Home › Sauna types › Barrel sauna
The barrel sauna: origins and construction
The barrel sauna is the youngest form in our overview – and today one of the most popular garden saunas. Its principle, though, is old: wooden staves held together by bands, just like a barrel.
Updated: September 2026 · independent guide, sources linked
Thinking of buying a barrel sauna? Pros and cons, sizes, types of wood and prices in our guide.
Barrel sauna guide →At a glance
| Shape | horizontal cylinder of wooden staves |
|---|---|
| Construction | staves held together by metal bands |
| Heating | wood or electric heater |
| People | 2 to 6 or more, depending on length |
| Origin | not clearly documented; from the Scandinavian sauna tradition |
A young form with old roots
There is no documented history of the barrel sauna with a date and an inventor. Much of what you read online comes from sellers and can't be verified. What is clear: it combines two old crafts – the Scandinavian tradition of the free-standing sauna hut and cooperage, with its staves and hoops.
The barrel sauna became known above all as a prefabricated outdoor sauna: built in a workshop, often delivered in one piece and set on a base in the garden.
Why the round shape works
- Less air volume: for the same bench area, a barrel holds less air than a square room – so it heats up faster.
- Stable without a frame: the staves support each other and the bands hold them together.
- Wood moves: in dry weather the staves shrink – which is why the bands need retightening.
Development at a glance
- TraditionFree-standing wooden saunas by lakes and on farms in Scandinavia (see sauna cabin).
- CraftCooperage provides the principle: staves and bands.
- TodayPrefabricated barrel saunas with changing room, panoramic window, wood or electric heater – in Switzerland from about CHF 5,000.
A barrel sauna in your garden
Compact, quick to heat and often delivered assembled: the barrel sauna suits smaller gardens too. Pay attention to the type of wood, stave thickness and roof – and check the building permit first. Everything about buying one is in our barrel sauna guide, extra costs under cost and the right base under location & foundation.
For a sauna in the garden, each canton handles the building permit differently, for example Aargau, St. Gallen and Ticino. All 26 cantons: Building permit.
Thinking of buying a barrel sauna? Pros and cons, sizes, types of wood and prices in our guide.
Barrel sauna guide →More sauna types: Finnish sauna · Smoke sauna · Wood-fired sauna · Electric sauna · Sauna cabin · Infrared sauna · Bio sauna · Steam room · Kelo sauna · Kota sauna · Mobile sauna
Sweat baths of other cultures: Banya (Eastern Europe) · Roman baths · Hammam · Sweat lodge (North America) · Temazcal (Mesoamerica) · Qargi (Yup'ik & Inuit) · Steppe nomads (Scythians) · Hanjeungmak (Korea) · Mushiburo (Japan) · Sweathouses (Ireland)
Compare quotes from your region
Describe your project once – up to 3 suitable suppliers will contact you. Free and without obligation.