Cedar Saunas

Why Cedar Is a Standard Sauna Wood

Cedar comes up first in almost every conversation about sauna wood, and there are practical material reasons for it — especially for a sauna that lives outdoors or sees daily heat and humidity.

It's naturally rot- and insect-resistant: the same oils that give cedar its smell are what insects and fungus avoid, so an outdoor cedar sauna copes with weather without chemical treatment. It's also dimensionally stable. A sauna cycles from cold to 180°F-plus and from dry to steam-soaked, over and over, and cedar moves less than many woods under that stress, so panels and benches stay tight and flat.

Cedar has low heat conductivity, so a cedar bench stays comfortable to sit on at full sauna temperature, and it gives off the soft, clean aroma many people associate with a traditional sauna.

Eastern White Cedar vs Canadian Red Cedar

The saunas in this collection use two cedars. Which one you get depends on the brand — and, with True North, on the option you choose.

Eastern White Cedar is what Dundalk Leisurecraft builds its saunas here with. It's the lighter, pale-to-honey wood — knottier and more rustic, with the classic cabin-in-the-woods look — and left untreated it weathers to a soft silver-grey.

Canadian red cedar is used on the SunRay models in this collection. It's darker and reddish-brown, with a more uniform grain and a stronger aroma, and it reads as refined rather than rustic. Not every SunRay sauna is red cedar — the brand also builds in Canadian hemlock — so check the wood on each product page.

True North lets you choose: all 9 of its models here come in white cedar, and 8 of them can also be ordered in red cedar, which is priced higher.

Neither cedar is "better." White cedar leans bright and rustic; red cedar leans darker and more aromatic. Choose on the look and aroma you want.

Outdoor Cedar Saunas: Barrels, Cabins and Pods

28 of the 34 saunas in this collection are built for outdoor installation, in three shapes.

Barrels

The barrel is the rounded, horizontal cylinder you've seen in backyard sauna photos. The curved ceiling sits closer to your head, so there's less air to heat. Dundalk builds Eastern White Cedar barrels across its Harmony, Serenity, Tranquility, and Elation models, with the Harmony barrel the lowest-priced of them. SunRay's red cedar barrels are the Solace, plus the Aurora, Oasis, and Galley, and True North offers barrels in white or red cedar. If the barrel shape is what you're set on, the full outdoor barrel sauna range is the place to compare across brands.

Cabins

Cabins are the squared-off, walk-in alternative: more headroom, more bench-layout flexibility, and a real-structure feel in the backyard. Dundalk's Eastern White Cedar cabins include the Granby for 2–3 people and the larger Georgian; SunRay's Seneca and Denali are red cedar cabins, and True North builds cabins in white or red cedar. If you like the modern cube silhouette specifically, our outdoor cube sauna collection groups that shape across brands.

Pods

Pods are the design-forward middle ground — teardrop or oval profiles without the full footprint of a cabin. Dundalk's Eastern White Cedar Luna and the smaller MiniPOD (2–4 people) cover this shape, and True North's pods come in white or red cedar for larger groups.

Indoor and Infrared Cedar Saunas

The indoor saunas in this collection are infrared: 6 SunRay cabins in Canadian red cedar, from the compact Sedona to the four-person Sequoia, Roslyn and corner Bristol Bay, with the Savannah in between. Infrared runs at a lower air temperature than a traditional sauna. All 6 are 120V models; check the circuit and plug requirements on each product page before you buy.

If you want an indoor traditional cedar sauna, SunRay's Aston 200TN (1–2 person) and Hampton 300TN (3 person) are built from Canadian cedar; SunRay does not specify the species in the source documentation currently available to us. They aren't listed in this collection, which groups models by confirmed white or red cedar. For every indoor option, see our indoor saunas.

Cedar Sauna Prices by Style

Current prices across the 34 saunas in this collection:

• Indoor infrared (SunRay, Canadian red cedar): $2,798–$4,298
• Outdoor barrels: SunRay red cedar $4,790–$5,890 · Dundalk Eastern White Cedar $6,032–$8,275 · True North from $8,153 in white cedar, from $9,145 in red cedar
• Outdoor cabins: SunRay red cedar $4,890–$5,290 · Dundalk Eastern White Cedar $5,668–$10,185 · True North from $7,160 in white cedar, from $8,352 in red cedar
• Outdoor pods: Dundalk Eastern White Cedar $6,936–$7,392 · True North from $9,604 in white cedar, from $11,179 in red cedar

Heater inclusion, electrical requirements and delivery details vary by model, so check each product page for what's included.

The Brands We Carry

Three brands make up this collection, and they're not interchangeable.

Dundalk Leisurecraft builds barrels, cabins, and pods in Eastern White Cedar, with a rustic, craftsman feel — 13 models here, the most of the three. SunRay contributes the red cedar models: traditional outdoor barrels and cabins plus indoor infrared cabins, all in Canadian red cedar, including the lowest-priced saunas in the collection. True North offers barrels, cabins, and pods in white cedar, with red cedar available on most models.

Topture is an authorized retailer for all three brands.

Cedar Outdoors: What to Expect

If your cedar sauna is going outside, cedar is one of the most weather-tolerant sauna woods, which is why it's so common in outdoor builds. Left untreated, it weathers to a silver-grey patina over a few seasons — that's normal, not damage. If you want to keep the original warm tone, an exterior cedar treatment maintains it; that's a maintenance choice rather than a requirement for the wood to hold up.

Cedar's rot and insect resistance and its dimensional stability help the door stay square and the panels stay tight through freeze-thaw and heat-and-humidity cycles. Follow the manufacturer's foundation, installation, and care instructions for the model you choose.

How to Choose Your Cedar Sauna

Work it in this order. Start with where it goes — outdoor points you toward barrels, cabins, and pods; indoor means the infrared cabins here, or the Aston and Hampton if you want traditional heat. Then the shape — barrel for the classic look and less air to heat, cabin for headroom, pod for design. Then the wood — Eastern White Cedar (Dundalk) for bright and rustic, Canadian red cedar (SunRay) for darker and more aromatic, or either on most True North models. Then capacity and specification — size to the people who will actually use it, and check the heater, electrical, and foundation requirements on the product page.

If you want a hand narrowing it down — white vs. red, Dundalk vs. SunRay vs. True North, barrel vs. cabin — our team is happy to talk it through before you order.