"There are NO Toxic Glues, Resins, Veneers, or Plywood or MDF used in the construction of iHealth Saunas. IHealth Saunas are manufacturing primary for commercial use. iHealth Saunas are manufactured from Hemlock Spruce which is sourced from Canada. Hemlock is used because unlike cedar, it is a wood that has no toxins and almost no odour. iHealth Saunas have a bio lacquer/satin finish on the outside of the sauna. No maintenance is required because infrared saunas are self sanitizing."
We are the only sauna manufacturer that kiln dries our wood for 45 days to 92% dryness. It is very important that the wood is cured properly to prevent any splitting or cracking in the future. It also kills everything in the wood so that fumigation is not necessary.
We do not use Cedar because we build these saunas for health purposes and Cedar is
not a suitable wood for that application. We have sold these saunas to people with severe
chemical sensitivity and they had not experienced any adverse effects.
Don't all sauna manufacturers kiln dry their wood?
No. Only the better quality saunas. The cheaper saunas manufacturers cannot afford to kiln dry their wood because it costs a lot of money to do that. So they air dry the wood usually for about 30 days. They do this by stacking the wood on racks with spaces between each slab. However, it is very humid in China, so the wood never really dries properly. This is why most manufacturers that do this only warranty their saunas for 1 year. Once the wood dries out, it can warp and crack very easily. Some manufactures say they kiln dry their wood, but they only do so for 7 to 10 days. That is not near enough to cure it properly. It must be kiln dried for at least 45 days. Roofs and wall boards can shrink leaving gaps once the wood dries out. This is why it is important to kiln dry the wood properly
Each piece of Canadian Hemlock Spruce has been carefully selected, and then kiln dried to achieve a timber quality that offers stability and reduces the variables of the timber. All timber will swell and shrink to some degree, but by following our processing method, we are able to limit the potential for timber faults.
The next step is the inspection process. To gain the maximum strength from the Hemlock Spruce, only the timbers with certain grain directions are selection. The timber is then milled with a unique profile for quality fit and finish of the tongue & groove joints. It is at this point that we incorporate another key feature, smaller profile boards with miniature expansion channels in the back of each board. This design allows the timber to swell and shrink at normal rates without placing undue strain on the tongue and groove joints. The end result is less bowing, cupping, warping and joint displacement.
Another key feature is the frame. Industry standards means the typical sauna construction uses single lengths of timber for the frame, which generally bow and flex, placing a huge amount of pressure on all of the panels. To compound this, the tongue and groove panelling is generally glued to the frame and secured by one or two nails to the top and bottom of the frame. Each iHealth Saunas has a solid full frame built from Canadian Hemlock Spruce in a laminated method. The iHealth Saunas method means that the frame is less susceptible to bending and flexing, and the panelling is glued and pinned in multiple places, giving maximum strength to the cabinet
Most quality sauna manufacturers use wood that is 7 - 8 mm thick. Low end saunas (cheap saunas) use very thin wood which can twist and warp after their one year warranty is over.
