The best electric sauna heaters

For a 5 to 8m³ cabin on an ordinary single-phase supply, the Vega BC60 is the heater we'd fit. It is £366 at SaunaShop with its stones, and the electrical job is as simple as sauna heaters get: a supply from a 35A fuse straight to the heater, with the timer and thermostat on its side.

It hangs on the wall 31cm deep, and Harvia allows it 50mm to the side walls and 30mm in front, so it takes almost nothing from a small cabin's floor. The controls can be swapped to either side to suit the door.

The 20kg stone load is its weak point. The steam is quick and sharp rather than soft, and a thermostat inside the heater holds the room less tightly than a sensor on the wall would.

The Cilindro PC70 is the pillar heater to buy if your supply is single-phase. It runs from the same 35A fuse as the Vega but carries 80kg of stones in a 32cm steel column, and SaunaShop sells it for £513 with the stones.

Standing on the floor has a cost in space. Harvia asks for 100mm clear on every side and 950mm above, so the heater claims a patch about 52cm square. This version has its switches at the base; the E version runs from a separate control unit if you'd rather have a panel on the wall.

For a room that sizes out near 10m³, step up to the 9kW PC90 at £567. On single-phase it needs a 40A fuse and 10mm² cable, against 35A and 6mm² for the PC70, so tell the electrician which one before the cable goes in.

The HIVE Mini stands on the floor and carries 150kg of stones on 6kW, the biggest load per kilowatt on this page. HUUM rates the 6kW model for 5 to 9m³ and asks for a 32A fuse on single-phase, slightly less than the Harvias.

It has no switches at all. Every HIVE runs from HUUM's UKU control system, which adds a main module, a wall panel and sensor cables to the job, and costs £394 for the Local version or £579 with Wi-Fi at Finnmark Sauna. With the heater at £729.99, a Wi-Fi set-up is £1,308.99 before stones.

That extra buys control. The UKU's sensors read the room, so it holds the temperature more tightly than a dial on the heater, and the Wi-Fi version lets you start the sauna from your phone.

The DROP is HUUM's wall heater, a rounded steel cage that holds 55kg of stones, more than twice the Vega's load without touching the floor. The 6kW model is rated for 5 to 9m³ and wants a 32A fuse on single-phase. Finnmark Sauna sells it for £488, down from £639.

Like the HIVE, it needs the UKU controller, so budget £394 to £579 on top and a little more electrical work for the control unit and sensors. For rooms of 8 to 13m³ there is a larger DROP at £569, which needs a 40A fuse on single-phase.

It earns its place when the heater is on show through a glass door. On heat per pound, the Cilindro does the same job for about half the money.

The Hanko 60 is the slimmest heater here at 36.5cm wide and 25cm deep, yet it holds 32kg of stones, more than the Vega. Helo rates it for 5 to 9m³ and builds in a thermostat and a timer with 3 hours of heating and up to 9 hours of delayed start.

Finnmark Sauna sells the black 6kW version for £382.99 without stones, so add about £80 for 32kg. Helo asks for 70mm to the side walls, 100mm in front and 1.3m above.

Its installation manual lists a 35A fuse on single-phase but a 10mm² supply cable, heavier than the 6mm² some 6kW heaters specify. On a long run to the garden that adds a little to the cable cost.

The Narvi NM is a plain wall heater with dials that can go on either side, 30kg of stones and small clearances: 50mm to the side walls and 80mm in front. The 6kW model is rated for 5 to 8m³, and Finnmark Sauna sells it in black for £409.99, down from £456.99.

Narvi's manual lists a 35A fuse and 6mm² cable on single-phase. The 9kW NM is three-phase only, as are the 9kW Helo Cup and the 10.5kW HIVE Mini, so check the connection table before you order a bigger heater.

It costs more than the Vega and comes without stones, which is why it ranks lower. Pick it when the clearances decide where the heater can go.