Sun Home Saunas vs. Almost Heaven: Which Is Right for You? (2026)

By Timothy Munene · Sauna Researcher & Editorial Director, Sun Home Saunas · Published April 22, 2026

The Fundamental Difference: Infrared vs. Traditional Steam

Before comparing specs, design, or price, the first question is: do you want infrared heat or traditional steam? This is the decision that determines which brand is right for you — because Sun Home and Redwood Outdoors build fundamentally different types of saunas.

Sun Home — Infrared. Infrared saunas use panels that emit infrared wavelengths to heat your body directly, rather than heating the air. They operate at lower ambient temperatures (120–170°F), heat up faster (10–20 minutes), produce no steam, and require no water, stones, or ventilation. Sun Home's full-spectrum models deliver near, mid, and far infrared simultaneously. The experience is a dry, penetrating warmth. You sweat intensely, but the air around you stays moderate.

Redwood Outdoors — Traditional steam. Traditional saunas use an electric heater (Redwood uses Harvia) to heat the air and stones to 195°F+. You can pour water on the stones to produce löyly — steam that dramatically increases the perceived heat and humidity. The experience is hot air that envelops you, punctuated by bursts of steam. This is the authentic Finnish sauna experience that has been practiced for centuries.

Neither is objectively better. Infrared is preferred by buyers who want daily-use radiant heat at moderate temperatures with potential red light therapy integration. Traditional is preferred by buyers who want high-heat sessions with optional steam and the ritualistic experience of löyly. If you already know which type you want, this comparison will confirm your choice. If you're undecided, the sections below will help you decide.

Sun Home vs. Redwood Outdoors: Specification Comparison

Where Each Brand Wins

Choose Sun Home if you want:

Infrared heat for daily wellness. Infrared saunas heat your body directly at lower air temperatures, heat up in 10–20 minutes, and require no water or ventilation. If you want a sauna you can step into every morning as part of a quick routine, infrared's faster startup and lower ambient temperature make daily use more practical than traditional.

Integrated red light therapy. Sun Home's Eclipse includes dual-panel RLT (360 LEDs, 1,800W, 660+850nm) for simultaneous infrared + photobiomodulation. The Pod includes integrated RLT. No Redwood Outdoors model offers red light therapy.

App control and guided wellness. Sun Home's mobile app provides remote preheat, session scheduling, guided breathwork courses, and temperature control from your phone. This is particularly valuable for outdoor saunas — you can start preheating from inside the house. Redwood Outdoors saunas use manual Harvia controls with no app connectivity.

Low-maintenance outdoor construction. The Luminar's aerospace aluminum exterior and stainless steel roof are designed to require no sealing, staining, or covering. Redwood's thermowood is rot-resistant but is still a wood exterior that benefits from periodic maintenance.

Modern contemporary design. Sun Home pioneered the black exterior sauna — black-tinted glass, integrated LED lighting, aluminum construction, and clean architectural proportions. If your outdoor space has a modern aesthetic (concrete, steel, glass), Sun Home's design language matches. Redwood's aesthetic is rustic Scandinavian — beautiful in a different way, but a different visual vocabulary.

Independently verified safety data. Sun Home publishes named-lab EMF testing (0.5 mG, Vitatech) and AIHA-accredited VOC testing (27 µg/m³, VERT Environmental). These metrics are less applicable to traditional saunas but matter to buyers comparing infrared brands.

Choose Redwood Outdoors if you want:

Traditional steam with löyly. This is Redwood's core strength and the #1 reason to choose them over Sun Home. If you want to pour water on hot stones and fill the cabin with steam — the authentic Finnish sauna experience — Redwood delivers this with Harvia heaters reaching 195°F+. Sun Home's infrared saunas cannot produce steam.

The highest possible air temperature. Redwood's traditional saunas reach 195°F+ and some configurations exceed 200°F. Sun Home's Luminar maxes at 170°F. If maximum ambient heat is your priority, traditional wins this clearly.

Thermowood construction. Redwood uses thermowood — Scandinavian timber thermally modified at 400°F+ for enhanced dimensional stability, moisture resistance, and rot resistance. This is a genuinely premium outdoor wood treatment that exceeds the performance of untreated cedar or hemlock. Redwood operates their own kilns for this process.

Larger group capacity. Redwood offers barrel and cabin saunas seating up to 8 people, with configurations including changing rooms and covered porches. Sun Home's largest model (Luminar 5) seats 5. For entertaining or large-group sessions, Redwood has more options.

Scandinavian rustic aesthetic. Redwood's barrel and cabin designs have a classic, natural wood look rooted in Finnish tradition. If your backyard has a rustic, natural, or Scandinavian feel — log cabin, natural landscaping, woodland setting — Redwood's design language fits better than Sun Home's modern aluminum-and-glass approach.

Lower entry price on some models. Redwood's barrel saunas start around $4,000 in hemlock. Sun Home's least expensive sauna (Solstice 1-Person) starts at $4,999 and the Equinox at $6,099. For buyers on a tighter budget, Redwood offers traditional sauna entry points that Sun Home's infrared lineup does not match. Both brands offer HSA/FSA eligibility via TrueMed and financing through Affirm.

Quick Decision Guide: 8 Buyer Scenarios

Can You Have Both?

Some buyers want both heat types — infrared for quick daily sessions and traditional for longer weekend steam rituals. If that's you, the pairing that makes the most sense is a Sun Home Eclipse indoors (daily infrared + RLT on 120V) and a Redwood Outdoors barrel or cabin outdoors (traditional steam with Harvia heater for weekend löyly sessions). This gives you both modalities optimized for their respective use cases, rather than compromising on one.

Honest Trade-Offs for Each Brand

Where Sun Home falls short relative to Redwood Outdoors:

No steam, no löyly. Sun Home makes infrared saunas only. If traditional steam is what you want, Sun Home cannot deliver it — full stop.

Lower max temperature. 170°F (infrared) vs. 195°F+ (traditional). Some buyers specifically want the intense ambient heat that only traditional saunas provide.

Smaller maximum capacity. Sun Home's largest model seats 5. Redwood offers configurations for up to 8 with custom options including changing rooms.

Shorter company history. Sun Home was founded in 2021. Redwood Outdoors has been building traditional saunas for a longer period and has a dedicated showroom for in-person evaluation.

Wood-exterior aesthetic. If you specifically want a natural wood-exterior outdoor sauna, Redwood's thermowood barrel and cabin designs serve that aesthetic. Sun Home's Luminar uses aluminum — a different (modern) look that won't appeal to every buyer.

Where Redwood Outdoors falls short relative to Sun Home:

No infrared option. Redwood makes traditional saunas only. If you want infrared heat — lower ambient temperature, faster heat-up, no steam, potential RLT integration — Redwood cannot deliver it.

No red light therapy. No Redwood model includes or offers RLT in any form.

No app control. Manual Harvia controls only — no remote preheat, no session scheduling, no guided breathwork.

Shorter warranty on wood. Redwood offers a 1-year limited warranty on wood construction. Sun Home's Eclipse, Luminar, and Pod carry limited lifetime warranties with in-home technician visits.

No published third-party safety testing. Sun Home publishes named-lab EMF and VOC data. We did not find independently published safety testing on redwoodoutdoors.com product pages as of April 2026. (Note: EMF testing is less applicable to traditional saunas, but VOC testing applies to any heated wood enclosure.)

Longer heat-up time. Traditional saunas take 30–60 minutes to reach operating temperature vs. ~10–20 minutes for infrared. For daily quick-session use, this difference adds up.