Heat
Sit high and breathe slow. Ladle water on the stones and let the steam roll over you.
Barrel saunas · Madison, Wisconsin
Winter is the best season.
Most of Wisconsin spends January waiting for April. Not you. There's a barrel sauna at the end of the yard, and the snow is the cold plunge. We deliver it whole, set it level in a day, and light the first fire with you. First season coming to Dane County. Join the list.
01 — Badger Sauna
The Finns call it löyly: the steam that rises when water hits hot stones. They have gathered around it for centuries, through winters as long as ours. It needs a wooden room, a stove, a basket of stones and cold air outside the door. Wisconsin has the cold air covered. We bring the rest.
1 day
From the trailer backing in to the first fire
45 min
Cold to 180°F, wood-fired
30 mi
Delivered and installed, included, anywhere in Dane County
2–8
Two on a weeknight, or the whole family
02 — The Collection
Three saunas, named for the lakes we live between.
One design, three sizes. Choose by who you'll share it with.
No. 01Seats 2–4
The Wingra
The everyday sauna. Fits a city lot and heats in forty minutes. A Tuesday in February becomes a good night.
From$9,800
No. 02Seats 4–6
The Monona
Room for the family, and a covered porch to cool off on under the stars.
From$13,900
No. 03Seats 6–8
The Mendota
A changing room, a wall of glass and benches for eight. For the lake lot, or the house where everyone ends up on Sunday.
From$19,500
Estimated prices, delivered and installed within 30 miles of the Capitol. Wood-fired as standard, electric for +$1,200. Final prices may change.
03 — Why a barrel
An old shape, for good reasons.
A round room has no cold corners. Heat follows the curve and settles evenly across the benches, so the stove works less and you feel it sooner. The staves swell tight as they warm. Snow slides off on its own. It's the shape we'd put in our own yards.
- 01Staves42 mm thermally modified spruce, tongue-and-groove. Baked, not treated. Stays straight, won't rot, silvers with age.
- 02Stainless bandsHold the barrel true through freeze and thaw. A turn of a wrench each fall.
- 03BenchesClear, knot-free aspen. Cool enough to sit on bare at 190°F.
- 04HeaterA wood stove, or an electric heater you start from your phone. Either way, a full basket of stones.
- 05ConvectionHeat rises along the curve and rolls back down over the benches. Faster warm-up, softer steam, no dead corners.
- 06CradlesLift the barrel off the ground so air moves underneath and the wood dries between sessions.
Löyly
A ladle of water on the stones. A soft wave of heat. The only room in the house without a screen.
How to Sauna, Wisconsin Style
04 — The Sauna Routine
Heat. Cold. Rest. Repeat.
Three steps, and Wisconsin supplies the second one five months a year. Once you've stepped out of the heat into fresh snow, you stop envying the people who fly to Florida.
Read the GuideCold
A roll in fresh snow, the lake in June, a hose in July. Thirty seconds and you're wide awake.
Rest
Wrap up, sit on the porch and look at the sky. This is the part you remember.
Repeat
Go around again. Ninety minutes later you're warm to the bone and ready to sleep.
Why it's worth it
Decades of Finnish research, in three numbers.
−40%Lower risk of early death in men who bathed 4–7 times a week
84%Of regular bathers say the sauna helps them sleep
150bpmHeart rate in the heat, close to a brisk walk, sitting still
What It Does for Body & Mind
05 — How it works
From first call to first fire.
One local crew from the first visit to the first fire. No freight terminal, no flat-pack weekend. About six weeks, start to finish.
How Installation Works-
Step 01 · Week 0
Site visit
We walk the yard with you, pick the spot, talk through power and permits, and leave a written quote.
Free -
Step 02 · Weeks 1–5
On its way
Your sauna is ordered and on its way while we handle the permit with your town. We lay the gravel pad, if you ordered one.
-
Step 03 · Install day
Install
One trailer, one crew, one day. We set the barrel, level it to an eighth of an inch, fit the heater, and leave your yard the way we found it.
-
Step 04 · That week
First fire
We come back on a cold evening that week to light the first fire with you and show you how to run it.
Our favorite part
06 — Where we install
Rooted in Madison. At home across Dane County.
We live here, and we know what February does to a mood. Delivery and installation are included within 30 miles of the Capitol Square. Farther out, we come and quote travel at cost.
- Madison
- Middleton
- Verona
- Fitchburg
- Monona
- McFarland
- Sun Prairie
- Waunakee
- DeForest
- Cottage Grove
- Oregon
- Stoughton
- Mount Horeb
- Cross Plains
07 — Waitlist
First season opens soon. Get in line.
Pick the sauna you want, see the estimated price and leave your email. We'll write the day orders open.
- Pick a size, heater and wood in the builder and see the estimated price
- Leave your name, email and town. A phone number is optional
- One email when orders open, with final prices for the sauna you picked
- Prices on this site are estimates until orders open
No deposit, no commitment, and we don't share your details. The count from each town tells us where to begin.
08 — Field guides
Everything we know, free to read.
A sauna is a decision you live with for decades. Read up first: what it costs, what your town requires, what the research shows.
31 places checked
Every Sauna in Madison
Bathhouses, wood-fired, infrared and gyms, compared on price, heat and plunge.
2026 pricesWhat a Sauna Costs
The sauna, the pad, the electrician, permit fees and what it costs to heat.
15 townsPermits by Town
Setbacks, fees and wood-stove rules for 15 Dane County towns and cities.
42 studiesSauna & Heart Health
What the Finnish cohorts and the trials show, charted, with the risks spelled out.
09 — Good questions
Before you ask.
The questions people ask most about backyard saunas. For permits, power, foundations and care, see the full list.
Wood-fired or electric?
Wood is the traditional choice: softer steam, the smell of the fire, something to tend. Electric is the easy one: it heats on a timer from your phone and suits weeknights. Our two-question quiz helps you pick.
Do I need a permit?
Almost always. In 12 of the 15 Dane County municipalities we researched, a backyard sauna needs a structure permit at any size, and every one requires an electrical permit for an electric heater. A sauna is a heated building, so the usual shed exemptions don't apply. Fees typically run $75–$350. We plan to handle the site plan and applications for you. See the rules for your town.
What do I need to prepare?
A reasonably level spot and a clear path about eight feet wide for delivery. We can prepare a gravel pad for you, or set the sauna on an existing patio or deck. Electric models need a dedicated 240V circuit, installed by a licensed electrician.
Can I really use it in January?
January is the whole idea. A wood-fired Wingra reaches 180°F in about 45 minutes on a mild evening. On a sub-zero night it takes longer, so light it a little earlier. The snow makes the best cold plunge there is.
When can I order one?
Orders for our first season open soon. Join the waitlist and we'll email you the day they do. From order to first fire is five to seven weeks: four to six to build, one day to install. See the timeline.
A lifetime of winters. Spend them warm.
Build the sauna you'd want, see what it would cost, and leave your email. We'll write when orders open.