This sauna is not made of cedar, but rather cheaper hemlock, which means you don't get the same wonderful cedar smell that you'll be familiar with from more classic saunas. That said, Canadian hemlock has a nice woody aroma that persists even after several months of use; Even after all that sweat, it's still a cool place smell-wise.
quick and painless
Unlike traditional saunas, which can take a long time to preheat, this infrared model is quick and painless. You press the button on the built-in thermostat inside the door to decide how hot and how long you want it to run and it starts heating immediately. I usually give it at least 20 minutes to warm up to the ambient temperature of the small box.
The included thermostat goes up to 149 degrees Fahrenheit, but I was only able to get it to a consistent 145 degrees after 45 minutes of pre-heating. The timer counts down to 99 minutes, so you can preheat it and then leave it sitting there for as long as you want. The sauna is light and not well insulated, so if I didn't have it in the mild winter climate of Portland, Oregon I would keep it inside.
There are infrared heating panels on the sides, bottom, and back of your legs for relatively even heating across the body. I found that if your feet are right above the space next to the slats on a wooden floor the heat of the floor can be a little irritating, but otherwise, I was completely sweating and extremely sore after the same amount of time in a traditional sauna. Was feeling hot.
Photograph: Parker Hall
It's nice to sit under the covered area outside, look out at my garden, and sweat for a few minutes before heading into my non-gross, non-gym shower. It really feels like I'm in a spa. And I can connect to the built-in Bluetooth speaker and watch my latest show or YouTube meditation.
If you, like me, no longer have regular access to a sauna at the gym and have discovered how much you miss heat exposure time, there are no alternatives as affordable and easy to install as this one. I've moved it between houses with no problems (the movers didn't have to take it apart because it's so light). How long this will last is a different question and only time will tell, but it has been a thing for me for several months.
You can't share the experience with friends and loved ones, but that's okay because I use my sauna time at the end of the day to relax from social interaction. If you want to host a sauna hang out at your home, you'd better a larger model Or a traditional saunaWhich, of course, Wayfair also sells.