Sauna vs Steam Room at Home: Two Very Different Builds
Last updated: By The SaunaIndex Bench
A sauna is a wood-lined room heated by a stove, dry enough that cedar and benches are the finish. A steam room is a sealed, tiled, fully waterproofed enclosure fed by a generator, with a sloped floor, a drain and a vapour-tight door. The steam room is the harder build and belongs to the bathroom trades. Get the two straight before you shortlist companies.
Once you have decided, SaunaIndex's own dataset lists 38 sauna companies across the Greater Toronto Area at an average Google rating of 4.6★ over 1,080 reviews (August 2026), so you can move straight from this page to a ranked shortlist and call the companies yourself.
SaunaIndex compares what a buyer can check before calling anyone: how each option is heated, what it needs from the house, and who does the work. Where we have no researched figure, we publish no figure.
What actually differs between Sauna and Steam room?
A side-by-side of the decisions that actually differ, so you can tell which of the two your property and your plans can take before you shortlist anyone.
| Criterion | Sauna | Steam room |
|---|---|---|
| What the room is | SaunaA wood-lined room with a stove and rocks, indoors or outdoors | Steam roomA sealed tiled or stone enclosure inside the house, usually part of a bathroom |
| Heat source | SaunaAn electric or wood-fired stove heating rocks | Steam roomA steam generator plumbed and wired in, usually hidden in a nearby cabinet or closet |
| Waterproofing | SaunaA vapour barrier behind the cladding, because the heat is dry between water pours | Steam roomFull tanking, floor to ceiling, because the enclosure is wet all the time |
| Drainage | SaunaA floor drain is good practice, not always mandatory | Steam roomA sloped floor and a drain are part of the design, not an option |
| Door and glass | SaunaA wood or glass door with a simple latch, never a lock | Steam roomA vapour-tight door with a proper seal and a sloped ceiling so condensate runs to the walls |
| Finish materials | SaunaCedar, hemlock or similar, chosen for heat and for how it feels to touch | Steam roomTile, stone or acrylic, chosen for water and for how it is sealed |
| Can it go outside | SaunaYes, and outdoor cabins are a large part of this market | Steam roomRealistically no for home installs, it belongs inside the plumbed envelope |
| Who builds it | SaunaA sauna installer or builder, plus an electrician | Steam roomA bathroom or tile contractor working with a plumber and an electrician, or a specialist who does all three |
Which home suits a sauna, and which suits a steam room?
Choose a sauna when
Choose a sauna when you want dry heat, wood, and the option of putting the whole thing in the backyard. The build is contained: a stove, a vapour barrier, cladding, benches and a vent path, with no plumbing and no tanking.
- You want wood, dry heat, and the option to pour water on the rocks yourself.
- You want the freedom to build outside rather than inside a bathroom.
- You would rather not add a plumbing and waterproofing project to the house.
Choose a steam room when
Choose a steam room when you want continuous steam and you are already renovating a bathroom. It has to be fully waterproofed, sloped to a drain and sealed at the door, and the generator has to be sized to the finished enclosure, so the design comes before the equipment.
- You are renovating a bathroom anyway and can absorb the tanking and the drain into that scope.
- You want steam continuously rather than in bursts from water on rocks.
- You have somewhere close by to house the generator with access for servicing.
Frequently asked questions
Is a steam room harder to install than a sauna?
- Generally, yes. A steam room is a sealed wet enclosure: full waterproofing floor to ceiling, a sloped floor draining properly, a vapour-tight door, a sloped ceiling, and a generator that is plumbed, wired and reachable for service. A sauna needs a vapour barrier, cladding, a stove and a vent path, with no plumbing. That is why this site lists sauna companies and does not list steam-room companies: they are largely different trades.
Can a steam room go in a backyard structure?
- It is not the normal way to do it. A steam room depends on plumbing, a drain and a fully waterproofed enclosure, all of which are easiest inside the house. Backyard buildings are where saunas go, including wood-fired ones. If you want steam outdoors, treat it as a plumbing and waterproofing project first and ask companies whether they have actually done one.
How is a steam generator sized?
- To the enclosure: its volume, its finish materials, and how much heat the surfaces absorb. A stone-lined room and an acrylic one of the same size do not ask for the same unit. This is why the room gets designed first and the generator gets chosen second. Ask any installer how they arrived at the size they are quoting.
Can one room do both?
- Not well. The finishes pull in opposite directions: a sauna wants wood and dry heat, a steam room wants sealed tile and constant moisture. Homes that want both usually build them as two enclosures, or pair a sauna with a shower. If a company offers a single combined room, ask exactly how the wood is protected and how the enclosure drains.
Questions to ask before you commit
- Do you build and fit this yourselves, or sell the kit and leave the fitting to me?
- What does it sit on: a gravel base, deck blocks, a slab, or existing framing, and who prepares it? What a sauna build costs
- What heater size did you calculate for this shell or room, and on which circuit?
- Who runs the electrical, and is the ESA permit inside your price?
- What is the warranty term on the heater compared with the cabin or the cedar?