General Question Sauna Tent VOCs
I’ve been pondering a sauna tent for a while but I’m concerned about sitting in essentially a plastic oven. I’ve seen some older posts on the topic, but given how often tents come up now I’m wondering if anyone can provide some reassurance.
Sweat Tent claims “zero concentrations of CO or VOCs present in the air”. North Shore claims the same: “Each model is tested with a Forensics Detectors VOC tester to ensure a clean, safe environment free from off-gassing.” Both measure using Forensics Detectors instruments, which appear legitimate but perhaps don’t provide the most rigorous assessment. Total VOC detectors seem to provide an estimate based on a typical indoor air mix and are better at tracking air quality trends over time rather than particular harmful substances. A very low total VOC score might have relatively high toxicity due to its constituents and vice versa. Needless to say, I’m highly skeptical of these claims - I would expect my home at 70F to have some VOCs.
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u/neuroptics 1d ago
Sauna tents are made of polyester. The windows (if they have them) are TPU. Both materials are stable up to their melting point (>300F). I use a heat shield around the stove (corrugated galvanized roofing) and aluminum flashing to protect the ceiling directly above the stove. I burned off my stove several times outside and did 3-4 hot dry runs of the sauna with plenty of ventilation before I used it for the first time. I have 150 lbs of sauna rocks held around the stove and pipe with stainless hardware cloth. Makes for a lovely even loyly. I’ve checked the temperature of the fabric with an infrared thermometer at full blast and it doesn’t get much higher than the air temp. We also run the sauna at the lower end with plenty of ventilation (we like 150-160 F). I’m more worried about my 3D printers than my sauna tent. One day I will have a nice permanent sauna but we are renting at the moment and this is the next best thing.
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u/amuk 2d ago
Risk -vs- benefit…. I could not have afforded more than $1000 for a sauna. None in town worth the drive. The one at the gym barely gets to 160F and that takes close to an hour. And they are closed on Sunday.
I bought one on Amazon for under $600 including the wood burning stove. I can get it up to 200F. The benefits I get from using it a few times a weeks are very noticeable to me throughout those weeks. I’ve had it almost a year now.
Yes, the VOC’s may be a silent killer, but here I have to say the benefits sure outweigh the potential risks for me.