Barrel Saunas
Wood Fired & Electric Barrel Sauna Kits
Backcountry Recreation is a Canadian supplier of the finest outdoor barrel saunas, indoor sauna kits & wood-burning hot tubs. Each sauna is handcrafted using the finest Western Red Cedar. Our unique stave design for our barrel saunas ensures a watertight seal. We use only the finest components, including clear Grade “A” western red cedar, stainless steel straps and fasteners. We offer a range of heating options, including electric or wood-fired options.
Sauna is the Finnish word for "bath" Finns who immigrated to North America brought with them a unique bathing custom, which has become popular here over the past decade. Often confused with a steam bath, a true sauna bath is very different, even though both types of baths offer the same therapeutic benefits.
The temperatures in a traditional sauna can actually exceed 90 degrees
Celsius! The extremely low humidity present in the sauna makes these temperatures tolerable. Properly designed, the sauna's relative humidity rarely exceeds 5% when operated in the 'dry" mode. This permits the copious amount of perspiration produced by the body to dry quickly, thus having a cooling effect.
Although the steam room enclosure must be nonporous and steam-tight, the
opposite is true of a sauna room. The world's best saunas are always constructed of porous materials (meaning some wood) and have some air circulation through intake and outlet vents.
The wood actually "breathes" absorbing and purging moisture. Many varieties of wood are used for sauna construction, but care must be taken when selecting the type and grade due to the leaching of pitch or slivers. This is why we build our DIY barrel sauna kits out of 100% Canadian cedar or white pine.
Whether it's dry heat or clouds of steam, the choice is yours; our units are fully capable of both. Our outdoor barrel saunas and indoor cedar sauna rooms come in simple DIY Pre-Fab kits. Most saunas can be installed in under a day with minimal or no carpentry experience. That being said, we install everything we sell, so if you would like, we would be happy to install it for you.
We only choose the best Canadian red cedar for its strength, stability and long-lasting beauty. It is naturally resistant to decay and insect damage. The barrel saunas are so beautiful that they become a great ornament for your garden or backyard environment. But we also have an economical and practical type of white pine barrel sauna.