One of the top and trusted far infrared ray (FIR) sauna producers in U.S. is Sauna Works that produces the Clearlight Infrared range of FIR sauna. This article is a review of the Clearlight Infrared 4 person sauna.
Why Buy Sauna Works Clearlight Saunas
Craftmanship
Sauna Works is located at 2 Henry Adams St Ste M18, San Francisco, CA 94103. Sauna Works is a wellness company with over 14 years of experience in the infrared sauna business.
The first consideration that many people gave to Sauna Works Clearlight 4 person saunas is its professional craftsmanship. In fact, Clearlight 4 person saunas look great. The 4 person sauna from Sauna Works are made in the U.S. from the finest cedar wood. Hence the 4 person Clearlight Infrared sauna is not only a functional sauna room, but it is by itself a quality furniture that enhances the look of any room.
The Clearlight FIR 4 Person Saunas are made from Grade ‘A’ Western Red Canadian Cedar. All the panels are color matched and hand sanded to give smooth surface. Even the door handles and interior moldings are hand carved.
Safety Standards
Needless to say, the Clearlight Infrared 4 Person Saunas from Sauna Works were designed with your health and well-being as the top priority. All materials used in the Clearlight saunas are non toxic and is certified to meet or exceed all product safety standards.
All Clearlight Saunas product range including the 4 Person Sauna is certified to ETL and ETL-C, the safety standards for United States and Canada. Electrical Testing Laboratories (ETL) has certified products for more than 100 years and is one of the oldest product safety testing laboratories in the world. Certification by ETL and ETL-C assures you that all Clearlight Sauna models have been tested to meet both US and Canadian safety and performance standards.
In addition to the ETL and ETL-C safety standard certification, Clearlight 4 Person Saunas and their other sauna range are also CE Safety Certified, which is the safety standards for the European Union. The CE Mark is a requirement for products sold in European. The CE Mark identifies a product as complying with the health and safety requirements spelled out in European legislation and is mandatory for equipment operating in the European Union (EU).
The followings are just some of the quality features of the Clearlight 4 Person Sauna:
• Tounge and Groove Cedar inside and out
• Water-based, non-toxic glues and tempered glass so there is no out gassing of chemicals
• Steel conduit shields all electrical wires to ensure that EMF (Electro-Magnetic Field) is as low as possible.
• All Clearlight Saunas are ETL certified to ensure they meet or exceed all product safety standards.
• Windows for light and ventilation
• High quality AM/FM/CD Player and speakers
• Recessed halogen accent lights for mood and reading
• Keypad controls temperature and timing with a precise digital readout
• Wireless remote control to operate temperature and lights from inside/outside
• Western Red Canadian Cedar construction
• Moveable Backrest
• 7 True Wave ceramic infrared heaters with largest surface area in the industry
• 2150 Watts
• Lifetime cabinetry, electrical, and heater warranties
All of Clearlight Infrared saunas run on 110v/120v and, depending on the model, require a 15 amp or 20 amp circuit. This means that if you use your sauna for 1 hour per day, everyday will only cost about $10/month.
True Wave Far Infrared Heat Technology
The Clearlight 4 Person Sauna from Sauna Works employ the True Wave technology in their far infrared heater. This allows the sauna to produce five to thirty times the infrared of any other sauna in the market. The True Wave infrared heater also produce the FIR in better wavelength, which allows the body to absorb more far infrared in less time and at a lower temperature than other infrared sauna.
This is achieved by the larger size of the True Wave infrared sauna heaters. The larger the surface area of the far infrared heater, the lower the surface temperature. The infrared heat is also spread out over a larger area. This produces more far or long wave infrared heat that is more therapeutic for your body.
The True Wave infrared heaters of the Clearlight 4 Person Sauna have a surface area of 290 square inches, the largest surface area of any infrared saunas in the market. This produces optimal wave length range of 7 to 14 microns with a large portion of the wavelength at 9.4 microns.
When choosing your far infrared sauna heater, the followings are some questions to ask:
1) What is the surface temperature of the heater?
2) Does the sauna have front and back heaters?
3) Is the far infrared heat directed at where it is most needed?
4) Is it radiant heat or reflected heat
Lifetime Warranty
The Clearlight 4 Person Sauna from Sauna Works comes with a Lifetime Warranty. Sauna Works have estimated that their True Wave far infrared emitters have an operational life of 20,000 hours. This means that even if you use your 4 Person Sauna for 5 times per week, the True Wave infrared heaters could last 51 years.
The cedar cabins of the 4 Person Saunas are kiln dried to 7% moisture content and the panels are pressed to ensure lifetime free from warp or cracks. All electrical component are manufactured to safety standards. The 4 Person Sauna is also test run for 8 hours before being delivered to customers.
The lifetime warranty of the Clearlight 4 Person Sauna covers the entire sauna, including the FIR heaters, controls or electrical, wood and the included AM/FM/CD player.
Easy Assembly
It is very easy to assemble the Clearlight 4 Person Far Infrared Sauna. It usually requires just 2 person and the sauna can be assembled in less than one hour. Most of the time, half an hour is all it takes. No tools are required to assemble the 4 Person Sauna. The entire sauna room is pre-wired and made with precise craftsmanship that it clips and latches together with ease.
Clearlight’s 4 Person Saunas are factory-built in Southern California, then disassemble, boxed and delivered to customers. This way, you can be assured that the sauna arrive in perfect condition.
The Clearlight 4 Person Sauna includes windows for light and ventilation, recessed halogen accent lights for mood and reading, keypad controls temperature and timing with a precise digital readout, wireless remote control to operate temperature and lights from inside/outside and a high quality AM/FM CD stereo with two-way speakers built in.
For Constant Infrared Heat, simply set the digital controller to the highest setting. You'll receive 100% constant far-infrared heat with absolutely no heater shut-off throughout your entire 30 to 45 minute sauna session, guaranteed.
Testimonials and Reviews from Consumers
The followings are some testimonials and reviews from consumers who have used or are using Clearlight Infrared Saunas:
"I never thought that I would become a sauna person, but here goes. I did the research, and gradually the skepticism of buying an infrared sauna changed over to being convinced of the benefits. I looked locally and thoroughly scoured the web - Clearlight's quality stood out. From ordering to delivery to set-up (easy!) to the actual product - we have been very happy!
Now for the use - We bought the three person sauna, and have been using it daily for about one month. Everyone in the family, even the Havanese - loves it. I cannot wait to get up in the morning to use it. I turn it on and after biking or using the elliptical, its ready to go. The physical health benefits are very real. The relaxation and other psychological benefits were a pleasant surprise. I am invigorated. It seems silly, but we love this sauna. Clearlight - thank you."
Joe and Janet
Northville, Michigan
"Our Clearlight IR sauna arrived a few days ago. My 17 yr. old son and I put it together in about 30 minutes. It is just beautiful, like a piece of furniture. My whole family has used the sauna several times and it is wonderful. I will admit that I was initially a bit skeptical about having a good sweat at lower temperatures. Now I am totally converted. My wife never liked traditional saunas because they are such a hot and "hostile" environment. She has used our Clearlight sauna everyday since it arrived and loves it.
As a healthcare provider, I have been familiar with the health benefits of IR light for years. I appreciated that Clearlight saunas didn't just talk about the potential benefits but provided references for the recent research regarding these benefits.
Thanks again for all your help. It was a pleasure working with you. Your customer service is beyond my expectations. That is something that doesn't happen very often."
JA
Doctor of Chiropractic
Las Vegas, NV
With so many news about sauna recalls nowadays, why not invest your money into a good infrared saunas, such as the Clearlight 4 Person Sauna from Sauna Works.
Clearlight 4 Person Sauna Review
How to Build Your Own Home Sauna
There are generally, two ways how you can build your own home sauna. You can either buy a modular sauna that you can easily put together in less than half an hour or you can buy sauna kit and assemble the home sauna yourself. The second method is only suitable if you have some basic carpentry skills. If you have the necessary carpentry skills, then building a home sauna is not too difficult. For those without the required carpentry skills, they can still buy a modular sauna and assemble it by themselves.
A sauna is actually just a room with sizes ranging from a medium-sized closet to a large bedroom. This room shall be lined with wood and has a series of tiered benches along one side or more of the walls. Heating element in a steam sauna will raise the temperature in the room while maintaining low relative humidity. A typical sauna has a height of about 7 feett to trap the heat. Users can use the higher bench to get more heat or the lower bench for less heat.
A sauna that uses far infrared ray (FIR) heater functions differently. The FIR heater warms the body rather than the air.
What is the optimum size of your sauna room? This depends on how many people is using it. As a general rule of thumb, 2 feet of bench space is required per occupant.
The followings are some types of saunas, sauna kit and sauna heater options that you may adopt before you start with building your own home sauna:
First of all, there is the traditional Finnish sauna, which is best built outdoors using wood burning heater. Pre-cut sauna materials are also available for this type of sauna for those who wish to build their own home sauna. A Finnish type home sauna can also operated as a steam sauna by pouring water on top of the hot rocks. For convenience, many builders use electric heater or gas heater instead as the stove. There are also plenty of sauna kits and plans that show you how to build this type of home sauna.
Building a dry heat sauna is very convenient. A dry heat sauna refers to saunas using infrared heaters instead of the steam. No plumbing is required, and most units work by simply plugging the unit into a dedicated electrical outlet.
Of course, there is also the portable sauna of various types, such as the horizontal infrared sauna, a tent sauna and dome sauna. A portable sauna can be easily stowed away when not in use and all of these portable sauna made use of infrared heater.
There are other considerations when building your home sauna, especially if you are building a home sauna from scratch. You need to take care of the electrical requirements and a qualified electrician should be hired to do the wiring. Wiring should be rated for 194°F and should be located in the wall’s cooler side.
Some smaller heater operates on 120 volts, but most operates at 240 volts. A simple switch or timer controls regulate the heat output to the preset levels. A suitable heater size is important as if the heater is too large it will produce too much heat for the sauna room.
If you choose a gas heater, then a certified gas installer should be hired to run a gas line. As both the electrical and gas requirements post direct safety hazards, we recommend that you should hire professionals for the job and not try to save a penny.
If you are planning on installing a far infrared ray (FIR) heater, note that rod-shaped heaters do not produce enough infrared waves to be effective. You should go for flat ceramic heat emitters.
You should also check with your local authority on any regulations governing the building of sauna and if any permit is required. It is best to obtain any necessary permit than to risk your beautiful home sauna being demolished later.
Your home sauna room should be insulated and you would like to have a vapor barrier to keep the heat in and avoiding moisture damaging your house. There should also be good air circulation to avoid the building up of odour.
When it comes to choosing the heater for your home sauna, the electrical heater is the most popular. A gas heater will be cheaper to operate on the long run. Wood-fired heaters should only be used in detached sauna rooms and not indoor. Far infrared ray (FIR) ceramic haters are also becoming a popular choice, but it does not operate with the traditional hot rocks.
Once you have decided on the types of home sauna and heaters, you should decide on the location of your home sauna. You also need to think about a way to integrate a place for rinsing off and change. It will be great if there is a shower point just outside the sauna room. Just consider how you intend to do the plumbing work.
If you are building your own sauna in the country, then your home sauna is likely to be a detached building. However, if you intend to build a sauna room within your house, you will also need to consider about moisture that is coming out from the sauna room, which may damage your house.
Locating the heater in the sauna room is an important part of the plan. A well-designed sauna room should heat the room evenly.
Building Your Home Sauna from Scratch
The following sections of this article is on building the home sauna from scratch. Assuming that you have decided on the location of the sauna, the first step is to build the framework. The framework can be made from 5cm x 10cm or 5cm x 15cm lumbers, spaced at 325mm apart.
Once you have build the frame of the home sauna, you need to insulate the room. Both the walls and the ceiling have to be insulated. Fibreglass batts can be used as the insulation material. The wall insulation should have an R-13 rating while the ceiling will require a higher rating between R-22 and R-26.
Next, the insulation should be covered by vapor barrier to prevent the building-up of moisture in the insulation. Foil type vapour barrier is common and it also helps to reflect heat back into the sauna.
When you are done with the insulator and the vapour barrier of your home sauna, you can now proceed with building the walls. Using tongue-and-groove lumber will avoid exposing metal nails in the sauna, which can burn the skin in the high heat sauna room.
Redwood is the most popular choice for the home saunas. Nordic white spruce or cedar made good choice of wood for the wall. Start from the floor by nailing the lumber to the studs in the framework. Try to use boards that run the full length of each wall. Check for levelness for every few rows of lumbers installed. The ceilings can then be finished off.
Sauna doors can have warping problems due to the changing heat and moisture of the sauna room and it is easier to just install pre-hung door designed for saunas. Door should opens outward.
Benches can be then installed. You can build the benches by yourself or buy one from sauna dealer. Make sure that there is no nail exposed on the benches, or you may burn yourself. The bench and backrest need to be comfy. If you prefer to lie down, then keep that in mind when deciding on the size of the benches.
The floor should be of ceramic tiles, and this can be easily installed by gluing the ceramic tiles to the sub floor and filling any spaces in between with grout. Duckboards (wooden flooring panels) should then be placed over the ceramic floor tiles. The function of the duckboards is to help avoid excessive heat and moisture on the floor. The duckboards should be removable to enable cleaning of the floor.
Your home sauna is ready, and turn on your heater to let it warm up for about half an hour. Enjoy your own home sauna!
Pre-Built Home Saunas
If you are not keen on building your home sauna from scratch, then pre-fabricated modular home saunas may be considered. It is easily assembled by just following the instructions and drawings that comes with the kits. They do not require additional framing or insulation. The external walls of the pre-fabricated saunas are pre-finished and self-standing. Benches can be easily installed and doors are pre-hung.
Even though it is easy to install the pre-fabricated sauna room, you still need to prepare the area including electrical outlet, water supply and ventilated area.
We encourage that you talk to a sauna manufacturer even if you intend to buy a pre-fabricated sauna room. Their experience will be helpful to help you choose and build a home sauna that you will use for many years to come.
How much does a pre-fabricated home sauna cost? Prices of these home saunas usually depends on the sizes, the types of wood used, the type of heater and they type of kit. Some other costs include shipping and setting-up costs.
For those who are considering 2-person infrared home sauna, these may cost less than $2000. The sauna can be easily installed with just a screwdriver. Those who are looking for 4-person sauna will need to fork out about $5000. Many of these sauna rooms are suitable to be placed outdoors too.
Otherwise, you can still build the frame, insulate and finish the exterior walls and just buy some sauna kits. The sauna kits usually consists of the panel for the inside walls, the vapor barrier, benches, flooring, heater and heater guard, sauna controls, timer and thermostat, light fixtures and insulated sauna door.
Health Benefits of a Home Sauna
There are many health benefits to be derived from having a home sauna. These include:
Deep cleansing of the body through perspiration
Physical rejuvenation and stress relief
Soothing and relaxation of tired muscles
Immune system booster
Removal of toxins
Improved circulation
Promotes an overall feeling of well being
Considering the many benefits of a home sauna, building your home sauna may be great investment for your family’s recreation and health.
