Cedar sauna or something else? The woods home saunas use, and what brands promise
Home saunas in our database fall into six wood groups: red cedar, eastern white cedar, cedar of an unnamed species, hemlock, thermally modified wood (thermowood), and, mostly in premium infrared cabins, basswood, eucalyptus, mahogany or spruce. Cedar is the classic for traditional and outdoor saunas; hemlock dominates mass-market infrared cabins.
I don't rank woods by durability: I have no independent source for that. What you can compare is what the brand promises on the wood, and that varies more than the species. One brand's "limited lifetime" covers the wood structure for 1 year; another covers the wood for 10.
What home saunas are made of
The split follows the type of sauna. Almost every outdoor cabin and barrel is cedar or thermowood. Mass-market infrared cabins (Dynamic, Maxxus, JNH, Medical Saunas) are Canadian hemlock; Sunlighten, Clearlight, Health Mate and Sun Home's Equinox use basswood, eucalyptus or mahogany instead.
Cedar: red vs white
Red cedar (18 models): Almost Heaven's indoor saunas and barrels, Finnmark's Trinity hybrids, Golden Designs' Copenhagen and Sundsvall, JNH's cedar versions of the Ensi and Tosi, and the interior of Sun Home's Luminar. Sun Home Luminar 5-Person Outdoor Full-Spectrum + Red Light Therapy Add-on, JNH Lifestyles Ensi 4-Person Red Cedar, JNH Lifestyles Tosi 2-Person Cedar, Golden Designs Nora 2 Person Hybrid, Almost Heaven Laurel 1 Person Infrared Sauna, Almost Heaven Madison 2-3 Person Indoor Sauna, Almost Heaven Rainelle 4 Person Indoor Sauna, Almost Heaven Bridgeport 6 Person Indoor Sauna, Golden Designs Copenhagen 3 Person, Golden Designs Sundsvall 2 Person, Finnmark Designs FD-4 Trinity Infrared & Steam Sauna Combo, Finnmark Designs FD-5 Trinity XL Infrared & Steam Sauna Combo, Almost Heaven Logan 1 Person Indoor Sauna, Almost Heaven Serena 3 Person Indoor Sauna, Almost Heaven Salem 2 Person Barrel Sauna, Almost Heaven Pinnacle 4 Person Barrel Sauna, Sun Home Luminar 5, Finnmark Designs Trinity FD-9 Outdoor Combination Sauna.
Eastern white cedar (6 models): every Dundalk LeisureCraft barrel and cabin here, sold as Grade A. Dundalk LeisureCraft Canadian Timber Granby Cabin Sauna CTC66W, Dundalk LeisureCraft Canadian Timber Harmony, Dundalk LeisureCraft Canadian Timber Serenity, Dundalk LeisureCraft Canadian Timber Tranquility, Dundalk LeisureCraft Canadian Timber Georgian Cabin, Dundalk LeisureCraft Canadian Timber Luna.
Brands that say only "cedar": Baltic Leisure 4 × 4 Silver Series Pre-cut Sauna Package, Finnleo Custom-Cut Sauna Package, Cedar Brook Sauna Modular (Pre-FAB) Sauna Kit / Sauna Materials Package, Sun Home Nova 6-Person Indoor Traditional Sauna, Almost Heaven Blackwater 4 Person Cube Sauna, Aleko Liatris Rustic Cedar Barrel Sauna with Front Porch Canopy, 5-6 Person. Which cedar lasts longer outdoors is a question I can't answer from a source, so I won't; the warranties below are the commitment you can hold a brand to.
Hemlock
40 models, nearly all infrared: Dynamic, Maxxus and Golden Designs' Reserve line ("natural reforested" Canadian hemlock), JNH's Joyous and Tosi, Heavenly Heat, Medical Saunas, and Sun Home's Eclipse and Pod. Three traditional saunas use it too: Finnleo's Vita, the Aleko STHE4INNY and Golden Designs' Arlberg cabin. Almost Heaven offers Hemfir as an alternative to red cedar.
Sun Home Eclipse 2-Person Red Light & Full-Spectrum Infrared Sauna, Sun Home Pod 1-Person Red Light & Infrared Sauna, Dynamic Saunas Barcelona 1–2 Person, Dynamic Saunas Gracia 1–2 Person, Dynamic Saunas San Marino 2 Person, Dynamic Saunas Cordoba 2 Person, Dynamic Saunas Santiago 2 Person Full Spectrum, Dynamic Saunas Lugano 3 Person Elite, Maxxus Seattle 2 Person, Maxxus Toulouse 2 Person, Maxxus 4 Person Hemlock, Golden Designs Reserve Edition 1 Person Full Spectrum, Golden Designs Reserve Edition 2 Person Full Spectrum, Golden Designs Reserve Edition 4 Person Full Spectrum, JNH Lifestyles Joyous 1-Person, JNH Lifestyles Joyous+ 2-Person, JNH Lifestyles Ensi+ 2-Person, JNH Lifestyles Tosi 1-Person Hemlock, JNH Lifestyles Arki Outdoor Duo, Medical Saunas Nature 4 Outdoor Infrared Sauna, Medical Saunas Nature 5 Outdoor Infrared Sauna, Medical Saunas Nature 6 Outdoor Infrared Sauna, Golden Designs Carinthia 3 Person Hybrid, Golden Designs Gargellen 5 Person Hybrid, Heavenly Heat 1-Person Far Infrared Sauna, Heavenly Heat 2-Person Far Infrared Sauna, Heavenly Heat 3-Person Far Infrared Sauna, Medical Saunas Medical 3, Medical Saunas Medical 4, Medical Saunas Medical 5, Finnleo Vita, Aleko STHE4INNY 4-Person Hemlock Indoor Sauna, Golden Designs Arlberg 3 Person Traditional Outdoor Sauna.
Recalled: 7 of these hemlock cabins, Finnleo S-Series S-810, Finnleo S-Series S-820, Finnleo S-Series S-830, Radiant Health Pause 1-Person, Radiant Health Pause 2-Person, Radiant Health Pause 2.5-Person, Radiant Health Pause 3-Person, are covered by CPSC recall 26-784 of September 17, 2026: the infrared panels "can short circuit, causing them to overheat, posing a risk of serious injury from fire and burn hazards" (CPSC notice).
Thermowood
Thermally modified spruce, pine, aspen or hemlock: wood heat-treated by the maker. 14 models, mostly outdoor: Redwood Outdoors' barrels and cabin, SaunaLife, Auroom, Aleko's Thermowood cabin, Dundalk's indoor Element saunas, the Heritage trailer and the Thermory kit. Thermory says its wood has "25 years of rot resistance backed by our warranty"; I couldn't find the warranty text itself. Dundalk LeisureCraft Element Nook 2 Person, Dundalk LeisureCraft Element Loft 3 Person, Thermory Small Square Sauna No. 45, SaunaLife Cube CL3G 2-Person Outdoor Sauna Kit, Auroom Cala Wood 2-Person Indoor Sauna Kit, Heritage Sauna Mobile Lux Halo Sauna Trailer 6-8-Person with HUUM Heater, SaunaLife Cube CL5G 4-Person Outdoor Cube Sauna, Auroom Arti Pre-Assembled 5-Person Sauna Cabin, Redwood Outdoors Barrel Outdoor Sauna - 6 Person, Redwood Outdoors Extra-Wide Outdoor Barrel Sauna - 6 Person, Redwood Outdoors Cabin Outdoor Sauna - 4 Person, SaunaLife Ergo Series Model E7, SaunaLife Garden Series Model G3, Aleko Thermowood Wet Dry Outdoor Sauna with Asphalt Roof, 6 kW, 5 Person.
The warranty on the wood is the number to compare
| Brand (example model) | Headline | Wood |
|---|---|---|
| Dynamic Saunas | Limited lifetime | 1 year on the wood structure |
| JNH Lifestyles | 1 year on electronics and heaters | 1 year limited on the wood structure |
| Health Mate | Lifetime on the heater core | 10 years on the wood |
| Golden Designs | Limited lifetime on the cabin | 5 years on the wood structure, "with care" |
| Heavenly Heat | 10 years, indoor | Covered as part of the cabin; first owner only |
| Clearlight | Lifetime, residential | Not split out |
| Finnmark Designs | 20 years on the sauna | Not split out |
| Almost Heaven | Limited lifetime | Not split out; ends with the first owner |
| Dundalk LeisureCraft | 5 years limited | Material and assembly defects |
| Redwood Outdoors | 1 year | Whole sauna |
| Thermory | Not found | Brand says "25 years of rot resistance" |
Read past the headline. Golden Designs, which makes Dynamic and Maxxus, sells its indoor infrared cabins with a "limited lifetime" warranty, but the wood structure is covered for 1 year, and installing the sauna outdoors voids it. Its outdoor Carinthia gets 5 years on the wood "with care". Of the brands in this table that give the wood its own term, Health Mate's is the longest, 10 years. Almost Heaven's lifetime coverage ends with the first owner, and Redwood Outdoors and Aleko cover the whole sauna for 1 year.
Knots, grades and "clear" cedar
Brands describe grade in their own words: "Clear A grade" Western red cedar (Finnmark), "Grade A clear select cedar" (Baltic Leisure's kits), "Grade A" Eastern white cedar (Dundalk), "clear vertical grain" hemlock (Finnleo's Vita), "straight grain clear cedar" (Cedar Brook). There's no shared standard behind these phrases in the brand pages I read, so ask for photos of the actual boards if knots bother you. If you're buying lumber to build your own, see our DIY sauna guide and pre-cut sauna kits.
Shopping by shape instead? Cedar models are on barrel saunas, outdoor saunas and dry saunas.
Questions people ask
Is cedar wood good for a sauna?
It's the most common choice for traditional and outdoor saunas in our database, used by Almost Heaven, Dundalk, Finnmark and Golden Designs. I don't have an independent source rating it against other woods; compare what each brand warrants.
What is the best wood for a sauna?
The one the brand stands behind longest. Health Mate covers its mahogany for 10 years; several hemlock cabins cover the wood for 1.
Which is better for a sauna, white or red cedar?
Brands split: Almost Heaven and Finnmark use red cedar, Dundalk uses eastern white cedar. Dundalk's 5-year warranty is longer than Redwood's 1 year on thermowood, but shorter than Finnmark's 10 or 20 years on red cedar cabins.
Where can I buy sauna-grade cedar?
Pre-cut kits ship it cut to size; see sauna kits. For lumber, ask a supplier for clear, kiln-dried tongue-and-groove and photos of the boards.
What is the healthiest type of sauna?
The most consistent evidence is for Finnish saunas at 80–100°C (Laukkanen and Kunutsor, 2024). Wood species hasn't been compared in studies. More on sauna benefits.