View through a garden sauna window to a timber bench with a water bucket and ladle

Barrel Saunas

The timeless outdoor sauna. Our wooden barrel saunas are built from thermo-spruce staves and bring classic Nordic bathing to the garden. Quick to heat, full of character and roomy enough for the whole group.

See benefits

Barrel Collection

Hekla Barrel 210 Scandi outdoor sauna, rear-angle view with half-panoramic window
Barrel 250 Sauna 6 Person W 215 × D 246 × H 234 cm
Finish: Scandi
From £7,699
Hekla Barrel 210 Scandi outdoor sauna, rear-angle view with half-panoramic window
Barrel 210 Sauna 4 Person W 215 × D 205 × H 234 cm
Finish: Scandi
From £7,099
Man sitting on a sauna bench beside the heater as steam rises from the stones

Range Features

Rounded, efficient and unmistakably Nordic. Each barrel sauna is built from thermo-spruce staves that heat quickly and spread warmth evenly, with a half-panoramic window onto the garden. The Barrel 210 suits groups of four, and the Barrel 250 is one of our largest saunas, with room for six. For a modern look, see our glass fronted cube saunas, and check the cost to run a garden sauna. Both barrels sit in our outdoor sauna range. To see every model side by side, browse our home saunas.

  • Seats 4-6
  • Thermo-spruce barrel
  • Half-panoramic window
  • Stainless steel bands
  • Harvia electric or wood-fired heater
  • Shingle roof

Benefits

Woman in a towel sitting on a sauna bench behind a steamed glass front, wooden bucket in the foreground

Room for the whole group

With space to seat four to six, a barrel sauna is made for sharing. Gather friends and family and let it become the social heart of the garden.
Close-up of a shoulder and arm beaded with sweat on a sauna bench

Fast, efficient heat

The rounded barrel shape leaves less air to warm and circulates heat evenly. You wait less and enjoy the löyly sooner.
Man in shorts opening the glass door of a lit sauna, with a robe hanging on the wall

Built for the garden

Thermo-spruce staves, stainless steel bands and a shingle roof weather the seasons. It is a characterful, hard-wearing retreat that only looks better with time.
View through a garden sauna window to a timber bench with a water bucket and ladle

Why the wood matters

A wooden barrel sauna works because of its timber. Our staves are cut from spruce that has been modified with heat and steam, so the wood shrugs off rain and frost without any chemical treatment. As the sauna warms it releases a soft spruce scent, and the steel bands keep the barrel tight through every season.
Woman in a black swimsuit at the glass door of an indoor sauna with red ambient lighting

Recovery and everyday wellbeing

Deep, even warmth eases tired muscles and quiets the mind. Step out into the fresh air to cool down, then step back in. It is the simple rhythm at the heart of sauna culture.

Customer Reviews

4.8/5
15 Reviews
The barrel heats up so quickly and easily fits the whole family. That window looking down the garden is really something.

The Bennetts Barrel 250

A real showpiece in the garden and beautifully made. The wood-fired option was exactly what we wanted.

Greg P. Barrel 210

We were surprised how fast it gets up to temperature. Evenings in the barrel have become our favourite ritual.

Anya & Rob Barrel 210 Nero

Before you buy

FAQs

The round shape has less air to heat, so a barrel reaches temperature quickly and the heat circulates evenly around you. It is the classic outdoor sauna shape for a reason. The Cube trades some of that for a glass front and a modern line.
The Barrel 210 seats four on two facing thermo-aspen benches. The Barrel 250 seats six. Both are 215 cm wide and 234 cm tall, and the difference between them is 41 cm of length.
Your choice on both models. The Harvia Cilindro electric heater at 6.8 or 9 kW, with manual or digital Wi-Fi control, or the Harvia Linear 18 wood-burning stove at 14.3 kW. Wood-fired suits a garden without a convenient electrical run and gives the deepest heat. Electric gives you a timer and a phone app.
Well. The staves are thermo-spruce, heat treated so they stay stable through rain and frost, and stainless steel bands hold them tight as the wood moves with the seasons. It needs no paint or preservative. Site it on a solid, level base and let the air move around it.
Both models come with a half-panoramic window or a solid wooden back panel. Choose the window if the barrel faces the garden and you want the view from the bench. Choose solid if it backs onto a fence, or you want a little more heat retention.
You can assemble it yourself or have your Hekla stockist build it, so ask them when you order. Either way, prepare a flat, level, solid and permanent base, ideally a concrete slab, with one metre of clear access on all sides. Your electrician connects an electric heater afterwards. A wood-burning stove needs no power at all.
A thermometer, hygrometer, sand timer, bucket and ladle. The heater and controls are chosen in the recommended configuration on each model page. Plus a two year warranty.