THE BENEFITS AND LONGEVITY
OF A THERMOWOOD SAUNA
What if you could have a sauna's health benefits, such as healthier skin and a more relaxed mindset, without worrying about your sauna decaying or cracking? To the dismay of many, cheaper home sauna options are often plagued by several issues.
Among them are saunas that crack and splinter after repeated usage. This isn't exactly optimal for anyone looking to unwind after a long day tending to their responsibilities. Fortunately, a sauna type is renowned for its longevity and stability — the thermowood sauna.
This sauna type is known for its reduced moisture content, among other things. Let's go over what thermowood saunas offer and why they are so effective.
What Is a Thermowood Sauna?
Thermowood saunas are an exciting innovation in the home sauna world. This sauna type is made using a thermally modified wood known as thermowood. Thermowood undergoes a process that enhances its durability and stability.
This is done by repeatedly subjecting the wood to high temperatures, using steam and heat. Due to this extreme heat subjugation, the wood's chemical and structural property is altered, resulting in a number of desirable characteristics.
Desirable Characteristics
The first defining characteristic of thermowood is its appearance. The thermal modification process glazes the wood. Granting it a rich brown color that is visually appealing without being too striking.
Aside from its appearance, thermowood benefits from improved dimensional stability, and this is because the thermal process reduces swelling and shrinkage within the wood itself. How is this possible? Well, because the moisture-absorbing components within the wood are removed.
As a result, the wood is less prone to cracking and warping. There are several other benefits that we will be going over later. However, let's look at some thermowood sauna options.
Thermowood Sauna Options
By every measure, thermowood saunas seem like a complete upgrade over regular saunas. This is especially true for the top thermowood sauna brands on the market, Forever Saunas and SaunaLife saunas.
To get a top-quality thermowood sauna, you've got to make sure that the wood used to construct them is of a premium grade. This is where the manufacturer's reputation comes in, which is why I mentioned the two brands earlier.
Both brands are known for their craftsmanship and standards, so let's run through some of their standout thermowood saunas.
Forever Saunas Thermally Treated 2-Person Sauna
Ever wanted an intimate interior with elegant flooring that you can share with a loved one? Of course! Then why not try out the Forever Saunas Thermally Treated 2-Person Sauna? This barrel sauna places special emphasis on delivering a cozy atmosphere.
This is why it has two wide benches facing each other without leaving too large of a gap between both seating arrangements. This comfy interior isn't just for ambiance; it also heats up much more efficiently.
Therefore, you get effective heating that doesn't take long to start up, a massive benefit compared to saunas that require a long start-up process.
Among its other features, you'll find:
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A cabin measuring 81" by 60" inches
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Easy to assemble kit
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Thermo-treated wood planks
SaunaLife Model E8 Sauna Barrel
The SaunaLife Model E8 Sauna Barrel spares no expense when designing this thermowood barrel sauna. True sauna enthusiasts were consulted and included throughout every step of the design and engineering process.
As a result, this barrel sauna has an incredibly comfortable and visually pleasing interior. That's not all; to construct it, thermo-spruce materials were used. What's special about thermo-spruce wood is that it lasts two times longer than thermo-cedar wood.
It's this attention to detail that runs throughout this entire sauna. Rather than settle with the amazing durability and benefits that thermo-cedar wood saunas offer, SaunaLife decided to go further and upgrade to thermo-spruce wood.
Other quality features include:
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Simple two-person assembly
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Great interior height of six feet five inches
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Curved thermo-aspen benches
SaunaLife E7: 4-PERSON BARREL SAUNA
Here we have another SaunaLife creation that raises the bar. The SaunaLife E7 4-Person Barrel shares many of the same quality-of-life improvements as its precursor, like thermo-aspen benches with a premium arched backrest.
This arched design does wonders for the lower and upper back. This allows longer sauna sessions without developing any aches or feeling uncomfortable due to low-quality seating. In fact, the entire sauna was specially designed for ergonomic sauna sessions.
Dual floor drains also effectively remove any excess water. This means that you won't have to worry about decay or large clean-ups after every use.
Standout features include:
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Weather-secured installation thanks to roof design
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Lighting upgrades for enhanced ambiance
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Paraffin oil is provided with the sauna to further enrich your experience
Health Benefits of Using a Thermowood Sauna
While the thermowood sauna's construction has been taking center stage thus far, the many health benefits a sauna offers are truly impressive. These health benefits don't just dwell in the realm of the physical. Often, the mental health benefits that a sauna offers can be overlooked.
We will be going over the physical and mental ways that a thermowood sauna can enrich your life, making you a healthier and happier person.
Detoxification and Improved Circulation
What we eat, poor air quality, and even everyday stressors can cause our bodies to build up toxins and other undesirable components. These toxins can make us feel sluggish and sick. However, spending time within a thermowood sauna can help flush these toxins out; studies say as much.
The way saunas aid this cleansing process is by making us sweat. It is through our sweat that we secrete metabolic waste and pollutants. This same process also improves our blood circulation because of the dilation that our blood vessels undergo.
Relaxation and Stress Relief
Regularly spending time in a sauna has been directly linked with a reduced risk of developing psychotic disorders. That is a powerful claim because it clearly shows that saunas and, by extension, thermowood saunas can positively affect our mental health.
Keep in mind that our mental health is every bit as important as our physical well-being. The reason why saunas are so effective at improving our mental state is because they reduce cortisol.
Cortisol is your body's stress hormone, and because saunas reduce cortisol, your stress is also reduced.
Enhanced Respiratory Function
Studies show that many common but often serious respiratory problems and diseases can be assuaged with regular sauna usage. How is this possible? Well, saunas humidify the air. By humidifying the air, any moisture in the skin and, more importantly, the respiratory tract is evaporated.
As a result, irritation in the airways is reduced, and your breathing comfort is significantly improved. Your airways are also dilated, much like your blood vessels. This dilation improves your airflow, making breathing easier for those with respiratory ailments.
Pain Relief and Muscle Relaxation
Pain relief and muscle relaxation are well-known benefits of using a sauna. In fact, studies show that muscle function actually improves after sauna usage. Even if you aren't suffering from muscle pain or spasms, you still stand to gain a lot from a sauna.
Thermowood saunas can even reduce sensory impairment! All of these great benefits are a result of improved blood circulation. The heat dilates your blood vessels and boosts circulation as a whole.
Starting your day out with less muscle pain and improved mobility sounds like a surefire way to get off on the right foot.
Skin Health Benefits
Want to know something interesting? Even though saunas make you sweat and, as a result, cause you to lose fluids, and they can actually improve your skin's hydration. This is because the sauna's heat can stimulate your skin's natural hydration mechanisms.
A process that results in softer and more supple skin that can retain moisture better. Of course, these effects can also alleviate skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema. Since your skin is soothed by heat and moisture, eczema flare-ups are less likely to occur.
Maintaining a Thermowood Sauna
Owning a thermowood sauna means endless relaxation and wellness, but keeping it in top-notch condition requires some tender loving care. Fear not! With the right maintenance routine, your sauna will continue to provide you with those blissful steam sessions for years to come.
Cleaning and Upkeep
Regular cleaning is a breeze. Simply wipe down the benches and surfaces with a mild water and soap solution. Avoid harsh chemicals that might harm the wood's natural luster. Remember to mop the floor to keep it squeaky clean, and free from grime.
Preventative Measures for Longevity
To ensure your sauna's longevity, keep an eye on humidity levels. Invest in a hygrometer to monitor and maintain moisture levels between 10-20%. Proper ventilation is key, so ensure your sauna is adequately ventilated to prevent mold or mildew growth.
Tips for Maintaining Aesthetics
Over time, the thermowood might lose some of its sheen. However, there is a way to remedy this. A light sanding followed by a fresh application of sauna-specific wood oil will have it looking as good as new.
You'll also want to protect your sauna from direct sunlight and extreme weather conditions, which can impact the wood's appearance. Keep towels and robes off the floor to prevent unnecessary staining and wear and tear.
Thermowood Sauna and You
From their health and mental benefits to their build's durability and stability, thermowood saunas are a tour de force of comfort. What sauna is best for you will depend on your location, needs, and whether or not you plan on sharing it!
Too much to handle on your own, why not contact the experts? With just one simple call, we can walk you through the entire process of selecting and purchasing your very own home thermowood sauna.
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Let customers speak for us
Love it use it dearly. only thing wish had half glass door half wood ,live in north east lose a lot of heat through door.
The DYN-6106-01 Elite sauna from My Sauna World was at a fair price and fit the tight space that I had available. Ordering was great with assistance for questions answered quickly. The sauna was package better than most shipments. It was heavy off the truck, but each section was manageable with 2 people. Assembly was easy. It works nicely. It would fit one big guy or two skinny people. Bluetooth works great.
Very pleased with the sauna and the customer service from sauna world! The conventional heater along with the infrared provide much faster warm up times than other brands. Additionally, I can generate a little steam by spraying water onto the hot rocks of the conventional heater. I use it 4 times per week. Sauna World was quick to respond to my installation and operational questions.
I haven't even built this sauna yet (Rainelle), but I have to give an ENORMOUS shoutout to Adora and especially KELLY for their help on this one. This was a big purchase for us, and these ladies went way out of their way to make it work out for us. The first sauna that showed up was badly damaged in shipping, and from what it sounds like - that is not typical. At all. So Kelly helped us to get it squared away, and it took what could have been a horrible customer experience into a fantastic one. Give this woman a raise!
We really like our sauna! Quality of the sauna seems decent. The quality of the accessories was not! The back recliner was all busted up out of the box.
My wife and I would occasionally sit in the sauna at our gym after a workout. It was hot but a little gross. I can't tell you how many times we bailed on the gym sauna session because someone else was playing their phone too loud, someone was breathing like they were gasping for air, someone decided to be shirtless in public, someone is weird or any number of other reasons. Loved the sauna feeling but HATED the gym sauna.
We bought a sauna for our home and installed it in our basement to escape the gym sauna experience. We absolutely love it! We sauna daily. Without the angst and frustration of hoping to avoid an awkward gross experience at the gym sauna.
If you are considering a sauna purchase, spend a little extra and get the WIFI enabled heater. This is the best way to make sure you get the benefit of owning a sauna. The app on our phone is easy to use. Just click the on/off button on the app and set your temperature to your desire. I like 171. My wife likes 153. Once it hits the temperature, the app will let you know. You can even turn on your sauna while you are on the way home from the gym. The WIFI version and the app make all the difference in usability and enjoyment of your investment. If we did not have the app and the WIFI version, we probably would probably skip 2/3 of the sessions we currently take.
The sauna is well made. Wood quality is excellent. Very few knots and blemishes. Hillsboro Almost Heaven saunas are a great choice for quality components, solid electronics, easy to use controls and an enjoyable sauna experience.
This is a standard kit sauna. I made several modifications but I am very satisfied with it so far. I have a few shingles left to install tomorrow and then will move onto to interior. MSW has been easy to work with and I recommend them.
I really love this sauna. I use it about four times a week to help me wind down before bed and calm my ego. Customer service at MySaunaWorld was great.
Assembly took me roughly 8–10 hours total over two days, and I’m not a particularly handy person. The step by step instructions video was straightforward and easy to follow.
I paired the sauna with the HUUM Drop 9 heater (the largest HUUM Drop), and it performs very well. I hired an electrician to install it (about $900 extra). It easily heats the sauna to 190°F plus. I personally like it around 180°F, which it reaches in about an hour. Also, you can pour water over the hot rocks to make the air hotter and steamier. Make sure to mount it low so that it can heat everything above it. (I mounted mine 6” from the ground to the base of the heater.) I love that I can start heating the sauna from my iPhone, even when I’m not on my home Wi-Fi.
I got the double-bench configuration going across the back of the sauna which lets two people lay down. The area around the lower bench is cooler which is nice to have different temperature seating options.
The sauna looks fantastic, smells great, and feels solid. I would recommend this sauna to a friend.
We love our new Almost Heaven Pinnacle barrel sauna!
Delivery was perfect, the assembly was a breeze, and the sauna fits perfectly in our space.
The only regret we have is not to have made this purchase 10 years ago!
I had been thinking about installing a sauna for quite some time. I kept going back and forth between framing one in or a prefab that I assemble. I spent several weeks going over the various websites looking at designs for both and writing out the pros/cons for each. After much deliberation, I reached out to My Sauna World to purchase an Almost Heaven Greyson.
It came way sooner than expected which was a good thing, so I had to arrange for my electrician. I assembled it very easily, with my wife holding just one panel, and then I ran into a problem. The last wall was short. It took a lot of head scratching and measuring and remeasuring as well as back and forth communication with both My Sauna World and Almost Heaven. It turned out that I had been sent 2 glass panels that were the same dimension when the 2 glass panels are actually designed with different dimensions. The new panel was sent out without question, and the rest of the assembly went easy.
I will say that the folks at My Sauna World were extremely responsive and did a great job as liaison back to the manufacturer.
Overall, I had a really positive experience, and we are very happy with the Greyson with the Harvia Spirit 8kW stove.
We also have the duckboard flooring (that is a must) sitting on top of the concrete floor. The back and leg rest are also recommended.
Note: this is advertised as a 3-4 person but in reality it is a good 2 person. And lastly, I grew up with sauna my whole life, starting with my grandpa’s wood burning sauna. This non insulated Greyson type will not get up to the same temperatures, but it does get the job done. Very pleased with the product and do recommend (to frame one in my self and buy a pre-cut kit would have cost a few thousand more overall)
Their customer service is refreshing in a world where most companies fail miserably with service. They should teach customer service to other companies and government agencies. We have only tested the actual product to make sure it works, but along the way, we had multiple questions and the replies were quick and helpful. The sauna was easy to assemble.
Frankly, I was stunned at the quality of this product. Equally stunning is how easily everything fits together. It’s well and I’m looking to an improved lifestyle.
Back rests are a nice size and fit perfectly in my Lugano 3-person sauna. They are very comfortable (especially considering they are wood) and make sitting in the sauna an even more pleasant experience. To think that they were added in free to my purchase of the sauna is hard to believe. Very pleased with customer service from My Sauna World.com !
Well built, good quality, reliable, and matches my barrel sauna very well
I purchased this since it was significantly more affordable than from the brands website. It arrived quickly and is function perfect. It's easy to install and looks great. I had issues with water leaking into the sauna before that used to annoy me. Now it stays completely dry and the wood also is protected from damage and weathering.