by Procraft
Electric is the easier, everyday choice for most home saunas. You set a temperature and a timer and the room is ready, with no fire to tend. Wood-burning needs no electricity and gives you a real fire, which suits off-grid sites and people who love the ritual, but it asks for more work and a proper chimney. Both are traditional saunas that heat rocks you can pour water over.
An electric heater warms a bed of rocks using elements, controlled by a thermostat and timer. It is the most common heater in home saunas because it is simple. You turn it on, it holds a set temperature, and there is nothing to feed or clean out afterwards. The trade-off is that it needs a dedicated electrical circuit installed by a licensed electrician.
All four Procraft heaters are electric, CSA approved, and come with rocks so you can run dry or add water for steam.
A wood-burning heater uses a fire to heat the rocks. It needs no power, which makes it a strong choice for a cottage or a remote property with no electricity. Many people choose it for the experience itself, the crackle and the smell of the fire. In return it needs more from you. You build and tend the fire, it takes longer to reach temperature, and it needs a proper chimney, safe clearances from anything that can burn, and a store of dry firewood.
If you have power at the site and want a sauna that is ready at the push of a button, go electric. If you are off the grid, or the fire is a big part of why you want a sauna in the first place, wood-burning is worth the extra effort. There is a wider overview on our page about traditional, electric and wood-burning saunas.
Procraft builds Western red cedar saunas and makes four CSA-approved electric sauna heaters, from 4.5kW to 9kW. See the heaters, read about Western red cedar, or learn how our installations work.