Best Portable Saunas for On-the-Go Heat Therapy (2026)

The Sunlighten Solo Sauna is our top choice for best portable infrared sauna. It not only offers a portable and telescoping design for solo sauna sessions, it also has energy efficient carbon heaters. 

Although there are other infrared saunas on this list, the carbon heaters emit infrared light and can heat the portable sauna up to 150 degrees Fahrenheit, which is at the top range of what most infrared saunas are capable of. This is partly why it earned a 4 out of 5 stars for heat performance and controls. 

Lindsay Scheele, GGR expert product tester and certified personal trainer, says the Sunlighten Solo Sauna holds the max temperature as well as some of the traditional Finnish saunas and barrel saunas she’s tested. “It takes about 30 minutes to reach 150 degrees, but it stays there and the outside is not hot to the touch,” says Lindsay. 

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Her only callout is that the temperature controls are not intuitive, which is why she docked a point in the heat performance and controls category. She also didn’t prefer that the foam padding and the dome each had its own controls. However, once she read the owners manual, using the two remote controls was easy. We have in-depth details of the controls and Linday’s entire experience in our Sunlighten Solo Sauna Review. 

It’s also worth mentioning that Lindsay and other expert GGR testers liked the Sunlighten Solo Sauna, but don’t think it’s a good match for folks who have a wide frame or large chest or belly. The foam padding you’ll lie on is less than 3 feet wide and the dome only sits 18 inches tall. 

It also doesn’t pack down into a bag like many of the pop-up tents on this list do. Instead, the dome telescopes and nests into itself and the foam padding folds up. It’s certainly portable but it doesn’t come with a carrying case or anything like that. 

If you’d prefer to have company, we like the Amplify II Infrared Sauna from Sunlighten for two-person sauna sessions. 

The Sun Home Sauna Blanket is an ultra-portable sauna option that won’t break the bank. However, the heat technology is not exactly the same in a sauna blanket as a traditional infrared sauna. Instead of emissive infrared light waves, a sauna blanket will conduct radiant heat to raise your body temperature. 

That doesn’t mean we didn’t like the Sun Home Sauna Blanket, but it’s hard to say if the infrared sauna benefits are exactly the same. However you may like knowing this sauna blanket is low EMF (low frequency electric and magnetic fields). 

The blanket has a single heating zone and can rise to 167 degrees, which GGR expert tester Lindsay Scheele says held tight after 30 minutes of preheating. “Once it was up to temperature, it held steady at 75 Celsius, which is the highest heat setting. That’s about 167 degrees Fahrenheit,” she says. 

You’ll zip yourself in like a sleeping bag, set your timer for 30 to 60 minutes, and let the relaxing begin. When you’re done you can machine wash the blanket liner and wipe down the blanket with a mild cleaner. 

It’s 71 inches long and has a 65-inch maximum circumference to accommodate a wide range of sizes and body types. For ergonomics, this earns a 5-star rating from Lindsay. 

“Because this is a blanket, with a ton of flexibility from the materials, it’s going to be comfortable for a wide range of people. And you can use it pretty much anywhere,” says Lindsay. 

The Sun Home Sauna Blanket folds up and can get tucked away in a closet or under your bed, which is why this earns a 5-star rating for footprint and portability. Plus, it’s affordable, with a price tag under $500. We have more details in our Sun Home Sauna Blanket review. 

Most research on infrared sauna uses far infrared heat waves versus radiant heat. If you want to ensure you’re getting all of the full far infrared benefits, we suggest the Sunlighten Solo Sauna. 

The SereneLife Full Size Portable Sauna is an excellent choice for sauna bathing beginners because it’s portable and priced under $400 on Amazon. 

The SereneLife sauna is essentially a pop-up tent with three infrared carbon heating panels. Keep in mind it’s only meant for one person with a single folding chair that comes with the tent. 

While it’s a great starting place for beginners, Lindsay notes she’d appreciate it if it offered higher temperatures. The max temperature is 140 degrees, but she says the control panel was reading between 125 to 135 during most of her sessions. For this reason, the heat performance earned a middle-of-the-road 3-star rating. 

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“It’s pretty warm, but compared to some other saunas I’ve used it’s not quite enough for me,” says Lindsay. “But I think you could easily do a little DIY project and affix another carbon heater inside the tent for extra heat.” 

Lindsay shares more thoughts in our SereneLife Portable Sauna review. 

If you’re looking for a similar pop-up tent style with more heat intensity, check out the SmartSteam Kit Pro, which is a wet sauna. 

If you enjoy a steam room more than a traditional dry sauna, now is your chance to have your own home spa with the SaunaBox SmartSteam Kit Pro. It’s a wet sauna in the form of a portable, pop-up tent, priced under $500. 

Instead of carbon infrared heaters, the SaunaBox heats water in the SmartSteam chamber (which sits outside of the tent) and emits the steam through a small plastic hose. You’ll have seven temperature settings, which can go up to 130 degrees. 

It may not sound very hot, but it’ll have nearly 100% humility, which makes the sauna experience feel a lot hotter. Additionally, a steamy sauna session may increase your heart rate and internal temperature¹ more than a dry sauna. For heat performance, Lindsay scored the SaunaBox 4 out 5 stars. 

“The heat and humidity is intense,” she says. “It’s good there is a window you can open or unzip the tent a little.”

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For portability, Lindsay docked a point and scored the SaunaBox at 4 stars. “It’s extremely easy to break down and set up, but there is a bit of a process because the sauna creates so much moisture,” she says. 

After every use you’ll need to clean with a mild cleaner, air out the foot pad (which is machine washable), and air out the entire sauna from humidity. “You don’t want this to become a breeding ground for mold and germs by packing it away wet,” says Lindsay. 

That said, she scored the construction and durability at 4 stars because it’s made from antimicrobial materials, it’s BPA-free, and is free from microplastics. 

If you’d prefer to spend less than $200 for a similar tent-style sauna, check out the Smartmak Far Infrared Sauna. 

The SmartMak Far Infrared Sauna is ideal for folks on a budget. This small, lightweight, and portable sauna is priced under $200 on Amazon and comes in several different colorways. 

The SmartMak sauna cuts down on costs with its petite design, which reduces materials. You’ll sit in the foldable chair, zip yourself in, but your neck, head, and hands will still be outside of the sauna through the respective openings. 

“I can see bigger folks having a hard time with the folding chair that comes with this sauna,” says Linsay Scheele, CPT and GGR expert tester. But she notes you could easily swap it out for a more comfortable lawn chair. 

Other than the chair, Lindsay thought her experience in the SmartMak was comfortable. She even notes there will be enough space for tall people, folks with long legs, broad shoulders, or a larger chest. She scored ergonomics 4 out of 5 stars 

For heating performance, the Smartmak earns 4 out of 5 stars. It took about 20 minutes for the Smartmak to reach the max temperature of 140 degrees. “This budget sauna heats up just as quickly as other traditional saunas I’ve tested,” she says. 

She also notes it was able to hold steady at 140 degrees during her sauna sessions. “Even when I had my arms out of the sauna, using their arm pockets, the temperature didn’t drop,” says Lindsay. 

If you’d prefer to keep your hands and head inside the sauna tent, we suggest the SereneLife Full Size Portable Sauna.