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It's one of the first questions we hear at Eden Hut, and honestly, it's a question we love answering: should you choose an indoor or outdoor sauna? It's an age-old dilemma that every prospective sauna owner faces, and we understand why it feels like such a significant decision, because it is.
This article will help you navigate this choice with clarity. We'll compare both options honestly across all the factors that actually matter, and identify those specific situations where your decision becomes crystal clear. By the end, you'll know exactly which option suits your circumstances, your space, and your lifestyle.
Let's be straightforward about what each option offers. Both indoor and outdoor saunas deliver the same health benefits, the therapeutic heat, the cardiovascular improvements, the deep relaxation, so your choice comes down to practical factors and personal preference. If you need to refresh your memory on these benefits or want more detailed information, feel free to visit our article about Different Types of Saunas and Their Unique Health Benefits.
Now, let's look at the practical differences:
Indoor Saunas: Installed within your home, typically in spare rooms, basements, large bathrooms, or converted spaces. You're working with existing architecture, which means you need a room that can accommodate your desired sauna size whilst still allowing for proper door clearance, ventilation access, and comfortable movement. If space is tight, you might find yourself compromising on sauna size or giving up a room you could use for something else.
Outdoor Saunas: Positioned in your garden or outdoor space, completely independent of your home's footprint. This means you're not sacrificing any interior square footage, that spare bedroom stays a spare bedroom, your bathroom remains spacious. You have flexibility in size and placement, limited only by your outdoor space and local regulations.
Reality check: If you're debating whether to convert a bedroom into a sauna or place one in the garden, the outdoor option preserves your home's functionality and potentially its resale value.
Browse our curated selection of Barrel Saunas
Indoor Saunas: More complex installation because you're integrating into existing structure. You need to ensure proper ventilation (critical for preventing moisture damage to your home), potentially modify electrical systems, possibly adjust flooring, and carefully manage the moisture and heat that will now be generated inside your living space. Professional installation is often essential, and you may need building regulations approval depending on the modifications required.
Outdoor Saunas: Simpler installation process, you're building a standalone structure. Foundation preparation is straightforward (concrete pad, paving slabs, or gravel base), ventilation is naturally easy since you have access to all sides, and electrical connection, whilst still requiring a qualified electrician, doesn't involve modifying your home's existing systems. Many outdoor sauna kits are designed for capable DIY assembly.
Reality check: Outdoor installation typically takes less time and causes zero disruption to your daily home life. No dust indoors, no temporary loss of rooms, no working around your family's schedule.
Indoor Saunas: Ultimate convenience, walk from your bedroom or bathroom directly into your sauna, regardless of weather. This is genuinely appealing on cold, rainy evenings. No exposure to elements, completely private, instantly accessible any time of day or night. For some people, particularly those who use their sauna daily or multiple times daily, this ease of access is invaluable.
Outdoor Saunas: Requires stepping outside to reach your sauna. For some, this is a drawback. For others, and this is a perspective worth considering, this short journey becomes part of the ritual. That walk through your garden, that moment of transition from indoor to outdoor space, the fresh air before you enter the heat... many of our clients tell us this separation actually enhances their experience rather than diminishing it.
Reality check: Think honestly about your habits. If you're someone who'll use a sauna on a whim at midnight in pajamas, indoor might suit you better. If you're more intentional about your wellness practices and appreciate ritual, outdoor could be perfect.
Indoor Saunas: Protected from weather, which means less exterior maintenance. No concerns about rain, snow, UV damage, or temperature fluctuations affecting the structure. However, you must be absolutely vigilant about moisture management inside your home, proper ventilation isn't optional, it's essential. You'll need to monitor for any signs of moisture issues in surrounding rooms and maintain your home's ventilation systems properly.
Outdoor Saunas: Exposed to elements, which means you'll need to treat or maintain exterior wood periodically (typically annually), check seals and weatherproofing, and ensure drainage remains clear. However, you don't have to worry about moisture affecting your home, and ventilation is never an issue. The maintenance is different, not necessarily more, just focused on weather protection rather than moisture management.
Reality check: Both require maintenance, but outdoor maintenance feels more straightforward to most people, treating wood and checking seals is simpler than managing humidity levels inside your home.
Take a look at our range of Sauna + Hot Tub Combo options
Indoor Saunas: Complete privacy, always. No concerns about neighbours, no need to think about line of sight, no visibility issues whatsoever. Your sauna session is entirely private.
Outdoor Saunas: Privacy depends on your garden layout and how overlooked your property is. Strategic positioning, screening with plants or fencing, or choosing a naturally private corner can address this. Some people actually appreciate the connection to their garden and don't mind the openness; others need to plan for privacy screens.
Reality check: If you live in a densely populated area with gardens visible to multiple neighbours, you'll need to think about positioning. If you have a private garden or can easily screen the sauna, this isn't an issue at all.
Indoor Saunas: Often appear less expensive initially because you're using existing space. However, factor in: potential room modifications, enhanced ventilation systems, possible electrical upgrades, professional installation (usually essential), and the opportunity cost of losing that room for other purposes. Total cost can be quite significant when everything is included.
Outdoor Saunas: Require foundation preparation and possibly longer electrical runs to your garden. However, the structure itself is often simpler, installation can sometimes be DIY (significant savings), and you're not modifying your home. Generally, total costs are comparable, and outdoor saunas typically don't require planning permission for structures under 120 square feet.
Reality check: When you account for all factors, costs are usually similar. The difference is more about where the money goes, into home modifications versus outdoor infrastructure.
Read also: How Much Does It Cost to Run a Sauna?
At Eden Hut, we specialise in outdoor garden saunas, and there's a reason we're passionate about them. We've seen firsthand how they transform not just wellness routines but entire outdoor spaces and lifestyles.
There's something uniquely restorative about stepping from intense heat into fresh air. That contrast, that moment when you leave the sauna and feel the coolness on your skin, the breeze, the openness of being outdoors, it's part of the traditional sauna experience that indoor installations simply can't replicate. Our clients consistently tell us that this transition, this relationship with the outdoor environment, is one of their favourite aspects.
An outdoor sauna transforms your garden from a space you pass through into a place you go to. It becomes your wellness retreat, your sanctuary, your place to decompress. We've watched clients create beautiful outdoor wellness areas around their saunas, adding seating areas, cold plunge tubs, landscaping, outdoor showers. The sauna becomes the anchor for an entire outdoor living experience.
When clients choose outdoor, they're not just getting a sauna, they're preserving their entire home's functionality. That spare bedroom stays available for guests. That bathroom remains spacious. Your home's square footage stays dedicated to home purposes. This flexibility has long-term value that's easy to underestimate at first.
We've guided hundreds of installations, and outdoor setups consistently go more smoothly. There's no working around home occupancy, no dust or disruption inside, no moisture concerns affecting your living spaces, and no complex ventilation challenges. You prepare a foundation, assemble the sauna, connect electricity (with a qualified electrician), and you're done. Clean, straightforward, minimal stress.
First-time outdoor sauna users often worry about winter use. Then they experience it: stepping from a heated sauna into crisp winter air, perhaps even into snow. It's invigorating in a way that's hard to describe until you've felt it. Summer? Open the door, feel the evening breeze. Spring and autumn? Perfect temperatures for the complete contrast experience. Every season offers something unique.
Yes, you'll treat the exterior wood annually. Yes, you'll check weatherproofing periodically. But there's something simple and satisfying about this kind of maintenance, it's visible, manageable, and doesn't involve any complex home systems. You can see exactly what needs doing and when it's done properly.
If your circumstances change, you move house, you want to reconfigure your garden, you decide to upgrade to a larger sauna, outdoor saunas offer options. They're not permanently integrated into your home's structure. This flexibility has real value, even if it's not something you're thinking about now.
Read also: How to Build an Outdoor Sauna: Your Complete DIY Guide
There are certain situations where the decision practically makes itself. Here's where each option becomes the obvious choice:
You have no suitable outdoor space. If you live in a flat, a terraced house with no garden, or have only a small patio or balcony, indoor is your only realistic option. No garden means no outdoor sauna, the choice is made for you.
You have significant mobility challenges. For someone with serious mobility issues, navigating outdoor steps, pathways, or even brief distances in varying weather might be genuinely difficult or unsafe. The completely protected access of an indoor sauna becomes essential, not just convenient.
You live in an extremely harsh climate with dangerous weather. If you're in an area with genuinely hazardous weather conditions, extreme cold, frequent severe storms, dangerous wildlife in your area, the safety and protection of indoor installation becomes crucial.
You're using your sauna therapeutically multiple times daily. If your sauna use is medical or therapeutic in nature and your routine requires 2-4 sessions per day, the convenience factor of indoor access might outweigh all other considerations. That level of frequency makes the indoor option significantly more practical.
You require absolute privacy and have no way to achieve it outdoors. If you live in a very densely populated area with completely overlooked gardens and no feasible way to create privacy screening, and this genuinely concerns you, indoor ensures complete privacy always.
You want to preserve your home's functionality. If every room in your home is actively used and important, and giving one up for a sauna would genuinely compromise your living situation, outdoor is the clear answer. Your home stays a home; your sauna stays a sauna.
You're concerned about moisture in your home. If you live in an older property, have existing moisture issues, or simply want to avoid any risk of humidity affecting your home's structure, outdoor eliminates all these concerns. The moisture and heat stay completely outside your living space.
You have a beautiful garden or view you'd like to enjoy. If you've invested in your garden, if you have stunning views, or if you simply love being outdoors, an outdoor sauna allows you to incorporate all of that into your wellness practice. Why not take advantage of what you've got?
You want a complete wellness area. If you're thinking bigger, perhaps a cold plunge eventually, outdoor shower, seating area, landscaping, outdoor gives you room to grow your wellness space over time. You can't expand an indoor installation into an outdoor area, but you can build around an outdoor sauna.
You're planning to DIY the installation. If you're capable and interested in assembling your sauna yourself, outdoor kits are much more DIY-friendly than indoor installations. The simpler build process, straightforward ventilation, and standalone structure make it genuinely achievable for competent DIYers.
You want the authentic traditional experience. If what appeals to you is the complete sauna ritual, the heat, the cooling, the outdoor air, the connection to nature, outdoor delivers this in a way indoor installations simply don't. It's a different experience, not just a different location.
Read also: Sauna Buying Guide: How to Choose the Right One for Your Home
Both indoor and outdoor saunas will improve your life, support your wellness, and provide years of benefit. The choice isn't about which is "better", it's about which fits your situation, your property, your habits, and your vision of what a sauna experience should be.
If you value convenience above all else, have limited outdoor space, or use your sauna very frequently throughout the day, indoor makes excellent sense.
If you want to preserve your home's layout, you appreciate the ritual of outdoor wellness, you have garden space available, or you're drawn to the traditional sauna experience, outdoor will likely serve you beautifully.
And if you're still unsure? Consider this: which option excites you more? Which one do you naturally lean towards when you imagine yourself using it? Sometimes your instinct knows the answer before your logical mind does.
At Eden Hut, we specialise in outdoor garden saunas because we believe in the experience they provide, the flexibility they offer, and the way they enhance both wellness routines and outdoor living spaces. If you'd like to explore our range, discuss your specific situation, or simply ask questions about what might work best for your property, we're here. Visit our website to see our collection of outdoor saunas, or get in touch, we're always happy to help you find the right solution for your needs.
Can you put an indoor sauna outside?
Technically, some indoor sauna models can be relocated outdoors, but it's not ideal and often not recommended. Indoor saunas aren't built to withstand weather exposure, they lack proper weatherproofing, exterior-grade materials, and weather-resistant finishes. If you place an indoor sauna outside without proper protection (like housing it under a permanent roof structure), you'll face rapid deterioration from rain, UV exposure, and temperature fluctuations. The wood will warp, seals will fail, and electrical components can be compromised. If you want an outdoor sauna, choose one specifically designed for outdoor use with weather-resistant cedar, proper roofing, and exterior-grade construction. It will last decades rather than a few disappointing years.
Which is better for small spaces?
Indoor saunas can be more space-efficient if you're working with limited square footage, as they can be tucked into corners, basements, or converted closets. However, if your indoor space is limited but you have outdoor space available, an outdoor sauna actually frees up your home entirely. Consider what "small space" means in your situation, limited home space often makes outdoor the better choice overall.
Do outdoor saunas work in winter?
Absolutely, and many people find winter their favourite season for outdoor saunas. Modern outdoor saunas are well-insulated and maintain temperature perfectly even in freezing conditions. The contrast of stepping from intense heat into cold winter air is invigorating and deeply therapeutic, it's actually part of the traditional Nordic sauna experience. You may need a few extra minutes for the sauna to reach temperature in extreme cold, but once heated, it performs just as well as in summer.
Which adds more value to a property?
Both can add value, but the impact depends on your buyer market. Outdoor saunas typically have broader appeal because they don't consume indoor living space and can be viewed as a luxury garden feature. However, in extremely cold climates or urban areas with limited outdoor space, a well-installed indoor sauna might appeal more to buyers. The quality of installation matters more than location, a poorly installed sauna of either type adds little value, while a high-quality installation can increase property appeal significantly.
Have questions about delivery, installation, or anything else related to our hot tubs and saunas? We're here to help! Fill out the form, and our dedicated team will assist you promptly. Your satisfaction is our priority. Get in touch today!
