Last updated: June 2026
A few years ago, a client building a wellness room in his villa told our team he wanted “a sauna, the proper kind.” Two weeks into the design he sat in a traditional Finnish cabin, an infrared cabin and a steam room back to back at our showroom, and walked out having changed his mind completely. The intense dry heat he thought he wanted turned out to be too much for daily use; the gentle infrared cabin he had dismissed became the one he now uses most mornings, with a steam room added next door for weekends. The lesson, repeated on hundreds of projects across 38 years of manufacturing, is simple: the best sauna is not the most powerful one, it is the one whose heat suits how you actually live.
Traditional, infrared and steam saunas all promise relaxation, recovery and a daily wellness ritual, but they create completely different experiences, cost different amounts to run, and suit different rooms and bodies. Choosing between them without understanding how each one heats you is the single most common reason people end up with a wellness room they rarely use.
This guide compares the three properly: how each type of heat works, the evidence behind the benefits, heat-up times and running costs, the space and build each one needs, and a clear way to decide. By the end you will know which sauna fits your home, your budget and your tolerance for heat.
Planning a sauna or steam room for your home? Explore our custom sauna range or request a free consultation with our team.
What is the difference between a traditional, infrared and steam room?
The core difference is how each one delivers heat: a traditional sauna heats the air to a high temperature with low humidity, an infrared sauna warms your body directly with radiant panels at a lower air temperature, and a steam room runs cooler but at near-total humidity. Everything else, how it feels, how long it takes to warm up, what it costs to run, and how it is built, follows from that one distinction.
In a traditional Finnish sauna, an electric or wood-fired heater warms stones and the surrounding air to roughly 70 to 100 °C, and you can pour water over the stones for a burst of steam called löyly. In an infrared sauna, panels emit infrared energy that your body absorbs directly, so the air itself stays at a milder 45 to 60 °C. In a steam room, a generator fills the space with vapour at around 40 to 48 °C and close to 100 percent humidity. Same goal of warmth and relaxation; three very different routes to it.
| Feature | Traditional sauna | Infrared sauna | Steam room |
|---|---|---|---|
| Temperature | 70–100 °C | 45–60 °C | 40–48 °C |
| Humidity | Low (with optional löyly) | None | ~100% |
| Heat source | Heater + stones | Infrared panels | Steam generator |
| Heat-up time | 30–45 min | 10–15 min | 15–25 min |
| Sensation | Intense, dry, enveloping | Gentle, radiant | Warm, moist, hydrating |
| Best for | Purists, classic ritual | Comfort, efficiency, daily use | Moist-heat lovers, hammam tradition |
How does a traditional Finnish sauna work, and who is it for?
A traditional sauna heats the air and the room itself to a high, dry temperature, creating the most intense and classic experience of the three. It suits people who want strong, enveloping heat and the ritual of pouring water over hot stones for a wave of steam. It is the configuration most people picture when they think of the word “sauna.”
Because a traditional sauna heats by air volume, the heater must be sized to the cubic metres of the room, not just the floor area, and the cabin needs proper ventilation, a fresh-air inlet near the heater and an outlet on the opposite wall. The heat-up time is the longest of the three at 30 to 45 minutes, which is worth knowing if you value spontaneity. The reward is a deep, dry heat with a long cultural pedigree and a strong, documented wellbeing tradition.
The health case for heat bathing is best established for exactly this kind of sauna. A 2018 review in Mayo Clinic Proceedings synthesised more than 40 studies and linked regular sauna bathing to cardiovascular and recovery benefits (Laukkanen et al., 2018), while an earlier clinical review reached similar conclusions about its physiological effects (Hannuksela & Ellahham, 2001).
For a true Finnish experience built to last, our custom saunas are designed around stable, kiln-dried timber and heaters chosen for daily use.
Should you choose an electric or wood-fired heater?
For most homes an electric heater is the practical choice, because it is clean, controllable, fast to a stable temperature, and easy to integrate with a timer. A wood-fired heater delivers a more atmospheric, traditional experience and is popular for outdoor and garden saunas, but it needs a flue, fuel storage and more hands-on management. The heat itself is similar; the difference is convenience versus ritual.
How does an infrared sauna work, and who is it for?
An infrared sauna warms your body directly with radiant infrared energy rather than heating the air around you, so it operates at a much lower ambient temperature of around 45 to 60 °C. It suits people who find traditional heat too intense, who want shorter heat-up times and lower running costs, or who plan to use their sauna every day for longer, gentler sessions.
Because the air stays cooler, many users tolerate an infrared session more comfortably and for longer than a traditional sauna, and the 10 to 15-minute heat-up makes it easy to use on impulse. The trade-off is that the sensation is genuinely different: a soft, radiant warmth rather than the classic wall of heat, and no löyly steam. For a large share of home buyers, that gentler profile is exactly the appeal.
Infrared cabins are also typically simpler to install, often needing only a standard power supply, which makes them a popular choice for apartments and smaller spaces. If comfort and efficiency are your priorities, compare the options in our infrared sauna range.
Is infrared or traditional better for you?
Choose infrared if you want gentle, efficient, daily-use heat that is easy to install and tolerate; choose traditional if you want the classic, intense, dry-heat ritual with löyly and the deepest sense of a “real” sauna. Neither is objectively better, they are different experiences, and the right answer depends entirely on the heat you personally enjoy and how often you intend to use the room.
How does a steam room work, and who is it for?
A steam room runs cooler than a sauna, at around 40 to 48 °C, but fills the space with vapour at close to 100 percent humidity, creating a warm, moist, hydrating environment. It suits people who prefer moist heat to dry heat, who want a gentler feeling on the skin and airways, or who are drawn to the spa and hammam tradition of bathing in steam.
Unlike a dry sauna, a steam room is a fully wet environment, which means the build is more involved: it must be completely waterproofed (tanked), sloped for drainage, and ventilated so it dries between sessions. That makes a steam room a more significant construction project than a dry sauna, but for moist-heat lovers the experience is unmatched. The moist heat is often described as easier on the lungs, and it pairs naturally with the cleansing rituals of a hammam.
If you prefer humid heat, see how we engineer a custom steam room to survive years of daily use.
How much does each type of sauna cost to run and maintain?
Running costs follow heat-up time and operating temperature: an infrared sauna is generally the cheapest to run because it heats fast at a low temperature, a traditional sauna costs more because it heats a larger air volume to a high temperature, and a steam room sits in between but carries more maintenance because of its wet environment. Across all three, build quality and correct sizing affect lifetime cost far more than the sticker price.
The biggest hidden cost in any sauna is a build done badly. An undersized heater that runs at full load for years, a cabin in cheap resinous timber that cracks and weeps, or a steam room with incomplete waterproofing that damages surrounding joinery will all cost far more over time than the saving made at purchase. A well-built room in stable materials, correctly sized and ventilated, lasts well over a decade and rewards you daily.
| Cost factor | Traditional | Infrared | Steam |
|---|---|---|---|
| Running cost | Higher | Lowest | Moderate |
| Heat-up energy | High (long heat-up) | Low (fast, low temp) | Moderate |
| Maintenance | Low | Low | Higher (wet environment) |
| Build complexity | Moderate | Simplest | Highest (tanking + drainage) |
Can you combine a sauna, steam room and cold plunge?
Yes, and the most rewarding home wellness suites do exactly that, pairing dry heat, moist heat and cold so you can move through a full contrast-therapy circuit. The classic combination is a traditional or infrared sauna beside a steam room, with a cold plunge to complete the cycle, because the body responds most strongly when intense heat is followed by genuine cold.
Designing the rooms together rather than separately also makes practical sense. Grouping the wet rooms, steam and shower, into one tanked, well-drained zone, with the dry sauna on the other side of a glazed threshold, contains the waterproofing challenge and produces a coherent suite rather than a set of disconnected boxes. This is the approach we take on every private spa we build.
How do you choose the right sauna for your home?
Choose based on the heat you enjoy, how often you will use it, and the space and supply you have: pick infrared for gentle, efficient, everyday use and easy installation, traditional for the classic intense ritual, and steam for moist, spa-like heat. If you have the room and budget, combining two delivers the most complete experience.
A simple way to decide is to try all three before committing, exactly as our villa client did. Heat is personal: the type that sounds most appealing on paper is often not the one your body actually wants to sit in three times a week. Match the room to the realistic habit, not the aspiration, and you will end up with a sauna you use rather than admire.
Not sure which fits your space and budget? Request a free consultation and our team will help you choose, size and build the right room.
Frequently asked questions
Which sauna is healthiest?
All three support relaxation and recovery, and the strongest evidence base is for traditional sauna bathing, which research links to cardiovascular and wellbeing benefits. The healthiest choice is ultimately the one you will use consistently and tolerate comfortably, so personal preference matters as much as the type.
Is an infrared sauna a “real” sauna?
Yes, though it works differently. A traditional sauna heats the air and a infrared sauna heats your body directly, so the sensation is gentler and the air cooler. It is a genuine sauna experience, simply a milder and more efficient one that many people find easier for daily use.
What is the difference between a steam room and a sauna?
A sauna uses dry heat, high temperature, low humidity, while a steam room uses moist heat, lower temperature, near-total humidity. Saunas feel hot and dry; steam rooms feel warm and wet. Many people prefer one strongly over the other, which is why trying both is worthwhile.
Which sauna heats up fastest?
An infrared sauna heats up fastest, usually in 10 to 15 minutes, because it warms your body rather than the whole air volume. A steam room takes 15 to 25 minutes, and a traditional sauna takes the longest at 30 to 45 minutes.
Can I install a sauna in an apartment?
Yes. Infrared cabins are particularly suited to apartments because they are compact and often run on a standard power supply. Traditional saunas and steam rooms are also possible but need more attention to heater power, ventilation and, for steam, waterproofing.
Do I need a cold plunge with my sauna?
You do not need one, but a cold plunge greatly enhances the experience by enabling contrast therapy, alternating intense heat with cold. The largest home wellness suites combine sauna, steam and cold plunge, while a simple sauna on its own still delivers most of the relaxation benefit.
Sources
- Laukkanen, J. A., Laukkanen, T., & Kunutsor, S. K. (2018). Cardiovascular and Other Health Benefits of Sauna Bathing: A Review of the Evidence. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 93(8), 1111-1121. Full text
- Hannuksela, M.L., & Ellahham, S. (2001). Benefits and risks of sauna bathing. American Journal of Medicine, 110(2), 118-126. PubMed
Ready to plan your sauna or wellness room? Whether you want a classic Finnish sauna, a gentle infrared cabin, a steam room, or a full contrast-therapy suite, our team brings 38 years of manufacturing experience to every project. Request a free consultation and we will help you choose the right type, size it correctly, and build it to last.
