Should You Choose a Health Mate Sauna?
Prior to 2020, Health Mate Saunas were formerly an excellent purchase to improve your health.
But they are no longer recommended. Knowing that quality infrared detoxification therapy is one of the best methods towards great health and a pathway to deep healing as well, we now recommended you consider one of these two excellent alternatives.
Our Heavenly Heat Sauna review explains how that brand is exceptionally clean, the purest in the industry using no wood glue. We have tested them and drilled plugs out of the walls confirming they are only brand we have found that uses zero wood glue.
Many online Healthmate sauna reviews are basic facts from the company website simply repeated with no research or understanding of the brand.
In direct contrast, we want this Healthmate Sauna review to save you hours of time and research.
We first researched Health Mate Saunas in 2014 and have watched them with interest since that time. In 2015 the company upgraded its website and expanded its product line. Again in 2016, we again talked extensively with the company and researched how its new products have been received.
As of November, 2018 the company was pushing forward with new leadership, again adding a new product and making changes to its entire website and marketing efforts. However, with this new ownership came a dramatic decline in quality components used in the construction of the cabin. Many employees in finance and other departments including the top salespeople left the company.
Quick Rating: Health Mate Sauna Review of Heaters
- Under new ownership. 40-year Company History.
- Patented Tecoloy ceramic steel heater.
- Some new models add carbon panels.
- Unconditional lifetime Warranty on their Tecoloy heaters. More components should have lifetime coverage.
- In 2019 quality decreased. In 2016 they expanded their one product line into several quality lines for all consumers.
- EMF Levels are acceptable. Not the lowest in the industry.
- Uses Lower Quality wood since being sold by its parent company, PLH Products. Craftsmanship still good.
Note: As of 2024 we still suggest Heavenly Heat as a superior alternative to this brand. Originally as of November 2018, we suggested you strongly consider Heavenly Heat at their redesigned website here, which now have exceptionally low EMF heaters, the best in the industry.
Heavenly Heat carries an excellent warranty and are the cleanest, purest products available.
We literally cut and drilled out sections of Heavenly Heat walls and found no wood glues – only quality clean non-resinous wood.
Health Mate Saunas have had a lot of changes. During 2016-2018 it again had leadership changes, is adding an entirely new product with unproven effectiveness and is again revamping its entire website. Inferior wood glue sourced from a different industry that does not require low toxicity is now used. At least starting in 2018, it added a partially dedicated phone line for sales which sometimes directed to a PLH Products message about not having customer service available.
We encourage you to read our Heavenly Heat sauna review. You will find a superior product, lower EMF, zero toxins at a lower cost.
Note: When calling Healthmate Saunas you may need to deal with a slightly cumbersome process. The number you dial on their website is sometimes the number of their parent company. PLH Products supplies excellent wood to numerous far infrared companies around the world but no longer to Health Mate Saunas. November 2018, there is a direct number, but it often directs to the parent company.
Historcially, this company was long known for excellent craftsmanship and for their Tecoloy Steel Ceramic heaters. Pictured above is one of the newer models which adds carbon panels and includes a ceramic heater under the ergonomic bench.
Are Their Tecoloy Heaters Effective?
The company claims they avoid many of the weaknesses of the standard ceramic rods used by other companies.
Standard ceramic heaters are known for higher heat and a quick warm up time. However they are also known for uneven heat and cool spots on the ceramic rods. Additionally, most ceramic rods are fragile with the normal effective life of these being around 5 years, industry wide. This fragile nature is often a result of the weaker sand filled pipes typically used in the infrared heaters of most cheaper units.
Instead, they take a somewhat standard ceramic heater and encases it in encoloy and adds an alloy and carbon based center to the rod. This process eliminates those cool spots in both the heater rods and the cabin space, providing the user with an extremely even heat normally absent from this type of infrared heater. The emissivity level is unknown.
This is likely why these tecoloy low emf heaters carry a lifetime warranty – which is rare in the industry. A good warranty is something to strongly consider when making your purchase decision. Their products are mostly far wavelength. Near wavelength is added in the ceiling to add full spectrum.
Evidence to Support the Heater Claim?
The claim is not really supported. Third party tests in a lab setting do not equate to equal ratings when installed and connected. Health Mate Tecoloy® heaters have been certified by Underwriters Laboratories. This means that they have been independently proven to be effective and efficient unlike many other ceramic-based brands on the market. This is because the patented Tecoloy® heaters provide their heat in the far infrared spectrum.
Far infrared radiant heat is the best form of radiant heat to penetrate the human body to a depth of two inches and provide detoxification. Near-infrared comes from the ceiling. A session with this penetrating heat is what provides the deep muscle relaxation and beneficial detoxifying effects of far infrared possible.
Users have shared they have received stress reduction as expected.
Tecoloy Heater EMF Ratings
The Electromagnetic Fields of the Tecoloy heaters were tested in a third party lab and the results posted.
However, we are not confident in the reported Health Mate infrared sauna EMF ratings as we have little confidence in third party tests performed on any brand. They are tested in a laboratory in isolation and do not clearly indicate what distance the meter was from the heat source during the entire test. The electric fields (ELF) were not tested.
To be an effective test, the heater needs to be tested inside a fully operating unit with all electronics turned on. One HealthMate customer tested the readings to be more than 10.0Mg above the laboratory’s report. They reported being able to sweat a lot. But you also want the ELF (electric fields) to be low.
The only accurate readings to be trusted are tests performed in a fully operating unit, the meter held against the wood slats across the heater and full readings from all sides provided.
While not the lowest in the industry, the electromagnetic field (EMF) levels a few inches away from the heaters, where users sit, are at acceptable levels and below the dangerous levels of most cheaper and a few expensive brands. Keep in mind that while high price cannot always be a good indicator of a safe product, a cheap price is almost certainly indicative of unsafe magnetic field levels. A safe EMF level is typically declared to be below 3.0 milligauss (mG).
If you are concerned about deep healing and your overall health, it is very wise to avoid cheap brands. They may look similar to the better ones. But by providing you with only a small amount of infrared therapy and at the same time exposing you to high levels of EMF, a cheap unit is neither a value nor a bargain.
Full-spectrum light can be experienced in a good brand but not a cheap one. Additionally you will need more far infrared sauna sessions and in doing so expose yourself for longer. A Health Mate Saunas emf rating will certainly be much better than experienced in a $1500 product.
Health Mate Saunas Models
Health Mate Renew Model
In 2015, the company upgraded its website again and expanded its product lines which can now be a bit confusing. Here is a simple way to understand them. The company had previously carried the Classic as its main line and now has three. Chromotherapy light feature is included as light therapy in its units.
Renew – Renew is a new, lower entry line using both carbon panel and ceramic steel heaters (Renew 3 pictured above). The one person is the Renew 1. This is a much better alternative to inferior brands such as Rocky Mountain, Coastal or others. Definitely much better than the cheap recreational units such as Dynamic that are sold at large chain stores. However, a Vital Health or Clearlight would provide much more carbon panel coverage.
There are a couple weaknesses we see in this new line.
First is the lack of heaters on the sides and front of the interior. They are also missing from the front and also the sides of the legs as well. There is a carbon panel on the back and ceramic under the bench.
The wooden slats are a little too wide which blocks a bit of the carbon heaters. Infrared does not penetrate through wood. You will sweat less and your detoxification will be less. The emissivity of the carbon panels used is not tested. They do provide good relaxation.
Perhaps improvements will be made to this model in the future. As expected, craftsmanship is good and the wood is top grade and beautiful. The company claims to now use 100% solid, natural eucalyptus wood in all its products.
The Renew is the company’s first attempt at carbon panels. It omits side and front heaters which is disappointing. We have been in contact with them several times during the months after this initial launch, however, until we obtain more information on its direction, we recommend considering Heavenly Heat instead.
Health Mate Enrich Series Model
Enrich Mate – High Quality line basically replacing and upgrading its previous Classic line. It uses several of their patented Tecoloy ceramic elements.
HealthMate Restore Mate Model
Restore Mate – Large size units. The Conditioning pictured below is one of the Restore Mate models and allows for wheelchair entrance or yoga workouts. Another has two levels for multiple people. The third allows a person up to 6′ 5″ tall to recline.
Essential and Refresh Models
Essential Mate – These are lower body only units. The user sits down in an Essential Mate and their shoulders and head are basically out of the top of the unit.
Refresh – These are specialty items such as feet-only units.
Health Mate Saunas Brand Reputation
Non-Toxic Wood and Quality Construction?
Health Mate infrared saunas were formerly constructed with only the finest, handpicked, materials, including the highest quality wood of traditional Thuja Plicata Western Red Cedar and Hemlock. This wood was sourced directly from Canadian forests and transported to the company’s three hundred thousand square foot lumber mill for processing. Only the center cut of each log was used to produce the wood.
In addition, each piece of this wood is individually inspected and hand selected for quality. You will likely not find defective pieces or knots in the wood. The wood was air dried for weeks and then kiln dried. This prevented cracking and splitting when it is later exposed to all of the heat cycles you will put it through over the many years of its service.
That was how the former parent company PLH Products sourced the brand’s wood.
Health Mate Infrared Sauna Benefits
In the past, Health Mate Sauna benefits included quality wood and craftsmanship. The level of benefit of detoxification is uncertain as the quality has changed.
Increasing the important core body temperature has not been shown in a study as it has for a few other companies. It is likely, however, that it will provide the temperature increase to promote some healthy toxin-removing sweat and improve circulation. At this time, Sunlighten, Clearlight and Heavenly Heat have all been proven to increase core body temperature.
You will receive most of the normal weight loss and pain relief as expected, although without deep emissivity to shake the toxins off the cells, the amount of weight loss could be less than expected.
The near wavelength lights will provide some degree of improved skin condition.
Are There Many Health Mate Sauna Complaints?
In the past, not really. It had many years of providing solid products. However satisfaction with this brand has been declining and many people writing Health mate Infrared Sauna reviews and sellers began receiving many conflicting reports beginning around 2019.
Warranty
A Health Mate infrared sauna has been designed and assembled to comply with the company’s stated mission to strive for one hundred percent customer satisfaction. From craftsmanship, original design, to good customer service, everything they do is aimed towards providing their customers with the best therapy experience possible.
As a result of this, Health Mate far infrared saunas carry a lifetime warranty on their patented UL listed heating element. However, other components including the TruInfra heaters and power supply are covered for only 5 years.
We would like to see the lifetime part of their warranty cover the entire product as the warranty on competing Clearlight does. However, this warranty does cover the heating element, which is the expensive and most critical aspect of the product, for your lifetime.
Related Purchase Information
Health Mate Sauna Price List
HealthMate Sauna Prices can be obtained by phone call or by online request. How much does a Health Mate Sauna cost? The products range from $1900-$6500.
When you choose a HealthMate infrared sauna for your healing therapy, you are no longer choosing forty years of experience in research and production.
Building upon these 40 years of history, these are mostly affordable, as well as convenient to set up. They utilize true far infrared radiant heat to provide some good health benefits.
How to Clean Health Mate Sauna?
Occasionally wipe the inside with a warm damp soft cloth using warm water only. Do not use cleaning products as the wood will absorb odors and chemicals from cleaning agents. Stains on the inside wood can be lightly sanded with fine grit sandpaper. Towels placed on the bench will prevent stains.
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Accessories
Some of Health Mate Sauna accessories are pictured above including an outdoor cover, seat cushion, interior towel bar and shelf. These are similar to what you would find in a Finnish sauna. These will not provide the ultimate luxury of other saunas such as Sunlighten or similar.
Chromotherapy lighting is available. Aromatherapy can be used as well. However, you will not have all the luxury items of bluetooth speakers, a floor heater, ultra low EMF, full range of full spectrum infrared heating, or optimal resonance frequency.
Overall Rating Conclusion
As you are in the market for a quality health product, Health Mate far infrared saunas were formerly among our recommended brands. But now our current Health Mate infrared sauna review rating is that they are not recommended due to the major changes and no longer using quality clean wood and its use of wood glues. It utilizes a patented, mostly effective and safe heater that will provide benefits such as lower blood pressure, but now use a cabin of inferior quality wood. It is no longer owned by PLH Products, Inc.
You consider your health to be your most important asset. This brand is now an average quality in house sauna that is now untested. We also suggest you consider our top recommendations including our Heavenly Heat sauna review, Sunlighten sauna review, Jacuzzi Clearlight sauna and Vital Health sauna reviews.