If you have decided you want a sauna at home, the next real decision is where it goes. Indoor saunas are easier to use year round and simpler to protect from the weather, but they need a room you are willing to give up and they put heat and humidity inside your house. Outdoor saunas free up interior space and handle the heat load outside, but they need a level pad, a weather rated cabin, and a power run to wherever they sit. Neither is better. The right answer depends on the space you actually have, the electrical service you already have, and how you plan to use it.
Here is how to work through it before you start shopping models.
Start with the space you can genuinely give up
Home saunas are smaller than most people expect. One and two person cabins fit in spaces many homeowners have already written off, like a corner of a garage, a spare bathroom, or an unused walk in closet. Larger three and four person cabins need a dedicated footprint and enough ceiling height for the heat to stratify properly, which is what makes the upper bench feel different from the lower one.
For an indoor install, walk your house and look for a room where you can lose the floor area permanently. A sauna is not something you slide out of the way. Check the ceiling height, check whether the door swings clear, and check whether you can get the cabin panels through the doorways and hallways to reach the room in the first place. That last one catches people.
For an outdoor install, you need a flat, stable, load bearing surface. A concrete pad, a properly rated deck, or compacted pavers all work. You also want to think about the walk from the house. Bakersfield winters are mild enough that a short barefoot walk is fine most of the year, but if the sauna sits at the back of the yard behind a hose and a planter bed, you will use it less than you think.
Then check your power
This is the part that most often changes the plan. Sauna heaters vary widely in power draw depending on the size of the cabin and whether the unit is traditional, infrared, or hybrid. Smaller infrared cabins can sometimes run on a standard household circuit. Traditional heaters sized for a family cabin usually need a dedicated 240V circuit run by a licensed electrician.
Before you settle on a specific model, find out what your panel has available and whether there is room to add a circuit. For an outdoor sauna, add the cost and complexity of trenching or running conduit out to the pad. Getting an electrician to look at the panel early is cheaper than discovering the problem after delivery. Our team can tell you the electrical requirement for any model on the floor so you can hand your electrician a real number instead of a guess.
Traditional, infrared, or hybrid changes the answer
The heat type affects placement more than people realize. Traditional saunas run hotter and, if you pour water on the rocks, produce steam. Indoors, that means you want proper ventilation and a space that tolerates humidity, which is why bathrooms and garages are common choices. Infrared cabins run at lower air temperatures and produce no steam, which makes them easier to place in a bedroom, office, or finished basement.
Hybrid units let you run either way, which is useful if the sauna is going somewhere with mixed constraints. Most sauna sellers only carry infrared. We carry traditional, infrared, and hybrid, with a large selection on our showroom floors, so you can stand in each one before you commit. If you are still deciding between heat types, our guide on traditional versus infrared saunas walks through the differences in feel and session length.
What outdoor cabins need that indoor ones do not
An outdoor sauna is exposed to sun, dust, and temperature swings, so the cabin itself has to be built for it. Purpose built outdoor models use exterior grade materials and weather sealing that an indoor cabin does not have. The Lulea outdoor sauna collection is designed specifically for all season outdoor use, which matters more in Kern County than you might assume given how hard the summer sun is on anything left uncovered.
Also plan for maintenance access. You want to be able to reach the heater and the electrical connection without dismantling anything around it.
Common questions
Can you put a sauna in a garage?
Yes, and it is one of the most popular indoor locations. Garages usually have the floor space, a tolerance for heat and humidity, and better access to the electrical panel than interior rooms. The main things to confirm are ceiling height and whether the garage stays clear enough to actually walk into the sauna.
How much space does a home sauna need?
It depends on capacity. One and two person cabins fit into surprisingly small corners, while three and four person models need a dedicated footprint. You can browse by capacity on our sauna collection to see what each size actually requires.
Does an outdoor sauna need a concrete pad?
It needs a flat, stable, load bearing base. Concrete is the most common choice, but a properly rated deck or a compacted paver base can work. What it cannot sit on is bare soil or an uneven surface.
Do I need an electrician to install a sauna?
For most models, yes. Anything requiring a dedicated 240V circuit should be wired by a licensed electrician to manufacturer specification. Some smaller infrared cabins run on a standard circuit, which is worth confirming for the specific model you are considering.
Come see the options in person
The fastest way to settle the indoor versus outdoor question is to stand inside a few cabins and see how the sizes feel. Our showroom has traditional, infrared, and hybrid saunas set up so you can compare them side by side, and our team can walk through your space, your panel, and your plans with you. You can also request pricing or read through our sauna FAQ before you visit.
4301 Yeager Way, Bakersfield, CA 93313
(661) 396-8827
Mon to Fri 10am to 6pm, Sat 10am to 5pm, closed Sunday
