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Since 2019, we learned a lot about what our customers want from their saunas. We received a lot of customization requests to the existing sauna configurations, most of which we've been able to deliver with Dundalk Leisurecraft saunas. With all this new information, it was time to update the buyers guide to 2023. Please enjoy!
In this guide we cover everything you need to know:
Part 1: Common choices with all Dundalk saunas explained
1.2. Knotty and Clear cedar differences
1.3. Heater selections: electric, and inside / outside feed wood burners
1.4. Changeroom and porch options
1.5. Bench choices and interior upgrades
1.6. Different door options: more light or increased privacy
Part 2: The specifics of each sauna
2.1. Ready configured packages vs. fully customizable options
There are some new sauna models coming that are not yet in this guide. If you'd like to keep up with the news, please subscribe to our email list!
Dundalk Leisure Craft has a wide variety of different types of saunas, so which one is right for you? I will do my best at answering that with this blog post. First we will discuss the general choices you have with almost every Dundalk sauna on our site:
Knowing the answers to these questions will help you make the right buying decision, as we're diving deeper into the individual sauna details later in this buyer's guide. Let's start with the most important question, sizing the sauna!
First question: how many people will be using the sauna at one time? This is something that people sometimes over-estimate. Even if you have a large family, all of you are probably not going to be using the sauna at the same time. Especially if your kids are not small anymore, they will probably go on their own turn.
Same thing if you often have a bunch of friends visiting, often the men and women like to go on separate turns. Most often, the saunas are used by two people at a time. If you think you need an 8 person sauna, this is something to consider.
Then again, even if you're just looking for a sauna just for your own use, a smallest possible sauna is not the best choice either. Traditional saunas benefit from having some extra space, as the steam from the rocks has more space to disperse. If I was buying a sauna just for myself, I might still consider a 3-4 person sauna.
I wouldn't want to oversize either, because larger saunas takes a while longer to heat up, and of course the amount of electricity/firewood needed grows. These are not huge differences, just something to keep in mind. There are situations where a large sauna can be really nice, so if you're unsure, give us a call at (888) 554-4332 and let's talk!
Of course, the other consideration with the sauna room size is if it will actually fit where you want it to go. Obviously this is more important in the indoor saunas, and even with outdoor saunas, this is something to keep in mind. Another thing to think about is that you want some room right outside the sauna, to have some breathing space between sauna sessions. If you have limited space for the sauna, consider leaving some space free.
Sometimes it's good to have a large sauna!
All of the Dundalk saunas are made of red cedar. It is in many ways a perfect wood type for a sauna, as it is weather-resistant, has good insulation capabilities and a pleasant smell. When used inside the sauna for benches, it doesn't get hot. Finally, it doesn't absorb much water, increasing the longevity of the sauna even if water gets splashed around.
Knotty wood sides with clear wood front wall
Sorry, peeping toms! Dundalk saunas don't have knot holes...
There are generally two types of wood products: knotty and clear. Knotty wood shows the branches that have grown out of that part of the tree. Clear wood is selected from the parts of the tree where there were no branches. Because trees tend to have a lot of branches, more knotty wood comes from one individual tree than clear wood. That's why knotty wood gets priced lower than clear wood.
You may also have heard that knotty wood might be not as structurally sound as clear wood. If you go shopping for raw lumber, this is generally true. With certain other types of knotty wood the knots may sometimes even pop out of the wood. Having holes in the walls or roof wouldn't be good for your sauna, so Dundalk has made sure it doesn't happen.
With Dundalk saunas, they use carefully selected knotty wood called "select tight knot red cedar", meaning that the knots are an integral part of the wood. The parts of the tree used in your sauna have grown around living branches, making the knotty wood just as durable as clear wood.
That makes the selection of knotty vs. clear just a question of aesthetics. Knotty red cedar is a great wood choice. If you have the budget for clear red cedar and like the clean and smooth look, go for it!
The selection between wood-burning heater and electrical heater comes down to what you can use. When possible, our recommendation is to select a wood-burning heater. For some reason, the heat from the wood burning heaters feels smoother. Then again, there are many situations where the wood heating is just not practical or even possible (city regulations may prevent it). Electric heaters are the most popular choice in Finnish saunas for a reason.
Our founder growing up in Finland, spent lot more time in electrically heated saunas than wood-heated ones. Electric heaters are just very practical, especially in cities. You don't need to worry about sizing the electrical heater, as we've taken care of the selections for you. If in doubt, you can always contact us by chat, email or phone (888) 554-4332.
Choose a wood-burning heater if possible, if not, electric is great as well!
Changeroom and porch can make your sauna much more useful
Changeroom and porch can really add to the usefulness of your sauna. In Finland the saunas almost always have some kind of a changeroom, and there's a reason for that. With outdoor saunas, especially if the sauna is far away from other buildings, how far do you want to walk dressed in a towel? With the mosquitoes in the summer, rain in the fall, and snow in the winter? It's just much easier if you can change clothes at the sauna!
Speaking of winter - the changeroom can increase the usability in another way. When taking a sauna, you probably want to have a few breaks within the sauna session. Consider if it gets really cold outside... you might not want to take the breaks outside, but there wouldn't be an issue sitting in the changeroom. You can have total control over the temperature by opening the changeroom and sauna doors, giving you a perfect temperature room at any weather!
The nice temperature in the changing room can be enjoyed even more by adding windows so you can see outside. Depending on the sauna and heater type, you can have different windows in the front wall, changeroom wall and the back wall.
Porch depends on the other surroundings of the sauna. With the porch, you don't need to build a lot of outdoor seating area around the sauna, and can just enjoy the outdoors on the porch. It is great for relaxing between and after the sauna session. The porch crowns the facade of the sauna, and protects the entrance from the elements.
With many sauna types, you can choose between 1 and 2 tier benches. If possible, go for the 2-tier. It gives you more options with the seating, and improves the enjoyment of heat. As heat rises upwards, it is hotter at the top bench, while the lower bench stays at milder temperatures. It is especially recommended if you have small kids. You can enjoy the heat as you like, and your kids can take it easy on the lower bench.
2-tier benches are always an excellent choice
Lounge benches let you enjoy the sauna exactly as you like
Signature seating is available in Barrel, Panoramic and Pod saunas (with Luna, the standard benches are almost the same as signature benches). Signature seating is a more premium choice than standard benches, as it has rounded edges, and cedar walls between the bench and floor. It gives the saunas a smoother, finished look. With Barrel and Panoramic saunas, the Signature seating includes the flat floor upgrade.
Lounge seating is a really special upgrade, and highly recommended. It allows you to set the angles of the back- and feet-rests, so you can really relax and enjoy the sauna in the way you like best! Lounge benches are available with 7 and 8 feet long Luna, Barrel and Panoramic saunas. Like the Signature upgrade, it includes the flat floor upgrade in the Barrel and Panoramic sauna rooms.
You can also select the signature bench just on one side, and have the other bench as normal. This can be especially useful in the Luna sauna, as you can have the other side as 2-tier bench, and upgrade the other to Lounge model. That way you can really get the best of both!
You can choose between 3 different door types: the default option in all saunas is the wood-framed glass door. It is a great option as it allows in a lot of light to the sauna. If you'd like more privacy, you can choose a door with a smaller round window. For full privacy, you also have the choice of solid wood door.
To keep your sauna entrance well lit, you also have an option of adding a solar light. This is especially useful lighting option in wood heated, off-grid saunas without electricity!
Hopefully by now you have a good understanding of the Dundalk sauna basics! Next we will be diving deeper into the individual sauna details.
Doors come either with a small window, wood-framed glass or solid wood
Previously in this guide, we went through the general choices with most Dundalk Leisure Craft indoor and outdoor saunas. Now, we will discuss how we've simplified your choices of selecting these saunas, and the biggest differences between each sauna. Finally, we're going to see how you can have a full spa experience in addition to just having the sauna, even completely off-grid!
With all of these saunas, it is important to note that all of them work very well as saunas. The choices come down to functional things like size and shape, and aesthetic considerations, like how the sauna looks like on the outside. As these saunas are always custom made to order at the factory, there are a lot of different options with each of them.
For saunas that have the most customization choice, we've simplified things for you and created 3 ready-configured packages. That way you don't need to overwhelm yourself with all the different options. You can either buy the ready packages as they are, or use them as ideas for configuring your own sauna with the fully customizable options.
Even with the fully customizable versions, the options are presented so that the selections guide you. On some of our competitor sites, you are just presented with all of the "raw" choice. The problem with that is that many of those choices are incompatible with each other. You may be left scratching your head, trying to figure out what you can really choose.
With our customizable products, the choices are made in a logical way, and the "impossible" selections (based on the selections you've already made) are not even shown to you! In cases where it makes sense to present you with options that might not be compatible, we clearly tell you which selections you can make. If you'd like to discuss the options with a real person, you can give us a call at (888) 554-4332 anytime between Mon-Fri 9-7 CST!
Now let's dive deeper into the actual saunas, to see which one is the right one for you. We'll start with the re-released 2023 design, a sauna that may give your health a significant boost...
The hot yoga training sauna can provide incredible health benefits!
The Hot Yoga Training Sauna is a great new option for serious yogis and athletes! After months of not being availabel it is finally back. It is a modified variation of the Outdoor Cabin sauna, and works great for increasing your flexibility and athletic capability. It comes with foldup benches, giving you maximum space for doing different yoga poses, or just working out with added heat.
And of course, in addition to being a great boost to your training, you can use the Yoga Sauna as a regular sauna, providing you with great exercise and relaxation options.
The Yoga Sauna starts at $9,057.00! Supercharge your health and buy the Yoga Sauna here!
The Pod sauna has a beatiful raindrop shape, combining looks with functionality (plenty of headspace and a 2-tier bench option). These saunas come 8' wide, with lengths of 6, 7 and 8 feet. We also have available the Mini Pod sauna, a smaller square shape of 7x7 feet and a bit less choices. With the full size Pod saunas, you can customize almost everything.
Our recommendation for most people comes with knotty wood walls and roof, wood-burning heater, 8x7 sauna room and changeroom (included in the Smart package). The full customization options for Pod sauna are sauna room size, wall & roof wood types, heater, porch/changeroom, windows in back/middle/front, benches, and your choice of accessories.
In short: choose the Pod sauna if you want to combine functionality with a unique look.
Full Pod saunas, heater included, start at $13,28.00!Buy your Pod sauna here!
POD sauna combines functionality and looks.
Luna sauna has large windows and works great in places with a view.
Another uniquely shaped sauna is the Luna, with square shape and rounded corners. One of the main feature of Luna are the very large front windows, making this a great choice in places with a view. To maintain the view, Luna doesn't come with the changeroom option, although you can select a porch.
The Luna room size options are 8x6, 8x7 and 8x8 feet. With Luna, you can also choose the Lounge seating upgrade, a really nice addition to any sauna. 2-tier benches are also a great alternative. The full customization options for Luna sauna are sauna room size, wall wood type, heater, porch, benches, and your choice of accessories.
A special request option for the Luna is solid walls instead of large windows. Some of our customers have really liked the beautiful outside shape of Luna, combined with the functional design indoors. Still, they've requested a more private configuration, and we've delivered: the Luna is available with solid wood front wall. Combined with the more private door options, this can be a great choice in certain environments!
In short: choose Luna if you are placing it somewhere with a view, or if you just want a beautiful and very functional sauna!
Full Luna saunas, heater included, start at $10,162.00! Buy your Luna sauna here!
The barrel saunas have a couple of distinct advantages: as they are fully round, there is less interior space to heat up. This shortens the time it takes to fully heat the sauna. Another big benefit is easy transportability: unlike the usual "building-like saunas", the barrel saunas can be easily picked up by a crane and moved, even when fully assembled. If you're not sure how long you're going to stay in your current home, this can be a big advantage.
For the options, the barrel saunas probably have the most choice. Our usual recommendation is the knotty wood 7x7 feet barrel sauna room with wood burning heater, changeroom, flat floor and extra rubber roof and a cove (the Smart package). If you'd like to customize it, your full options are the barrel wood type, diameter and length, heater, changeroom & porch, extra roof, cove, interior upgrade (benches/floor), windows in front/middle/back, and your choice of accessories.
A recommend option no matter the size is the cedar bevel siding roof! It provides added insulation and weather protection and looks great. It includes a full circular trim on front and back sides of the sauna.
In short: if you're planning to move to a new house in the future, Barrel sauna is a safe choice.
Full Barrel saunas, heater included, start at 6,114.00! Buy your Barrel sauna here!
Dundalk barrel sauna looks great, works great and is easy to move!
Panoramic barrel sauna is a premium choice for places with views.
The Panoramic Barrel sauna is one of the most premium choices of Dundalk saunas. They are a variation / upgrade on the barrel sauna. Instead of wooden back wall, the whole "wall" is a window. This combines the benefits of the barrel sauna with allowing for views like the Luna.
The only restriction that comes with the wall is that the outside feed wood burning heater is not available with this sauna. That's not an issue though, as you can still heat the sauna with wood with the Harvia inside feed heater. For the choices, you have the sauna room diameter / length, porch / changeroom, extra roof, overhang, interior upgrades, windows in front/middle, and your choice of accessories.
In short: choose the Panoramic sauna if you have a view or might need to move the sauna in the future.
Full Panoramic saunas, heater included, start at $10,258.00! Buy your Panoramic barrel sauna here!
Cabin saunas work great as indoor or outdoor saunas.
The Cabin saunas get you a great looking simple sauna for a relatively affordable price. These cabins come in indoor and outdoor versions. If you only need a sauna for inside you home, you can save some money as you don't need the weather-proof roof. With the indoor saunas, there are 8 sizes to choose from, and they all come with electric heaters. For outdoor saunas, there are 7 sizes to choose from, with the 3 largest ones having the option of wood-burning heater. Both the indoor and outdoor cabin saunas fit 1-6 people. Smallest saunas come with 1-tier benches, while the medium and large sizes have the choice of 2-tier benches.
In short: choose the Cabin sauna for indoor use, or if you want a traditional solution for an outdoor sauna.
Full Indoor Cabin saunas, heater included, start at $9,560.00! Buy your Indoor Cabin sauna here!
The outdoor sauna prices start from $10,621! Buy your Outdoor Cabin sauna here!
The cedar hot tubs can really complement your sauna. It's like having a full spa experience even at an off-grid cabin!
If you're interested in heat therapy, other use for a tub would be to use it as a cold water plunge. This is very popular in Finland, where people swim in icy lakes between sauna sessions. I haven't tried it myself yet, but everyone who has says that it makes you extremely relaxed afterwards. There is a lot of new scientific evidence coming out about the benefits of hot AND cold therapy, so it's definitely worth considering. Just for the cold plunges, my recommendation is the smallest hot tub purchased with or without a heater. As you're not going to be spending a lot of time in the tub, it doesn't have to be large or fit many people.
The round hot tubs start at $6,057.00! Buy your round cedar hot tub here!
Dundalk red cedar hot tub is a great addition to your sauna.
Dundalk red cedar shower lets you shower while enjoying the outdoors.
The outdoor shower is a useful addition, even if you buy the tub. You should always have a quick rinse before going to the sauna or to the tub, so this outdoor shower will serve you well. It can be hooked up to both cold and hot water like any normal shower. WIth cold it can become another option for cold therapy. You can get an outdoor shower starting at $967.00!
Hopefully this guide has been helpful! It is hard to go through all the details in a blog post, so if you have any questions, please contact us by chat, email or by phone (888) 554-4332! Or just dive right into the products and buy a great Dundalk Leisure Craft sauna or hot tub online from us at Divine Saunas!
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Infrared saunas offer a range of unique and therapeutic benefits, from improved circulation and pain relief to detoxification and relaxation. With so many options on the market, choosing the right infrared sauna for your home can be a daunting task.
In this guide, we’ll explore the different factors to consider when buying an infrared sauna.
With so many options available on the market, it can be challenging to choose the best infrared sauna for your needs.
Whether you're looking for a basic model or a luxury sauna with advanced features, this guide will help you make an informed decision and find the perfect infrared sauna for your home.
