Clearlight Outdoor Sauna: Sanctuary Outdoor 2 and Outdoor 5 Complete Guide

The Clearlight outdoor sauna lineup consists of exactly two models — the Sanctuary Outdoor 2 and the Sanctuary Outdoor 5 — and if you are shopping for a full spectrum infrared sauna that lives on a deck, patio, or backyard pad year-round, these are the only two cabins Clearlight builds for the job. This guide covers the specs, the differences, the electrical work, the Cedartec® exterior that makes outdoor placement possible, and the accessories you will need to protect the investment. Sauna Republic is an authorized Clearlight dealer, so everything below is sourced from current Clearlight technical documentation and dealer materials.

Why an outdoor Clearlight is built differently than an indoor one

An infrared cabin that lives on a deck or in a backyard has to do two jobs an indoor sauna never does. It has to reach and hold internal temperature while the outside air is pulling heat out of every wall, and it has to survive rain, snow, UV, humidity swings, and temperature cycles that would delaminate or check standard indoor sauna wood within a season or two. Clearlight's indoor Sanctuary and Premier cabins are beautiful, eco-certified Mahogany or Basswood enclosures built for a conditioned room. Drop one onto a patio and you will watch it fail.

The Outdoor 2 and Outdoor 5 solve both problems with the same construction approach. The walls are 2½ inches thick with 1½ inches of insulation sandwiched inside the tongue-and-groove panels, which is meaningfully more insulation than any indoor Clearlight model. The exterior skin is Gray Cedartec® — a proprietary eco-certified weather-resistant finish Clearlight developed specifically for outdoor cabins. The roof cap overhangs the door by 8½ inches on the Outdoor 2 and 8¼ inches on the Outdoor 5 to shed rain and snow away from the seal. And the whole cabin is rated IPX 4, meaning it is tested to withstand water splashing from any direction.

The interior, though, stays premium. Behind the weather-rated shell, both outdoor models are finished in the same eco-certified Mahogany used inside the Sanctuary line. You get the same True Wave™ Full Spectrum heaters — near, mid, and far infrared — the same Medical-Grade Chromotherapy standard, oxygen ionizer, Bluetooth/AUX audio, and optional Smart Device Control for smartphone-based remote operation. The experience inside an Outdoor 2 is nearly identical to an indoor Sanctuary 2. The difference is outside, where it counts. Both outdoor cabins also step up to 240V — more on that in the electrical section below.

Clearlight Outdoor 2 vs Outdoor 5 at a glance

If you are choosing between the two, the decision usually comes down to three things: how many people will use it regularly, how much outdoor footprint you have, and what size breaker your panel can support. Here is the side-by-side.

The short version: if your regular use case is one or two people at a time, the Outdoor 2 gives you the full outdoor experience with a smaller footprint and a lighter electrical load. If you are building a household or entertainment setup where three or more people will use the sauna together, the Outdoor 5 is the only Clearlight outdoor option that actually fits.

Clearlight Sanctuary Outdoor 2 — full specs and who it fits

Infrared output is 2,320 watts total: two 500-watt True Wave™ Full Spectrum heaters on the front wall, plus True Wave™ Far Infrared carbon-ceramic heaters on the back wall, the side walls, behind your calves, and under the floor. That under-floor heater is not a marketing bullet — it is a real, additional heating element that adds warmth from below, which is the first place heat is lost when an outdoor sauna is sitting on concrete or a composite deck in the cold.

In a typical 30-minute session with the thermostat set to 150°F or higher, Clearlight says the cabin air reaches 115–125°F; outdoors, the ambient temperature also plays a part. That is lower than a traditional steam sauna by design — full spectrum infrared heats your body directly rather than relying on hot air, which is why infrared sessions are generally more tolerable and longer than traditional sauna sessions.

Who the Outdoor 2 fits best

This is the right Clearlight outdoor sauna for the couple or solo user who wants a permanent backyard cabin without the footprint or electrical load of the Outdoor 5. Morning or evening sessions with one other person, faster to heat, easier to install, more than enough space. The 240V/15A circuit it requires is manageable on most residential panels — usually a straightforward new breaker pull, no service upgrade. Footprint planning: 57 × 51 inches plus 4 inches of clearance on all sides, so roughly a 65 × 59 inch pad minimum, with the roof cap overhanging the door side by another 8½ inches.

Clearlight Sanctuary Outdoor 5 — full specs and who it fits

The Clearlight Sanctuary Outdoor 5 is Clearlight's flagship outdoor model. Exterior is 82¼ inches wide by 51 inches deep, same 80-inch height as the Outdoor 2. Interior space jumps to 77½ inches wide by 46¾ inches deep with the same 71½-inch ceiling. The single bench is 75¼ inches long, 22 inches deep, and 20 inches high, adjusts between flat and reclined positions, and, like the Outdoor 2's bench, is rated for 350 pounds per person.

Total infrared output climbs to 3,600 watts: four 500-watt True Wave™ Full Spectrum heaters on the front wall, plus the True Wave™ Far Infrared carbon-ceramic elements and the under-floor heater. The extra heaters are there to keep the larger internal volume at temperature — a bigger cabin in outdoor conditions needs more heat, not the same heat spread thinner.

The electrical step-up is meaningful: 240V/20A with a NEMA 6-20P plug. That is still a standard residential circuit — no panel upgrade required for most homes — but it is a different receptacle than the Outdoor 2. Tell your electrician before they pull the circuit, not after.

Who the Outdoor 5 fits best

This is the right Clearlight outdoor sauna for a household with three or more regular users, a property that hosts friends or family often, or a small commercial application — a spa, a wellness studio, or a short-term rental amenity. The larger interior (77½ × 46¾ inches) and the 75¼-inch bench, which adjusts between flat and reclined positions, leave room to stretch out, which is not practical on the shorter bench of the Outdoor 2. At 1,050 pounds and 82¼ inches wide, the Outdoor 5 needs a substantial site — a poured concrete pad or a structural deck rated for point loads of that weight, at least 90¼ × 59 inches to give 4-inch clearance on every side.

For a deeper dive on picking between indoor Sanctuary and Premier models if you are also considering an indoor cabin, see our Clearlight Sanctuary vs Premier comparison.

Weatherization, covers, and what Cedartec® actually is

Cedartec® is the single most important reason a Clearlight outdoor sauna can live outside in the first place, and it is worth understanding what it is — and what it is not. Cedartec® is a proprietary Clearlight finish layered over the cabin's structural wood, formulated to resist water absorption, UV degradation, and the expansion-contraction cycles that crack standard cedar or hemlock sauna wood over a few outdoor seasons. It is eco-certified, VOC-tested, and safe around food-grade surfaces (which is how Clearlight classifies infrared-sauna-interior materials). On both outdoor models, the exterior is Gray Cedartec®; the interior is eco-certified Mahogany.

Cedartec® is not, however, a coating that lasts forever on its own. The manufacturer's expectation is that you cover the cabin when it is not in active use. A fitted Clearlight weather cover blocks direct UV exposure (which is what fades any wood finish over time), keeps debris off the roof cap and door gasket, and holds residual cabin heat between sessions so your next warm-up draws less power.

The 5-year cabin warranty is built around that assumption. Clearlight covers the cabinetry and glass for five years on both outdoor models against defects in materials and workmanship. What it does not cover is exterior wear from sun, rain, or weather cycles on an uncovered cabin sitting in the elements for years. Buy the cover. Use it.

Long-term Cedartec® maintenance is light — a fresh application of Clearlight exterior varnish every two to three years keeps the finish pulling water away from the wood. Most outdoor buyers add a small container of varnish to the initial order so it is on hand when the first refresh comes up.

Outdoor electrical planning — 240V on both models

Both Clearlight outdoor saunas require 240V, and that is a meaningful planning step compared to the entry-level indoor models that run on 120V. A licensed electrician should handle the install on any sauna over 120V in an outdoor environment, both for code compliance and for the GFCI protection required when any appliance is placed outdoors.

For the Outdoor 2, the required circuit is 240V / 15A with a NEMA 6-15P receptacle. The heater draws 2,320 watts, which works out to about 9.7 amps continuous — well within the 15-amp circuit's 80% continuous-load ceiling. Most residential panels handle a new 15A 240V circuit without issue. You will need a dedicated breaker, a two-pole configuration, and the correct 6-15 outlet style.

For the Outdoor 5, the required circuit is 240V / 20A with a NEMA 6-20P receptacle. The heater pulls 3,600 watts — 15 amps continuous, again within the 20-amp circuit's 80% ceiling. The breaker is a 20A two-pole, the outlet style differs from the 6-15 used on the Outdoor 2, and the wire gauge steps up from 14 AWG to 12 AWG. Still a standard residential job, just a bigger pull.

Both cabins have a power cord that exits from the back of the unit about six inches off the ground, so position your outlet accordingly. The cord is roughly six feet long. If the receptacle is further than that from where the sauna will sit, the electrician will need to either run an outdoor junction box closer to the install point or relocate the outlet during the rough-in.

One more electrical note: because these are outdoor installations, the circuit should be GFCI-protected per NEC 210.8. The electrician handles this at the panel with a GFCI breaker. It is not an optional line item.

For a broader look at sauna electrical load and ongoing operating costs, our sauna electricity cost guide covers typical monthly operating costs for both infrared and traditional sauna types.

When an indoor Clearlight is the better buy

The Outdoor 2 and Outdoor 5 are purpose-built for outdoor placement, but a Clearlight outdoor sauna is not automatically the right choice just because you have the yard space. A few situations where an indoor Clearlight is flat-out the smarter purchase:

If any of the above apply, start your shopping on the indoor Clearlight collection or read the Sanctuary vs Premier guide. If none apply and you have an outdoor pad or deck waiting for a cabin, the Outdoor 2 and Outdoor 5 are the right starting point.

Clearlight outdoor sauna FAQ

Complete your Clearlight outdoor setup

A Clearlight outdoor sauna is a long-term investment, and the accessories that go with it are the difference between a cabin that looks and performs like new in year seven and one that does not. These are the Clearlight accessories compatible with the Outdoor 2 and Outdoor 5 (VRT fits the Outdoor 2 only).

Browse the full Clearlight outdoor lineup on the Clearlight Outdoor Infrared Saunas collection page, or read the companion Clearlight Sanctuary vs Premier guide if you are also weighing the indoor options.