Infrared vs traditional sauna
As of November 2, 2026, the median infrared sauna in our catalog costs $3,399 against $7,273 for a traditional sauna, the median infrared heater is rated 2.01 kW against 7.5 kW, and 84 percent of infrared models that publish a supply run on 120 V against 0 percent of traditional ones.
Where to buy: the lowest verified prices of each type
Selection rule, in full
Three rows per type, infrared and traditional. Rows are the lowest verified prices among the models that match, ties by name; nothing is ranked on quality. Where none of them has a seller we link to, the lowest-priced matching model that has one is added as a last, labeled row.
Each price is the lowest verified at the named seller on the date the model's own page shows. Buy links open the seller's page for that exact model and are affiliate links that support this site; see the affiliate disclosure.
Side by side
| Infrared | Traditional | Hybrid | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Models in the catalog | 171 | 231 | 17 |
| Median verified price | $3,399139 priced | $7,273188 priced | $11,99917 priced |
| Typical price range (middle half) | $2,499 to $5,499 | $5,723 to $9,963 | $7,999 to $16,999 |
| Median price per person | $1,315138 models | $1,749172 models | $3,03317 models |
| Median heater rating | 2.01 kW75 models | 7.5 kW168 models | 8 kW16 models |
| Heater rating range | 0.8 kW to 5.58 kW | 3.5 kW to 10.5 kW | 1.9 kW to 8 kW |
| Run on 120 V | 84 percent137 of 163 stating a supply | 0 percent0 of 136 stating a supply | 6 percent1 of 17 stating a supply |
| Median capacity | 2 persons | 4 persons | 3 persons |
| 1 or 2 persons | 58 percent | 18 percent | 12 percent |
| 5 persons or more | 5 percent | 40 percent | 35 percent |
| Listed for outdoor placement | 7 percent (12 of 164) | 73 percent (166 of 227) | 82 percent (14 of 17) |
| Electricity per one hour session | $0.3675 models | $1.36168 models | $1.4516 models |
Prices are verified retailer offers, checked November 2, 2026. Each row is computed over the models publishing that figure, so the counts differ by row. Supply voltage is read from the circuit each maker publishes; a listing that names both 120 and 240 V without saying which serves the heater is not counted. The session cost assumes the heater draws its full rating for one hour at the national average residential rate of 18.16 cents per kWh published by the EIA; a heater that cycles once the room is up to temperature uses less.
What the gap is made of
Per person, the median infrared model costs $1,315 and the median traditional model $1,749. 58 percent of infrared models seat one or two people against 18 percent of traditional ones, so part of the price gap is a size gap. If you have a 120 V outlet and no 240 V circuit, the 120 V row is the one that narrows the choice: a model whose maker specifies 240 V needs that circuit run before it can be used.
Prices and specifications verified November 2, 2026, and re-checked weekly after that. How these numbers are checked.
Browse the models by category
Each category page lists every model in it, with its verified price and specifications, in one table:
- Infrared saunas, 171 models
- Traditional saunas, 231 models
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