Two saunas, two different kinds of heat.
A traditional sauna heats the air and a pile of stones, and you heat up from the air around you. An infrared sauna skips the air. Panels in the walls shine infrared light onto your skin, the way a campfire warms your face on a cold night. Nearly every other difference follows from that.
The short answer
160–195°F vs. 110–150°F
Traditional saunas run hotter air and let you make steam by throwing water on the stones. Infrared cabins run cooler air with no steam, use less power, and mostly go indoors. We build traditional saunas only, so read the section on where infrared wins.
Updated October 7, 2026
What changes when the air stays cool.
Running costs use MG&E's 2026 residential rate of about 18.4¢ per kWh.
| Traditional | Infrared | |
|---|---|---|
| Air temperature | 160–195°F at the top bench | 110–150°F |
| How heat reaches you | Hot air and radiant heat from the stones and walls | Infrared light from panels, absorbed by your skin |
| Steam (löyly) | Yes. One ladle raises the dew point past your skin. | None. No stones, and water must never touch the panels. |
| Heater | Electric heater with stones (6–9 kW for a backyard barrel), or a wood stove | Carbon or ceramic panels, roughly 1.7–3.5 kW in total |
| Power | Dedicated 240V circuit, 30–50A, installed by an electrician | Many 1–2 person units plug into a 120V outlet. Larger ones need 240V. |
| Electricity per session | About 6 kWh on a mild day to 13 kWh at −10°F with a 6 kW heater outdoors, so $1.10–$2.40 | About 1.5–3.5 kWh by manufacturers' figures, so $0.28–$0.64 |
| Wood-fired option | Yes. No electrician needed. | No |
| Outdoors in a Wisconsin winter | Built to sit outside year-round, with a roof over the staves | Most cabins are sold for indoor use. Check the outdoor rating. |
| Health research | The long-running Finnish studies were done on traditional saunas | Smaller, shorter studies |
Why 140°F infrared feels so different from 185°F with steam.
In both rooms you sweat, and the sweat evaporating off your skin is what keeps you comfortable. In an infrared cabin it keeps evaporating the whole session. The air is cool and dry, its dew point sits around 60°F, and nothing ever condenses on you. The heat is steady and gentle, and you can stay longer.
A traditional sauna starts the same way, just hotter. Then you throw a ladle of water on the stones. In a 6-foot barrel at 185°F, one 150 ml ladle lifts the dew point from about 96°F to about 121°F, past the roughly 104°F of your skin. For a minute, steam condenses on you instead of sweat evaporating off you, and each gram gives up about 2,260 joules of heat. That rolling wave is löyly, and it's the part infrared can't do.
Try the löyly calculator with your own temperature, room size and ladle.
Where each one makes more sense.
We only build traditional saunas, so we'll start with the cases where we'd point you to infrared.
Infrared: a spare room or basement
It fits indoors with no venting for steam, no stones, and often no new circuit. If the sauna has to live inside the house, infrared is usually the practical answer.
Infrared: you dislike hot air
Some people find 185°F hard to breathe. At 110–150°F you get a long, steady sweat without the hot breath.
Infrared: lower running cost
Roughly a quarter of the electricity per session, often less. At MG&E rates that's about $1–$2 a session saved, or roughly $100–$200 a year at twice a week.
Traditional: you want steam
Löyly needs hot stones and air hot enough to hold the water. It's the defining part of a Finnish sauna, and infrared can't make it.
Traditional: it goes in the yard
A barrel sauna is built to sit outside through a Wisconsin winter, next to a snowbank or a cold plunge. It can be wood-fired, with no electrician at all.
Traditional: you're going by the research
The studies that tracked thousands of Finnish men for decades were done in traditional saunas. Whether infrared does the same is unknown. What the heart research shows.
Infrared or traditional?
What is the difference between an infrared and a traditional sauna?
A traditional sauna heats the air to 160–195°F with an electric heater or wood stove and a basket of stones, and you can throw water on the stones for steam. An infrared sauna uses panels that shine infrared light onto your skin while the air stays at 110–150°F, with no stones and no steam.
Is infrared or traditional sauna better?
It depends on where it goes and what you want from it. Infrared fits indoors, often runs on a 120V outlet and costs less per session. Traditional saunas are hotter, make steam, can go outdoors or be wood-fired, and are what the long-running Finnish health studies used.
Which costs more to run?
Traditional. A 6 kW heater in an outdoor barrel uses about 6 kWh for heat-up and an hour of use on a mild day and about 13 kWh at −10°F, about $1.10–$2.40 at MG&E's 2026 rate. Infrared cabins use about 1.5–3.5 kWh a session by manufacturers' figures, about $0.28–$0.64.
Can you put water on an infrared sauna?
No. Infrared saunas have no stones, and water on the panels can damage them. Steam needs a traditional sauna heater or stove built to take water.
Can an infrared sauna go outside in Wisconsin?
Some are rated for outdoor use, but most infrared cabins are sold for indoor rooms. Check the manufacturer's rating for outdoor use and low temperatures before you put one outside.
Do infrared saunas have the same health benefits?
Nobody knows yet. The large Finnish cohort studies that linked frequent sauna use with lower cardiovascular risk were done in traditional saunas. Infrared studies are smaller and shorter, so there isn't enough evidence to say whether they match.
- Infrared session energy: manufacturer figures, e.g. 1,716–1,750 W for 2-person 120V units and 3,504 W for a 3-person 240V unit. Plunge, Peak Saunas
- Traditional session energy and MG&E rate: our backyard sauna cost guide.
- Laukkanen T, et al. Association between sauna bathing and fatal cardiovascular and all-cause mortality events. JAMA Intern Med 175(4), 2015. PubMed