A sauna should be built to last decades. But when corners are cut, the results can be disappointing—and expensive.

Here’s what one customer had to say after buying what they thought was a good deal:

“It worked great through summer. Had it ‘professionally installed.’ Went on vacation for a month and came back to all broken straps and gaps everywhere from the wood swelling.”

At first glance, the sauna looked fine. But within months, the problems began. The wood swelled. Straps failed. Gaps opened. And suddenly, the sauna was unusable.

“Was told I needed to adjust straps regularly which I had zero idea of. Basically unusable at this point. Going to have to rip it apart in the spring and rebuild it properly myself.”

That’s the difference between real quality and imitation quality.

Why This Happens

Many low-cost saunas are marketed as being built with “thermo-wood.” But here’s the problem: unless the wood has been truly thermally modified—heated and stabilized at a molecular level—it will shrink, swell, and warp under the intense conditions of a sauna.

The customer’s experience above is a textbook example of what happens when the process is skipped or poorly done. The wood reacts to humidity and heat. Panels shift. Straps break. And what was supposed to be a retreat becomes a project.

What Quality Really Looks Like

A sauna built with authentic thermally modified wood doesn’t require “rebuilding” after a season. It doesn’t swell, split, or demand constant strap adjustments. It simply works—for decades.

That’s why we took the time to visit dozens of manufacturers before choosing our partners. Only those who produce genuine, certified, properly treated wood make the cut. Because our saunas aren’t designed for one summer. They’re designed for life.

Invest Once, Enjoy Forever

A sauna is an investment in your health, your home, and your lifestyle. With the wrong sauna, you end up saying things like:

“Basically unusable at this point.”

With the right sauna, you’ll enjoy decades of use, without the stress of rebuilding or replacing.

The truth is simple: you get what you pay for. And with saunas, the difference between the right wood and the wrong wood is the difference between daily restoration and daily frustration.