The best portable saunas

The Sauna Pod is a cotton tent on a steel frame with a 1,500W hot-air heater, so it's neither steam nor infrared, and it's the only portable sauna here that reaches 85°C. The Pod Company says that takes 15 to 20 minutes. It's 95cm across and 172cm tall, fits users up to 6ft 7in and comes with a tall folding chair.

The canvas is double-layer cotton treated with natural wax for water and fire resistance, and it can be used indoors or out. The frame poles come with sleeves because they get too hot to touch, so keep the sleeves on.

It's £499 against a stated £999, weighs 14kg and ships free from Daventry, with a 1-year warranty and 30-day returns if you pay the postage. The controller sets time and temperature, but the page doesn't mention an automatic shut-off.

Pulsio's pod is a pop-up tent fed by a 2,000W steam generator with a 3.6 litre tank, 15 heat levels and a wireless remote. It reaches 55°C, runs sessions of up to 90 minutes and folds to 15cm deep. At £299.99 it's the cheapest portable here with its safety features spelled out.

Those features are an automatic power-off and two exits, which matter in a tent with a steamer at your feet. Humid air at 55°C feels hotter than dry air at the same temperature, but it won't come near the 85°C of the Sauna Pod.

The warranty is 1 year, and tracked delivery is free over £60 and takes 1 to 2 days. Budget a few minutes after each session to empty the tank and air the tent.

The Dome is the only infrared option here that you lie in without being wrapped: two half-domes over a heated mat, 1,200W in all, with the domes reaching 90°C and a 1 to 60 minute timer. In use it's 180cm long, 80cm wide and 45cm tall.

Portable is relative. It weighs 33kg and stacks to 97cm by 80cm by 47cm, so it moves between rooms rather than travels. At £1,995 it costs four times the Sauna Pod.

Buy it if you want infrared heat lying down and a blanket feels too close. A towel insert and a pillow come in the box, and the warranty is 1 year.

If portable means fitting it in a car boot, a blanket wins. The MiHIGH rolls into its own carry bag, plugs into a UK socket and needs only somewhere heat-proof to lie on. Its controller runs 25 to 75°C and it takes 10 to 15 minutes to warm up.

At £140, down from £315, it's the cheapest way to find out whether you'll keep up a heat habit at home. MiHIGH states no auto-off timer, so set an alarm, and once opened it can only be returned if faulty.

You lie down rather than sit, and your head stays outside in room air. That suits some people better than a tent and others not at all.

Gymproluxe's Tropical Sauna Pod follows the same pattern as Pulsio's: a pop-up steam tent with 15 levels, up to 55°C, room for users up to 6ft 4in, and a case just 15cm deep. At £245, down from £395, it comes with a sweat mat, a chair and a small light panel.

It costs £55 less than the Pulsio and tells you much less. The product page gives no steamer wattage, no tank size and no mention of an automatic shut-off.

UK delivery takes 2 to 3 working days, and there's a 30-day money-back guarantee. If safety cut-outs matter to you, the extra £55 for the Pulsio buys the stated ones.