Saunas are relaxing, improve quality of life, and they may even extend lifespan. But they’re expensive to buy or require a trip to the gym.
However, portable saunas provide an inexpensive way to enjoy this ancient wellness practice at home. They’re also portable, so they don’t require a lot of space.
In this article, we review five top portable saunas, along with their benefits and drawbacks.
What Are Portable Saunas?
Portable saunas are smaller versions of infrared saunas or traditional Finnish saunas. Typically meant for a solo user, they collapse for easy storage and offer a more affordable option compared to full-sized saunas while giving the same benefits.
Some portable saunas are intended for indoor use while others can be used outdoors.
While ‘portable’ doesn’t necessarily mean travel-friendly, some are small enough to take on adventures to enjoy the benefits of a sauna virtually anywhere.
Read on to learn more about some of the best portable saunas available on the consumer market. While traditional saunas are expensive and require installation, portable saunas are actually quite convenient and affordable, while having many of the same benefits.
Best Small Portable Sauna: Sunlighten Solo System Portable Sauna, $2350
Key Features:
- Style: personal Infrared sauna
- Temperature range: Up to 150 degrees Fahrenheit
- Number of users: 1
- Materials
- Bamboo carbon on dome, pad and pillow
- Celliant/cotton on pad cover and curtain
- Dimensions:
- Dome – 69” x 28” x 18”
- Pad – 69” x 23.6” x 4”
- Power source: 120v electric for both dome and pad
- Warranty: 7-year residential limited lifetime warranty on heaters; 3 years on Solo and SoloPad controllers; 1 year on heater fabric and SoloPad memory foam
Product Insights
The Sunlighten Solo System Portable Sauna is a single-user device that combines infrared therapy and radiant heat therapy.
Far infrared wavelengths absorb deep into the body and have similar effects as traditional saunas in that they generate heat within the cells to stimulate healing.
The device is tube shaped, which allows the user to slide in and rest comfortably on its heated pads. Its temperature can be adjusted using five zone-based digital heaters to make use of its far infrared wavelengths.
The Solo System also offers chromotherapy, which uses visible light to stimulate health benefits, with 16 different colors and four settings to adjust brightness and intensity.
While not collapsible, the nesting design shortens the length of the device for easier storage.
The Solo System does not use plastic. Its non-toxic fabrics and low-EMF design helps ensure a healthy experience.
Pros:
- Relaxing personal sauna experience
- Combination of far-infrared and radiant heat therapy
Cons:
- Not collapsible (still somewhat bulky after nesting it together)
- Not easy to get into if the user has mobility issues
- The Solo Mat is not included ($70)
Best Outdoor Sauna Tent: SweatTent Outdoor Sauna $1499
Key Features
- Style: Tent sauna
- Temperature range: Up to 180-200 degrees Fahrenheit
- Number of users: 1-3
- Material: Insulated, weatherproof Oxford 210D fabric
- Dimensions: 72” x 72:” x 84”
- Power source: Stainless steel wood burning sauna stove with chimney (included)
- Included:
- Stove thermometer
- Fire poker
- Heat resistant gloves
- 20 pounds of sauna rocks and basket
- Warranty: 1-year limited lifetime warranty for tent and stove
Product Insights
To share the sauna experience with friends and enjoy a more traditional Finnish sauna experience, the SweatTent Outdoor Sauna is a great choice.
Set up the tent in just three minutes, fire up the stainless steel sauna stove (included) and within 30 minutes, you’ll be basking in 200-degree heat.
The tent can be set up on virtually any surface: concrete, unvarnished wood, tile, grass, dirt, or even ice that is at least one foot thick. Do not use the sauna on composite decks because the heat can release volatile compounds in vinyl decking.
The durable, heat-resistant double-insulated nylon fabric is designed to trap heat in the sauna. The material is rated to 300°F, meaning the fabric will not melt or leach chemicals at 200°F. This is approximately the sauna’s highest temperature.
An optional waterproof cover allows users to enjoy the sauna experience in any weather or even leave the sauna permanently installed in your backyard. Although it’s better to take it inside if heavy snowfall or extreme winds are expected.
Pros:
- Comfortably accommodates up to 3 people
- Natural Finnish-style sauna experience
- Fast, easy 3-minute setup and takedown
- Enjoy 180+ degree temperatures even in outside temperatures as low as 10 degrees F
Cons:
- Not suitable for indoor use
- Wood stove isn’t easy to carry
- Pricey compared to other sauna tents
- Benches are not included
- Requires wood to heat the stove (therefore, the cost of wood, storage, and hauling)
- Stove will need to cool completely before it can be moved
Best Portable Sauna Blanket: Sun Home Infrared Sauna Blanket $500
Key Features
- Style: blanket
- One user
- Temperature range: 95-167 degrees F
- Material: Faux leather, waterproof non-toxic polyurethane, velcro
- Dimensions: 71 inches by 63 inches
- Power source: electric (standard household outlet)
- Extra features:
- Remote-controlled, timed, adjustable heat
- EMF-shielding technology
- Warranty: 1-year warranty (Optional extended warranties available, up to 4 years)
- Shipping: Free shipping included
Product Insights
This portable sauna is just that. It’s easy to take anywhere in its own storage bag: all you need is a standard 120v electrical outlet, a comfortable place to lie down, and you’re ready to enjoy the sauna blanket.
You can set a timer for up to 1 hour as well as adjusting your preferred temperature up to 167 degrees F.
Infrared heating coils are sandwiched between waterproof layers and faux leather. While the manufacturer states that the blankets generate infrared heat, the technology appears to be radiant heat (which requires contact with the skin) since the blanket does not feature LEDs that shine infrared light on the skin.
You will sweat, so wearing absorbent clothing and wiping down the sauna blanket after use will be necessary.
Pros:
- Affordable
- Portable
- Easy to clean
Cons:
- Misleading marketing: since the blanket uses heat coils and not LEDs, this sauns does not use infrared technology
- Must be cleaned after every use
- Not a great choice for those who prefer no-touch heat
Best Stylish Indoor Sauna: Luminati Infrared Sauna $4,430
Key Features
- Style: Infrared sauna tent (indoor use only)
- Number of users: 1
- Minimalist design
- Easy to move at just over 50 pounds
- Dimensions: entrance 52”W ; rear 24”W; depth 52”D; interior height 63”
- Materials: North American basswood, bamboo, stainless steel, and canvas
- Comprehensive warranty plus a 100-day guarantee
- 10 years on the sauna, sauna panels, stool, enclosure kit, and more
- 5 years on the EMF shield
- 2 years on the ThermaLight® Bulb*
- Walk-in style, great for low-mobility users
- Durable materials with a 10-year warranty
- Low EMF device
- Wheelchair accessible
Product Insights
This portable sauna looks good enough to be left up in a stylish living area. The canvas cover comes in several colors including turmeric, indigo, dark chocolate, natural, and stone. The walk-in style provides a full-body experience. Users can sit on the included ergonomic stool or stand, as they prefer.
The untreated basswood floor helps create the authentic and soothing Finnish sauna experience, the only difference being that this sauna uses near infrared light and not a wood-burning stove to heat the body more gently, providing the benefits of red light therapy.
The incandescent bulbs used by the Luminati Infrared Sauna generate some heat, enough to raise your core temperature by about three degrees Fahrenheit. The manufacturer claims that the bulbs only deliver red and near infrared light. However, because of the bulb’s coating, it’s impossible to deliver specific red or near infrared wavelengths as would be the case with precision-calibrated LED light therapy devices.
Pros:
- A portable sauna you can leave up permanently thanks to its good looks
- Excellent warranty
- Wheelchair accessible
- Blocks EMF emissions from the environment
Cons:
- Installation is straightforward but time-consuming, so it’s best to leave the sauna assembled
- Expensive
- Not true infrared therapy
Best Budget Portable Sauna: Heat Wave Radiant Saunas Oversized Portable Cabin $179
Key Features
- Type: indoor tent sauna
- Number of users: 1
- Materials: polyester and beechwood
- Remote-controlled temperature for both the sauna and foot pad
- Low EMF carbon fiber heating panels generate up to 150 degrees Fahrenheit
- High-efficiency carbon heating panels
Product Insights
This oversized personal tent sauna is large enough to comfortably accommodate people up to 6’5” (seated). The sturdy frame takes less than a minute to set up. The quilted fabric is attractive, and easy to clean. The padded floor mat soaks up sweat, but it also delivers heat.
The four carbon heating panels surround the user in gentle warmth. The side walls, back wall, and foot pads are covered with ultra thin heating elements coated with “heat activated far infrared radiant material.” It’s not clear what that is, but it appears these are reflective surfaces that help direct the heat toward the user.
A canvas chair fits perfectly in the sauna for a comfortable experience.
Pros:
- A roomy sauna; good option for larger people
- Takes just 10 minutes to reach 150 degrees F
- Lightweight (24 lbs)
- Sauna set up is less than 1 minute
- Energy efficient
- Folds easily for storage
- Good value for the money
Cons:
- 1 year warranty
- Short maximum timer length (30 minutes)
- Not clear what the heat source actually is
Red Light Therapy with the BIOMAX Series
Red light therapy is an excellent treatment for those interested in general wellness and lifestyle improvement.
Red light therapy panels are affordable, effective and can be used at home.
For more information, check out the BIOMAX Series, providing advanced red light diodes that emit at 630nm, 660nm, 810nm, 830nm, 850nm, as well as traces of blue light at 480nm for optimal treatment.
For those who have home saunas, we also have the SaunaMAX Pro, which are red light therapy panels intended for use inside traditional saunas. They are specifially designed to withstand the heat and moisture of saunas, and are an option for anyone with a traditional sauna who is interested in using red light therapy during sauna treatment.
