Sauna Exterior Entry Door-- Inswing or Outswing?

 When I built my outdoor wood fired sauna, now about 10 years ago, I didn't give the exterior entry door too much thought. I knew I wanted it to be glass for that sauna/spa feel, but other than that, I just wanted to keep the cost down. Once the sauna was built and getting used, something about the front door really annoyed me. 

My sauna is 12 feet by 14 feet. It has a 6 x 12 hot room and an 8 x 12 changing/hangout room. I also have a TV hanging on the wall where the entry door is. In the summer, we keep the entry door open because it gets hot in the changing room. That means the door is blocking the TV. Other times, when we have more than a couple of people in the changing room, every time someone comes in or goes out, they end up hitting someone standing by the door. After many years, it has become really annoying.

Inswing Sauna Entry Door

Now, enter the outswing door. After doing some research, I learned that there are doors available that swing out to the exterior instead of inside of the building. These doors are available, but they're special order. Takes about a week to make. Having a door that swings outside, would solve my blocking TV problem, my hitting people in the back problem, and a bonus problem of, in case of emergency, the door can easily be kicked out if I need to escape. 

I was worried about cost. Entry doors go up in price very fast. However, I was able to get a pre-hung outswing door from Menards and paid about $400 for it (in 2026). Add the fact that I carefully removed my old front door, I was able to sell it as pre-hung used door for $150 on Marketplace. Overall, a very good upgrade at a palatable cost. 

Outswing Sauna Entry Door

When planning/building your sauna, be sure to give an outswing entry door a serious thought!