The Home Sauna Industry

The Home Sauna Industry

For some people saunas are luxury items, for others, they are an absolute necessity. They are similar to hot tubs in price and fall in the affordable category of items starting from around $2,500.

So why are hot tubs a staple of retail stores across the country while saunas are barely a blip on the radar screen? Is the retail sector sitting on a gold mine, or does the home sauna only have limited appeal? It's a question more and more retailers are starting to ask.  It may be a question even more of them should be asking.

Mike Nail, senior service technician at AAA Steam and Sauna in Thornton, Colo. States that saunas earn you great money just likebarbecues and fireplaces. You may not get rich that way, but you can sure make extra money.

Americans are really starting to adopt the take-charge-of-your-well-being philosophy. They are looking for ways to improve their quality of life, and the in home sauna can provide it.

Here are just a few health benefits that a sauna is thought to provide:

• Relief from mental fatigue, tension, stress
• Reduction of pain from several ailments such as arthritis
• Relief from allergies and sinus congestion
• The equivalent of a cardiovascular workout that increases the metabolic
  rate and improves circulation, burning 300 to 600 calories per session
• Clears the complexion
• Reduction of bodily toxins, which are sweated out during the sauna session

Sauna customers are increasing day after day. This is a clear fact that Johnny Keinanen, owner of Springs Sauna Co. in Colorado Springs, Colorado, has stated. He said that annual sauna sales are increasing about 20 percent a year.  Although they're a different animal than hot tubs, saunas make a natural addition to pool and spa retail stores.

"It's a very good marriage," Kessler says. "Demographically speaking, some people really love the hot water in a spa; others love the moist heat in a sauna. Some customers love both." She agrees that sales are up about 20 percent over last year.

Rob Anderson, the owner of Poolside Inc. in Little Canada, just north of St. Paul, Minnesota States that a sauna is an item that he can provide for customers and it takes the same or less space than the hot tub. Saunas provide year-round sales and it's been a rapidly increasing business, although -for him- last year wasn't quite as good. Overall, however, It's a low-cost investment and without a lot of competition.

Keinanen knows well the benefits of the sauna and says, "My father was born in a sauna, and I know the benefits. I take a lot of pride in this". When he started selling saunas, he took a look at his competitors and decided to go on the opposite direction as he found that they displayed it improperly. Most sauna sellers display it in the corner or just put it in the back of their stores.

Those who want to sell saunas among a list of their merchandise have to show it properly and in a separate place from hot tubs. "Sauna and hot tub people are not the same. They occupy two different worlds," says Tim Jahnigen, head of sales at Sauna Works in Emeryville, Calif. "Saunas need to be thoughtfully separated from the rest of the merchandise."

He gave an example of how displaying the sauna separately benefits the business. One day, he recommended giving the saunas their own separate booth at a trade show. To his astonishment, he sold 10 in only one weekend while he sold only one the previous week.

Knowledge is just as important as presentation to sauna selling. You have to know all about what you are selling to be ready to answer any of the customers’ questions. This helps them a lot in deciding what they really need. Hence you must make sure of having the well-educated sales staff that is committed to the product and its benefits so they can demonstrate the sauna properly.  That means researching the product enough to answer customer questions and making sure your staff can do the same. "Just know what you're talking about. When customers ask, you'd better have the answers," says Jack Cosgriff, sales manager at Pool Tech Inc. in Nassau, N.Y.

Anderson stated that if a person wants to be something different and unique among his competitors then one must be an expert in what he does. You can sell almost anything by following a simple rule: Be the person who knows what he's talking about.

After sale service is also very important. Ruth Saaristo-Barbier- owner of Saunaland in Fort Collins, Colo. – says "Give them the best service and knowledge, after the sale. Send a note with a gift and make it personal. Heck, I still get holiday greetings from customers from four years ago”.

The concept of sauna was conceived thousands of years ago so sometimes there is not much to say or do and in this case it is better that you just get out of the picture and let the sauna speak for itself.

The use of the infrared sauna seems to split sauna users right down the middle.  Many traditional sauna owners eschew infrared, which inspires its own fan club. Traditional saunas, as we've discussed, involve poured water to heat the room and air, making you sweat.

Sometimes people confuse infrared with ultraviolet light that causes sunburn and skin damage. Infrared light heats the object (the body in this case) from inside out and has nothing to do with the surrounding air. Manufacturers say that using lower and more comfortable temperature helps body to get rid of impurities and toxins. Infrared heat is used to warm newborn babies. Also via heat lamps, infrared has a great effect in relieving pain and treating muscles and joints. Infrared has made an impact on people who simply enjoy its benefits.

Tim Jahnigen, a Swede who also spent time in Norway, heads sales at Sauna Works in Emeryville, Calif., where infrared is the only type of sauna sold.

He summed up infrared's benefits by saying it uses 90 percent less energy, heats in 10 minutes vs. 45 to an hour. Just 10 minutes and it is installed with no tools, plugs into a 110-voltage outlet, and fits today's mobile, flexible lifestyle." People with diabetes, hypertension, metal implants or varicose veins cannot use the traditional sauna, so in these cases infrared sauna is a good alternative. Temperatures in an infrared sauna ranges between 100 and 135 degrees farenheit.

We know sauna from Finnish history, and it is no wonder sauna is the only Finnish word in the English dictionary.  Whereas business deals are made here on the golf course, in Finland, power brokers gather in the sauna, to match minds in a soothing state of relaxation.

Saunas were probably known well in the United States in the 1600s, and you can find descriptions of sauna in the Finnish history dated back to 1112.

In a sauna, both dry and damp air exists, this enables the body to expel the toxins and skin pores to be opened. The heat reaches up to almost 200 degrees fahrenheit and low humidity of about 25 percent. These numbers are of course approximate.

Proponents state that the body's natural painkillers, called beta-endorphins and norepinephrines, are released during the sauna, making you feel good.

A properly insulated room lined with clear softwood combined with a good heater that warms stones, form a true traditional sauna room. Softwood can be a Western red cedar, Siberian pine, redwood, aspen or Western hemlock. Water is poured on the heated rocks to create steam and regulate the sauna's temperature.