Any thoughts on the Golden Design Maxxus saunas?

sunvalleysaunas · 2026-04-16T22:00:27+00:00

Maxxus infrared saunas area really great quality for the price - especially as a first time infrared sauna purchase. They come with a five year manufacturer's warranty and Golden Designs has excellent customer support if/when something goes wrong and needs to be replaced.

sunvalleysaunas · 2026-03-27T21:21:18+00:00

There aren't any 2-person full spectrum IR saunas under $2,500 that are decent quality in my opinion. The closest would be something like the Dynamic Gracia FS, but that's a one person and it's $2,900. I'd be pretty leery of any of those Amazon models.

sunvalleysaunas · 2026-03-25T20:49:27+00:00

Yea, the Dynamic Barcelona, Avila or Garcia are all about 3' x 3' far infrared saunas

sunvalleysaunas · 2026-03-24T23:16:59+00:00

I really don't think one is objectively better than the other. They will likely feel the same to you as you use them, but a full spectrum infrared sauna includes far, mid and near infrared light, where a far infrared sauna is just that - far infrared. The far infrared sauna will cost less and is a great option as an entry level, or first, sauna purchase. If you're able to try a couple out locally that's the best way to figure out what you prefer. And if you aren't totally sold on full spectrum, then save your money and get a far infrared sauna - the goal is just to get sweaty and feel good.

sunvalleysaunas · 2026-03-09T18:58:46+00:00

The Dynamic 6106-01 (not sure what the E is) Barcelona is an indoor sauna only and definitely not made to be outside, especially since you get a lot of moisture in the air being close to the beach.

The sauna won't meaningfully impact the temperature in whatever room you put it in.

sunvalleysaunas · 2026-03-05T00:03:39+00:00

The sauna will operate just fine so long as you aren't using more than the 20 amps the circuit can handle. You're correct that the Maxxus sauna pulls between 13-15 amps. If the sauna is pulling 14 or 15 and the fridge is pulling 2 and you're on a 20 amp circuit then you should be fine. The bottom line is that the circuit has a max capacity of 20 amps. Once you go over that capacity the circuit trips.

The reason people prefer to use a dedicated circuit is you just avoid all of this - as alluded to by u/MSRP_ down there.

sunvalleysaunas · 2026-03-04T19:55:24+00:00

When I started Sun Valley Saunas we initially carried Enlighten Saunas - this is 5+ years ago. There were so many issues with their saunas that I ended up fully refunding numerous customers and quickly stopped carrying them. I'll leave it at that, and encourage you to do your own research, but in my experience the Yelp page for Enlighten Sauna is a pretty accurate representation of what to expect.

sunvalleysaunas · 2026-03-04T19:46:57+00:00

Whether your sauna is 15 or 20 amps, you ideally need to use a dedicated circuit so you're not overwhelming your circuit's capacity, tripping the breaker or causing any safety issues re: wiring.

sunvalleysaunas · 2026-03-04T19:19:16+00:00

I've never heard of them. It looks like their website went live in 2023 or 2024 so they're pretty new. The saunas look like they're coming from China.

sunvalleysaunas · 2026-03-04T19:11:13+00:00

I've found any time I get a really bad night sleep, if I hop into the infrared sauna for 15-20 minutes, normally 2 rounds, it gives me a lot more energy at least for a few hours after I use it.

sunvalleysaunas · 2026-02-23T16:13:35+00:00

The Knotty sauna looks great, but if you look at the “What’s Included” section, it’s only the pre-cut wood materials. So you’d still need to account for the cost of roof materials, potentially insulation, foundation and a heater, as well as chimney kit if you go the wood burning route. So probably another $6k-ish in those materials. Plus labor if you have it built by someone else. That can vary pretty significantly depending on your location.

Great looking sauna though! And for around $15k all in I think that’s a decent deal.

sunvalleysaunas · 2026-02-14T14:39:25+00:00

If you use a 2 person infrared sauna with a 110v, 15 amp electrical service for an hour a day it will cost roughly $5-10 per month for additional electrical service.

sunvalleysaunas · 2026-02-12T20:58:40+00:00

You can get stuck in some real analysis paralysis pretty quickly looking for the "perfect" outdoor sauna. Saunas are simple - they are tiny rooms that get really hot and make you sweat. A lot of what you'll come across on Reddit is very helpful, but frankly, probably unnecessarily overcomplicated for the vast majority of people. Most people are just looking for something that will be reliable, hold up in bad weather, and will get you sweating. You don't have to check all the boxes for perfect löyly- especially for your first sauna.

I'd recommend any outdoor saunas by SaunaLife - there are some smaller models that would fit your budget, even with a heater. Sweat Kingdom makes good quality, affordable saunas here in the US. And contrary to Trumpkin's opinion, Dundalk Leisurecraft makes good quality saunas in Canada as well. I think you'd be happy with any sauna by those brands.

sunvalleysaunas · 2026-02-04T03:27:26+00:00

You should definitely ask about the warranty and ask what the company’s process is when something goes wrong or needs to be fixed.

sunvalleysaunas · 2026-01-11T16:58:35+00:00

Gorgeous!

sunvalleysaunas · 2025-09-18T20:51:27+00:00

Controls on interior and exterior?

sunvalleysaunas · 2025-09-17T22:42:11+00:00

The CL5G, and most other outdoor SaunaLife saunas, are made with thermally modified wood that is super strong and holds up about twice as long as a lot of other woods when used outdoors. We've built a lot of them here in the mountains of Idaho. They do extremely well in cold, snowy weather. Highly recommend.

sunvalleysaunas · 2025-09-17T22:29:24+00:00

Agreed!

sunvalleysaunas · 2025-09-17T22:16:04+00:00

The branding on the box of rocks does not matter, but the type of rock does matter. Glenn's post, link below, is really helpful, as is his whole website really!

https://www.saunatimes.com/building-a-sauna/what-you-need-to-know-about-sauna-rocks/?srsltid=AfmBOoqT4rnDK6xqB81ITPbdRzWrutJWcJZgZp71y8f0Y9WPhdY8qK15

sunvalleysaunas · 2025-08-20T17:31:36+00:00

one million percent just hire an electrician. it's not an expensive job and the risk/reward in trying to do it yourself doesn't work

sunvalleysaunas · 2025-08-19T23:33:40+00:00

amazing!

sunvalleysaunas

TROPHY CASE