs four to six weeks.

Where to buy

SaunaRay's SR2 is the only infrared sauna we can list

SaunaRay builds its far-infrared cabins by hand in Collingwood, Ontario, from Ontario basswood, its about page says. The SR2 seats two and plugs into an ordinary household outlet, and at about 1.2 by 1 m (48 by 39 in) it fits a condo bedroom.

SaunaRay doesn't publish prices. Our figure is the new price implied by its own offer on a reconditioned SR2, so call for a quote. It also doesn't say where its ceramic heaters are made, which keeps the SR2 in our second group.

Where to buy

Northern Lights, Bramari, BnB Barrels and Coldture build here too

Northern Lights says it builds its clear-cedar barrels in Canada and ships a Saunacore heater from Toronto in the electric ones, which makes its 8 by 7 ft barrel another sauna that's Canadian down to the heater. Its site doesn't name the shop's town, and even on sale the price sits near $17,000.

In Calgary, Bramari builds the Eight Foot barrel with a Harvia or HUUM heater in the price. BnB Barrels builds a six-person barrel nearby and delivers and assembles it free in Calgary and Edmonton. Neither one says where its Selkirk cedar grows.

Coldture's PRO wraps a cedar room in powder-coated metal and comes with a HUUM heater from Estonia. Coldture says it's built in Canada without naming the town, and it had both its saunas on sale for $500 off when we last checked.

Where to buy

No indoor sauna kit qualifies yet

We haven't found an indoor sauna kit we can list. SaunaFin in Concord, Ontario, sells kits in Canadian cedar and hemlock, and its pages don't say where they're cut. For a room inside the house today, SaunaRay's cabin is the Canadian-built option, or a local carpenter can build a room around a Homecraft or Saunacore heater.

Most of these prices leave out the heater

Bunkie Life, Bramari, Northern Lights and Coldture include a heater in the prices we list. Nootka and Copperwood quote a bare room at the bottom of their ranges, and the rest sell the room and let you choose the heater. SaunaSpa's own 8 kW electric starts at $800, and a Canadian-built Homecraft runs about $2,200 to $3,100 at Henki in the sizes that suit a barrel.

An electric heater of 8 or 9 kW needs a dedicated 240V circuit, usually 40 or 50 amps, wired by a licensed electrician with whatever permit your province requires. A wood stove skips the circuit and adds a chimney, and some insurers want a WETT inspection before they'll cover it.

Freight adds up across a country this size. Ask each maker what delivery to your address costs before you compare their prices.

How did we choose these saunas?

Every sauna here is built in Canada by its maker's own account, and each product page links that statement. Picks went first to saunas whose wood the maker traces to Canada, then to fit and price, and the method page explains how we sort. We left out Canadian companies that have their saunas built abroad.

This guide draws on each maker's product pages, FAQs and price lists, read Oct 10, 2026, and on Backyard Canada's listings for LeisureCraft, which sells only through dealers. This edition doesn't summarize owner reviews yet.

Common questions

What's the best sauna made in Canada?
Nootka's 8 ft barrel sauna is our pick for most buyers. Nootka builds it to order in Squamish, BC, from locally milled western red cedar, it seats four, and it starts at $7,950 without a heater.
Which saunas are built in Canada from Canadian cedar?
Nootka and Forest Cooperage build from British Columbia cedar, and LeisureCraft builds from Ontario eastern white cedar. Copperwood in Alberta, True North in Ontario and Northern Lights also say their cedar is Canadian. Each product page on Canada's Saunas links the maker's statement.
What's the cheapest sauna built in Canada?
SaunaSpa's 5 ft Barrel Sauna Classic starts at $4,399 without a heater, delivered assembled from its Quebec shop. True North's barrel kit is the cheapest built from cedar the maker calls Canadian, at $5,500 without a heater.
Do saunas built in Canada come with a heater?
Most don't. Of the saunas Canada's Saunas lists, Bunkie Life, Bramari, Northern Lights and Coldture include a heater in the listed price, and the rest sell the heater separately, from about $800 to over $3,000.

We review from makers’ documentation, owner reports and published research. How we choose products and write reviews.

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