INFRARED SAUNA WOOD
BEWARE OF CHEAP WOOD
Experienced their sauna floor bending and cracking from standard use.
Experienced warping, cracking or bending within first 3 years of ownership.
types of Infrared sauna wood
Hemlock
BENEFITS
Cost efficient
CONCERNS
We have received many complaints of durability, warping, and cracking. Floorboards seem to be the largest issue, either bending or cracking upon standing on.
Off-gassing is very common with Hemlock as it is the number one wood used in low quality saunas.
Experienced warping, cracking or issues with floorboards with hemlock.
Aspen
BENEFITS
Nontoxic and safe
Non-allergenic
CONCERNS
Aspen is one of the best non-allergenic woods for infrared saunas but there are drawbacks.
Aspen is diffuse-porous which allows bacteria and fungi to invade the grain. Durability is also a major concern as aspen is considered non-durable.
Issues with durability within the first 3 years of owning their sauna built with aspen.
Red Cedar
BENEFITS
Nontoxic and safe
Durable and long lasting
Repels bacteria and fungi
Low risk of warp or shrinkage
Most desirable
CONCERNS
Certain health conditions can be irritated by the scent of cedar paneling. From our research, there are a couple manufacturers that minimize these effects.
Happy with their decision to purchase an infrared sauna built with cedar.
Spruce
BENEFITS
Nontoxic and safe
Durable
CONCERNS
Spruce in particular has been reported to cause skin irritation and asthma-like respiratory effects.
Knots can cause warping within a heated environment.
Experienced asthma-like respiratory effects or skin irritation from their sauna.
PROTECT YOURSELF FROM CHEAP WOOD
Be extremely cautious when reading wood claims from sauna manufacturers. We've uncovered many companies selling stained hemlock cabinets as cedar, clearly deceptive and very unethical. We've also discovered several manufacturers making outlandish claims about the manufacturing process of their wood, regarding the thickness, type of wood, out-gassing, or how hypo-allergenic it is.
Many woods in the market are very thin and brittle which will absolutely crack, bend, wrap or fall apart without much use. If you are planning on having your sauna for more than a few years it's very important to pay close attention to the wood quality when purchasing your sauna as it's over 50% of the total cost.
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