What building a dry sauna costs - the whole bill, item by item

Short answer: a custom residential dry sauna in Brazil costs between R$ 38k and R$ 140k installed - from a couple's cabin to an 8-seat room. The long answer, the one that prevents nasty surprises, follows.

The range by size (2026)

Where the money goes

• Cabin and joinery (45-55%): wall timber, benches, glass door, insulation and vapour barrier. This is where the difference between a decade-sauna and a three-summer sauna lives - read which wood to choose.
• Heater and stones (15-20%): a Harvia sized at ~1 kW/m³. Saving one power step = a lukewarm sauna forever.
• Wiring (5-10%): a dedicated circuit, cable at the right gauge, its own RCD. In a building, it includes a conversation with the main panel.
• Installation (10-15%): panel assembly, sealing, temperature test. Two to four days in most homes.
• Design (0%): our 3D with consumption and a firm quote is free - it insures you against improvisation.

The 3 mistakes that double the bill

1. A "cheap" imported kit + local works: the generic kit arrives without tropical-grade insulation and without support; redoing it costs more than doing it right.
2. An undersized heater: 'the 4.5 kW one was cheaper' - and the 6-person cabin never passes 70 °C. New heater + new wiring = R$ 8-15k thrown away.
3. Forgetting ventilation: without a designed air inlet and outlet, the timber suffers and the session drains you. Fixing it later means opening a finished wall.

And the cost of running it?

A typical session (40 min of heating + 1 h of use) burns 6-10 kWh depending on the heater - pocket change at residential rates. Annual maintenance: timber treatment and a check-up - included in year one of our projects. The complete math for your case comes with the free 3D design.