The SaunaLife CL3G: Design, Craftsmanship, and Whether It’s Right for You

If you’ve spent any time researching outdoor saunas, you know the frustration of choosing between units that look beautiful in photos but feel hollow once they arrive. The SaunaLife Model CL3G addresses that concern at a foundational level, starting with where and how it’s built, and doing so in the smallest, lightest, and most affordable footprint in SaunaLife’s Cube-Series.

At $3,990 (heater sold separately), the CL3G is the entry point into the Cube-Series line, but nothing about it is scaled down in quality. You get the same full-glass front, the same Thermo-Spruce staves, and the same shingled roof as the larger CL4G and CL5G, just sized for a couple’s daily sauna ritual rather than a group session. Designed by SaunaLife and handcrafted in Northern Europe, it’s built by a company that describes its approach simply: each room is made as if the makers were building it for themselves.

The Compact Cube: Same Design, a Fraction of the Footprint

With a nearly square footprint of 53.2” × 51.2” (roughly 4.5 by 4.3 feet), the CL3G fits where the larger Cube-Series models simply won’t: a corner of a small patio, a side yard, the strip between the house and the fence.

SaunaLife didn’t build the CL3G by cheapening the bigger cubes; they shortened them. The exterior wood is the same full-length, organically thermally enhanced Thermo-Spruce in 1.7-inch staves; the front wall is the same 8mm bronze-tinted tempered glass; and the roof carries the same complete shingle kit with drip rails that keeps the interior dry through rain and snowmelt.

• Exterior wood: full-length, thermally enhanced Thermo-Spruce staves, 1.7” thick
• Front wall: the same 8mm bronze-tinted tempered glass used across the series
• Roof: the same complete shingle kit with drip rails
• Shipping weight: 990 lbs, the lightest sauna in the Cube-Series by a wide margin, which makes delivery day and the carry to your pad noticeably easier than with any other outdoor sauna kit in the range

Full Specifications at a Glance

Spec	Detail
Wall and ceiling material	Thermo-Spruce
Bench and backrest material	Knotless Thermo-Aspen
Interior dimensions	49.6” W × 43. “”D × 75 “4″H (126 × 110 × 192 cm)
Exterior dimensions	53.2″W × 51.2 “D × 81.9 “H (135 × 130 × 208 cm)
Base dimensions	42.7″W × 51.2″D (108.4 × 130 cm)
Door	23.2″ × 66.5″ (59 × 169 cm)
Door handle	Square, wood
Stave thickness	1.7″ (4 cm)
Glass style	Tempered bronze
Shipping dimensions	78″W × 44” D × 28 “H (198 × 112 × 71 cm)
Shipping weight	990 lbs (449 kg)

Sized for Two: What the Interior Actually Offers

Inside, the CL3G measures 49.6 W × 43.2 D × 75.4 H, giving over six feet of headroom. The seating layout actually offers three positions:

Seating Position	Wall/Bench Length	Depth	Purpose
Main bench (back wall)	49.2”	20.5”	Deep enough to sit back fully against the arched backrest
Lower step	30.7”	8”	Footrest or a cooler-temperature perch
Side bench	22.8”	11.8”	Third seating position for the occasional guest

Benches and backrests are knotless, satin-smooth Thermo-Aspen that stays comfortable to the touch even at full sauna temperature. The backrest is ergonomically shaped and arched to support your back, rather than a flat panel you lean against. For two people, this is genuinely comfortable space, not a squeeze. If you regularly sauna with three or more, the CL4G is the better fit.

Beyond seating, the cabin is ergonomically constructed to support airflow circulation throughout a session. Rather than a sealed box that traps stale heat near the ceiling, the shape and interior layout are designed to keep warm air moving and fresh air circulating, which matters more than it sounds: a stagnant sauna feels heavier and less breathable even at the same thermometer reading as a well-ventilated one.

Why Thermo-Spruce Handles Weather

Thermal modification bakes the sap and moisture out of Nordic spruce at high temperature, with no chemicals involved, leaving exterior wood that is:

• Darker in colour
• Dimensionally stable through freeze-thaw cycles
• Splinter resistant
• Naturally resistant to decay and pests
• Excellent in stability and strength, with low ongoing maintenance requirements compared to untreated wood

It’s the reason a CL3G can sit uncovered in a snow-belt backyard year after year with comparatively little maintenance. The bronze tint on the tempered glass front adds daytime privacy while keeping the view out; the bright, airy feeling is the whole argument for a glass-front cube over a windowless box.

What’s Actually in the Box

It’s worth knowing exactly what arrives on the pallet, since “sauna kit” can mean very different things between brands. The CL3G room kit includes:

• Walls of Thermo-Spruce (42mm)
• Front and back wall of Thermo-Spruce (28mm)
• Tempered bronze front glass wall (8mm)
• Ergonomic sauna bench of Thermo-Aspen
• Ergonomic backrest of Thermo-Aspen
• Stainless steel barrel bands
• Foundation cradles
• Roof shingles and fascia board
• Full montage (assembly) kit
• Front details finished in black
• Installation instructions

The LED lighting system ships as a separate but included component, with two white LED lights, a 90W power supply and driver, a 30’ light cable, three articulating and three flush mounting clips, a wireless handheld remote with mounting cradle, and its own installation instructions.

Heater Sizing for the CL3G

The CL3G ships as a complete room kit, walls, glass, roof shingles, benches, heater guard, mounting hardware, and instructions, with the sauna heater sold separately. Because this is the smallest interior in the Cube-Series (roughly 93 cubic feet), it needs the least powerful and least expensive heater of the lineup.

Compatible heater options available through Norse Steam:

• Harvia KIP 4.5kW electric heater package, with built-in controller and stones
• Harvia KIP80W 8kW sauna heater, with Wi-Fi controls and stones
• HUUM Drop 9 9kW sauna heater, with UKU Wi-Fi controls and stones

Most customers pair the CL3G with a 4.5 to 6kW electric heater on a dedicated 240V circuit installed by a qualified electrician. Heaters and accessories ordered alongside the room typically ship free in a protective box on top of the crate. However, secondary pallets for heavier heater systems may carry an additional freight charge.

Wi-Fi LED Lighting Included

SaunaLife includes its dotless white LED light system as standard:

• Low-voltage 24V DC operation for bathing safety
• IP67 heat- and water-rated LED and wire connections, with a 30’ light cable to suit various installation layouts
• IP20-rated wireless handheld remote and mounting cradle
• Control via Wi-Fi app or the included remote
• Flush or articulating mounting clips to set the scene exactly where you want it
• Expandable to control up to four white LED light sources with the separately available E SCONCE+ package

The indirect glow along the wood grain is a genuine upgrade over the single bulkhead lamp most compact saunas ship with.

Keeping It Looking Good: Maintenance and Accessories

Thermo-Spruce is genuinely low-maintenance compared with untreated wood, but “low” isn’t “none.” SaunaLife offers a small range of dedicated wood care products worth knowing about if you want the cabin to keep its finish over the years:

• SaunaLife Sauna Paraffin Oil for interior wood conditioning
• SaunaLife Sauna Wood Wax, a protective finish option
• SaunaLife Sauna Cleaner (32 oz), for routine cleaning

A couple of practical accessories round out the ownership experience: a SaunaLife thermometer (Fahrenheit) and a designer hygrometer, useful if you want to track exact cabin conditions each session rather than relying on feel alone, plus Kolo sauna buckets in black or white for the traditional water-and-ladle ritual.

Which Cube-Series Model Fits You?

Model	Bathers	Back Bench Depth	Best For
CL3G	2	20.5”	Couples, daily sauna ritual, smallest/lightest/least expensive
CL4G	3	49.2”	Adds a lie-down-length back bench
CL5G	4	63”	L-shaped two-tier seating for larger groups

Delivery and Assembly

The CL3G arrives by freight on a wooden pallet (crate 78” × 44” × 28”, 990 lbs):

• $950 flat-rate curbside delivery in the contiguous U.S.
• $1,250 to Canada
• Delivered by scheduled appointment; the driver lowers it to ground level, and two people can move the panels from there
• Site prep needed: a level, load-bearing base, concrete, pavers, or a solid deck, just over the sauna’s 53” × 51” footprint
• The pre-cut, panelized kit with included mounting hardware is a comfortable weekend build for two people with basic tools; the shingle roof is typically the longest single step

If you’re weighing this against a fully custom build, the pre-cut, panelized approach is worth a moment’s consideration.

Who the CL3G Actually Suits

Putting the specs together, a few buyer profiles stand out clearly:

• Couples wanting a daily ritual, not an occasional novelty: The bench depth and backrest shape are built around two people sitting comfortably, not squeezed in.
• Smaller properties: A footprint just over four feet square opens up space that a four-person cube can’t use.
• Cold-climate buyers who don’t want a seasonal maintenance project: The combination of thermally modified wood and a properly drip-railed shingle roof is specifically engineered for freeze-thaw exposure.
• Buyers who want to choose their own heater setup: Because the heater ships separately and Norse Steam offers a range from 4.5kW to 9kW, you’re not locked into a single fixed configuration; you can size it to your exact climate and preference.

Who it’s less suited to: anyone planning to regularly host three or more bathers at once. That’s not a knock on the CL3G; it’s simply outside its design brief, and the CL4G exists precisely to cover that use case.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it really comfortable for two adults?

Yes. The 20.5-inch-deep main bench seats two side by side with backrest support, and the 75-inch ceiling means no crouching. It’s sized like a generous indoor sauna room, just outdoors.

Can I put it on an existing patio?

If the surface is level and structurally sound, yes, that’s the CL3G’s specialty. Leave clearance for the door swing and for servicing the heater.

Does it include the heater?

No. Like all SaunaLife rooms, it’s heater-ready with a guard included, and you choose the electric sauna heater separately. Norse Steam offers the Harvia KIP 4.5kW, Harvia KIP80W 8kW, and HUUM Drop 9 9kW as compatible options, with a 4.5 to 6kW unit typically covering this room size.

How long does assembly take?

Plan a weekend for two people; the shingle roof is the longest single step.

Can it stay outside all winter?

Yes. Thermally modified spruce, tempered glass, and the shingled, drip-railed roof are all built with four-season exposure in mind.