The first step to finding a cheap sauna for you and your family is to do some research. You need to determine exactly what you want to buy, and what you need to buy. usually there is quite a difference between what you want and what you need in a sauna.

You want a sauna that's big enough to fit in the whole family, and perhaps your friends as well if they come around and you'd like to offer them a go in your sauna. But what you need may well just be a 2 person sauna that will do the job without breaking the bank.

It will be a fine sauna, but if more than 2 people want to use it they'll just have to do so in shifts. The difference in price between a sauna that's built for 2 and a sauna that's built for 6 is pretty big, and you won't find a cheap sauna that seats 6 people too easily.

And you also need to do some research on sauna types. There is a big difference between a regular hot rock sauna (or "Finnish Sauna") and an infrared sauna. An infrared sauna is a fine sauna and you can find that small infrared saunas are cheaper than traditional hot rock saunas.

You can even buy portable infrared saunas quite cheaply. However if you're going to opt for an infra red sauna make sure you try one first. An infrared sauna is a fine sauna, but not everyone likes them so make sure you've given one a go before you buy it.

You also need to know the requirements for installing a sauna. Installing a sauna can be quite demanding on electricity and plumbing, and you may well find that you find a great sauna to buy and it costs you an arm and leg to install it. If you're looking for a cheap sauna then an infrared sauna can also be less demanding on expensive services like plumbing and electricity.

Consider your available space. How big a sauna have you decided on and where will it go? If it's to go inside then what room do you have available? Can you put it outside? What are the costs of putting it outside? All these things go into factoring the cost of the sauna, and you need to do some sums before you buy, before you find out that you've haven't bought yourself a cheap sauna at all, it's cost you a bomb.

And you need to consider where you buy it. You won't walk into a dedicated sauna store and find a hot deal on a cheap sauna, not at least unless you're very lucky. There are places online where you can find great deals on discount saunas, but you need to know where to look. Cheap saunas are sold online where, for example, a retailer is overstocked and needs the cash fast, or has a stocktake coming, or needs to make space for the new model coming in.

If you're canny and know where to look there are places where you can source deals on brand new saunas at prices way below retail.

So if you want a sauna at home and are a little put off by the prices do some homework, work out what you need not what you want and then find where you go online for some cheap sauna deals. Install it and you'll love your new sauna.