Is a $299 Steam Sauna Any Good? We Tested It.
A first hand look at the portable steam sauna that folds into a cupboard, and whether real steam at this price is too good to be true.
The SaunaBox SmartSteam. Real steam, folds flat, tested in a home setting over 30 days.
Real wet heat, generated properly, not a warm tent.
$299 is the entry point, not a stripped back version of something better.
It folds flat into its own case, so a cupboard is enough.
Minutes to set up, no tools and no plumbing, on a standard 110V outlet.
The cheapest honest way to find out whether you are a steam person or a dry heat person.
Steam and dry heat are not two versions of the same thing. They feel different, they sit differently on your chest and your skin, and people tend to know within one session which one they actually want.
The problem has always been that finding out costs a lot. The SmartSteam starts at $299, which makes it the cheapest honest way to answer the question.
We spent 30 days with it. Here is what we found.
What twenty minutes in it actually gives you
Owners report the same handful of things. Sleep that comes easier on the nights they use it. A chest and sinuses that feel clearer afterwards. And twenty minutes where the day stops.
It is not dramatic and it is not instant. It is the reason a folding chamber in a cupboard still gets used in month three, which is the only test that matters.
Five reasons it earns the $299
It is real steam, not a warm tent
Wet heat, generated properly, filling the chamber. If steam is the thing you like, this is the one in the range that does it.
Dry heat and steam are a preference, not a hierarchy. This exists so you do not have to pretend otherwise.
Wet heat, filling the chamber properly. You know in one session.
$299 is the entry point, not a stripped version
There is no essential piece held back for a higher tier. What you get is a working steam sauna.
For most people the alternative is a spa visit, and this pays for itself somewhere around the fifth one.
It packs into a cupboard
It folds flat and stores in its own case between sessions. In a flat or a small house, that is the difference between owning one and not.
Nothing is installed, so nothing has to be uninstalled when you move.
Zipped up and carried out. Nothing installed, nothing to uninstall.
It is up in minutes, on a normal outlet
No tools, no plumbing, no contractor, and a standard 110V socket. The chair and the mat come with it.
The whole setup is shorter than the session you are about to have.
You can have both kinds of heat
SaunaBox makes the dry ones too. If you decide you want infrared, the Pulse PRO and the Solara are there, and neither one is the wrong answer.
Starting here is the cheapest way to find out which one you are, and nothing about it is wasted if you go on to the other.
Steam on the left, infrared on the right. Both run off the same outlet.
Specification
“Steam or dry is a preference, not a ranking. This is the cheapest honest way to find out which one you are.”
The SmartSteam starts at $299
Real steam, up in minutes on a normal outlet, folded away in its own case when you are done. Sale ends September 13.
Shop the SmartSteam from $299The month, week by week
The first session settles the question. Steam sits differently on the chest and the skin, and you know immediately whether you like it.
Sessions found their length at around 20 minutes. Setup stopped being an event.
The folding is the reason it survived. It came out, got used, went away.
It had become routine rather than occasion, which is the only test that matters.
Always speak with a healthcare professional before adding sauna use to your routine, especially with an underlying condition. This is not a medical device and is not intended to be used as one.
4.6 out of 5, from 155 reviews
Wanted to know whether I was a steam person before spending real money. Answered in one session, and I have kept using it since.
Twenty minutes after training and my chest feels clearer than it does in a dry sauna. Folds into the hall cupboard.
Cheaper than five spa visits and I have used it far more than five times. Setup is genuinely a couple of minutes.
Does what it says. The steam unit needs refilling more often than I expected on longer sessions, but that is a small thing.
Bought this first and then the Pulse PRO. Neither was a mistake. This was the cheap way to find out what I liked.
Good steam and no complaints about the heat. Packing it back into the case is fiddlier than the photos suggest.
Questions we had too
Is it actually steam, or just warm air?
Real wet heat, generated by the unit and filling the chamber. It is the only steam product in the SaunaBox range.
Do I need plumbing?
No. It fills from the unit and runs off a standard 110V outlet. No plumbing and no contractor.
How long does setup take?
Minutes, with no tools. The chair and the floor mat are included.
Where does it live between sessions?
It folds flat into its own case, so a cupboard is enough.
Should I get steam or infrared?
It is a preference, not a ranking. This is the cheapest way to find out which one you are, and the Pulse PRO and Solara are there if you go the other way.
What is the warranty?
1 Year Limited, with US based support.
The cheapest honest way in
Real steam from $299, up in minutes on a normal outlet, and folded away in its own case when you are finished. Sale ends September 13.
Shop the SmartSteam from $299
Advertisement. This page is published by SaunaBox in partnership with Men’s Magazine. SaunaBox is the manufacturer of the products reviewed here and is affiliated with this content.
