SaunaLife E8 | Outdoor Barrel Sauna · 6-Person

The SaunaLife E8 is a 6-person outdoor barrel sauna kit built from 1.65-inch thermally modified spruce staves, with two facing Thermo-Aspen benches, arched Thermo-Aspen backrests, a tempered bronze glass door and a black asphalt shingle roof. It measures 86.6" long by 80.7" in diameter, standing 84.6" tall on its cradles, and the interior is 78.7" long by 77" in diameter. The interior measures 213 cu ft. The kit includes the barrel, cradles, benches, backrests, heater guard, two floor drains and a Wi-Fi-controlled white LED lighting system. The sauna heater is chosen separately, and the floor kit is a separate accessory.

Handcrafted in Northern Europe, the E8 belongs to SaunaLife’s ERGO Series, the large-diameter barrels. Interior height is 77" — 6’5” — measured at the centre of the barrel where the arc is highest, so an adult stands upright walking in rather than ducking. The wide arc is also what lets the benches be contoured and the backrests arched instead of flat against a tight curve.

How the SaunaLife E8 is built

The E8 uses a different wood for each job: thermally modified spruce where the sauna meets the weather, and knot-free Thermo-Aspen where skin meets the bench.

• Thermo-Spruce staves: full-length 1.65" solid staves form the barrel. Thermal modification changes the wood's cell structure with heat rather than chemicals, which reduces moisture absorption and improves dimensional stability and natural resistance to decay outdoors.
• Stainless steel barrel bands: 1-7/8" wide by 1/8" thick bands compress the staves around the cradles. The bands are what draw the barrel tight, which is why the manual tells you not to run the wall screws fully home.
• Knot-free Thermo-Aspen seating: two facing benches and two arched backrests in grade-A Thermo-Aspen, 1.1" thick and 3-1/2" wide, contoured to the barrel arc. Bench depth is 17.8" and the seat sits 25" above the floor.
• Tempered bronze glass door: 5/16" (0.31") tempered, bronze-tinted glass in a 23.2" W × 66.5" H opening.
• Asphalt shingle roof kit: black shingles with side-mounted drip edges, the same roofing material used on houses, installed over the curved top of the barrel.
• Two floor drains: one under the heater position for water thrown on the stones, one near the door for water carried in from a plunge or pool.
• Wi-Fi LED lighting: a dotless white LED light bar controlled from a phone app or the included wireless remote, expandable to four white fixtures.
• Intake and exhaust vents: a lower intake vent and an upper exhaust vent in the back wall.

What comes with the SaunaLife E8?

The SaunaLife E8 ships as a complete barrel enclosure kit without the heater: the Thermo-Spruce staves and cradles, the bronze glass door, both benches and backrests, the heater guard, the shingle roof kit, both floor drains, the intake and exhaust vents, the full Wi-Fi LED lighting system, a fastener kit and the installation instructions. The heater, the floor kit and the electrical work are not included.

Included in the kit

Barrel and structure

• Full-length Thermo-Spruce staves, 1.65" thick
• Thermo-Spruce cradles and fascia boards
• Stainless steel barrel bands
• Tempered bronze glass door, 5/16" thick
• Black asphalt shingle roof kit with drip edges
• Two floor drains
• Intake and exhaust air vents
• Two spare Thermo-Spruce staves
• Fastener kit

Interior

• Two contoured Thermo-Aspen benches, 1.1" thick
• Two arched Thermo-Aspen backrests
• Sauna heater guard
• Paraffin oil for the interior wood, 16.9 oz (500 ml)

Lighting system

• White dotless LED light bar with Wi-Fi app control
• Wireless handheld remote
• Power supply, driver and light cable

Documentation

• Illustrated installation instructions

Not included — ordered or arranged separately

• The sauna heater, its controls and its stones — selected on this page
• The electrical circuit and connection, by a licensed electrician
• The E8 flat floor kit (SL-E8FLOOR), the 78"-long Thermo-Spruce deck that turns the curved barrel bottom into a flat walking surface
• The foundation: a stable, level pad, paver base or reinforced deck
• Assembly tools and labour
• Wood preservative for the annual exterior treatment
• Lighting upgrades: the E8 Sconce+ set (SL-E8SCONCE+), which adds two exterior wall sconces and a second interior LED bar, and the EMood colour lighting valance
• Sauna accessories such as buckets, ladles and thermometers — available as an accessory package on this page

Which heater packages fit the SaunaLife E8?

The SaunaLife E8 is a sauna room kit, so the heater is chosen separately and ordered with the sauna. Four heater packages are selectable on this page, and each one includes the heater, its control and its stones. Both electric and wood-burning packages are offered.

• HUUM DROP 6 kW with UKU local or Wi-Fi control — marked Recommended
• Harvia KIP 8 kW with Xenio Wi-Fi digital control
• Harvia KIP 8 kW with built-in controls on the heater
• Harvia M3 wood-burning stove kit with chimney, wall sheath, floor protection and stones

The Compare Heater Packages link on this page sets out what each package contains. Voltage and circuit size differ by package and are listed on each heater’s own product page; the electric models are hard-wired 240 V appliances and the connection is made by a licensed electrician. The kit’s heater guard is fitted after the heater is mounted, because SaunaLife’s manual sets its position from the heater manufacturer’s own safety clearance, and the guard rail is trimmed on site if your heater is smaller than the opening it was drawn for.

Can you assemble the SaunaLife E8 yourself?

The barrel, yes; the electrical work, no. The SaunaLife E8 arrives flat-packed with profiled staves, pre-shaped walls, the cradles and a fastener kit, and SaunaLife describes it as a one-day build for two people. It is not a no-cut kit: SaunaLife’s own tool list for this sauna includes a circular saw, and the manual instructs the builder to trim a roof board to width where two boards bridge the gap at the top of the barrel, and to trim the heater guard rail to suit the heater. Electrical work — the heater, its control unit and the lighting — is carried out by qualified professionals, not by the buyer.

Two instructions in the manual are worth knowing before the truck arrives, because both are easy to get wrong and awkward to undo. First, the two cradles have to be square before anything goes on top of them: the manual asks you to check that the diagonal measurements are equal. Second, when the wall boards are screwed up, the manual is emphatic that you leave a 1/4-inch gap rather than tightening them down, so the staves can still move when the outer steel bands are drawn up. Pilot holes are specified throughout — 1/8", 5/32" and one set of Ø1/2" holes — and temporary bracing supports the walls until the bands are on.

Before the sauna arrives

1. Build or confirm the foundation. The cradles need a stable, level base able to carry the sauna — a concrete pad, a compacted paver base or a reinforced deck — bearing across 77.2" of width. A level base is also what keeps the glass door operating correctly and the two floor drains working.
2. Check that the site drains. The wooden components should not stand in water.
3. Choose the heater package and have the electrician review its voltage and circuit requirements before delivery day.
4. Decide on the E8 floor kit if you want a flat walking surface, and order it with the sauna so it arrives on the same shipment.
5. Plan how the crated components move from the curb to the build site — see delivery below.

Tools you supply

SaunaLife’s manual lists the tools for this build: measuring tape, marker pen, circular saw, water level, hammer, drill, crescent wrench, utility knife, rubber mallet, ratchet strap, a silicone gun for the glass-wall models — and, in the manual’s own words, “extra hands”. A bottle of paraffin oil for the interior wood is supplied with the kit; the exterior needs a wood preservative, which is not.

How is the SaunaLife E8 delivered?

The SaunaLife E8 ships by LTL freight at a listed shipping weight of 1,345 pounds, flat-packed on a wooden pallet and sometimes encased in wood. Delivery is curbside: the driver lowers the shipment to ground level and is not responsible for moving it further, so plan the route from the curb to the prepared base before the truck arrives.

The carrier will reach out to book the delivery appointment once the shipment reaches their local terminal, and someone has to be there to inspect and sign for it.

Inspect and photograph the shipment before you start assembly. SaunaLife’s warranty excludes damage — transport damage included — that would have been detectable by visual inspection before installation, so documenting the condition at delivery is what keeps both the freight claim and the warranty open.

The SaunaLife E8 installation manual and the SaunaLife dimensional drawing are both available before you order, so your installer and electrician can review the parts list, the build sequence and the clearances in advance.

SaunaLife E8 installation manual (PDF)

SaunaLife E8 dimensional drawing, Rev 4/2023 (image)