Not Just Any Sauna - Important Distinctions
Most FIR saunas are built with lots of adhesives as it makes construction faster and easier than building without them, and it allows use of thinner, less expensive wall paneling.
They are built like cheaper cabinets - thin wood is glued-on, and it’s often backed by plywood. They are manufactured for rapid production, economy, and appearance - not for the “purity” found in our medical-quality detox saunas.
It is more costly to build saunas in the ultra-safe manner we do, so others try to create impressions that their saunas are built like ours rather than taking the extra time and bearing the added expense of actually doing so.
Many companies use the same or a similar low-resin wood for their visible paneling and describe their saunas as made of non-toxic wood or as hypoallergenic. The unsuspecting may assume that these saunas are also made for people who are chemically ill or have allergies - but the truth is often a different matter. Wood selection is an easy first step in creating safer saunas. Descriptions of saunas based on the visible wood can be used to conceal toxic construction choices.
False impressions are reinforced when the other construction components are not openly revealed. For instance, it may not be stated that a lower-grade of wood or an entirely different species is used for the framing; if plywood is hidden; that the paneling is nailed to a glue-coated frame; or if the exterior is coated or varnished. Such omissions are commonplace.
FIR sellers downplay the glue factor by claiming to use small amounts of water-based glue. Some carpenter’s glues are labeled “non-toxic”, but they are not chemical-free. Most are water-emulsified plastic with chemical additives (biocides, preservatives, thinners, etc.).
In each FIR sauna we’ve inspected, lots of glue was used - the construction was adhesive-reliant as these thin-panel saunas would risk durability if just a “few drops” of glue were used. While detoxifying, the last thing you want to do is sweat out one toxin and inhale fumes of another! Heavenly Heat’s use of non-corrosive steel screws and thicker paneling assures that each sauna has the clean air that’s essential for detox as well as the strength needed to last for decades.