The short answer
A portable sauna is a folding tent, cabin or blanket that heats you with steam or infrared panels. It plugs into a normal UK socket, sets up in a few minutes and packs away into a bag. It will not get as hot as a traditional sauna, but it costs a fraction of the price and needs no building work.
The four types
Almost every portable sauna sold in the UK is one of these four. The main choice is steam (humid), dry heat (hottest) or infrared (gentler).
Steam tents
A fabric tent over a frame, with a small steamer outside that pipes steam in. You sit on a folding chair inside.
- Typical price
- £154.99 to £199.99
- Best at
- A proper sweat for less
Dry heat pods
A portable pod with its own heater that warms the air, like a traditional sauna. No water and no steam.
- Typical price
- £299 to £399
- Best at
- Hottest heat
Infrared saunas
A tent or box lined with heated panels that warm your body directly. Often head-out.
- Typical price
- From £289
- Best at
- No damp
Sauna blankets
A heated, sleeping-bag style wrap you lie in. Not a sauna in the traditional sense, but similar heat.
- Typical price
- £199 to £699
- Best at
- Cheapest to run
How it works
Steam models use a steamer, rather like a large kettle, that sits outside the tent and feeds steam in through a hose. The tent traps the steam, so the air inside gets hot and humid. Most have a timer and two or three heat settings.
Dry heat pods have a heater inside the pod that warms the air directly, like a small sauna stove, so they get much hotter than steam.
Infrared models have carbon heating panels sewn into the walls. They warm your body directly, a bit like standing in the sun, so the air stays cooler and drier.
Either way, you sit inside for 15 to 30 minutes (see how to use a portable sauna), usually with your head out on cabins and blankets, or fully inside on taller tents.
Do you have room?
A typical steam tent needs a patch of floor about the size of an armchair and a normal ceiling height, plus room to step in. Folded, most fit in a cupboard or under a bed. Steam saunas release about as much moisture as a long shower, so a room with a window or extractor fan is best.
Safety basics
- Start with 10 to 15 minutes and build up.
- Drink water before and after.
- Plug straight into a wall socket, never an extension lead.
- Speak to your GP first if you are pregnant or have heart problems, high or low blood pressure, or another long-term condition. See who should not use a sauna.
Questions
Is a portable sauna as good as a real one?
It gets you hot and sweating, but not as hot. Traditional saunas run at 70 to 100°C. Portable steam tents usually reach 45 to 50°C, though humid air makes that feel more intense, and dry heat pods are rated up to about 85°C.
Do portable saunas use a lot of electricity?
Less than most people expect. A 30-minute session costs between 5p and 16p at full power, at 26.32p per kWh.
Do I need a special plug or electrician?
No. Every portable sauna we cover plugs into a standard UK socket. Plug it straight into the wall rather than an extension lead.