Can your garden shed become a sauna?
Yes, you can put a sauna in a garden shed, if the frame is sound, the floor is level and firm, and power and ventilation can be planned in. We have converted sheds in Hammersmith, Holland Park and Wandsworth. Infrared shed saunas start from £9,995 and hybrids from £14,995.
A tiny shed in Hammersmith. A storage shed in Holland Park. A large garden shed in Wandsworth. All converted into fully functioning, beautifully finished saunas. Real outdoor sauna garden UK installs. Not barrel saunas dumped on a patio. Proper insulated, ventilated, timber clad wellness spaces.This guide tells you exactly what is involved. What works. What does not. And what it costs.
What makes a garden shed suitable for a sauna?
Not every shed works. But most can be made to work with the right approach.
Here is what we assess on every sauna installation London shed survey.
Structural condition. The frame must be solid. We can reclad the exterior and replace the roof covering, but the structural timber needs to be sound. Rotten posts or a collapsing roof mean remedial work before we start.
Floor level. The floor needs to be level and firm. Concrete is ideal. Solid paving slabs work. A raised timber floor on soft ground is not suitable without additional work.
Size. The smallest shed we have converted measured roughly 1.5m x 1.5m. That is enough for a two person sauna with a single upper bench. Anything smaller becomes impractical. Anything larger gives you room for a changing area or cold shower alongside the sauna.
Power supply. A standard 13A garden socket is sufficient for an infrared sauna installation London or a small shed sauna. For a traditional Finnish or hybrid sauna UK build, you will need a dedicated circuit run from your consumer unit. We advise on this during the survey.
Ventilation. Every sauna needs fresh air in and stale air out. Shed conversions almost always require a ventilation strategy. We calculate air volumes, design the vent positions, and specify the fittings as part of every custom sauna design UK project.
What happens to the existing shed?
We keep what is worth keeping. We replace what is not.
In Holland Park, we kept the original shed roof but reclad the entire exterior in painted black cladding with a new door and window. Inside, we installed Thermo Aspen wall cladding, a HUUM CLIFF Wi Fi heater, a cold shower, and colour changing LED lighting. This is a genuine bespoke sauna London conversion not a shed with a heater dropped inside.
In Hammersmith, a tiny garden shed became a single bench sauna clad in Thermo Aspen with a HUUM DROP 4.5kW heater. That heater holds up to 55kg of stones in a frame the size of a large vase. Perfect for compact spaces.
In Wandsworth, we replaced a larger shed entirely with a new structure. CLS timber frame. Full insulation. Vapour barrier. Two plus two floating bench layout. A Harvia Cilindro Black 9kW heater with Xenio Wi Fi controls. Bronze glass door. Matching exterior paving.
Each one is a genuine bespoke sauna London build. Designed around the specific shed dimensions. Built on site from scratch.
Why is infrared best for smaller sheds?
If your shed is small and your power supply is limited, an infrared sauna installation London is the smartest choice.
Harvia IR panels mount directly to the walls. No heater taking up floor space. No drainage required. Heat up time is 15 to 20 minutes. Running costs are low.
A compact infrared sauna installation London shed sauna starts from £9,995 fully installed. Alder or Aspen cladding. LED strip lighting. Touch controls. Done in a week.
For the smallest shed spaces anything under 1.8m x 1.8m infrared sauna installation London is almost always the right recommendation. The wall mounted Harvia IR panels free up floor space that a freestanding heater would otherwise consume.
Why choose a hybrid for a larger shed?
If your shed is 2.0m x 2.0m or bigger and you can run a dedicated circuit, a hybrid sauna UK build is worth serious consideration.
You get a HUUM or Harvia heater with stones for authentic Löyly. Ceiling mounted infrared glass panels for fast warm up sessions. Thermo Aspen or Thermo Alder cladding. LED accent lighting. Wi Fi controls.
The sauna looks entirely traditional from the outside. The infrared panels are invisible in the ceiling. A hybrid sauna UK shed conversion starts from £14,995. This is the most versatile outdoor sauna garden UK shed option available.
Have a shed or corner of the garden in mind? Send us a few photos and rough measurements, and we'll tell you whether it can work and which option suits it.
What does the design process look like?
Every shed conversion starts with a free survey. We visit the site, assess the structure, measure the space, and check the power supply.
From there, our technical team produces a full custom sauna design UK package. Ventilation calculations. Electrical schematics. Bench and cladding layout drawings. A 3D visualisation for your approval before any work begins.
Preparatory works base, framing, electrical connection are handled by your main contractor from our drawings. We come in once the shell is ready. Installation typically takes three to five days.
This is the custom sauna design UK process that separates a properly engineered shed sauna from a DIY box with a heater. Correct insulation. Calculated ventilation. Specified heater capacity matched to the exact room volume.
What does the finished result look like?
The result is not a shed with a heater bolted inside. It is a proper bespoke sauna London build. Fully insulated. Correctly ventilated. Built to last.
Every sauna installation London shed project we have completed is still running well. No warped cladding. No overheating. No CO2 problems. Just good design and proper materials from the start.
The difference between a disappointing shed sauna and a genuinely good one is entirely down to the quality of the sauna installation London process behind it. Survey first. Design second. Build third. Test and hand over with full documentation.
FAQs
Can I put a sauna in my garden shed?
Yes, if the structure is sound, the floor is level and firm, and power and ventilation can be planned in. We assess all of these at a free survey.
How small can a shed sauna be?
The smallest shed we have converted measured roughly 1.5m x 1.5m, enough for a two-person sauna with a single upper bench.
What power does a shed sauna need?
A standard 13A garden socket is enough for an infrared sauna or a small shed sauna. A traditional or hybrid sauna needs a dedicated circuit from your consumer unit.
How much does a shed sauna cost?
A compact infrared shed sauna starts from £9,995 fully installed, and a hybrid shed conversion from £14,995, excluding VAT and builders' work.
How long does a shed conversion take?
Installation typically takes three to five days once your main contractor has prepared the base, framing and electrical connection from our drawings.
Start your garden sauna project
Book a free 3D sauna design consultation in London or Surrey.
Planning one for your own home? See our garden saunas page for options and recent projects, or book a free design consultation and we'll talk through your space.