TENT SAUNA - THE PORTABLE STARTER SAUNA 

We have a few good tent sauna options in the UK, depending on whether you want indoor steam, or an outdoor wood‑fired “proper” sauna feel. Main types available are indoor steam sauna pods designed for home use with a mildly powered heater, pop‑up Oxford‑cloth tent, and sit‑in design, reaching around 45 °C.

 

A bit more usable and nicer feeling are outdoor wood‑fired bell‑tent style sauna bundles combine an insulated thermal tent with a log‑burning stove, typically reaching 70–100 °C for a more authentic Finnish‑style experience in the garden, by the beach, or at campsites.

 

Our favourites are the higher‑end portable “Nordic” tents (distributed in the UK by Bast Sauna) that are Swedish‑designed, weather‑resistant tent that can reach temperatures above 100 °C when paired with a powerful stove, and with proper use can be cost‑effective alternatives to a fixed wooden cabin.​

 

However, there are some disadvantages of tent saunas compared to fixed wooden saunas and these include weaker build quality, less stable heat, and a less “authentic” experience.

Users sometime complain that the heat often feels less intense and less evenly distributed than in a traditional wooden sauna, especially in cheaper tents and the ambiance is more functional than spa‑like; you lose the wood scent, solid benches, and sound insulation many people associate with a “proper” sauna. These tend to be solitary set‑ups, so they are not ideal if you want social sauna sessions.​

Fabric walls (often polyester/nylon or Oxford cloth) insulate poorly compared with solid timber, so heat escapes faster and the heater has to work more to maintain temperature. Lower‑quality tents can have weak heaters, leading to slow warm‑up and inconsistent temperature inside the tent.​
In cold or windy outdoor conditions, maintaining a stable high temperature is harder than with a well‑built wooden cabin.

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For good quality tents the ​prices start from £2,000 for self assembly and the running costs are typically less than £2 per hour.

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