Specialty Home Solutions

Frequently Asked Questions

Some people will say anything and do anything to sell you a sauna. Below are some important factors to consider when you are shopping for infrared saunas.

Things you have to consider

Sauna is a heat-generating product, and because of that nature, you can't be cautious enough to assess what you would own in 10 years after your purchase. That's why you have to check the manufacturer's warranty in two aspects.

»First, you have to check the actual warranty period for each part including heaters, wood, craftsmanship, and electrical parts and whether the guarantee is for a lifetime.

»Second, you have to assess the actual possibility of getting lifetime service from the manufacturer when you need it.

According to statistics, only 5% of startup companies in the US survive past 5 years, and only 2% past 10 years. With this fact in mind, a lifetime warranty provided by a 5-year old company and the one by a 27-year old company should be considered differently because of its reliability.

Consider the Company

Who are you buying from?
Be aware who you are buying your sauna from. Try to stay away from sellers that import their saunas from unknown sources, especially the ones that sell exclusively on internet. If you have never heard of the brand and the seller is the only one that’s selling it (especially internet only businesses), you should pass and shop somewhere else.

Who is the manufacturer?
If the seller is not able to provide you with the manufacturer’s information, you should pass and shop somewhere else. You never know when the seller changes the manufacturer, and you end up with nowhere to get the support from.

Is Health Mate an American brand?
Yes, Health Mate is an American brand that has been manufacturing and selling far infrared saunas for 27 years. Our saunas are designed and developed in the US, using the finest components from all over the world.

How long has Health Mate been manufacturing and selling home saunas?

The Health Mate History
1979 - Began manufacturing & selling “Health Mate” saunas
1986 - Began selling “Health Mate” saunas in the US
1987 - Began exporting to Europe
1992 - PLH Products established as a California corporation (Santa Fe Springs, CA )
1994 - Began selling American Express catalogue
1995 - Made contract with Price/Costco catalog
1995 - Purchased an office/factory building in Buena Park, CA
1998 - Began selling “Aroma N Steam” Saunas
1998 - Established BNH Corporation as a California corporation
1999 - Opened a branch office in Frankfurt, Germany
1999 - Began manufacturing & selling “Infra Therapist” Saunas
2000 - Moved to City of Industry, CA (77,000 Sq. Ft. Facility)
2001 - Established PCS Corporation in Vancouver, Canada
2001 - Established Yantai Infrared Sauna Products in Yantai, China
2002 - Established KAIC Inc. in Seoul, Korea
2004 - Moved to Buena Park , CA

What kind of safety certifications does the Health Mate Sauna product hold?
CSA US , CSA Canada, TUV Germany, CE, NEMKO, and UL processing

Does the manufacturer carry PLU(Product Liability Insurance)?
Make sure that the company stands behind not only their products, but also their customers 100%. Ask if the company carries product liability insurance. There are several reasons why this is a good reference to measure if the company and its products are legitimate:

• No insurance company will underwrite a policy without investigating the company or the product.
• Product liability insurance protects customers for any unfortunate events that may have caused by the product.

Warranty only covers the product, but what about any property damage or loss? If a company does not carry product liability insurance, it’s because either they can’t afford it or they don’t care what happens to you.

Does Health Mate carry Product Liability Insurance?
Yes, we do. Our policies are underwritten by St. Paul Travelers Insurance Company and the Steadfast Insurance Company. Each Health Mate Sauna unit is insured up to $2,000,000.

Consider the Wood

Why wood is important in sauna building?
Sauna is a heat-generating product, and because of such nature, wood selection is extremely important in sauna building. If cheap wood or plywood is used, it might bend or deteriorate in the future.

What wood do you use?
We use all center cut Canadian Western Red Cedar wood inside and outside the unit for beauty and durability.

Others say they also use cedar wood. Is all cedar wood the same?
No. Absolutely not. Other manufacturers normally purchase wood from a lumber dealer. Accordingly, it is hard for them to select the best center-cut wood. At Health Mate, we can select only the best center-cut part because we control the whole process from raw material to the finished sauna. We have our own lumber mill to process and select wood. Find more in "Our Products" page.

What are the characteristics of cedar wood?
Cedar wood is considered the best material for a sauna because of its beauty and durability. Among cedar wood, the Canadian Western Red Cedar has a uniform and fine-grained texture combined with a palette of warm, mellow tones. It produces natural oil and extractives that act as preservatives to protect the wood from insect attacks and decay-causing fungi. Beauty aside, its cellular structure creates interior air spaces that give it an insulation value higher than most woods.

Some say cedar wood might be toxic. Is it true?
No. Absolutely not. Cedar wood has been used for the last 3000~4000 years to prevent or cure illnesses. Any kind of wood including cedar wood might be harmful if its wood dust is inhaled by an enormous amount in a closed space such as a saw mill or a wood factory. But the normal use of a sauna made with cedar wood is safe to the human body. No case has been reported to any government agencies or research institutions throughout the world regarding the health problems related to use of a cedar wood sauna.

Consider the Heater

What kind of heater do you use? 
Health Mate saunas use a ceramic heater core coated with incoloy, a metal alloy effective in high temperature applications. The incoloy coating distributes the heat evenly throughout the heater, ensuring a consistent far infrared wavelength. The heater housing, in conjunction with the heater, maximizes far infrared generation toward the front of the sauna while minimizing any energy loss through the back of the sauna.

What are the characteristics of your heating elements?
Our heaters are specially designed to evenly distribute far infrared rays and to have almost infinite lifetime. The large reflecting panels placed behind the heaters are designed to reflect the specific far infrared wavelengths emitted from our heaters for maximum results. The result is that you can benefit from the far infrared that modern science can offer while enjoying a sauna session.

Are ceramic heaters installed in other brands better than your heaters?
No, absolutely not. Our heaters have the most effective ceramic elements inside coated with metal alloy. The ceramic elements are specially processed to emit the wavelength at the most beneficial level to human body. This structure not only ensures the constant emission of far infrared ray but also make the heater lifetime longer than any other infrared heaters in the market.

What's your heaters' infrared wavelength?
As you can see in "Our Heaters" page, our new M-Type heaters are proven to emit minimum 6 to 7 microns as wavelength.

Does flat heaters have better wavelength?
No. No industry-recognized scientific research has reported that the flat heater emits higher wavelengths than our heaters.

Others claim that their heaters emit 9 to 14 microns. Are they better than yours?
No. Absolutely not. First of all, no scientific research has proven that far infrared ray effects human body differently depending on a wavelength. If the wavelength is higher than 5.6 microns, it is considered far infrared, and there's little difference between 6 or 15 microns. That's what science has discovered so far. Period. Don't be mislead by aggressive and many times fraudulent marketing by emerging sauna companies.

Second of all, their claims that their heaters emit higher wavelengths are many times not supported by accurate scientific evidences.

Other Questions

What's your warranty term, and how does it work?
Health Mate offers a lifetime warranty on heaters, craftsmanship, wood, and electrical components. Audio components are guaranteed for 1 year. When you have a problem, just call us, and we will send you a replacement part and instructions. In most cases, replacing parts/components is fairly simple.

Where can I place the sauna?
You can place your sauna wherever you want. You can even place your sauna outside with the purchase of an optional cover. Please see owner's manual for safety instructions when you want to place your sauna outside.

How much electricity do Health Mate Saunas consume?
Health Mate sauna units are designed to heat the entire room up to 170 º F within a short amount of time while consuming the least electricity. Our 120V models(NSE-1, NSE-2, NSE-3, CSE-2) consume 1660W to 2150W, which is almost same as a hair dryer. In normal cases, your monthly electrical bill would go up by less than $2 if you have a 30-min session several times a week.