Almost Heaven vs Smartmak Barrel Sauna: What to Buy Now

Update: Almost Heaven's barrel saunas are no longer listed on Amazon. The Pinnacle and Salem both read "Currently unavailable" at our last price check, so we have removed their buy links rather than send you to a dead page. Almost Heaven still builds cedar barrels — it simply sells them through its own dealers now, not here. If you came for the cedar side of this comparison, the barrel that fills that slot on Amazon today is the Backyard Discovery Paxton, and that is what we compare below.

This is still a value-versus-pedigree decision, and both answers are right for someone. The Smartmak is a Canadian-hemlock kit that bundles a genuine 6kW Harvia heater and lands at a fraction of the Paxton's price — the value barrel, and our top pick here on that basis. The Backyard Discovery Paxton is a tongue-and-groove cedar barrel that arrives finished: its own 9kW heater with stones, a galvanized steel roof, and a 5-year warranty on every component — the better object, at a price to match. If you are cross-shopping the whole category first, our best barrel saunas roundup is the wider view; this page is the two-way fight most buyers actually end up having.

The heater is where the Smartmak lands its punch

The single most persuasive thing about the Smartmak is what it ships with: a genuine 6kW Harvia stove (Harvia is the benchmark sauna-heater brand). That matters beyond day-one performance — a Harvia means replacement stones and parts are easy to source for years, which is exactly the kind of long-term support a budget barrel body usually lacks. You are getting the premium component of the sauna — the heater — married to a budget component — the hemlock shell. For a lot of buyers that is the smart trade: put the money where the wear happens.

The Paxton comes with a heater sized for the barrel too — Backyard Discovery's own 9kW PrairieFire stove, stones included — so this is not heater-versus-no-heater. It is Harvia-brand-name (Smartmak) versus a bigger in-house stove under a 5-year warranty (Paxton) — a genuine edge for the Smartmak on parts availability for the component that costs the most to replace, and an edge for the Paxton on raw output and cover.

The wood and the build are where the Paxton earns its price

The Paxton is precision tongue-and-groove cedar with an 8mm tempered glass door, not a bare stave kit — and it shows in the fit and the finish. Cedar is the premium sauna wood for good reasons that matter outdoors specifically: it is naturally rot-resistant and aromatic, so a cedar barrel weathers years of rain and humidity better than hemlock, which gives up both the aroma and some of the rot resistance to hit its lower price. Over a decade in a backyard, that difference is not cosmetic — it is longevity.

The other half of the Paxton premium is what comes with it and what stands behind it: a 29-gauge powder-coated galvanized steel roof, roto-molded HDPE cradles that hold the barrel off wet ground, and a 5-year warranty covering every component from the heater to the hardware. That is the thing that separates a sauna you own for years from one you fight with warranty-less after three. A factory-kit barrel like the Smartmak can be excellent value and still leave you on your own if a panel warps. (If you specifically want an Almost Heaven barrel, note they sell through their own dealers rather than Amazon — Almost Heaven is the place to start.)

Capacity, install and running the numbers

Both are four-person-plus barrels needing a 240V circuit and, realistically, an electrician — neither is a plug-in, and the Paxton's listing calls for a 240V/50-amp connection and professional installation specifically. Both are rated 4-6 people, so this is not a capacity fight; the Smartmak simply costs far less for the same seat count. The Paxton's value is not in the number of seats; it is in what each seat is made of, what ships in the crate, and what the warranty covers. For the electrical and siting work either one needs, our barrel sauna installation guide covers the foundation, clearances and hookup, and the barrel sauna cost breakdown adds up the real all-in figure beyond the sticker.

The verdict

Buy the Smartmak if you want the most barrel and a genuine Harvia heater for the least money, and you are comfortable that a hemlock factory kit trades some longevity and hand-holding for the saving. Buy the Backyard Discovery Paxton if you want cedar that will weather the years, a steel roof, every accessory in the crate and a 5-year warranty behind all of it — and the price difference is one you can absorb for a long-haul purchase. There is no wrong answer here; there is only which of those two stories is yours. If wood-fired, no-electrician heat is actually what you want instead, the electric vs wood-burning guide points you at a different barrel entirely.