Barrel Saunas Explained

Wood Fired & Electric Barrel Sauna Kits

Cedar Spring Recreation is a New Zealand manufacturer of the finest outdoor barrel saunas, indoor sauna kits & wood burning hot tubs. Our sauna kits are handcrafted with Western Red Cedar using our unique stave design to ensure a watertight seal. We use only the finest components including clear Grade “A” western red cedar, stainless steel straps and fasteners, and offer a range of heating options including electric or wood-fired options. 

We’re the only company in New Zealand or Australia with a dedicated partnership manager located in Canada where we self source our raw materials. Due to how we’ve built our business, and the partnerships we have in Canada, we can offer the highest quality wood products for the most competitive prices. 

The art (and science) of the sauna is well-documented and dates back thousands of years to Finland and Scandinavia. Often confused with a steam bath, a true sauna bath is very different, even though both types of baths offer the same therapeutic benefits.

The temperatures in a traditional sauna can actually exceed 90 degrees Celsius! The extremely low humidity present in the sauna makes these temperatures tolerable. Properly designed, the sauna's relative humidity rarely exceeds 5% when operated in the 'dry" mode. This permits the copious amount of perspiration produced by the body to dry quickly thus having a cooling effect.

Although the steam room enclosure must be nonporous and steam-tight, the opposite is true of a sauna room. The world's best saunas are always constructed of porous materials (meaning some type of wood) and have some air circulation through intake and outlet vents.

The wood actually "breathes" absorbing and purging moisture. Many varieties of wood are used for sauna construction, but care must be taken when selecting the type and grade due to leaching of pitch or slivers. This is why we build our DIY barrel sauna kits out of 100% Canadian cedar or white pine.

 Whether it's dry heat or clouds of steam the choice is yours as our units are fully capable of both.

Our outdoor barrel saunas and indoor cedar sauna rooms come in simple DIY Pre-Fab kits. Most saunas can be installed in under a day with minimal or no significant carpentry experience. That being said we install everything we sell so if you would like we would be happy to install for you.