This sauna is not made of cedar but cheap hemlock, which means that you don’t get the familiar smell of cedar that comes from very old saunas. That said, Canadian hemlock has a nice woody scent that lingers after months of use; it’s still a calm, fragrant place to be, even with all that sweat.
Quick and Painless
Unlike traditional saunas, which can take a long time to preheat, this infrared model is quick and painless. You press buttons on the built-in thermostat inside the door to decide how hot it is and how long you want it to run and it starts heating up quickly. I usually give it at least 20 minutes to warm up to the temperature of the small box.
The installed thermostat goes to 149 degrees Fahrenheit, but I was able to get it to about 145 degrees after 45 minutes of preheating. The timer counts down from 99 minutes, so you can preheat it and it will stay on however long you want to stay. The sauna is light and poorly insulated, so I would keep it inside if I didn’t have one in Portland, Oregon’s mild winter climate.
There are infrared heating panels on the back, sides, bottom, and back of your legs for even body warmth. I found that the floor heat can be a bit toasty if you have your feet above the space next to the wooden floor, but other than that, I was sweating profusely and felt overheated after the same amount of time in a traditional sauna.
Photo: Parker Hall
It’s nice to sit outside under a canopy, looking out into my garden, and sweat for a few minutes before heading to my non-excessive, non-exercise shower. It really feels like I’m at a spa. I can also pair with the built-in Bluetooth speakers and watch my latest shows or YouTube meditations.
If you, like me, don’t have regular access to a sauna at the gym and find that you miss the heat exposure time, there aren’t many options that are as affordable and easy to set up as this one. I’ve moved it between houses with no problems (the movers didn’t have to dismantle it because it’s so light). How long it will last is a different question and only time will tell, but it has held me for a few months.
You can’t share the experience with friends and loved ones, but that’s fine as I use my sauna time at the end of the day to relax in social interaction. If you want to host hanging saunas in your home, it’s best to have a larger model or a traditional sauna, which is what Wayfair sells.
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