True North Saunas Barrel Sauna
True North Barrel Sauna
True North's barrel comes in lengths from 4 ft to 10 ft (1.2–3 m), in white or red cedar 38 mm (1.5 in) thick. It ships as a kit with a porch, and the heater's a separate purchase.
- Western Red Cedar
- Eastern White Cedar
- Wood-Fired
Where it’s made
According to the maker:
- Built in Owen Sound, Ontario
- Materials Eastern white cedar or western red cedar, which the maker calls Canadian cedar
$5,500CAD
45% below the median for outdoor saunas.
We may earn a commission when you buy through this link, and you pay the same price. Price as recorded in our catalogue on Oct 10, 2026.
Good to know: True North prices each length and cedar on request, and its model page says from $6,400, so get the quote in writing. Delivery takes 3 to 4 weeks, and assembly on site costs extra.
Before you order
This page gathers what True North Saunas publishes about the barrel, checked Oct 10, 2026, and adds up what it costs to install. Our verdict on it runs in Nootka Saunas review: which barrel or Cube should you buy?.
Who should buy the barrel?
The True North barrel suits a handy buyer who wants the cheapest Canadian-built cedar barrel we've found. The Vokes family's shop in Owen Sound builds it in lengths from 1.2 to 3 m (4 to 10 ft), in white or red cedar, and True North's Look Book calls the kit a weekend build with basic tools.
True North doesn't publish a seat count for each length or the province its cedar grew in, so ask about both before you order. If you'd rather it arrived built, SaunaSpa's barrels come ready to use from Quebec.
What does it take to install?
Choose the length first, because the pad and the heater follow from it. The kit includes the floor, a vent kit, ice-and-water shield and a wood or steel roof, and no piece weighs more than 27 kg (60 lb). Most orders go out as depot pickup, which means collecting the crate at a carrier terminal near you with a truck or trailer. An electric heater needs a 240V circuit and an electrician, and a wood stove needs a chimney kit.
What does the barrel cost all in?
| Cost | Amount | Where the figure comes from |
|---|---|---|
| List price | $5,500 | The regular price at True North, recorded Oct 10, 2026. |
| Heater | Extra | True North sells Harvia heaters and COZY wood stoves |
| Chimney kit | Extra | For a wood stove |
| Porch | Optional | Priced with your length |
| 240V circuit and permit | Electrician's quote | For an electric heater |
| Assembly on site | Quoted | Or build it yourself |
True North's store lists the barrel from $5,500, while its model page says from $6,400, so get a written quote for your length and cedar. The heater, the chimney or circuit and the trip to the depot all come on top.
This guide draws on True North's 2026 Look Book, its store and model pages and its shipping and refund policy, read Oct 10, 2026.
By the numbers
Price in context
Where it sits among the 24 outdoor saunas we list
At $5,500, the True North Barrel Sauna starts 45% below the median for outdoor saunas. The cheapest is the SaunaSpa Barrel Sauna Classic at $4,399, and the dearest the Bramari Mökki Sauna at $25,258.
How hot it gets
A traditional room heats the air itself
104°F50°C
122°F60°C
140°F70°C
158°F80°C
176°F90°C
194°F100°C
212°F110°C
230°F
The True North Barrel Sauna is a traditional sauna. Its heater warms the air to about 80–100°C (176–212°F), and sessions run 15 to 20 minutes. An infrared cabin runs at 45–60°C.
What to know before you buy
Eastern White Cedar, Western Red Cedar, electric or wood-fired. These decide whether it suits your space and your electrical panel.
- Western Red CedarWestern Red Cedar is the high-end sauna wood, and it resists rot and insects naturally. It's aromatic and conducts heat poorly, so benches stay cool enough to sit on at 90°C (194°F).
- Eastern White CedarEastern white cedar grows from Nova Scotia to Manitoba, so Ontario and Quebec builders can mill it close to home. The US Forest Products Laboratory's Wood Handbook puts it within a few percent of western red cedar on weight and heat flow and rates its heartwood as decay resistant. The wood is a pale, even light brown.
- Wood-FiredA log stove heats the room, so the sauna runs fully off-grid and the crackling fire becomes part of the ritual. Fans of wood heat call its löyly the softest. Plan for a chimney and about 45–60 min of heat-up.
Specifications
From True North Saunas’s own listing, checked when the page was written.
| Brand | True North Saunas |
|---|---|
| Model | True North Barrel Sauna |
| Type | Barrel Sauna |
| Heat | Wood-Fired |
| Wood | Western Red Cedar |
| Materials | Eastern White Cedar, Western Red Cedar, electric or wood-fired |
| Where it's built | Built in Owen Sound, Ontario |
| List price | $5,500 CAD |
| Where to buy | True North |
| Price recorded | Oct 10, 2026 |
How it compares
We'd weigh the barrel against these 3 models from our catalogue.
- LeisureCraft Canadian Timber Harmony Barrel Sauna CTC22W
$7,509
LeisureCraft's Harmony is the closest Ontario barrel, in Ontario white cedar through a dealer
- SaunaSpa Barrel Sauna Classic
$4,399–$9,199
SaunaSpa's Quebec barrel arrives fully built and starts lower
- Nootka 8ft Barrel Sauna
$7,950–$11,649
Nootka's 8 ft barrel comes with a Canadian heater option and wood traced to BC
| Product | |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $5,500 | $7,509 | $4,399–$9,199 | $7,950–$11,649 |
| Seats | n/a | 4 | 10 | 4 |
| Heat | Wood-Fired | Wood-Fired, Electric | Wood-Fired, Electric | Wood-Fired, Electric |
| Material | Western Red Cedar | Eastern White Cedar | Western Red Cedar | Western Red Cedar |
| Links | Buy | See it | See it | See it |
Before you buy
- Where is the True North barrel sauna built?
- True North says it handcrafts its saunas in Owen Sound, Ontario, from cedar it calls Canadian, and it mills its red cedar in its own facility.
- Does the True North barrel sauna include a heater?
- No. True North sells the barrel as a kit without a heater, and it sells Harvia electric and wood heaters and COZY wood stoves separately.
- How is the True North barrel sauna delivered?
- True North books most orders as depot pickup at a carrier terminal near you, and curbside is the only door delivery it guarantees. No piece in the kit weighs more than 27 kg (60 lb), True North says.
True North Saunas Barrel Sauna
Buy the True North Barrel Sauna
$5,500
Buy at True NorthWe may earn a commission when you buy through this link, and you pay the same price.
Where we’ve written about it
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