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.

We absolutely love this sauna. It’s perfect. My incredibly creative husband did some additions to it. Added the step in front and the hidden wiring in back. Customer service is outstanding. They take care of any issues immediately without question. Absolute best all around with this sauna.

After almost a month of using the Paxton Barrel Sauna by Backyard Discovery, I couldn’t be happier with this purchase! As an old wrestling coach, I’ve spent plenty of time in saunas over the years, and this one has been awesome. It’s extremely easy to use, and one of the biggest benefits I’ve noticed is how much better I’m sleeping after using it in the evenings. A great product is one thing, but great customer service makes it even better. The people at Backyard Discovery have been outstanding to work with. They’re easy to reach, willing to help, and great at troubleshooting any questions or concerns. The five-year warranty makes this purchase even more of a no-brainer. The sauna itself is fantastic, but honestly, the customer service has been even more impressive. It’s refreshing to find a company that stands behind its products and takes care of its customers. This has been a great purchase for my family and me, and I would highly recommend it!

We bought this a few months ago and we are enjoying it every day. We go in first thing in the morning for 10 to 15 minutes, then jump in the pool to exercise. We are both 80 years old and our doctor told us a sauna would be so good for our health. And it is. In addition, it is a beautiful addition to our backyard. We are very pleased with our purchase.

I didn't want a sauna, but.... This thing has been amazing! The quality of the kit was top tier and very well thought out. The hardware was nice, the included tools were high quality. They even included a 90 degree attachment to help with certain screws. It gets to 176 degrees in about ten minutes. The touchscreen directions in the manual need to be improved. For example, it does not say that to turn it on, it is a long press. Also, if you want to adjust temperature or timer you need to double tap. It would also be nice if the touchscreen would turn off as it stays on 24 hours a day. Overall, thrilled with the purchase.

Really impressed with build quality of this sauna and all the parts and accessories it comes with. Easy to follow directions, heats up quickly and gets HOT. Not even going to dock it a star but I can’t get the app to connect so you just have to use control panel on sauna.

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.

We love our sauna! It took about 8 hours for two people to assemble. It fits perfectly under our deck. Two drawbacks- the heater kicks and turns off when it heats up too fast, we have to set it in the 150s then turn it up if we want it higher. It is a safety feature I guess but it is frustrating. The second drawback is that there are a couple of places that are drafty, which could be fixed with some caulk so it really isn’t that big of a deal or we would’ve already fixed it. Overall we are very happy with this sauna. Knowing what we know now, we still would’ve bought it!

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.

Wish I could love it, or even use it for that matter, but seems we have a faulty product. Called customer service, and replaced parts but still won’t turn on. Our electrician has double checked his work, and all is set up correctly. The app won’t connect and the control panel wont start the heater. It’s been a frustrating process. Hoping the company will make it right. So far they just keep sending troubleshooting emails and replacement parts, but no direct help.