Sauna cabins for the garden: a sauna room with space to change

What makes a sauna a cabin?

“Sauna cabin”, “sauna shed” and “sauna hut” all describe the same wish: a sauna that looks and works like a small garden building. In practice that means upright walls rather than a curved barrel, a door you walk through without stooping, and room for towels, a bench and hooks outside the heat.

In our range the Nordic Horizon pairs the sauna room with a changing room; the Nordic Vista has a glass front that turns the view into part of the room; the Square Barrel keeps barrel construction but squares off the interior. The Hobbiton Glass and Oval Terrace add glazing and covered outdoor space for a cabin feel without a flat roof.

Sauna with a changing room or a glass front?

A changing room is the most useful upgrade for year-round sessions. You undress and cool down out of the rain, keep dry clothes away from the steam and avoid a cold dash across the lawn. It also acts as a buffer, so the hot room loses less heat each time the door opens.

A glass front brings light and the garden into the room, and it is what most people picture when they think of a modern sauna cabin. Glass loses more heat than timber, so choose the heater with the glazing in mind and think about privacy from neighbouring windows.

Planning a sauna cabin in a UK garden

A cabin is larger than most barrels, so start with the site. You need a level, firm and drained base (see preparing the base), clear access for factory-assembled delivery and unloading machinery, and a route from the house that is lit and safe in the dark.

Many garden buildings can be put up as permitted development, but height limits, distance from the boundary, listed buildings and conservation areas all matter. Read our outdoor sauna planning permission guide and check with your local planning authority if you are unsure.

Decide the heating early. A wood-burning stove needs a chimney with safe clearances; an electric heater needs a dedicated supply from a qualified electrician. The sauna heater guide explains both.

Cabin, barrel or pod?

If you mostly want a hot room for two or three people, a barrel sauna or sauna pod is compact, heats quickly and costs less to run. A cabin earns its place when the extra room is used: changing indoors, sitting out of the weather between rounds, or a garden building that matches the house. Browse the full outdoor sauna range to compare shapes side by side.

Delivery: an assembled cabin in one piece

Our cabin-style saunas are built in the factory and delivered by lorry in one piece, so there is no assembly on site beyond placing the cabin, fitting the chimney and connecting any electrics. Unloading is the customer’s responsibility and a cabin needs a forklift, HIAB or crane, so check the road, the gate and any overhead cables before you order. If access is very tight, compare the four flat-packed sauna kits. The delivery page and the purchase process explain each step.

Built for year-round use

A cabin is used most when it is comfortable in January. Choose the insulation upgrade where offered, size the heater for the glazing, and fit hooks, a bench and a mat in the changing area so wet feet and dry clothes stay apart. Outdoor lighting on the path and by the door makes evening sessions safer. After each session leave the door ajar and the vents open so the room dries.

Fitting out the changing room

Keep the changing room simple and easy to dry: slatted bench, wall hooks, a shelf for towels, a doormat and a small outdoor-rated light. A bucket of cold water or an outdoor shower nearby gives you a cool-down without going back to the house. Finished cabins in customers’ gardens are on the reviews and project map page.

Sauna cabin questions