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Which Wood?

What type of wood for my sauna, and why?

Usually the choice of wood used in the construction of a sauna is determined by personal tastes, but sometimes a person may have an allergy to the usual wood most sauna owners use, cedar, due to the aromatic natural chemicals that permeate the atmosphere inside a cedar sauna room.  There are however alternatives for people that have multiple chemical sensitivity, or MCS, which does affect a very small portion of the population, and cedar wood does contain natural oils which may cause some people diagnosed with MCS to have a reaction.  In these cases, Poplar or other "white woods" are the route to go.  Poplar construction is a bit more expensive, but a necessity for those sensitive to the natural aromatic oils found in cedar wood.

Western red cedar is known for its natural preservative properties, and therefore perfect for use in sauna construction.  It has a high impermeability to liquids and high temperature vapor, and contains many natural phenol preservatives.  It is a good match especially for a traditional steam sauna where the humidity can be very high.  The composition of cedar consists of millions of air-filled cells, which facilitates a high degree of insulation.  The natural oils found in cedar also make it decay resistant and give it the rich colorful hues that are unique to cedar.

Cedar wood is very easy to maintain in terms of keeping it clean.  Any stains or hard water accumulation are easily cleaned with mild detergents, and it retains it's natural oils even if it one day becomes necessary for you to sand and refinish it. Its colors are absolutely gorgeous ranging from organic honey colors, golden ambers, rich autumn browns and beautiful red cinnamons that add to the ambient effect of the overall sauna experience.  Cedar also lasts longer than any other type of wood when utilized in a sauna because of it's incredible ability to resist splitting from the expansion and contraction of wood being heated and cooled repeatedly over the years due to it's natural thermal insulation.

If you are part of the 4% of the population diagnosed with MCS and are seeking therapy, relaxation, or both from your new traditional or infrared sauna, consider a Poplar wood constructed sauna which is used specifically for people with allergies or chemical sensitivities that can be a problem around aromatic cedar wood oil.  It's a beautiful species of tree, and looks great when built into a sauna, and with poplar wood, you know your allergies or sensitivities to certain chemicals are not going to be affected with this kind of wood.

Most sauna manufacturers only go with cedar, but many are starting to provide poplar and other white woods as an option as the sauna industry becomes more health related, focusing on selling their products on the basis of the therapeutic health benefits, just now coming to light in 21st century western medicine. They've done the research so you don't have to, and if you're considering building your own sauna, these are the types of woods you should be looking at before you start buying and cutting.