Sauna Stoves
Wood Burning, Electric or Gas? - 904

By Pertti Olavi Jalasjaa

Which type of sauna heater or sauna stove is best is truly a matter of opinion. One type may be better than another in certain conditions and circumstances, but the bottom line seems to be that electric sauna heaters, gas sauna heaters, and wood burning sauna heaters each have unique appeal.

According to sauna authority Mikkel Aaland, who wrote Sweat, a 1978 history of international bathing customs, “Whether to use an electric, gas, or wood burning stove is the first decision in sauna building.” And the author asserts that it’s a decision that may be influenced by geographic location.

“If you live in the country where firewood is plentiful and fires have minimum environmental impact,” Aaland contends, “the wood burning stove is the best performer and must be considered the first choice.”

Few people would refute the claim that wood burning sauna stoves help to create an almost seductive ambience for the sauna bather – one of soft heat, an agreeable outdoorsy aroma, and the calming sound of a crackling fire. The use of a wood burning heater can also help foster a more intimate relationship with nature – one in which the sauna bather may hew and carry his or her own wood and tend to the fire.

In some areas, however, local building codes, insurance costs, and regulations about wood burning stoves may strongly discourage you from owning or using this type of sauna heater. If that’s so, you may have to choose between an electric and gas sauna heater. The resulting ambience will likely be less enticing for some people, but others will appreciate the added convenience, particularly when it comes time to clean the heater. Unlike wood burning stoves, electric and gas sauna heaters create no ashes.

You may automatically want a gas sauna heater if you live in a gas-heated home or an electric sauna stove if electricity provides the heat in your home. Afford some thought, however, to the argument that gas sauna stoves may offer some economic advantages over their electric counterparts. One advantage is that the heat in a gas sauna has a tendency to be more consistent and easier to regulate, making the gas sauna stove more user-friendly. Also, there may be areas where it’s difficult to access electricity, so a gas heater would then be the more practical choice.

While gas sauna heaters and wood burning sauna stoves each have their own following, the electric sauna heater is the most popular type of sauna stove available, particularly in and around urban centers where electricity is universally utilized. Marketed on their efficiency, sleekness, safety features and wide assortment of sizes, electric sauna heaters also attract attention because, unlike the wood burning and gas varieties, electric stoves don’t give off any odor when they’re operating.

Electric sauna heaters, wood burning sauna stoves, and gas sauna heaters each contribute in their own unique way to make bathing in the soothing setting of a personal sauna an almost addictive experience. To find out which type would best suit your needs, seek out a qualified sauna manufacturer or dealer. But be warned: if they can’t answers your questions about sauna stoves, the odds are they don’t know much about saunas either.