How to Choose a Sauna

Step 1: Decide where it goes

• Indoor. A bedroom, basement, garage, or spare room with a hard, level floor. Infrared cabins need no ventilation, drain, or vapor barrier. Leave the clearance specified in the owner's manual around the cabin and keep it away from water.
• Outdoor. A deck, patio, or backyard pad. Buy a cabin built for the outdoors, not an indoor model with a cover. Peak's Patagonia, El Capitan, and Kilimanjaro are outdoor-rated and reach 170°F.
• Measure the door path, not just the spot. Cabins ship as flat panels that clasp together, so a standard doorway works, but confirm stairs and turns.

Step 2: Choose your size

Size up if you can. A 3-person cabin gives one person room to lie down and a couple room to sit without touching knees. A 1-person cabin is wonderful for a solo daily habit but has no spare seat.

Step 3: Check your electrical

This is the step most guides skip, and it is the one that stops deliveries. Every sauna has an electrical requirement, and it is on the product page. Peak's are:

Step 4: Pick the heat type

• Far-infrared only. Carbon panels, gentle heat, the lowest price. Fine for a hot sweat. Most cabins under $3,000 are this, whatever the label says.
• Full-spectrum infrared. Carbon panels plus halogen and quartz emitters that add near and mid infrared, and a higher maximum temperature. Every Peak model is full-spectrum and reaches a true 150°F indoors. Read the full-spectrum guide.
• Traditional. Rocks, steam, 170–195°F air, a dedicated 240V circuit and ventilation. The Finnish ritual, from a specialist such as Finnmark. Read infrared vs traditional.

Step 5: Choose the wood

Step 6: Check what is actually included

• Red light therapy. A real panel has published wavelengths and irradiance. Peak includes a medical-grade panel on every model: 8 wavelengths (630–1060nm), 216 dual-chip LEDs on the XL panel, 175 mW/cm² at 6 inches. Clearlight sells it as a separate tower; many budget cabins offer colored mood lighting instead.
• Warranty terms in writing. Peak: 7-Year Residential Warranty (structure, wood & heating elements 7 years; controls & red light panel 3 years) with lifetime U.S.-based support. Full terms.
• Guided programs. A sauna you use four times a week beats a spec sheet. Every Peak sauna includes lifetime access to Peak Wellness Club: daily guided sessions, 30-day programs, expert protocols.
• Shipping, financing, HSA/FSA. Peak ships free, offers financing through Bread Pay® for qualified buyers, and is HSA/FSA eligible through Truemed if you qualify.
• Published pricing. Every Peak price is on the website. Sunlighten and Clearlight are quote-gated as of August 2026.

The Peak lineup at a glance

Prices verified against peaksaunas.com on September 15, 2026.

Which buyer are you?

• "I want a daily habit and I have a spare corner." Shasta in hemlock or Rainier in cedar, on a standard outlet.
• "There are two of us and I want cedar." Fuji, Peak's most-reviewed sauna, on a dedicated 120V/20A outlet.
• "Two seats, lowest price, plug and play." Crown.
• "The tightest space possible." Mini, 31″ wide, standard outlet.
• "A family cabin with room to lie down." Denali or Matterhorn, two red light panels, 240V.
• "A backyard retreat." Patagonia, El Capitan, or Kilimanjaro, all 170°F.
• "Under $2,500." A far-infrared cabin from Dynamic or Maxxus. Peak does not compete there.
• "The Finnish steam ritual." A traditional sauna from Finnmark or a local builder.
• "I want to sit in one at a dealer first." Clearlight and Sunlighten have showroom networks; Peak sells direct and publishes every price.

Red flags

• No published price ("request a quote").
• "Full-spectrum" with only carbon panels listed.
• Red light therapy with no wavelengths or irradiance stated.
• "Lifetime warranty" with no written terms, or a 1-year warranty.
• No electrical requirement on the product page.
• Unnamed wood.

Frequently asked questions

What size sauna should I buy?

Buy for how you will actually use it. A 1-person cabin (Peak Mini 31″ × 32″, Shasta and Rainier 42″ × 40″) suits a solo daily habit in a spare corner. A 2-person cabin (Everest and Fuji 53″ × 44″, Crown 48″ × 44″) is the most popular choice because one person can stretch out and two can sit comfortably. Three-person cabins (Denali, Matterhorn 61″ × 44″) give a family room to move and add a second red light panel.

Does an infrared sauna plug into a normal outlet?

Some do. Peak's Mini, Shasta, Rainier, and Crown run on a standard 120V/15A outlet, plug and play. The Fuji and Everest need a dedicated 120V/20A outlet. The Denali, Matterhorn, and every outdoor model need a dedicated 240V circuit installed by an electrician. Check the electrical line on the product page before you buy any sauna.

Cedar or hemlock?

Both are excellent sauna woods. Western red cedar is aromatic and naturally resistant to moisture, and it is the premium choice for people who love the scent. Canadian hemlock is lighter in color, nearly scent-free, and the choice for anyone with fragrance sensitivity or allergies. Peak builds each indoor size in both: Rainier/Shasta, Fuji/Everest, Matterhorn/Denali. Avoid pine, poplar, or unnamed wood blends.

What warranty should a sauna have?

Ask for the written terms, not the headline. Peak's is a 7-Year Residential Warranty: structure, wood, and heating elements for 7 years; controls and the red light panel for 3 years; lifetime U.S.-based support. Clearlight advertises a limited lifetime warranty on the entire sauna, which is the broadest headline in the category. A 1-year warranty, or one with no published terms, is a red flag.

Is red light therapy worth it in a sauna?

Only if it is a real panel. Look for published wavelengths and irradiance. Peak includes a medical-grade panel on every model: 8 wavelengths (630–1060nm), 216 dual-chip LEDs on the XL panel, 175 mW/cm² at 6 inches. Clearlight sells red light as a separate tower add-on, Sunlighten does not publish wavelength or irradiance figures, and most budget cabins have colored mood lighting (chromotherapy) instead.

How much does a good infrared sauna cost?

Far-infrared-only cabins from Dynamic or Maxxus start under $2,500. Full-spectrum cabins with real red light therapy run from about $5,000: Peak's lineup is $4,950 (Crown) to $16,750 (El Capitan outdoor), with the best-selling Shasta and Fuji at $8,250, free shipping, financing through Bread Pay® for qualified buyers, and HSA/FSA eligibility through Truemed if you qualify. Sunlighten and Clearlight are quote-gated as of August 2026.

Should I buy an indoor or outdoor sauna?

Indoor if you have a dry, level spot inside; indoor cabins need no weatherproofing and most run on 120V. Outdoor if you want a backyard retreat: Peak's Patagonia (2-person), El Capitan (4-person), and Kilimanjaro (5-person) are built for outdoor use, reach 170°F, and need a dedicated 240V circuit.

Sources reviewed

• Peak Saunas product pages and engineering documentation (dimensions, electrical requirements, wood, maximum temperatures, red light panel specification, warranty terms), verified September 2026.
• Clearlight and Sunlighten product and warranty pages, accessed August 2026, for the competitor notes above. See the full three-way comparison.

© Peak Saunas. Wellness products, not medical devices. Nothing on this page is medical advice; talk to your physician before starting sauna or red light use, especially if you are pregnant, have a heart condition, or take medication that affects heat tolerance. Prices shown are the live peaksaunas.com prices as of September 15, 2026 and can change.