5 Person Outdoor Saunas

Why choose a 5 person outdoor sauna

The 5-person size is where outdoor saunas stop being a personal cabin and start being a household feature. Footprints in this range run roughly 6 to 12 feet on a side, up to Dundalk's Georgian with its changeroom at 8 by 12 feet.

Seat ratings on 5 person outdoor saunas

Seat counts on 5 person outdoor saunas are not measured one way: Dundalk gives the number a barrel comfortably seats, while SaunaLife gives an 'up to' figure, so check the bench configuration on each product page.

5 person outdoor sauna shapes

5 person outdoor saunas come in three shapes.

Choose a barrel sauna for the iconic outdoor sauna look; barrels tend to cost less for the same nominal capacity. The downside: curved walls eat into shoulder room. Browse 5 person barrel saunas if you want this style.

Choose a cube or cabin sauna for straight walls instead of a barrel's curve. See the outdoor cube sauna collection for this shape.

Pod saunas have an arched roof, and the outdoor sauna pod collection covers this shape.

For a deeper read on the trade-offs, our barrel vs. square sauna comparison walks through how each shape affects heat distribution, comfort, and maintenance.

5 person outdoor sauna brands and models

SaunaLife covers the modern, glass-front end. In this collection the CL7G is its glass-front cube and the EE8G its glass-front barrel, both listed by SaunaLife for up to six bathers, and the GL6 is a glass-front cabin with a covered porch. The full SaunaLife collection shows their range.

Dundalk LeisureCraft's Tranquility barrel, made in Ontario, has an 18-inch covered porch, and Dundalk says it comfortably seats six; the shorter Serenity, also with a covered porch, comfortably seats five, and the MP versions of both add half-moon windows. The Georgian cabin comes plain, with a porch or with a changing room. See the full Dundalk LeisureCraft lineup.

True North's Schooner barrel and 5 Person Outdoor Traditional Cabin are both available in white cedar or red cedar — white cedar keeps the entry price lower, red cedar is the premium option. The 5 Person Quattro is their modern cabin, offered with a 1-foot or 2-foot porch.

Kohler and ThermaSol cover the premium end and suit a buyer who wants the heater included: the Kohler C2 outdoor kit, in Douglas Fir or Weathered Grey Spruce, and ThermaSol's four cabins include one. Freight for ThermaSol saunas is quoted per order.

Wood and construction of 5 person outdoor saunas

The wood in a 5 person outdoor sauna affects three things: how the sauna ages outdoors, how the interior feels at temperature, and what you pay.

Western red cedar and Eastern white cedar are what Dundalk and True North build with, and both makers say their cedar resists rot, decay and insects.

Thermo-treated spruce and aspen (SaunaLife) take a different approach: SaunaLife says its Thermo-Spruce is naturally treated with pressurized heat and steam and is chemical-free, which makes it more dimensionally stable and more resistant to decay than conventional wood.

For more on wood selection, our complete home sauna guide introduces the common sauna woods.

Heater sizing for a 5 person outdoor sauna

The heater a 5 person outdoor sauna needs depends on the model: its interior cubic footage, insulation, and whether it has glass walls (which radiate more heat outward and require a larger unit). The solar-powered ThermaSol Solaris comes with a 3 kW KIP heater.

Most 5-person outdoor models in this collection pair with an electric sauna heater of 7.5 to 9 kW (Dundalk recommends 7.5 kW for the Tranquility, and the Tranquility MP's Recommended package is a 9 kW HUUM DROP). On SaunaLife's glass-front GL6 and CL7G, the Recommended package is a 9.8 kW Saunum Air L. Check each product page for the heater packages offered.

If you want the off-grid ritual, wood-burning sauna heaters are offered on the Dundalk LeisureCraft and True North models and the SaunaLife EE8G, and ThermaSol's Nordic Misty comes in a wood-burning version. Wood-burning models compatible with this size sauna typically have higher kW ratings than electric units of similar capacity.

Our sauna electrical requirements guide covers the basics so you can give your electrician exactly what they need. Your licensed electrician sizes the breaker and wire from the manual that ships with the heater and your local code.

Foundation, setup and installation for a 5 person outdoor sauna

SaunaLife's installation manual gives the fully assembled G6's weight as 2,645 pounds, before you add five bathers. The foundation needs to handle that weight without settling or shifting.

The usual foundations are a concrete pad, compacted crushed gravel, or a structurally rated deck (verify load capacity with a contractor first), but check the model's manual: Kohler's C2 sits on eight concrete pavers. Whatever you pick, keep it level: SaunaLife asks for a stable, level foundation, and Dundalk LeisureCraft for a level base with a slight slope to the back for drainage.

Plan on two people for assembly: Dundalk LeisureCraft's instructions for several of its kits recommend two, and True North calls its kits a "Weekend Build". Most models in this collection are pre-cut kits with all hardware included; the SaunaLife G6 and the ThermaSol cabins are listed as pre-assembled.

For a full step-by-step on placement, foundations and clearances, our outdoor sauna buyers guide walks through the planning process before you order.

Narrowing down a 5 person outdoor sauna

A household still deciding on a 5 person outdoor sauna has two easy next moves, by group size or by shape:

• Usually four of you: compare 4 person outdoor saunas; if a sixth bather often joins, 6 person outdoor saunas.
• Shape still undecided: tell the 60-second sauna finder about your yard and household, and it recommends a sauna to start from.