Sauna Infrared - Portable Saunas - Infraredsauna.com

• knowl·edge n. confident understanding of a subject, potentially with the ability to use it for a specific purpose.

• com·par·i·son n. a statement or estimate of similarities and differences.

• con·fi·dence n. a feeling of assurance

Knowledge, Comparison, Confidence: An informed consumer is our best customer!

As a leader in the infrared sauna business for over 13 years we understand that purchasing an infrared sauna can be confusing. What are the differences? What wood is best? Does the warranty matter? Where is the sauna manufactured? What are the differences between heaters? These are just a few of the questions you might have.

The following are some straight answers to some of the more common questions we receive regarding the sauna selection process. Please feel free to give us a call at 800.798.1779 if you would like to discuss this with one of our sauna specialists.

A General Overview

For many years the majority of far infrared saunas have been manufactured in the United States and to a lesser degree Canada. Craftsmanship, for the most part has been very high, woods used have been Clear Canadian Cedar and also some less expensive white woods. Heaters have been ceramic and metal, with ceramic being the preferred type because of higher efficiency. Rigid quality control, control of woods and glues used and consistent after sale support have been the hallmarks of our industry.

In the last 5 years, the growth of the internet and cheap manufacturing overseas has spawned numerous upstart sauna companies bringing containers of infrared saunas over from Asia. They offer low cost and low quality saunas on the web; saunas as a cheap commodity.

When this started happening, we were approached by several Chinese manufacturers to sell their saunas. We thought if we could give our customers a high quality sauna for a better price that would be great. We set about to look at and inspect the different saunas being manufactured in China. It made sense, cheaper labor equals cheaper sauna.

We started looking and were immediately appalled at the quality in materials and construction and lack of safety down to even the basic wiring. The controls and heaters were cheap and barely functional. The aesthetics were all wrong. Some had a noxious odor from toxic glues being used. Others had horrible smells from the wood itself. The wood had not been finished sanded; rough to the touch as you passed your hand over the wood. Staples, mismatched veneers, dangling and bare wires... yuck.

Thinking about buying a sauna made in China? Click this link to read the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission sauna recall.

See what the Ontario, Canada Fire Marshal Electrical Safety Authority has to say about these low quality saunas. Click here for the report!

We had a quick two minute meeting and decided that we were not interested in offering this type of product to our customers, ever. The cheaper saunas were made from inferior wood, low quality and inexpensive metal rod or carbon heaters, and were manufactured with inferior quality standards. Some call it inexpensive, we call it cheap.

At Sauna Works we have a philosophy. We consider that our customers are like our friends. We hope that they will love our sauna so much that they will tell their friends and then their friends will try the sauna and eventually buy their own. This is one of the main reasons that our business has prospered so far.

We believe your Clearlight sauna purchase is a once in a lifetime investment in your health and your lifestyle... We have paid close attention to every detail to insure that your 100% Cedar sauna is the highest quality USA made sauna available and we back these words with our exclusive Lifetime Warranty on the entire sauna.

Portable Saunas

Questions and Answer

The challenge for the consumer today is that unless you can see it in person, you cannot tell the difference between a quality American made sauna and a cheap knock-off, the pictures on the web look basically the same.

Questions we receive:

Why do so many saunas look the same from website to website?

Answer: That's because they are. Many companies are bringing over containers of the same saunas from China or saunas with only slight variations, look at the control to tell which are from the same factory in China, it's somewhat amusing. We’re flattered that they've decided to knock-off the look that Clearlight Saunas pioneered.

How does an American made Clearlight infrared sauna differ?

Answer: Quality of design and construction. At Clearlight we start with the finest clear Canadian Cedar. All saunas are built by hand to our strict 128 point Quality Control. No sauna leaves the factory without being fully tested and approved. With the ETL and CE certification, we are bound to provide a high quality product. We use no toxic glues. Our saunas are hand sanded, the handles and trim are hand crafted, the electrical is shielded to protect you from Electro Magnetic Field (EMF), the tongue and groove cedar is color matched to look beautiful and all Clearlight saunas are designed to give you a lifetime of health and relaxation benefits.

How are saunas made in Asia different from Clearlight?

Answer: Since quality controls are much less stringent in Asia, the finished product tends to be inferior. You cannot look at a picture of one and tell what kind of sauna you are going to get. Are there toxic glues? Is that a satin finish or heavy brush stroke finish? Is the finish a veneer or tongue and groove? Am I protected from EMF with proper electrical shielding? Will the company I bought it from be around to support me in a month, a year, and five years?

Where is the factory where Clearlight saunas are made?

Answer: Our factory is where it has always been; sunny Southern California, not far from Disneyland. We chose California because of the dry climate and the highly skilled available workforce. The dry heat is the very best for sauna construction as the cedar wood remains dimensionally stable and free of warpage for years to come.

What type of infrared heater is best?

Answer: When comparing far infrared sauna heaters you need to look at the size of the heater, the material that is producing the infrared heat, the quality of the heat and the temperature that the heater runs at.

Ceramic is the material of choice for infrared heaters. It is a very efficient, effective material when heated to produce infrared heat in the optimal micron range. The larger the infrared heater, the lower the temperature that the heater needs to run and the larger the infrared wave length. This allows for a more deep and penetrating heat.

Metal rod heaters with reflectors and carbon heaters are lower quality infrared heaters for a few reasons. Metal rod heaters require reflectors to produce infrared heat and must run at a very high temperature. The primary wave of the infrared heat is reflected and changed when bounced off of the metal surface producing a "secondary" infrared heat which is less effective and diluted.

As for carbon heaters the real data is still out. While they are effective at producing infrared heat, the comparisons to "black bodies", etc. just don't make sense, the quality of the heat is just not as enjoyable as ceramic infrared heat and they have had problems with flaking and inconsistent temperatures. Some companies, in order to try and get more heat into the sauna, have extended the carbon heaters up into the head region, a real no-no in infrared heating that we learned the hard way years ago.

What type of wood is best?

Answer: The traditional sauna for thousands of years has been made predominately from close grain clear cedar for many obvious reasons:

1) Cedar wood is a soft wood that resists cracking and splitting caused by the heating up and cooling down in the sauna. No sauna wood lasts longer than cedar wood.

2) Cedar wood contains aromatic oils that are known for their healing and cleansing properties to aid detoxification during the sauna. Cedar wood can also help disperse excess fluids throughout the body.

3) Cedar wood is naturally anti-fungal and anti-bacterial owing to the unique properties of the cedar oil. This is especially important in the sauna where bodies, moisture and heat combine to make the environment perfect for molds and bacteria.

4) Cedar wood is one of the most beautiful woods available ranging from a very light honey to a deep walnut shade.

5. Cedar wood smells good and gives you a true experience. Normally a "non-aromatic" cedar is used in sauna construction that is very subtle and satisfying to the senses.

6) Cedar wood can be easily sanded inside the sauna to remove any stains caused by perspiration and to bring back the fresh cedar smell.

Many other sauna manufacturers produce saunas made from hemlock, spruce, fir or other low cost, low quality woods and sell them as "hypoallergenic" wood. The real reason they are using these woods is that they cost less by the board foot as compared to cedar. The hypoallergenic only lasts a few sessions until the mold and bacteria starts to grow unchecked on the moist, warm white wood. Then the only way to clean the sauna is with harsh chemicals which you won't want to breathe while sitting in your sauna. There is absolutely no reason not to treat yourself to the quality and luxury of cedar wood in your sauna.

What does the warranty cover and how long is the warranty?

Answer: When buying an infrared sauna it is important to understand why a lifetime warranty on the entire sauna is important. Most companies selling infrared saunas only cover the heaters under their warranty and only for a limited time. A lifetime warranty on the heater is the most critical component of the warranty.

You also want to make sure that all electrical components including the controller are covered under the warranty because if the controller goes out for some reason, you want to be able to replace it or your sauna becomes a cedar closet. You want to make sure that you can call the company up on the phone in five years and speak the same language or the best warranty in the world is of no use.

It is also important to make sure the wooden sauna cabin is covered. The wood used in your sauna must be kiln dried to be used in sauna construction. If the wood is not kiln dried properly it may start to warp over time. We have heard of saunas shipped over the ocean that picked up incredible moisture on the sea voyage only to warp a few months after the customer received it. With a lifetime warranty from American made Clearlight you can rest assured that your sauna is a truly a once in a lifetime purchase.

Price vs. Quality

We have looked at most of the infrared saunas on the market from the low end to the high end. There is the old saying that applies: "You get what you pay for". Clearlight saunas are the highest quality infrared sauna on the market today, second to none! Give us a call or send us an email and we'll tell you why our saunas are superior. Buy with confidence... buy a Clearlight Sauna.

"There is no product made today that cannot be cheapened and made to be worth less by inferior design, inferior materials and inferior workmanship"

We will not compromise!

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800-798-1779