We've received a few emails asking us for SaunaRay reviews, so we decided to take a closer look at the company to see what they were all about.
You may have come across their videos on YouTube, where they talk about the difference between high quality and low quality saunas, and what you should look out for when shopping for a new one for your home.
Let's take a look at SaunaRay to see what they are all about...
A Look at the Saunas
SaunaRay is based in Collingwood, Ontario Canada. They pride themselves on the fact that they only use sustainable Ontario Basswood in their saunas due to its non-allergenic and non-toxic qualities.
All of their saunas are made in Ontario, as opposed to Asia like many of the other sauna companies out there. That's something that sets them apart from the rest.
The product lineup is pretty straight forward...you have the SR1, SR2, SR3, SR4 and customizable options that you can tailor to your specific needs.
SaunaRay promises that all of their infrared saunas are free of colored paint, industrial glues and other toxic materials, and never include plastic, plywood, carbon fiber or Teflon.
They claim EMF levels as low as .2 mG, which is much lower than many of the other saunas on the market.
There's not too much additional information about the specific saunas on the website besides the dimensions.
The Pros
There's a lot to like about SaunaRay infrared saunas. For starters, we like the fact that they are designed and manufactured in North America. Although many brands do use North American woods in their saunas, typically the manufacturing is done in Asia simply because it is much cheaper to do so.
Even some of the top brands are built in China...there's nothing inherently wrong with that, as long as the saunas are made with high quality woods and heaters and manufacturing is overseen to ensure the highest standards.
But still it's nice to see that the entire process is done here in North America.
We also like the fact that the owner of the company appears in videos and talks about how SaunaRay saunas are different than everything else out there.
He tells you what to avoid, how manufacturers cut corners and why you should avoid cheap saunas.
So from the looks of it these are high quality saunas made with strong, durable woods and free of any harmful chemicals. Both good things.
The Cons
There are some negatives to point out as well. Although there is a lot of information regarding the wood that they use and the fact that they ensure low toxicity, there isn't much additional information on their website.
When you click on any of their infrared saunas, all you get is a close up view. There is no information about each sauna...the features, materials, heating unit, extras...so you don't really know what you are getting.
In fact, there is very little information to be found anywhere on the site. We'd like to know more about their heaters, which is just as important as the wood. We'd also like to see independent testing of EMF levels, something that most of the top infrared sauna brands provide.
We did reach out to SaunaRay to get additional information, and we received what appears to be a form email that they send to everyone. There is some data there...their saunas are regularly tested at .2 mG EMF levels...medical grade ceramic heaters...maximum UL and CSA testing of 10,000 hours.
But it's hard to know if any of this is actually true without documentation. It may well be 100% true, but we have no way of knowing. Again, it would be nice to see some of this data on the site itself.
Another concern is the fact that the website has a copyright date of 2014, which as of this writing is over 5 years ago. The last blog entry is also from 2014, and all of the videos that appear on YouTube are also very old.
However, SaunaRay is fairly active on Twitter, so that's a positive.
The Bottom Line on SaunaRay Saunas
At first glance, SaunaRay infrared saunas look great. They are made in Canada from sustainable Ontario Basswood. They are free of harmful chemicals. Those are both very good signs and something that makes the company unique.
Our only concern is that there isn't enough information on the website to decide whether or not these saunas are worth buying. It's hard to fully recommend a product that you don't know enough about.
We did receive some additional information from the company, but it was just a form email with general data and links to their videos. Nothing concrete.
In order to recommend this brand, we would have to see some more specific information about their saunas, specifically independent testing data supporting their low EMF, UL and CSA claims.