Sauna Electrical Information
Buying a sauna is a major investment in your health and your home. You’re buying more than just wood, nails and heaters. You want a top-quality product that will last; from company that is there for you if something goes wrong.
Infrared Saunas
All our 1 and 2-person infrared sauna units use a standard 15-amp, three-pronged household outlet. Please see the image below to help you identify the outlet. This outlet should not be shared with other items, otherwise, the circuit may overload and cause nuisance tripping and potential safety hazards.
All other infrared saunas require at least one dedicated 20-amp outlet like the one pictured below. To learn the electrical needs of your particular sauna, please refer to the model's information page.
Due to the nature of electrical work, Salus Saunas is unable to provide advice on installing an outlet. For most homes, it's a simple change out at the outlet and at the box, but some homes require additional upgrades.
Salus Saunas cannot be held responsible for additional work or charges needed to accommodate your sauna unit; the cost may vary due to the age and condition of your electrical system, either inside or outside your home, residence, or commercial business location. Salus Sauna highly recommends consulting with and/or hiring a certified electrician to give an estimate prior to your shipping date.
Our infrared saunas are powered by the power supply/control box located on the roof. The power cord is approximately 9 feet in length and can travel from the roof and down either side of the sauna room or down the rear wall panel to a power outlet.
If you decide to install a new outlet specifically for your new infrared sauna, we recommend the electrician put the new outlet at 82-86 inches high, above the roofline, so you can butt the unit closer to the wall if desired.
In the rare case, you decide to change your order due to the electrical requirements of your sauna, you must do so before the unit ships. Requests made after your sauna has shipped will be subject to return shipping fees, additional shipping and storage fees, and restocking fees as detailed on our Terms and Conditions page.
Electrical usage
Infrared saunas are very energy efficient and the increase on your electric bill is negligible – a few dollars a month – certainly much less than the cost of a routine spa or medical appointments. Costs to run a sauna vary depending on the rates in your area. A two-person model costs 5-10 cents per hour to operate. Our largest infrared saunas cost about 20 cents per hour to run.
Traditional Saunas
Traditional barrel saunas require more than one outlet, at least one for the heater and one for the lighting system. Additional outlets may be needed if you add features such as a lighted salt wall or sound system.
Please follow the specific heater manufacturer’s installation instructions for specific requirements.
The information below is general guidance for traditional saunas installation.
Most sauna heaters require 220v and must be hard-wired to the electrical box. For saunas with 4.5kw or 6.0kw heaters require a 30-amp breaker and 10/2 wire, unless it is positioned more than 30 feet from the breaker in which case it requires an 8/2 wire.
If your sauna comes with an 8.0kw heater, it will require a 40-amp breaker and 8/2 wire.
Traditional saunas usually come with LED lighting that plugs into a standard 110v outlet.
All of the wiring will come into the sauna through a hole that your electrician in the sauna wall below the heater for the conduit. In a barrel sauna, it can also come up through the floor below the heater.
Electrical Usage
Traditional saunas run on 220v of electricity, draw less than 40 amps of power, and are constructed from high-quality wood, almost an inch and a half thick that provides excellent insulation. Depending on the size of the sauna and the amount of use, the electrical cost to run a traditional sauna can be as low as $20 per month.