The Leisurecraft MiniPOD is the one people buy for the shape. The arched teardrop profile is the most distinctive silhouette in the range, and unlike a barrel it springs from a wide flat base — so the floor stays usable right out to the walls instead of curving away under your feet.
It is a genuinely different object in a garden. A barrel reads as equipment. A pod reads as architecture.
It is built in Eastern White Cedar rather than the Western Red most outdoor saunas use. Eastern White runs cooler to the touch at the same air temperature, so the benches are comfortable to sit on bare. It carries a milder scent that doesn't overwhelm a small room at heat. And it is naturally rot and insect resistant without treatment, so it will sit outdoors through a Minnesota winter without a maintenance ritual of its own.
Construction is solid single-piece cedar, not laminate or veneer over a frame, under a triple-layered roof — cedar planking, an ice and water shield, and black asphalt shingles over the top. Stainless hardware throughout, because anything else corrodes in a room that lives at high humidity by design. It arrives as a ready-to-assemble kit, and most owners put it together over a weekend with a second pair of hands.
How it compares to a barrel
The MiniPOD and the Harmony barrel are within a few hundred dollars of each other, but the pod holds noticeably more air — 264 cubic feet against 200. It also gives you a wider usable floor and a shape a lot of people simply prefer looking at. The barrel gives you slightly more interior height and a marginally lower price.
Neither is the better sauna. Pick the one you would rather see out of the kitchen window.
What's included
Every MiniPOD ships as a complete, usable sauna rather than a shell with a shopping list attached:
- The pod, in solid Eastern White Cedar with a triple-layered roof
- An 8kW electric heater, including the rocks and safety railing it needs to run properly
- The flat floor heat shield that sits beneath the heater
- A starter accessory set — bucket, ladle, thermometer and sand timer
You will need a licensed electrician for the circuit. Everything else is in the crate.
Electrical Requirement: This sauna requires a licensed electrician and a dedicated 240V, 50A circuit on 8-gauge wire. No GFCI breaker is required. These are the manufacturer's guidelines; your electrician makes the final call based on the run and local code.
Lead Time: Approximately two months from order. Leisurecraft saunas are built to order rather than pulled from stock, and we would rather tell you that now than after checkout.
Built your way — what this page doesn't show
The build above is the one we'd recommend, not the limit of what's possible. These saunas are made to order, one at a time, and the factory will build them to spec. What you see here is configured for the way most people actually use a sauna. It is a fraction of what can be done.
To give you a sense of the real range:
- Wood-fired instead of electric. The MiniPOD takes a wood burner — TimberGlow, Narvi Kaamos, Narvi Kuru or Narvi NC Black, with the chimney routed to suit where the pod sits. Worth asking about if the sauna is going somewhere without easy power.
- A different electric heater. We fit the Harvia KIP by default. The Homecraft Apex, Apex Mini, Revive and Revive Slim are all available, in several outputs, with WiFi or local touchpad control.
- Roof and finish. Alternative roof treatments, and Livos Alis penetrating oils in Light Teak, Black, Sesame or Bongossi.
- Lighting, benches and accessories. Sauna lighting and SaunaGlo LED bars, alternative bench layouts, an adjustable installation base in place of the flat plate, and upgraded Deluxe or Supreme accessory packages.
If the build you want isn't on this page, that usually means we can get it rather than that it doesn't exist. Send us a note through our contact form — tell us the model and what you'd change. We'll come back with options and real pricing, normally within one to two business days.
We are an authorized Leisurecraft dealer, and a custom build carries the same 5-year warranty as anything else on this page.
Specifications
- Wood: Eastern White Cedar, solid single-piece
- Exterior: 85.5" W × 85" D × 84" H
- Interior: 80.25" W × 75.5" D × 76.75" H
- Interior Volume: 264 cu ft
- Seating Capacity: 4 people
- Roof: Triple-layered — cedar planking, ice and water shield, black asphalt shingles
- Heater: 8kW electric, included
- Heat-Up Time: Approximately 20 minutes
- Rated Voltage: 240V, single phase
- Breaker: 50A dedicated circuit
- Wire Gauge: 8 gauge
- GFCI Breaker: Not required
- Electrician: Required for installation
- Crate: 84" L × 45" W × 44" H, shipped on a pallet
- Foundation: A level, solid base — concrete pad, wood deck, patio stone or crushed stone
- Assembly: Customer-side, ready-to-assemble kit
- Wood-Fired Option: Available through a custom build
Warranty
The Leisurecraft MiniPOD carries a 5-year warranty on the sauna.
- Sauna: 5 years
- Heater: covered by its own manufacturer's warranty, which varies by heater
For full details, see the Leisurecraft warranty page, where you can also register your product. Questions on coverage? Get in touch.
Leisurecraft Shipping & Return Policy
This is a made-to-order freight item, and the delivery works differently than a parcel shipment. The terms below are specific to Leisurecraft and replace our general shipping and returns policy. Please read this section before ordering.
- Delivery included. Leisurecraft saunas are built to order rather than pulled from stock, and they are delivered by dedicated freight to a residential address rather than by parcel carrier. That delivery is included in the price you see, so there is no separate freight charge at checkout.
- No additional freight charge within the continental USA. Alaska and Hawaii by quote.
- Curbside or end-of-driveway delivery by an 18-wheeler. The trucking company will not back into a driveway and is not responsible for unloading.
- Crate size: 84" long × 45" wide × 44" high, shipped on a pallet. This is the manufacturer's figure for the MiniPOD specifically, not an estimate.
- Check your liftgate before you order. Crates over 84 inches ship without one, and the MiniPOD sits right at that limit — so a liftgate is usually possible but is not guaranteed. Confirm it with us at order. If one isn't available you will need a forklift, a collection from the freight terminal, or a rented tilt-tow.
- Inspect on arrival. Damage or missing-component claims must be filed within 30 days of receipt.
- Lead time: approximately two months.
Leisurecraft saunas are built to order, so the cancellation and return terms are tighter than most of what we carry. Worth reading before you order.
- 24-hour cancellation window. Orders can be cancelled within 24 hours of being placed. After that the build has entered production and cannot be cancelled.
- No returns on Leisurecraft saunas under normal circumstances.
- If a return is authorized, a 25% restocking fee applies, plus all freight costs back to the factory.
- Arrived damaged? That is a freight claim, not a return, and must be reported within 30 days of receipt. Contact us and we will handle it with the manufacturer.
Questions? Talk to us before placing your order.
