As portable saunas gain popularity, our resident sauna expert shares his top thoughts on whether steam tents can compare to real sauna tents
In recent years, the popularity of saunas and the rediscovery of the therapeutic properties of hot springs have led more and more people to look for ways to easily sweat while sitting, including me. Putting together a home sauna kit completely changed my lifestyle, and before I knew it, my wellness routine had become a ritual of connection and relaxation.
But there’s one thing no one tells you about sauna use: After a while, you’ll want to go everywhere, in different places, in different types of saunas. While some people are crazy about the sauna blanket and infrared heating craze, for me, the ideal sauna is a hot tub in the wild with easy access to a wild water source to soak in between sessions. As an affordable new product, portable sauna tents allow users to enjoy a sauna anytime, anywhere, and are a practical and portable alternative to a backyard sauna for those on a budget or with limited space.
So I decided to test one of the most popular portable sauna tents, the Sweat Tent, which is claimed to be the best outdoor sauna tent. As expected, one clear thought flashed through my mind: test this sauna tent on my perennial lakeside property in Maine. So, I did.
In this article, I will tell you about my experience testing the steam tent – from delivery to assembly and use. This steam tent review was done with the help of my husband and some basic tools.
First, the health benefits of hyperthermia are well-established. Traditional saunas increase your body temperature, increase circulation and heart rate, improve cardiovascular health, relieve muscle tension, and lower blood pressure. All of this can inadvertently boost your immunity and help detoxify your body.
Like any healthy sweat, sweat can deeply cleanse the skin, giving those who regularly visit home spas and steam saunas a healthy glow. It is recommended to visit the sauna several times, resting for 10 minutes between each session to drink water, cool down, take a shower or even a cold bath before the next session.
The original idea behind buying a sauna tent was to enjoy all the health benefits without spending thousands of dollars to build a permanent outdoor sauna. The sauna tent is made of durable synthetic materials such as 210d insulated ripstop nylon Oxford for warmth, as well as lightweight fiberglass poles for easy portability. Designed for temporary use and easy to carry, these tents can be quickly set up as a camping tent or ice fishing tent.
Portable sauna tents are popular due to their low cost, low environmental impact, and portability, making them ideal for renters or people who don’t have land but want to have their own sauna.
One of the main advantages of a tent sauna is that it can be set up quickly and easily. While my personal experience was not exactly “easy,” after some practice I found the process of setting up and dismantling to be quite quick. However, there is definitely a learning curve for beginners. Read on for more information.
The Classic Steam Tent costs $1,599 (large sizes available) and comes with the following:
Not included is the bucket and scoop, blowtorch, wooden stool, and sauna cap, which can be purchased separately on their website along with some other sauna accessories.
Saunas come in five boxes, so expect to receive split shipments of 1-3 boxes each. Unlike home sauna kits, you don’t need to schedule or sign for delivery in person.
Sweat Tent recommends setting up the sauna outdoors on a flat surface such as dirt, grass, concrete, tile, ice, or unpainted wood. As I mentioned, I chose a location by a lake with a beach nearby.
Since the sauna is heated by a wood stove, please be aware of local fire regulations and only set up your sauna tent where fires are allowed (check with your local fire department for local regulations). If you are setting up your sauna tent in a public place, such as a beach or park, you may need a fire permit. This can be tricky, but it can also be quick! In coastal Maine, where I live, some local beaches approve permits within a day. A sauna by the sea sounds great, right?
I also recommend choosing a relatively secluded, uncrowded location. If you are going to a public outdoor place, please pre-assemble and manufacture all parts in advance to avoid unnecessary attention and ensure smooth installation and operation of the sauna.
The Sweat Tent Stainless Steel Portable Wood Stove is small but powerful, and I really like it and enjoy using it. My personal sauna uses an electric stove as its heat source, so I was very happy to enjoy the warmth of a wood fire in the great outdoors. The stove itself comes fully assembled, you just need to unfold the folding legs, attach the chimney, and then connect it to the stove. The instructions say that the sauna rock basket requires easy assembly, and that’s true: I assembled the stove in less than five minutes.
A small wood stove needs to be “seasoned” separately before being installed in the sauna tent, which adds about an hour to the initial setup time. This is essentially a break-in, which allows the chemicals used in the manufacturing process to burn off outside the tent, avoiding inhalation during a sauna session, and also allows all the components to heat up, cool down, and lock into place.
The Sweat Tent customer service team highly recommends not skipping this step, and while it can be a bit tedious and time-consuming, it’s still easy to do. Add 2-3 small logs, burn for 15 minutes, then repeat.
After the initial preparation, fill the stove with wood and leave it to burn for about 30 minutes until the fire is completely out and the stove is cool enough to work. We used this time to assemble the rest of the sauna.
The sauna stove was too small to accommodate most of the rope-shaped firewood, so we used an axe to cut it down. With that in mind, have everything ready before you start the fire, or you’ll have to back out!
This part of the assembly is the most time consuming and confusing. Although this tent is advertised as being very easy to set up and can be set up in three minutes, when I first tried to set it up I found that this was not the case.
The pop-up tent comes fully assembled and is said to open in one pull. I’m still not sure if the tent was packed incorrectly or if we made a mistake, but it appears the tent was pitched backwards as the handle to open it was on the inside instead of the outside. The instructions and video didn’t provide any additional help or detail, but after a bit of fiddling and a few hard tugs (harder than you’d think!) the tent walls finally popped out and locked into place. I had no further issues with the tent after that, but the process was confusing and time-consuming to say the least.
Once the sauna tent was pitched and positioned correctly, the rest of the assembly was fairly straightforward, with all the instructions clear and easy to follow. You will need rocks, boards or sandbags to secure the tent skirt, as well as extra stakes and ropes for added security on windy days.
A super cool feature is the panoramic windows with removable window panels that attach to the outside with Velcro. You can keep the windows closed for privacy, insulation, and heat loss, or open them to enjoy the view. Since my room had both a lake and mountain view, I chose the latter.
The kit Sweat Tent sent me included a bench, bucket, and dipper, which also required easy assembly. Note that if you don’t order the bench, you’ll need to bring your own seating, such as a folding chair or other camping furniture (note: avoid metal).
The cedar sauna shelf may be simple, but it is of good quality. Although the instructions do not specify, we found that using a power drill made assembly quicker and more secure. All parts are clearly labeled and the instructions are easy to follow. If you have assembled IKEA furniture before, you should be fine.
Now comes the fun part: using the sauna! The stove heats up very quickly, and in less than 30 minutes the tent reached 170 degrees Fahrenheit. In the tent, 170 degrees doesn’t feel hot at first, but it’s more of a slow burn, and the tent is small inside, so if you want a higher temperature, just give it a little time and it’ll heat up quickly (Sweat Tent recommends a maximum of 200 degrees Fahrenheit). Just make sure you have a pile of firewood, fire tongs, and gloves on hand so you can adjust the temperature without leaving the tent. The dry sauna wasn’t too humid, and even after I splashed a few spoonfuls of water on the heated rocks, the temperature was just right.
The best thing about the Sweattent portable sauna tent is the ability to enjoy the sauna in the beautiful outdoors. The Sweat Tent fits the bill perfectly with its compact storage space and panoramic windows. Once set up, the sauna is a fantastic adventure. The stove was easy to use and heated the tent quickly.
As for the downsides, hanging the thermometer is a lot more difficult than the video shows, and I ended up wrapping twine around the pole myself. Unfortunately, the lighter for the steam tent broke, so I had to use my own. The benches provided were a little low and backless, and I never got the small sauna stove to heat above 170 degrees Fahrenheit (74 degrees Celsius). However, the last two may be personal preference.
The biggest downside to my use of the sauna tent is, of course, the setup, as mentioned above. It wasn’t a big deal – it was all fixed in about 30 minutes, and the second and third setups went much more smoothly. All these little problems are really annoying and time-consuming.
Finally, all those annoying pressure points disappeared when I was able to enjoy a sauna on a beautiful beach. And the cherry on the cake was jumping into the lake right after the sauna. This is definitely the pinnacle of saunas and cold plunges, so in the end, these details did not spoil the overall experience at all.
Are all saunas the same? Of course, it’s different. I wouldn’t say a sweat tent is on the same level as my home sauna kit, but it’s a relatively affordable option that allows users to enjoy a sauna in a variety of locations without the time and expense of setting it up, hooking it up to a power source, etc.
Technical quibbles aside, I was really impressed with the quality, sleek look, and portability of the Sweat Tent. If you’re looking for a traditional sauna that’s affordable, provides a ton of health benefits, doesn’t require a lot of construction, and lets you enjoy it outdoors, I recommend the Sweat Tent.
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