The sauna finder
Find a sauna built in Canada that fits your place
Answer eight quick questions, from where the sauna goes to what your wiring can take. We check your answers against the 25 saunas in our catalogue, using each maker’s own measurements, and rank the ones that fit.
How to choose a sauna built in Canada
Each question in the finder narrows the list, and these notes say what each one decides.
Most saunas built in Canada go in the yard
Of the 25 saunas the finder checks, 24 are made for outside and 2 can go indoors. An outdoor room needs a level base of gravel, pavers or decking, and a large one can need a building permit, depending on your town.
Read what your province asks forHot stones give you steam, and infrared runs cooler
A heater warms a bed of stones and takes the air to 80–90°C (176–194°F), and water ladled on the stones rolls back off them as löyly. CSA approval caps an electric sauna heater at 90°C (194°F), Nootka notes. An infrared cabin warms your skin directly in cooler air, so people tend to sit longer.
Size a heater for your roomYour wiring narrows the list fast
Most electric heaters for a hot-stone room need a dedicated 240V circuit. The Canadian Electrical Code has a licensed electrician put it in, under a permit from your province's inspection body, such as the ESA in Ontario or Technical Safety BC. A wood stove skips the circuit and brings chimney and clearance rules instead.
Read the wiring guideNot every maker delivers to your province
Bramari Saunas, Copperwood Sauna and SaunaSpa serve their own part of the country. Others send a crate by freight or to a depot you collect from. The finder leaves out any maker whose own delivery terms don't reach your province.
See the best saunas made in CanadaCheck what the price includes
17 of the saunas here sell without a heater, so a low price can hide a bill of a few thousand dollars more. The finder flags each one, says what circuit the heater needs, and estimates what it costs to run at your province's electricity rate.
Price a Nootka build, every option includedQuestions readers ask
- How does the Canada's Saunas finder choose a sauna?
- The Canada's Saunas finder leaves out every sauna that misses one of your answers, using each maker's own measurements, prices and delivery areas. It ranks the rest on how well they fit your other answers, then on the warranty on the structure and our editors' score. No maker pays for a place in the results.
- Do I need a 240V circuit for a sauna in Canada?
- Most electric heaters for a hot-stone sauna need a dedicated 240V circuit, put in by a licensed electrician under the Canadian Electrical Code with a provincial permit. Nootka's 9 kW heater, for one, runs on a 50-amp breaker. A small infrared cabin like SaunaRay's SR2 plugs into an ordinary outlet, and a wood-fired sauna needs no circuit.
- Which Canadian sauna makers deliver across the country?
- By their own delivery terms, BnB Barrels, Bunkie Life, Coldture, Copperwood Sauna, Dundalk LeisureCraft, Forest Cooperage, LeisureCraft, Nootka Saunas, Northern Lights Cedar Saunas, SaunaRay and True North Saunas deliver to every province and territory. Other makers serve their own region, and the sauna finder only shows makers that deliver to the province you pick.
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