One of the amazing things about Leisurecraft is that each sauna is made to order. And when you’re purchasing from the Dundalk or Pure Cube Collections, there are many many options to choose from. Here on the Backyard Canada website, we endevour to provide many of those options, but please give us a call so we can talk through some that might not be listed on the website. 

Once you’re selected the sauna, heater, and options you desire, we’ll charge you a 30% deposit to secure your order. Then it takes 4-12 week generally to deliver your sauna either to our store or directly to your home anywhere in Canada. 

A lot actually. Because Canadian Red Cedar is the preferred material for building  saunas, we export logs to Asia, where they’re often made into Saunas. At Backyard Canada we’ve tested these saunas, and as you might expect, the components are often sub-standard, including flimsy doors that don’t retain heat, barrel straps that buckle when tightened, and other details that make these saunas less than desirable over the long term. 

Made in Canada means, that these saunas were made from Canadian materials in Canada! With an eye on long term performance, and backed by a 5 year warranty! 

Absolutely! Most barrel saunas are available with a wood sauna heater option, with the exception being saunas that are simply too small for these large heaters. It’s worth noting that you need to check with your local municipality for details on having a sauna with a wood heater. 

Great question! We usually recommend electric heaters, because we believe you’ll use them more often. We even offer sauna heaters that can be activated with an app on your phone, so you can turn them on from the office or the ski lift. The one time we do recommend wood heaters is if you’re a long way from 240 volt electrical service. Or if you’re using the sauna at a cabin, where the act of building a fire is more in line with the activities of the day. 

In general, yes. We’re not familiar with any 120 volt electric heaters that can achieve the 76+ celsius degree heat needed for proper saunaing. However there are wood options, and there are now a few natural gas and propane options available. 

Yes, and at the time of this writing we are exploring a few brands. If you don’t see them listed, give us a call so we can discuss what we currently have access too. With many homes reaching their electrical capacity with things like electric cars, we believe that this new form of sauna heating will be a primary option in the future. 

Most homes are equipped with 100 amp service. With many hot tubs requiring 50 amps or 60 amps, the addition of a sauna might be a challenge. Though in most cases it’s possible with the addition of a “Load Miser Energy Controller”. These devices make decisions on what gets power when maximum loads are reached. Prioritizing certain items over non essential items. These devices will add $2,000+ to your electrical installation though, so it’s worth talking to an electrician to see if you’ll need one. We’ve also found that many clients don’t purchase this addition unless they are forced to my their municipality. 

White cedar is a tree from Eastern Canada, that has many of the same mold and rot resistant properties of Red Cedar, but without the beautiful red cedar aroma many people expect in a sauna. We’ve found that white cedar, when left untreated, will weather to a lighter colour than red cedar. It’s also what the Canadian Timber Collection is made of.  

Shipping a barrel sauna that’s already built is very expensive, and generally isn’t great for the sauna. Additionally, if a barrel sauna is already built, it will require a crane to be placed in the yard. The cost of a crane is generally 3 times the cost of having a carpenter build your sauna kit and tune it for your location. 

While it depends on the options and model, most take 8-14 hours to build. Panoramic View and Half Moon Window Barrels tend to take a bit longer to build, while Traditional Barrel Saunas are a bit quicker and easier. We provide detailed videos and written directions, as well as phone support to help you build your sauna.

Unlike hot tubs, saunas are quite a bit lighter. So barrel saunas can be built on my level surfaces. Many people will build their sauna on a deck or even rooftop terrace. If you plan to put your sauna in your yard, a rectangle framed by 4x4s with tamped down, level road crush, is an inexpensive and very effective base. Many will also choose to pour a concrete base, and this works great too. If you have a challenging area, due to grade, we really like to recommend barrel saunas, because they only need support under their cradle feet. 

Cedar is an excellent wood for withstanding Canadian winters. Cedar has a high resistance to moisture and temperature changes. Cedar saunas do not expand or contract as much as other woods when temperature fluctuates which makes it ideal for our climate in Calgary and the rest of Canada. 

This is personal preference. Some prefer the nordic cycle of 15-20 minutes in the sauna followed by cooling, then rest. Others prefer a longer single sauna session up to 30 minutes or more for some. It’s not uncommon for people to feel a rush when they first step into a sauna. And it’s recommended that you stay hydrated during and after any sauna use. 

If you are considering getting an outdoor barrel sauna, you may wonder how much they cost. There is a wide range of prices depending on what type of materials and options you choose, the warranty of the sauna, and where the sauna is made, but you can expect to pay anywhere from $7,000-$22,000 for a premium outdoor barrel sauna. 

Outdoor saunas are a great way to enjoy the natural world while taking care of your health. Studies show that not only do they help you burn more calories, but they can also help relieve stress and anxiety, improve sleep quality and strengthen the immune systems. Also, many people like to cycle from the heat of a sauna to a cold experience, whether that’s simply standing outside, jumping in a lake or taking a shower with the hose. 

Yes absolutely! They work great and look cool inside. We recommend electric heaters when using indoors. 

We recommend that you start by considering the number of people you’d like your sauna to accommodate. Outdoor saunas start at a capacity of 2 people and can by 6′ x 4′ or 7′ x 6′. From there they just get longer, with some saunas including porches and change rooms, they can get very long reaching 12′ or 16′ feet. But the most common footprint is 7’x7′ or 6′ x 6′. Let us know how much space you have and we will find the right option for you.