Nordic Haven

An outdoor sauna that can be heated with wood

Nordic Haven is the largest of the outdoor MINI Cube saunas and the only one that can be heated with wood. It is installed in a garden without structural work and we can deliver it assembled or flat-packed for self-assembly.

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A capacity of 3 to 4 people corresponds to an interior of 175 × 197 cm with a height of 192 cm.

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Cube construction with rounded edges and 44 mm walls

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The load-bearing structure is made of vertical solid timber slats 44 mm thick, joined into a closed cube profile with rounded edges. The rounding is not a styling detail. It softens the transition between wall and roof, so there is nowhere on the structure for water to stand or snow to settle.

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Metal tension bands pull the shell together and hold the slats under compression around the whole perimeter. Timber moves with humidity and temperature through the year, and the bands allow the structure to be re-tightened, so the joints stay tight after several seasons.

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The roof is bitumen shingle laid on boarding. The external dimensions of 200 × 210 × 212 cm determine the floor area required. In the wood-fired version an insulated chimney passes through the roof.

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Spruce or thermowood

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The sauna comes in two material versions. Spruce is the standard. It is light, handles thermal cycling well and outdoors needs regular surface maintenance.

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Thermowood is heat-modified without chemicals. At high temperature the sugars that feed mould break down in the timber and its ability to absorb moisture drops. The result is greater dimensional stability, a darker tone and a longer service life. The surcharge for thermowood is shown in the configurator.

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An interior built for thermal recovery

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The benches are arranged in an L shape, so the interior can be used for sitting and for lying down without enlarging the footprint. They are made of lime wood or thermowood depending on the version chosen. The material is resin-free and has low thermal conductivity, so it does not burn on contact with skin even at full operating temperature.

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The door and window are tempered glass. The glazing keeps visual contact with the surroundings and removes the boxed-in feeling that a small footprint otherwise creates. LED lighting runs under the benches: it shines from below, does not dazzle and casts no hard shadows.

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A ventilation system is included, with air drawn in at floor level and extracted at the ceiling. The controlled airflow keeps the temperature even over the full height of the cabin and removes moisture once the session ends, which is what determines how long the timber lasts.

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Heater

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The model is supplied without a heater or with the heater selected in the configurator. For this footprint the options are the electric Harvia Top Steel 9 kW at 380 V and the Harvia Vega 9 kW at 230 or 380 V. The choice is mainly a question of the electrical supply available, because one of them also runs on a single phase.

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It is the only model in the range that also offers the Harvia M3 wood-burning heater, including an insulated chimney through the roof. Choosing between electricity and wood is not only a question of running cost: wood needs someone present while it burns and space to store fuel, while electricity gives a predictable heat-up and the option of setting a temperature.

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The electrical installation and the heater connection are work for a qualified electrician. An accessory set with a bucket, ladle, sand timer and thermometer can be added in the configurator.

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Delivery and assembly

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We can deliver the sauna assembled as a finished unit, or flat-packed in an OSB crate with detailed assembly documentation in PDF in which every step is shown on a diagram. The flat-packed delivery is cheaper and reaches plots with a narrow access route — the price shown applies to it. The crate measures 200.7 × 114.3 × 114.3 cm and weighs 710 kg, so it ships by pallet freight and the site needs access for a larger vehicle.

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If you would rather not handle the assembly yourself, add the 390 € assembly option in the configurator. It covers full assembly on a prepared base.

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Preparing the site before delivery

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The sauna needs a prepared, solid and level surface. A concrete slab, paving or compacted gravel with bearing timbers all work. The base must be level across its whole area, because the cube profile transfers the load around its perimeter and any unevenness would show up in how tightly the joints close.

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Leave space under the sauna for ventilation so the bottom of the structure dries out after rain. At these dimensions a building permit is usually not required, but the specific conditions are determined by the local building authority according to the position on the plot.

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Regularity matters more than the length of the session

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A Finnish sauna works with dry heat of roughly 70 to 90 °C at low humidity. The benefit does not come from one long session but from repeated cycles of heating and cooling.

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A sauna on your own plot removes what usually breaks that routine: the drive, the opening hours and the booking. A compact model also heats up faster than a large cabin, which is a practical difference in running cost — and in how willing you are to switch it on — when you use it several times a week.

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Who this model is for

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The model is aimed at families and at clients who want a wood-fired sauna. The option of burning wood is often the reason buyers go for the largest size even when a smaller one would be enough for the space.

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The MINI Cube range comes in three sizes with identical construction and identical materials. They differ in the length of the cabin, and therefore in the number of people and the heater output. If you are hesitating between two sizes, the deciding question is usually whether you want to lie down in the sauna, not how many people fit in sitting up.

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The full specification and every surcharge are listed in the model configurator.