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WHAT EVERY INFRARED
SAUNA BUYER SHOULD READ
We know the choice is yours when purchasing your new FAR infrared sauna. With the internet full of infrared saunas all claiming to be the best, how is the consumer able to make the right choice? What kinds of heaters are best? Ceramic or Carbon-Based? How much glass should it have? What kind of wood is best? It can all be very daunting…so much so, you may decide it is too confusing to purchase one. The purpose of this article is not to represent that we are the end all and the ONLY company providing a high quality infrared sauna. There are several good saunas on the market. The intent of this article is to educate you, the consumer, on the FAR infrared sauna and the components that go into engineering not just a good sauna, but a great sauna. You should fully educate yourself in order to go forward with your sauna purchase from a position of knowledge. This will ensure optimum enjoyment and benefits for years to come. We recognize this is a significant investment…please take five minutes of your time to let us further educate you…here we go:
INFRARED HEAT PANELS:
This is a simple
explanation of how the beneficial infrared heat is produced in an infrared
sauna and delivered into your body. It
is why we buy these in the first place right?
Let’s begin with a little history:
The first technology devised to deliver infrared heat in saunas was the
ceramic rod. This was an incredible
breakthrough for the sauna industry.
Every infrared sauna had them and it was all the
rave. I personally owned one and used it
every night with good success, but ceramic heaters weren’t without their
pitfalls. First, ceramic heaters are
composed of glass rods which can heat an entire sauna but have to work
very hard in the process making them extremely hot. As these rods heat up they can be very
uncomfortable to sit against, and in some cases may burn your back. Secondly, ceramic rods have a very limited
surface area. This smaller surface area
equates to decreased emission of the healing infrared rays. Ceramic heaters worked, just not as
efficiently as one would desire. They
have come a long way since then, but new technology continues to make ceramic
heaters obsolete.
The New Technology: Out of demand for a more effective way of
delivering infrared therapy, came the invention of Carbon-Based heating
panels. Although more expensive to
produce, they solved both of the downfalls of ceramic heaters. This new carbon technology enabled the heat
to be delivered through a large flat panel instead of a small rod. Since this new technology has a 10x larger
surface area than it predecessor, it is able to deliver over 10x the healing
rays into your body. To visualize this,
on a much smaller scale, try the following: Put a pencil besides a napkin (get
the picture), the pencil represents the older ceramic heaters and the
napkin represents the new carbon heaters.
As you can see, the carbon heaters have a much larger surface area which
equates to more infrared rays into your body.
Soon after carbon heaters were invented, arguments arose from certain
dealers trying to keep their ceramic customers by saying carbon-based heaters
produced toxins. This is unfounded and
completely misleading. ANY type of
heater, be it ceramic, carbon, or other material, can produce toxins if they
are not manufactured to strict ETL standards, but instead are made with
non-organic materials in
glue, coatings, paint etc.
Purchase your sauna from a company that is ETL approved and use only
tested organic materials to make their heaters which are 100% safe.
SIZE AND QUANTITY OF INFRARED HEAT PANELS:
The next item you will need in your arsenal to become an educated sauna buyer is an understanding of the carbon panels themselves. Infrared saunas have anywhere from 1-12 carbon heating panels to deliver infrared heat. When you are comparing saunas (make sure your comparing the same size models), simply count how many infrared panels the sauna has as well as the size of the panels. You want large panels and lots of them. You also want the panels to surround you. Panels behind, in front, on the sides, on the calves and under the feet would give you the best coverage. REMEMBER, you can’t put heating panels where you have glass. Glass looks good, but make sure you still have plenty of heating panels directly in front of you, as you want the front of your body to get the infrared benefits as well. You’re buying a sauna for the infrared therapy, not to clean glass.
WOOD
This could be an
article in and of itself (I may write one shortly!), but I will do my best to
summarize. There are two predominant
woods used in today’s home sauna kits; Hemlock and Cedar Hardwoods. The reason for this is not only the beauty of
the wood, but its ability to resist mold, mildew, cracking and bacteria. Mother Nature took care of growing them but
it is up to the manufacturer to ensure the wood is properly cured. If not cured and dried CORRECTLY, any wood
can experience future cracking and warping.
Curing these woods is a scientific and timely process dealing with
temperature variables, humidity values, wood density/acidity, and much more. It is the sauna manufacturer’s responsibility
to over see this process and make sure it is done to all specifications and
within the appropriate time frame to avoid any warranty issues down the road.
Cedar has been used for centuries in homes and furnishings due to its elegance and resistance to mold, mildew and pests. Its oils have been historically utilized for aromatherapy treatments, perfumes and soaps to name a few. From closets and drawers to dog beds and hamster cages, its ability to resist odors is unsurpassed. I am often asked if it is bad for you or toxic. If you are extra sensitive to the smells in shampoos, soaps, perfumes and candles, the same would apply with cedar and you may opt for the Hemlock wood. Aside from individuals with such sensitivities, cedar is completely safe. I personally love the aromatherapy of the cedar sauna as it fills up my home. That being said, it of course comes down to your individual taste. Both Hemlock and Cedar will naturally darken over time, adding to its timeless beauty. The Cedar wood is a reddish brown color and the Hemlock is lighter in color such as Maple or Pine. You may want to consider this if you are trying to match any other furnishings or décor.
OPTIONS
Yes, that’s right, OPTIONS. I know you are not buying a car, but we like options, right? And, of course, we like them all the better if we don’t have to pay for them. If you do have to pay, you’d better know why. This is where I come in. Here is the run down on most of the options out there and why you might care.
Stereo/AM/FM/CD player: In my opinion a MUST HAVE. Sure you could use your MP3 player, but when
those ears start to sweat, your headphones will get wet. Also, while not in your sauna, you can still
hear the stereo in the room if you turn it up.
I will often turn it on for some background music in my room…added
bonus. 
Oxygen Ionizer: This is a small device which introduces Ions to purify the air. With all the toxins you’ll be releasing, this is a great bonus! Think of it as an air freshener on steroids.
All Glass Doors: If you have any claustrophobia issues (like my wife), this is a must have! All glass doors really give you an open feeling while sitting in the sauna.
Inside/Outside Soft Touch
Controls: When you’re outside the sauna
you are able to turn it on, set the temperature, and adjust the lighting
without opening up the door. If you are
inside the sauna you need to be able to adjust the previous without letting the
valuable heat out. The term soft
touch controls means it has a solid surface, much like microwave
buttons. This facilitates easy cleaning
and sterilizing, which in my book makes it a must have.
LED lighting: Not a must have but LED lighting is not helpful for reading but gives an elegant feeling as well. The most quality of saunas will not only have LED’s on the inside but will also have crown molding over the front of the sauna with inset LED’s, adding to the beauty of its overall appearance.
Cup Holders/Magazine Racks: Cars have them, why not saunas? Sure you could set your drink on the bench, but don’t blame me the 5th time you knock it over. The magazine rack does keep the sauna nice and tidy.
Adjustable Vents: Feeling a little HOT? Well it is a sauna. The nice thing about a vent is that it gives you a blast of cold air AND you can adjust the temperature to your liking. But, if you don’t want to pay for a vent…just open the door.
DVD / MP3 / LCD: Don’t feel like >I wasn’t sure on this one until I started
using it. Basically chromo therapy is
the use of different color lights to create different moods. Our website goes into detail as to the various
colors and their effects on your moods.
If you would like to read more, click here. It’s a nice option to create different
settings and moods inside your sauna by simply scrolling through seven
different color options. Can’t decide? Press a button and have them rotate through
all seven colors. We liked this option
so much that all of our saunas come with Chromo therapy at no additional
charge.
That should give you a basic overview of your choices but please email me if you see or hear any options I did not cover.
SAFETY
This is a big one. There are a lot of knock off products out there sneaking their way into the country. What am I referring to? Saunas with faulty and unsafe electrical wiring! No ifs ands or buts about this one. For you and your family’s safety, you MUST purchase a sauna that is ETL approved to meet America’s highest safety and performance standards. It takes a lot of time and money to get these approvals which is why many manufacturers bypass it. How do you know what to get? That’s my job. Below are the safety seals available and the definitions for each.
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INTERTEK'S ETL SEMKO
STANDARDS FOR THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA Electrical Testing Laboratories (ETL) was founded in 1896 by Thomas Edison, and is one of the oldest product safety testing laboratories in the world. Certification by ETL and ETL-C assures you that all Signature models have been tested to meet both US and Canadian safety and performance standards. |
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INTERNATIONAL
ORGANIZATION FOR STANDARDIZATION Our manufacturing facility has implemented a quality management system in order to maintain the highest standards in product development and quality assurance |
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CE CERTIFIED EUROPEAN
SAFETY STANDARDS The CE Mark is a requirement for products sold to the European Market. The CE Mark identifies a product as complying with the health and safety requirements spelled out in European legislation and is mandatory for equipment operating in the European Union (EU). |
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RoHS DIRECTIVE The RoHS Directive stands for "the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment". This Directive bans the placing on the EU market of new electrical and electronic equipment containing more than agreed levels of lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyl (PBB) and polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants. |
WARRANTY
So you’ve done your research, found a sauna and are ready to buy. Consider, however, what is the company’s policy if one of your expensive panels goes out. Do they come with a lifetime warranty? Are they easy to replace? Does your manufacturer stock them? Make sure you fully understand the terms of your saunas warranty BEFORE you purchase your infrared sauna.
CUSTOMER SERVICE
This area should probably be listed first. The sauna you buy is only as good as the company behind it. If you call or email the company, do they respond the same day? Next day? If not, BEWARE! What about future problems after your purchase? Our belief is that the customer is #1. Not just before the sale, but years down the road.
Let’s Recap
What is the best infrared sauna you can purchase?
A quality sauna manufactured with properly treated wood, and large carbon-based panels surrounding your whole body. The optimum sauna will have all the options you desire, as well as all the safety approvals available. It should be backed with a lifetime warranty and unsurpassed customer service. Our company can guarantee we will meet these requirements. Our employees are knowledgeable and always eager to answer your questions.
Thank you for spending some time on our site to get educated on FIR saunas. We hope that this article has been helpful to you and has added some clarity to your questions regarding your sauna purchase. We know you have many choices when buying an infrared sauna. Of course, we would be happy if you considered Coastal Saunas Inc. in your decision. Regardless, congratulations on taking the first steps towards better health.
Happy Healing,
Coastal Saunas
1.800.327.5122
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