Questions, answered

Four things: a heater with enough power for the cabin, timber thick enough to hold heat and cope with UK weather, a size that suits your space and how many people will use it, and clear information on power, base and delivery before you buy. Our buying guide goes through each one.

A traditional sauna heats the air, stones and timber around you, usually to 70 to 100°C, and you pour water on the hot stones for steam. An infrared sauna uses panels to warm you more directly at lower air temperatures, which many people find gentler, and it suits indoor spaces. We sell both: our Solen and Arden outdoor saunas are traditional, and The Orb™ collection from Insignia Wellness is indoor infrared. Choose by the experience you prefer and where the sauna will live.

Start with how many people will use it most of the time, not just when friends visit. For one or two people, a compact cabin such as Solen Compact is usually enough. For families or bigger groups, Solen Plus seats four to six, or look at our Arden range. If it's going indoors, The Orb™ collection comes in one, two and three-person sizes. Our 2-minute garden check matches your garden against our outdoor saunas.

Generally, yes. A smaller cabin has less air and timber to warm, so it usually heats up faster and costs less to run than a larger one.

Both give you traditional heat and steam. Electric is the easier everyday choice: switch on, no smoke, ash or log store. Wood-fired needs a flue, logs and more time, and you'll need to check if you're in a Smoke Control Area. Our current saunas are electric.

Solen is our range of traditional outdoor saunas, led by the two-person Solen Compact. Arden is our range of larger modular garden saunas, built to order around big glass, with a 10.8kW Harvia Legend heater on Arden Horizon and Arden Panorama. We also sell The Orb™ collection, indoor infrared saunas from Insignia Wellness.

Yes. Bespoke saunas are designed around your space, the number of people using them and how you want to use them, from size and layout to heater, glazing and finishes. Every project starts with a consultation. How bespoke works.

Take our 2-minute garden check. Answer a few questions about space, height, base, power and access, and it tells you which of our saunas fit and what to sort out first.

Yes. The Orb™ collection is a range of indoor infrared saunas from Insignia Wellness, sold by ZÖLSTICE in partnership with Insignia. There are three sizes: The Orb™ for one person, The Orb™ Plus for two and The Orb™ Max for up to three.

It depends on how often you'll use it. Having one a few steps from the back door makes it easy to use regularly, and a typical session with Solen Compact's standard 4kW heater costs around £1.30 in electricity. Try our running cost calculator to see what your routine would cost, or book a showroom visit to see the quality up close.

As a rough guide, allow about 60cm of bench per person sitting upright. For lying down, you'll need a longer bench and a larger cabin. Solen Compact is designed for one or two people.

Each has its fans. Barrels have a smaller internal volume for their length, while square and cabin designs give more headroom, upright seating and room for bigger glass. Think about how many people will use it, how you like to sit and how it will look in your garden.

Glass brings in daylight and garden views and makes a small cabin feel more open. Solid timber gives more privacy and holds heat a little better. Where the sauna faces and how overlooked your garden is usually decide it.

The heater is matched to the cabin's volume, with extra allowance for glass and cold weather. Solen Compact's 2.8m³ cabin comes with a 4kW Harvia heater, with a 6kW upgrade available. Solen Plus has a 9kW Harvia Spirit, which Harvia rates for rooms of 8 to 14m³. Arden Horizon and Arden Panorama use a 10.8kW Harvia Legend, which Harvia rates for rooms of 9 to 18m³.

Our traditional outdoor saunas are designed to live outside. For indoors, The Orb™ collection from Insignia Wellness is made for spare rooms, home gyms and garages. Talk to us about the space you have in mind.

Sometimes, but a sauna needs proper insulation, ventilation, heat-safe materials and a heater sized for the space. Talk to us about a bespoke sauna and we'll tell you what's realistic.

Solen Plus is our sauna for four to six people: a square cabin with a full-glass front, 40mm spruce walls and a 9kW Harvia Spirit heater, in a 160 × 160cm footprint, from £9,995. It's usually delivered in 6 to 10 weeks, depending on any bespoke requirements. Solen Grande, our largest Solen, is coming soon. Get in touch if you'd like to hear when it's available.

Solen is our traditional outdoor range, starting with the two-person Solen Compact, our signature sauna. Arden is our larger modular outdoor range, built to order, for groups and gardens where the view matters. The Orb™ collection is indoor infrared from Insignia Wellness, for one to three people. Ask us if you're deciding between them.

Arden is our range of modular outdoor saunas, designed around large glass fronts. Arden Horizon and Arden Panorama come in black or brown, with a 10.8kW Harvia Legend heater in black or silver, and clear or tinted glass. Every Arden is built to order, usually in 6 to 10 weeks.

Yes. Every Arden sauna is built to order, and usually takes 6 to 10 weeks, depending on the model and the options you choose. We'll confirm timings when you order. Prices shown are for the standard version.

Yes. Because Arden saunas are built to order, we can tailor them further, including a backlit salt wall. Call or email us to talk through options and get a price.

Clear glass comes as standard on Arden Horizon and Arden Panorama. Tinted glass, on every glass panel, is a £395 upgrade, and gives you more privacy if your garden is overlooked.

Harvia rates the 10.8kW Legend, fitted to Arden Horizon and Arden Panorama, for a standard UK single-phase supply on its own 50A circuit, or a 400V three-phase supply (3 × 16A). A 50A circuit is a big load for a home, so ask a registered electrician to check your supply has the capacity before you order. The work must be installed and certified to BS 7671.

The Orb™ collection is a range of curved indoor infrared saunas from Insignia Wellness, made in Hemlock with carbon infrared panels, colour lighting and Bluetooth audio. The Orb™ seats one, The Orb™ Plus two and The Orb™ Max up to three.

The Orb™ collection is designed by Insignia Wellness and sold by ZÖLSTICE Wellness in partnership with Insignia. You buy from us, with the same support as any ZÖLSTICE sauna.

Indoors, in a spare room, home gym or garage, with enough space for its footprint and the door. The Orb™ is 101 × 101cm, The Orb™ Plus 125 × 100cm and The Orb™ Max 139.4 × 100cm, all 195cm high. Ask us about the power supply for your chosen model.

Very little. The Orb™ collection draws around 1.9 to 2.1kW, so an hour-long session, including 15 minutes to warm up, costs around 61p to 70p at the Ofgem price cap average of 26.32p per kWh (Oct–Dec 2026). That assumes the panels run at full power throughout, so real costs are often lower. Try our running cost calculator.

It depends on your home and the model. Ask us before you order and we'll confirm the power supply your chosen Orb™ needs. If a new circuit is required, it must be installed and certified by a registered electrician.

£149 to England and Wales, £249 to mainland Scotland and £349 to Northern Ireland. The Scottish islands, Isle of Man and Channel Islands are quoted individually. Use our delivery estimator to check your postcode.

Yes, on The Orb™ Plus and The Orb™ Max. Both have a smart touchscreen, and with the Wi-Fi upgrade, £39.99 when you order, you can also control the sauna from your phone. The Orb™ has a standard touch control panel with four memory presets, without Wi-Fi control. Compare all three.

All three are 195cm high. The Orb™ is 101 × 101cm, The Orb™ Plus 125 × 100cm and The Orb™ Max 139.4 × 100cm (W × D). Allow room for the door to open, and measure the route through your home before delivery.

A standard UK single-phase (230V) supply, whichever heater you choose. The heater needs its own dedicated circuit, installed and certified by a registered electrician. See what the electrics involve.

A 6kW heater runs on a standard UK single-phase supply. It draws around 26A, so it needs its own dedicated circuit, never a plug or a spur. As a guide, your electrician will typically:

• run a dedicated radial circuit from your consumer unit, usually on a 32A breaker, sized to the heater manufacturer's instructions
• use armoured (SWA) cable for the run to the garden, sized for the load and the distance
• fit a local isolator outside the cabin, and heat-resistant cable where the heater connects inside
• provide RCD protection as BS 7671 and the heater manufacturer require
• check the earthing arrangement for an outdoor building, and that your main fuse has capacity alongside things like an EV charger or electric shower

Saunas are covered by Section 703 of BS 7671, the IET Wiring Regulations. In England and Wales, a new circuit is notifiable under Part P of the Building Regulations, so use an electrician registered with a competent person scheme such as NICEIC or NAPIT. They'll self-certify the work and give you an Electrical Installation Certificate. We don't carry out household electrics, but we're happy to talk your electrician through the heater.

Usually not. Solen Compact runs on a standard single-phase supply with either heater, which is what most UK homes have. The 10.8kW Harvia Legend on Arden Horizon and Arden Panorama can run on single phase on its own 50A circuit, or on three-phase. Some other larger heaters need three-phase, so always check the electrical details on the product page, and ask your electrician.

That's fine for Solen Compact. Both its 4kW and 6kW heaters run on single phase, which is what most UK homes have. Your electrician will check your main fuse and consumer unit have the capacity for the extra load. Our 2-minute garden check shows which saunas suit your supply.

Not an outdoor sauna. A traditional sauna heater draws far more than a 13A socket can supply, so it needs its own dedicated circuit, installed and certified by a registered electrician. Indoor infrared saunas use much less power, around 2kW for The Orb™ collection; ask us and we'll confirm the supply your chosen model needs before you order.

Yes. The heater must always be connected by a qualified electrician; we don't carry out household electrical work. In England and Wales, a new circuit is normally notifiable under the Building Regulations, which a registered electrician can self-certify.

Roughly £1.30 to £3.55 a session, based on a 45-minute warm-up plus an hour's use at the Ofgem price cap average of 26.32p per kWh (Oct–Dec 2026): about £1.30 with a 4kW heater, £2 with 6kW, £3 with the 9kW heater on Solen Plus and £3.55 with the 10.8kW heater on Arden. Try our running cost calculator.

Roughly £1.30 a session with the standard 4kW heater, or about £2 with the 6kW upgrade. That's based on a 45-minute warm-up, then an hour with the heater cycling on and off, at the Ofgem price cap average of 26.32p per kWh (Oct–Dec 2026).

An electric sauna typically takes 30 to 60 minutes, depending on the heater, the cabin and the weather. Our running cost estimates allow for a 45-minute warm-up.

As a rough guide, electric costs about £1.30 to £3.55 a session depending on the heater, while a wood-fired sauna typically uses £3 to £6 of kiln-dried logs. Your tariff, logs and the weather all make a difference.

You don't need it for Solen Compact, which runs on single phase. If you're curious, three-phase homes usually have three main fuses and a larger meter. A qualified electrician can tell you for certain, and check you have enough spare capacity.

Often, yes, but you usually won't need to for a home sauna: Solen Compact runs on single phase with either heater. If a larger heater ever calls for three-phase, it's arranged through your local electricity network operator and can take time and cost money, so ask your electrician early.

It depends on the distance from your consumer unit, whether cable needs burying and what upgrades your supply needs. Get quotes from qualified electricians once you know where the sauna will go.

Solar can cover some of your use when the sun's out, but the sauna still needs a correctly rated supply from the mains. Ask your electrician how it would work with your system.

If your tariff has cheaper hours, heating the sauna during them lowers the cost of each session. Plug your own rate into our running cost calculator.

No. It runs flat out while warming up, then switches on and off to hold the temperature you set. Our running cost estimates allow for this.

A traditional sauna typically runs at 70 to 100°C. For your first sessions, start towards the lower end, around 70 to 90°C.

Around 8 to 15 minutes per round, then cool down and rest before going back in. Most people do two or three rounds. Leave whenever you've had enough.

Heat it to around 70 to 90°C, sit in for 8 to 15 minutes, cool down with fresh air or a cool shower, rest for 10 to 15 minutes, then repeat for two or three rounds. Drink water before and after. Read our full guide.

It's the Finnish word for the burst of steam when you pour water on the hot stones. Use a sauna bucket and ladle, pour a little at a time, and you control how intense the heat feels.

Step outside into the fresh air, sit somewhere quiet or take a cool shower, then rest for a few minutes before you go back in. Drink plenty of water.

Drink some water, take a quick shower, skip the big meal and never drink alcohol before a sauna. Take a towel to sit on.

Sauna isn't right for everyone. If you're pregnant, have a heart condition, high or low blood pressure, or any other medical concern, speak to your GP first. Don't use a sauna if you feel unwell, and supervise children closely.

Leave the door ajar after each session so the cabin dries out, use a towel every time, wipe the benches now and then, and follow the heater manufacturer's guidance on the stones.

There's no set rule: use it whenever you enjoy it, and listen to your body. If you're keeping an eye on costs, our running cost calculator shows what different routines cost each month.

At home, it's up to you: swimwear, a towel or nothing at all. Take off jewellery and watches, as metal gets hot, and always sit on a towel.

It's best not to. Sauna temperatures are well above what phones are designed to handle. Leave it outside and enjoy the break.

Use sauna aromas made for the purpose, a few drops mixed into the water in your bucket. Never pour neat oils onto the stones or heater, and check the heater manual first.

Only with close adult supervision, at a lower temperature and for much shorter sessions. If you're unsure, ask your GP.

Harvia recommends replacing the stones about once a year if you use the sauna around twice a week, and restacking them in between, as they crumble over time and restrict airflow.

Yes. It's normal for a new heater to give off a smell the first time it heats up, so run it empty first with the door open, and follow the heater manual.

A new heater can smell during its first heat-ups. After that, smells usually mean it needs airing and cleaning: leave the door open after use, wipe the benches and always sit on a towel.

Clean tap water. Avoid seawater, pool water or anything with chlorine, as it can damage the stones and heater.

Start with a small ladle at a time and wait for the steam to settle before adding more. You'll quickly find the level you enjoy.

Wipe them with warm water and a mild soap, let them dry with the door open, and lightly sand any marks. Don't varnish or paint the inside of a sauna.

Thermowood weathers to a soft silver-grey in sunlight. If you'd like to keep its colour, an exterior wood oil can help. Ask us what we recommend.

Many people like a cool rinse after the last round, and a quick shower beforehand keeps the benches clean. It's up to you.

Saunas in our Solen range come with a 2-year warranty on the wood and a 1-year warranty on the electricals, on registration. The Orb™ infrared saunas carry Insignia Wellness's warranty: 3 years on the wood and 2 years on the electricals. For Arden, ask us and we'll confirm the cover for your model.

Ash Tree Farm, Stoke Albany Road, Northamptonshire, NN14 2SP. It's open by appointment only.

Yes, by appointment at our Northamptonshire showroom. Many of our saunas are built to order or tailored to each customer, so the models on display change from time to time. Book a visit, tell us which sauna you'd like to see, and we'll confirm what's on display before you travel.

Yes. Our prices include VAT. Delivery is added at checkout, or collection is free.

Yes. You pay through Shopify's secure checkout, which encrypts your payment details. We never see or store your full card number.

ZÖLSTICE is a British company, founded by two people with more than 20 years' combined experience in wellness products, who wanted to sell saunas built properly, not cheaply. We're based in Northamptonshire and work in partnership with Royal Tubs, and we also sell The Orb™ infrared saunas in partnership with Insignia Wellness. Read our story.

Yes. Every sauna in our collection is carefully chosen and tested by us before we offer it. If it doesn't meet our standard, we don't sell it.

Email hello@zolsticewellness.com or use our contact form. We're happy to help with choosing a sauna, siting, power, delivery and installation, or to book a showroom visit.

Yes. Under the Consumer Contracts Regulations, you can normally cancel an online order within 14 days of delivery. Bespoke saunas made to your specification are exempt. Contact us to cancel or if you have any questions.

The warranty applies once you register your sauna. We'll explain how when your sauna arrives. If you haven't heard from us, get in touch.

Arden saunas are built to order, and Solen Plus is usually delivered in 6 to 10 weeks, depending on any bespoke requirements. For Solen Compact and The Orb™, contact us for current availability and we'll confirm timings before you order.