Buyer Beware!

There are basically two types of infrared saunas on the market today: those made in the USA/Canada and those made in Asia. Most people are unaware that 95% of all infrared saunas for sale in the U.S. are made in one of a small number Chinese factories and imported to the U.S.     Websites selling these imported saunas do not identify specifically where the saunas are built. The sales company may be domestic, but do not be fooled where the saunas are built. If you are unsure, just be direct. Just ask, plain and simple, "are your saunas built in the U.S., Canada or Asia."

Once I asked a FIR sales person where his saunas were built. He promply replied that the wood is quality CANADIAN cedar and that they had the highest quality manufacturing facility. The saleperson danced around the issue. So I had to ask him bluntly," are your units made in China?" He said yes. His company ships wood from Canada to China. Then ships the saunas back to the US! Yet they market themselves as "Green." How is it green to use so much fuel in shipping?

For the sauna buyer, the imported saunas offer one major advantage: price. They are consistently cheaper to buy. In fact, they are much cheaper due to cheaper labor and materials. If you are attracted to the price of these units, I offer this simple advice: Caveat Emptor or Buyer Beware. Here's why:

Some Chinese companies have a poor track record in goods when they try to make the least expensive products possible. Most Chinese goods are high quality. But, when the companies aim for rock bottom prices, they cut corners in a big way and there is little oversight. I strongly suggest you don't trust your health to the lowest price.

 
When it comes to infrared saunas, cheap products may have the following consequences:

1. They may be built with toxic materials that offgass chemicals when heated
2. They may contain the poorest quality heaters that produce very low total amounts of far infrared,  even though the far infrared they do produce is in the target range.
3. They may emit very high EMF radiation (most do, in fact).
4. They company has little, if any, accountability for problems.
5. Saunas often have heaters at head level. In general, it is not recommended to directly heat your head in an infrared sauna.

If you are unconvinced, here is a sampling of some recent problems that occured in Chinese products that were made too cheaply:

-Melamine laden pet food that killed cats and dogs
-Melamine laden infant formula that poisoned babies
-Toothpaste containing diethylene glycol (anti-freeze)
-Ceramic space heaters that catch fire (1.2 million units recalled june 2007)
-Lead paint in children's toys
-Cadmium in girls jewelry (causes cancer)
-Tires that lacked a common gum strip to prevent blowouts
-Drywall contaminated with chemicals linked to respiratory system irritation, dizziness, headaches, fatigue, irritated eyes, coronary heart disease, coma, convulsions, and liver damage.
-Far Infrared Sauna heaters recalled for catching fire (2006)
-Dried apples preserved with a cancer-causing chemical.
-Frozen catfish laden with banned antibiotics.
-Scallops and sardines coated with putrefying bacteria.
-Mushrooms laced with illegal pesticides.

In the case of the recalled far infrared sauna heaters the problem was using a guage of wire that was too small. This allowed for overheating and caused fire. The sad thing is that a heavier guage wire only adds a few dollars to the total cost of the unit.

Infrared saunas are a health tool and are used by many people with serious health conditions. In my opinion, it is unwise to place your health in the hands of a manufacturer determined to make the cheapest product possible.

Here are some links to infrared saunas made in the U.S.A. and you can see the difference in price. However, what you get is a very high quality and some accountability. As for me, I make my saunas personally so I know exactly what goes into them. The wood is all sustainably harvested and the construction is done completely in Vermont.

TheraSauna: http://www.therasaunaclassic.com/twoPerson.php
Cedrus Sauna: http://www.nusauna.com/index.php
SaunaFin (Made in Canada): http://www.saunafin.com/index.html
SaunaRay (made in Canada): http://www.saunaray.com

In the end, the choice is yours but I strongly advise against buying the cheapest far infrared saunas on the market. If price is an issue, check out our eco-sauna. It's not fancy at all. But it workes incredibly well, is made of non-toxic materials, has no EMF and is very safe to use.