We installed the Backyard Discovery Paxton 4-Person Sauna this winter, and living in the Midwest, it has been one of the best additions to our home. When the temperatures drop and the snow starts piling up, stepping into the warmth of this sauna feels like pure luxury. What I love most is how it brings a bit of Finnish culture into our backyard. The ritual of heating up the sauna, sitting in the deep, dry heat, and then stepping outside into the cold air feels both invigorating and grounding—exactly the way sauna was meant to be experienced. There’s something incredibly satisfying about going from a 180° sauna into crisp Midwestern winter air. The Paxton sauna is the perfect size for our family or a small group of friends. Four adults can sit comfortably, and the layout makes it easy to relax without feeling cramped. The wood interior gives it that authentic sauna feel and smell, which really adds to the experience. It also holds heat impressively well—even on the coldest Midwest days. Once it’s warmed up, the temperature stays consistent and creates that deep, enveloping heat that sauna lovers appreciate. Assembly took some time, but the instructions were clear and the quality of the materials was solid. Once it was up and running, it quickly became part of our winter routine. If you live somewhere with real winters and appreciate the Finnish tradition of sauna culture, the Backyard Discovery Paxton sauna is absolutely worth it. It turns even the coldest days into something to look forward to.

I bought this in March 2026. I had a problem with shipping, and Backyard Discovery's customer service was outstanding. No matter what problem you might have their customer service will help without question. The Wifi doesn't work however it's not a deal breaker for me. The heater has been very good and heat up quickly. The kit looks daunting, (come's in 8 boxes) but the directions easy to follow. I highly recommend this product.

I purchased the 4-6 person Paxton Barrel Sauna about 2 months ago and I have been very impressed with the product and the results. The price is extremely competitive with other barrel saunas and the "extras" that are a part of many other barrel saunas are standard with Backyard Discovery's Paxton Sauna. I built the foundation out of pavers and river rock while waiting for the delivery. The delivery was on time and easy. I followed the recommendation to lay out all of the parts before assembling and I am glad that I did because it was a time saver in the assembly process. I would say that I have average to slightly above average mechanical and woodworking skills and assembling this sauna was surprisingly easy. The step by step guide as well as the BILT App was very helpful for the whole process. I would say that in all it took about 9 hours for the full assembly. Follow the guide book and use the rope (not included) during the stave assembly and you will do just fine. You will need a professional electrician to wire the 240 to your sauna. You can get everything ready for the electrician to hook the 240 in if you want, or you can have your electrician do that for you. My electrician decided to run a 110 to the back of the sauna as well so that the LED light was kept separate from the 240, but that is not a requirement according to the manual. The sauna generates heat quickly and we are able to use the sauna once the electrician finished the job and we completed the hour long heat up process as recommended in the manual. I researched many different saunas and I decided to go with the Paxton because I felt (based on reviews and my comparison shopping) that I would get a tremendous value for my money. I am very satisfied with my purchase and the performance of the sauna. If you are not sure if you should make the purchase or not, I say do it! You will be glad you did.

This sauna is everything I'd hoped it would be. Looks beautiful, heats up quickly and very comfortable inside. Instructions and assembly were straightforward and fairly easy to carry out. So relaxing at the end of the day, it's helping me sleep better!

We've been using this sauna 4-5 time per week for the past 5 weeks. It took 4 people all day to put it together. One of us is an electrician and was able to make sure we had power out to the backyard to support the sauna. I love the way it looks in the backyard. It's great for 4 people or for 2 people to lay down.

This is a really well engineered product with well written and illustrated instructions. We're very happy with the customer support team who we're always available to answer questions and support the delivery and build. Excellent product backed by an awesome team.

IKEA should hire the guys from Backyard Discovery to write their furniture instructions, and Amazon should hire them to teach their warehouses how to pack a box that doesn't arrive looking like it survived a demolition derby. This was easier to put together than most LEGO sets. I was able to complete everything by myself except for dropping the front and back walls into the base. I needed a helper for that step, but it was simple—the walls stayed perfectly straight once they were seated in the base. Kudos to this company for creating such a well-thought-out kit. The hardest part was squeezing the final two slats into place at the top of the sauna, but even that worked out in the end.

DIY here. Assembly instructions were straight forward. A couple of the boards were warped but I managed to straighten them out with a bit of force. The sauna heated up quicker than I thought (in the Spring). I would have given this a five-star rating however the control panel is a bit clunky to use. There's definitely room for improvement with the functionality within the control panel. I highly recommend using the app to bypass the control panel all together.

Bought this a couple weeks ago and put it together myself, the instructions were fairly straightforward especially using the app. Advertised 4 hr build time with two people but it took me around 8 because I took my time. Love the way it looks and smells. It did have a small leak coming in the roof on the first rain so I siliconed around where the metal meets the trim on the front and back and hasn't leaked since. Still waiting on my electrician to show up so make sure you plan ahead! Not in a rush because it's July in North Carolina! Still happy with the product so far.

Looks really nice when completed. Checked measurements multiple times though still ended with a small gap on top. Roof covers the gap so hopefully not an issue. After tightening straps I am having trouble with the door closing properly. BILT app was excellent for directions took a full two days to finish the project mostly working alone. Still hooking up power.