Brand Review
Nootka Saunas review: which barrel or Cube should you buy?
Buy the 8 ft electric barrel unless you host six or more. We read Nootka's pages and manuals to compare its three saunas and what each price leaves out.
We'd buy the Nootka 8 ft barrel with the electric heater for one to four people. It's the cheapest way into a sauna Nootka builds start to finish in Squamish, and Nootka says it's hot in about a quarter of an hour. Move up to the 10 ft barrel if you host six or want a wood stove, since the stove eats bench space. The Cube suits a buyer who wants a second bench tier and doesn't mind waiting for the heat.
Nootka sells three saunas, and two of them are barrels
Every Nootka uses the same thick cedar walls, so you're choosing a shape and a heat source. We've put the three side by side with Nootka's own figures.
| Model | Seats (electric / wood) | Footprint | Weight | Heat-up to 90°C (194°F) | Price (CAD) | Heater in the price? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 ft Barrel | 4 / 2 | 6 ft 7 in × 7 ft 10 in (2 × 2.4 m) | 660 kg (1,450 lb) | 10–15 min electric, 30–45 min wood | $7,950–$11,649 | From $8,900 with the 9 kW heater |
| 10 ft Barrel | 8 / 6 | 6 ft 7 in × 9 ft 10 in (2 × 3 m) | 885 kg (1,950 lb) | 10–15 min electric, 30–45 min wood | $9,350–$13,049 | From $10,300 with the 9 kW heater |
| Cube | 5 / none | 6 ft 8 in × 7 ft 10 in (2 × 2.4 m) | 1,065 kg (2,350 lb) | 30–45 min, electric only | $14,500–$15,750 | Yes, a 9 kW Homecraft Revive |
Prices from Nootka's Canadian configurator, read Oct 10, 2026, from the bare shell to the most options, before freight and tax. Seats come from Nootka's FAQ; its comparison table rates the 8 ft barrel for up to six and starts the 10 ft at $8,700, and the table shows the checkout figures. Heat-up times, footprints and weights are Nootka's.
The 8 ft electric barrel suits one to four people
Our pick is the 8 ft barrel with Nootka's 9 kW heater, a little under $9,000 before options. Nootka seats four in it and says it's at temperature within a quarter of an hour, so you can decide on a sauna after dinner and still have one. If your panel's tight, the smaller optional heater needs less breaker and only a few more minutes, Nootka says.
We'd skip the 8 ft if you want wood heat. The Harvia M3 stands on the floor and pushes well into the room, and Nootka rates a wood-fired 8 ft for two.
Where to buy
Nootka Saunas Outdoor Saunas
Nootka 8ft Barrel Sauna
Built in Squamish, British Columbia · with imported parts
Pick the 10 ft barrel for hosting or a wood stove
The 10 ft barrel adds about 60 cm (2 ft) of bench for roughly $1,400 more. Nootka seats eight in the electric version and six with the wood stove, so it's the size we'd buy for a cottage without 240V service.
It's about a third heavier than the 8 ft and ships in two crates instead of one. Both sizes run the same heater, and Nootka says the power draw barely changes.
Where to buy
Nootka Saunas Outdoor Saunas
Nootka 10ft Barrel Sauna
Built in Squamish, British Columbia · with imported parts
The Cube trades heat-up time for a second bench tier
The Cube is for a buyer who wants the upper bench of a Finnish room, up where the heat collects under the ceiling. Nootka seats five on two tiers and puts a big tempered window in the wall. Its Cube page says it ships only with a Homecraft Revive, a heater Homecraft builds in BC.
The square room takes longer to fill. Nootka quotes three times the barrels' warm-up, and there's no wood option because the benches leave no floor for a stove. It also costs about $5,600 more than an 8 ft barrel with a heater, which is a lot to pay for a second tier.
Where to buy
Nootka Saunas Outdoor Saunas
Nootka Cube Sauna
Built in Squamish, British Columbia
Nootka builds in Squamish from locally milled cedar
Nootka's FAQ says it fabricates every sauna in Squamish and buys its cedar, glass and heaters locally where it can. The cedar is select tight-knot western red, kiln-dried, from a mill Nootka doesn't name. Its about page adds that it doesn't sell imported kits.
The electric heater carries Nootka's name and a CSA mark, and the Cube page identifies it as a Homecraft Revive. We couldn't find who makes Nootka's newer smart controller. The wood option is a Harvia M3 from Finland, the only part of a Nootka we know comes from abroad.
A Nootka needs a level pad and, for electric, a 50-amp circuit
A Nootka barrel sits on its own feet, so it needs a level surface and no concrete. Gravel or decking works, and Nootka suggests pavers under the feet if you're putting it on grass.
The electric heater's hardwired at 240V, on a 50-amp breaker for the standard heater or 40 amps for the smaller one, and a licensed electrician makes the connection. We'd book the free panel check Nootka suggests first, because an older service may not have room.
Nootka builds the room and leaves the wood stove and chimney to you or a local contractor, permit included. Its FAQ says most places let you put up a small outbuilding without a permit, and your municipality has the final word.
Delivery depends on where you live
If you live in Greater Vancouver or along the Sea to Sky Highway, a Nootka builder brings the sauna flat-packed in a pickup or on a trailer and has it standing in five or six hours, Nootka says.
Anywhere else, a freight carrier drops a crate on an appointment you'll need to be home for. Nootka suggests two people and a weekend for the assembly, with its manual and videos to follow. A flat pack does have one advantage: every part can be carried by hand into a backyard no crane could reach.
What the price leaves out
Nootka's starting prices are bare shells. A 15% deposit holds your build slot, and the rest is due before the sauna ships. We've listed the barrel add-ons Nootka prices, plus the costs that come from outside the order.
| Item | Cost (CAD) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 9 kW electric heater | $950 | Nootka's own, CSA certified |
| Harvia M3 wood stove | $1,400 | Installing it and the chimney is on you |
| Black metal roof | $899 | Nootka says it speeds heat-up by about 20% |
| XL rear window | $550 | 30 × 30 in |
| Full glass door | $600 | |
| App control by LTE | Five years of service included | $50 a year after that, Nootka says |
| Electrician and permit | Varies by province | A 240V circuit on a 50-amp breaker |
| Freight outside BC | Quoted at checkout | One crate for the 8 ft, two for the 10 ft |
Add-on prices from Nootka's 8 ft and 10 ft configurators, read Oct 10, 2026. The Cube's options are priced separately on its own page.
The warranty covers the structure for five years and the heater for two
Nootka's limited warranty covers parts and shipping on the room, heater, controller and lights for the first year. In year two Nootka sends parts and you pay the shipping. After that, only the structure's covered, and only against rot that goes right through a board.
Two years on the heater is short, and it's the weak spot we'd raise before buying. Ask Nootka what an element or a controller costs once the warranty's done.
How Nootka compares with other Canadian barrels
Nootka leads our guide to the best saunas made in Canada because its electric barrel pairs a Canadian heater with wood traced to BC and heats fast. Copperwood in Alberta offers a Homecraft heater too, and its base barrel costs a little less. If you don't mind assembling a kit, True North's from Owen Sound is cheaper still. Forest Cooperage builds a clear-cedar barrel for about double Nootka's price.
Where to buy
Copperwood Sauna Outdoor Saunas
Copperwood 8ft Round Barrel Sauna
Built in Spruce Grove, Alberta
True North Saunas Outdoor Saunas
True North Barrel Sauna
Built in Owen Sound, Ontario
Forest Cooperage Outdoor Saunas
Forest Cooperage Cedar Barrel Sauna
Built in Sooke, British Columbia · with imported parts
How did we review Nootka?
This review draws on Nootka's FAQ, product configurators, warranty page and heater installation guide, read Oct 10, 2026, and on the brand's origin record, which our method page explains. Where Nootka's own pages disagree on a price or a seat count, the table note says which one the table shows. We'll add a summary of owner reviews in a later update.
Common questions
- Where are Nootka saunas made?
- Nootka Saunas builds every one of its saunas in Squamish, British Columbia, its FAQ says, and the western red cedar is milled locally. The wood-fired option uses a Harvia M3 stove from Finland.
- How much does a Nootka sauna cost in Canada?
- A Nootka 8 ft barrel costs $7,950 as a bare shell and $8,900 with the 9 kW electric heater. The 10 ft barrel starts at $9,350 and the Cube at $14,500, all in Canadian dollars before freight and tax.
- What electrical does a Nootka sauna need?
- A Nootka electric sauna runs on its own 240V circuit, hardwired to your panel by a licensed electrician. The standard 9 kW heater uses a 50-amp breaker and the optional 7.5 kW heater a 40-amp breaker.
- Does Nootka deliver outside British Columbia?
- Yes. Nootka ships its saunas as a crate anywhere in North America, and you assemble them. Around Greater Vancouver and up the Sea to Sky Highway, Nootka's own builders deliver and assemble the sauna in five or six hours.
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