This sauna is fantastic! Perhaps that is all you need to know. But for those who want to know more, here you go:
I began my sauna-seeking journey by seeing a $600 sauna in a local sports store. That seemed too good to be true! I nearly purchased that sauna. But I did research first. I learned why that one was $600. It was made of pine, had only 4 heaters, was a 1-2 person sauna, had high EMF, previous buyers consistently wrote that the sauna could not hold a temperature, etc....there were issues. But my interest had been piqued. I needed a home sauna.
I learned that 1-2 person saunas are tiny. Too small for me. I want to be able to lie down. I also wanted someone to be able to join me at times. Thus, I began seeking a 3-4 person sauna. Please note, 3-4 people means 3-4 children in my experience. I am a 205lb, 6'2" individual. Fitting two of me in this sauna is possible. Adding a third would be awkward.
I wanted Canadian Red Cedar. Yes, it costs more. But it is worth it. The quality, smell, ability to hold a temperature, not dent when moving pieces, etc. make the Canadian Red Cedar the wisest choice. Just google it - every single article will lead you toward Canadian Red Cedar.
This sauna is less than competition in the 3-4 person 10-heater sauna. I don't really know why. This is a high quality sauna that works extremely well.
It took four of us 40 minutes to set this up. That includes opening the boxes from scratch. If you have two people doing it, it still is easy. Do not waste money hiring someone. Putting this together was so simple. The boxes are enormous though. Do realize the heft and size; you will need a couple larger people to put this together. Don't expect to have your 12 year-old function effectively to assist you in putting this large product together.
I can say this sauna has been set up for one month now and it is going strong! It holds the temperature well but not perfectly. I set it for 140F. It never drops below 136F. It rarely drops below 138F. I feel that 2-4 degrees it acceptable.
So what are the issues that moved this from a five to a four star rating? There are two primary issues: 1) There were two dents when I took it out of the box. I was able to hide each from view on the back side of the item. It is not worth returning, but it should be noted. Nearly all saunas delivered have come with chipped wood; 2) The music does not work. It comes with a super cheap set-up for music. I am tech savvy - it doesn't work. Mine is broken. This day and age who really needs a CD player though? I have a wireless bluetooth speaker and my ipad. I am fine without the low quality speakers and CD player.
Finally, a piece of advice. I do recommend you purchase this. It was a wise purpose. One of the best decisions I made was not installing the magazine rack, cup holders, back rests, ozone machine, or towel holder until I had used it for one week. I was timid to place holes on the inside of the sauna. I did not know precisely how I would like to sit, keep the towel, etc. So for one week I did not install the 'extras' I listed above. After one week, I knew where I wanted everything. I then installed them. I would NOT have placed anything where it currently is located before using it for one week. So just put that off. And oh yeah, do not place the scent into the ionizer and then install it inside the sauna. They made a mistake when designing this thing. You need to take the screws out to change the scent. The scent needs to be changed every few months. That means you are constantly screwing/unscrewing the ionizer from inside the sauna. What a horrible idea! So install the ionizer without a scent. If you are desperate for a scent then you'll need to purchase something else.