NOIR L Elite — FinSteam Premium Portable Sauna for 2-4 People (Aurora Heater)

Steam & Oak is the first UK retail partner for FinSteam.

The Aurora upgrade — a 60-minute safety timer, for £200

NOIR L Elite is the FinSteam package built around the Aurora 81 — the design-led 8.1 kW gas heater with an integrated 60-minute safety timer that shuts the gas off automatically. Premium black tent, the Aurora heater, a folding Western Red Cedar bench, 40 kg of stones, and the UK gas kit. Delivered in one consignment, ready to use the day stock arrives. Pitched in under a minute, hot in 15, comfortable for 2 to 4 people. No electrician, no chimney, no consumer-unit upgrade, no fire to tend.

The whole case for this package is the heater. Against Ember Complete at £2,695, NOIR L Elite is £2,895 — a £200 step. That £200 is exactly the standalone price difference between the two heaters: Botnia 81 R14 £1,795 vs Aurora 81 R14 £1,995. You pay the heater difference and nothing else.

Why a gas sauna at all (and why it beats wood-fired or electric)

The UK portable-sauna market is split between two compromises. Wood-fired tents bring a chimney to fit through the roof, smoke and ash to clean up, a 30-45 minute warm-up, fire-tending mid-session, and the standing fire risk of a live flame in fabric. Cheap electric steam pods are dry, lightweight, frequently unrated for safety, and tied to a wall socket so they don't work where the mains can't reach. The FinSteam NOIR is the third path: gas-powered, no electricity, no chimney, no live fire — engineered as a sauna from the start.

A clever piece of engineering — the certified safety case

Running gas safely inside a small, enclosed, oxygen-hungry space is genuinely hard — which is why most "gas saunas" you see online aren't certified for it. FinSteam solved it with patented burner technology delivering clean, stable combustion, wrapped in two layers of automatic safety. The Oxygen Depletion Sensor (ODS) continuously monitors the oxygen level and automatically shuts off the gas if it drops to approximately 18% — well above any level dangerous to occupants. Flame monitoring cuts the gas instantly if the flame is lost. FinSteam's stated claim: the only CE-marked, electricity-free sauna gas heater on the European market. AENOR-tested under EU Gas Appliance Regulation 2016/426. Zero warranty returns on the heater across the last 12 months.

What's in the L Elite package — every piece explained

1. FinSteam Fritid X premium black sauna tent

The premium version of FinSteam's portable sauna tent system, in deep matt black with a two-entrance connectable design. The tent and the heater are designed and manufactured as a single safety-engineered system — vent openings sized to match the heater's airflow, fabric specified to handle combustion warmth, certified together under EU Regulation 2016/426. You don't add ventilation, modify the tent, or specify a base — FinSteam have done that work and it's on the EU certificate.

• Floor: 180 × 180 cm. Height: 180 cm at the sides, 207 cm at the centre.
• Internal volume: 8 m³ — sized for 2 to 4 people comfortably.
• Required pitching space: 240 × 240 × 220 cm.
• Setup time: under a minute. Integrated pop-up frame, no tools, no loose poles.
• Fabric: 3-layer engineered insulated construction. Outer Oxford 420D polyester with waterproof coating (2000 mm rating). Middle 150 g/m² polyester fibre fill. Inner Oxford 210D smooth heat-retaining liner.
• Vent openings sized and positioned for the FinSteam heater's airflow. Most sauna tents on the market do NOT meet FinSteam's ventilation and safety standards — the Fritid X is engineered around the heater from day one.
• Two entrances — one for sauna use, the second is built-in and sealed, and connectable to a second Fritid X if you scale to NOIR XXL later.

2. FinSteam Aurora 81 R14 gas sauna heater — the reason to buy this package

The Aurora 81 is FinSteam's premium 8.1 kW heater, and it is the one genuine difference between this package and Ember Complete. Same 8.1 kW output as the Botnia, same patented burner, same certifications, same Orbis 14 stone cage, same heat-up time. What the Aurora adds is an integrated 60-minute safety timer that shuts the heater off automatically — the reassurance that matters if you step away mid-session, doze off, or run the sauna in a shared, hired-out or lightly commercial setting where you can't watch it every minute. The Botnia has no timer.

• Integrated 60-minute timer — automatic shut-off. Aurora only; not on the Botnia.
• Power: 8.1 kW.
• Gas: UK propane (I3P 37 mbar). Included regulator + hose ships pre-configured.
• Gas consumption: 0.59 kg/h at full output. A UK 13 kg propane bottle runs the heater at full output ~20 hours; throttled, much longer.
• Heat-up: 15-20 minutes from cold to 70-75°C in normal UK conditions.
• Dimensions: 61 × 51 × 30 cm. Weight: ~9.8 kg.
• Sauna size range: 4-12 m³ insulated. The Fritid X (8 m³) sits mid-range.
• Includes the Orbis 14 stone cage fitted. 20-25 kg+ stone capacity.
• Certification: EU Type-Examination Certificate, AENOR-tested under Gas Appliance Regulation 2016/426. ODS + flame monitoring.

3. Folding Western Red Cedar sauna bench

Western Red Cedar is the classic sauna-bench timber for good reason. It's naturally moisture-resistant, so it copes with steam and löyly without warping or rotting. It has low heat conductivity, so it stays comfortable against bare skin even when the cabin is at 75°C — it won't scald you the way a dense hardwood or anything metal will. And it carries the soft, warm cedar aroma that most people associate with a proper sauna.

• Folds flat for storage and transport — pack it down with the tent, no dismantling.
• Sized for the Fritid X interior — drops in without adjustment.
• Solid cedar, no veneers, no panel-board.
• Naturally moisture-resistant and low-resin, so it doesn't bleed sap.

4. 40 kg pre-washed FinSteam sauna stones

Sized to fit the Orbis 14 cage. 40 kg is the right thermal density for proper löyly response — ladle water on, the stones hiss and release a real steam burst, not the underwhelming puff you get from skimped stone loads. Pre-washed, ready to load. Burn off outdoors or with the sauna open on first use (normal new-stone procedure). 40 kg lasts most domestic users 3-5 years.

5. UK propane regulator + 1.2 m CE-marked gas hose

The bit that's missing from FinSteam's standard heater shipment by design — they don't ship country-specific gas fittings. Steam & Oak include the UK kit with every NOIR package so you can light the heater on the day stock lands.

• UK propane regulator, I3P 37 mbar — the FinSteam-specified pressure for propane.
• 27 mm clip-on connector — fits standard UK Calor 13 kg propane bottles.
• CE-marked gas hose, internal Ø ≥ 9 mm, 1.2 m length — to FinSteam's spec.
• For commercial / hire use with larger propane bottles (POL screw, 19-47 kg), get in touch before ordering.

What it would cost you to build this yourself

Every part of this package is something we sell on its own, so the maths is easy to check:

• FinSteam Fritid X premium black tent — £895
• FinSteam Aurora 81 R14 heater (with Orbis 14 cage) — £1,995
• Folding Western Red Cedar bench — £185
• 40 kg stones + UK regulator & hose kit — £188

Bought separately: £3,263. NOIR L Elite: £2,895 — you save £368, and it arrives as one consignment with nothing left to source.

Made in Finland. Designed as a system. Backed by a track record.

Every component is FinSteam-engineered and matched. The Aurora 81 is manufactured in Finland by FinSteam Ab Oy with all components sourced from Europe. Spare parts ship direct from the factory. As the official first UK retail partner, Steam & Oak holds UK stock, handles UK service and warranty work, and gives you a real phone number when something needs attention.

Portable by default. Gas Safe registered if you fix it down.

The heater ships as a portable LPG appliance — connected outside to a propane bottle via the included 37 mbar regulator and CE-marked hose, like a patio heater. Used this way, you do not need a Gas Safe registered engineer. If you choose to permanently fix or build the heater into a fixed structure, UK regulations require the gas connection to be made by a Gas Safe registered engineer.

Where NOIR L Elite sits in the range

Every package below shares the same Fritid X tent architecture, the same folding cedar bench and the same 40 kg stones and UK gas kit. What changes is the heater — and, at the top, the number of tents.

• Ember Base — £2,495. Botnia 81 R14, the essentials build.
• Ember Complete — £2,695. Botnia 81 R14, fully kitted.
• NOIR L Elite — £2,895 (this page). Aurora 81 R14 with the 60-minute safety timer. £200 over Ember Complete, which is precisely the heater price difference.
• NOIR XL Signature — £3,195. Aurora R14S: the same heater plus the Halo safety rail and Njord heat shield included as standard. A £300 step from this page — precisely the standalone R14 → R14S heater difference.
• NOIR XXL Signature — £3,995. Two connected Fritid X tents — sauna plus changing room, cold-plunge antechamber or sleep tent.

Who it's for

• Anyone who wants an automatic shut-off — the 60-minute timer means the sauna turns itself off if you're distracted, step outside, or drift off in the heat.
• Households where the sauna gets used by different people at different times, and you can't rely on everyone remembering to turn the dial down.
• Hire, glamping, retreat and lightly commercial operators who need a heater that stops on its own when a guest walks away.
• Buyers who want FinSteam's premium heater line in a complete package, without sourcing components separately.

Not included

• Propane bottle — buy a UK 13 kg Calor propane locally.
• Non-combustible base for the heater (≥30 mm thick, ≥300 × 300 mm).

FAQs

What's actually different about the Aurora vs the Botnia?
One thing that matters and one that doesn't. The thing that matters: the Aurora has an integrated 60-minute safety timer that shuts the heater off automatically — the Botnia doesn't. The thing that doesn't: the Aurora is FinSteam's newer design line, with a more modern finish. Power, chassis, certification, ODS, flame monitoring, heat-up time and löyly response are identical.

How does the 60-minute timer actually work?
You set it when you light the heater. It counts down and cuts the gas automatically at the end — no thermostat guesswork, no relying on someone remembering. It's a hard stop, so the sauna can't be left running by accident. In practice most sessions are well under an hour, which is why 60 minutes is the ceiling rather than the target.

Is the Aurora safer than the Botnia?
The core safety engineering is identical — same ODS auto-shutoff (cuts gas at approximately 18% oxygen), same flame supervision, same EU Type-Examination Certificate. The Aurora adds the 60-minute timer on top of that, which is a genuine extra layer: it protects against being left on, which the ODS and flame supervision don't address. The Halo safety rail and Njord heat shield are separate optional add-ons (standard on NOIR XL / XXL via the R14S configuration).

Is £200 really the whole difference?
Yes. Botnia 81 R14 sells standalone at £1,795; Aurora 81 R14 at £1,995. Ember Complete is £2,695 and NOIR L Elite is £2,895. Same tent, same folding cedar bench, same stones, same UK gas kit — you're paying the heater difference and nothing more.

Do I need a Gas Safe engineer?
Not for portable use. Yes if you fix the heater permanently into a structure.

What about ventilation in the tent?
Engineered in. The Fritid X's vent openings are sized and positioned by FinSteam to match the heater's airflow. You don't modify anything.

Can I upgrade to a safety pack later if I change my mind?
Yes — Halo (~£249) and Njord (~£189) are sold standalone, or you can spec NOIR XL Signature which includes both as standard.

Delivery + documents

Free UK delivery. Stock status and lead time shown above the buy button.

Documents available on request: EU Type-Examination Certificate (AENOR) · EU Declaration of Conformity · Installation & safety manual · Ventilation spec · UK gas connection guide.

How the gas heat works — ready in about 15 minutes

Electric and wood heaters warm the room indirectly: they heat a big mass of stones first, which slowly warms the air — 30 to 45 minutes of waiting or fire-tending. A FinSteam gas heater is flueless and heats directly: it burns gas cleanly and puts the hot air and water vapour straight into the cabin, while the stones still heat for löyly. Nothing is stored first, nothing is lost up a chimney — so it's ready in about 15 minutes, on a dial. It also carries a soft, natural humidity from the moment it lights.

Full explainer: how a gas sauna heater works. Weighing up fuels? Wood-fired vs gas vs electric.

The safety engineering

Gas in an enclosed space deserves serious engineering. Every FinSteam heater has an Oxygen Depletion Sensor (ODS) that shuts the gas off automatically if oxygen drops too low, flame supervision that cuts the gas the instant the flame is lost, and push-button piezo ignition. The cylinder always stays outside — only the hose enters — and correct ventilation is part of every install. EU type-examination certified under the Gas Appliance Regulation (2016/426). The Aurora 81 in this package adds the integrated 60-minute timer — an automatic shut-off on top of all of that.

Why gas wins in busy and commercial saunas

The hardest thing for any public or mobile sauna is the door: every time it opens, hot air escapes and cold pours in. An electric or wood heater then sags while it slowly rebuilds heat from the stones. A flueless gas heater produces heat continuously and replaces the lost hot air the moment it escapes — so it holds temperature through constant use. The Aurora's 60-minute timer is a particular asset here: in a hire or shared setting, the heater stops on its own when a guest wanders off. The 12-month warranty applies to commercial use.

Compare the range

Value range (Botnia heater): Ember Base £2,495 · Ember Complete £2,695. Premium (Aurora): NOIR L Elite £2,895 (this page) · NOIR XL Signature £3,195 · NOIR XXL Signature £3,995. Commercial: NOIR Dome. Prefer the fire ritual? See our wood-fired saunas.