A different way of building
When most people imagine a sauna, they picture the familiar lined interior: thin timber boards fixed to a frame, insulation hidden behind, and cladding covering the outside. This method, known as panel construction, is efficient. It allows for quick assembly, lower costs, and the look of a sauna without the complexity of a full build.
Heritage Saunas takes a different approach. Each sauna is built as a log-style cabin, the first of its kind in New Zealand. Instead of panels, we use solid interlocking timber that forms both the interior and the exterior walls. The result is not only structural but enduring. It is a building in its own right, not an insert.
This choice matters. It is more than aesthetic. It is a statement about permanence, sustainability, and the way we choose to live.
What panels conceal
Panel construction has become common because it is simple. A timber lining creates the illusion of solidity, but behind it are layers of insulation, framework, and cladding. Each layer adds material, complexity, and eventual points of failure. Over time, panels warp, insulation settles, and joints weaken.
The hidden nature of panels also means the craft is concealed. Nails, screws, and adhesives are covered up. What is seen is not what holds the structure together. The integrity of the build is separated from the experience of sitting inside it.
For those seeking convenience, this is acceptable. For those who see sauna as ritual and legacy, it falls short.
The integrity of solid timber
By contrast, log construction relies on the strength of the timber itself. Each wall is made of interlocking Redwood logs, cut with dovetail joins that lock corners seamlessly. The wall is both inside and outside, unlined, unhidden, and uncompromised.
The benefits are immediate. Solid timber provides natural insulation, retaining heat without the need for synthetic layers. The mass of the logs creates stability, settling over time into a structure that strengthens with age. Every cut and joint is visible, meaning the craftsmanship is part of the experience.
When you sit in a log sauna, you are not leaning against a layer over a frame. You are held by the very structure itself.
Sustainability through simplicity
Building without panels is not only about integrity, it is also about sustainability. Every additional layer in panel construction requires material: timber linings, insulation, adhesives, plasterboard, cladding. Each has a footprint, both in production and in eventual disposal.
Log construction reduces this to a single material. One wall serves all purposes. No wasteful doubling, no unnecessary layers. By sourcing New Zealand Redwood, a timber grown locally and sustainably, the footprint is reduced even further.
In a time where sustainability is often used as a slogan, true responsibility comes from building in ways that last. A log sauna is not a short-term product to be replaced. It is a structure that endures for decades, even generations.
The human element
The decision not to use panels is also a decision about craftsmanship. Panels allow for speed and mass production. Log construction demands patience and skill. Each joint must be cut precisely, each log aligned, each roof settled.
This is not a process that can be hidden. Every mistake would be visible. This level of exposure requires a builder who is not only skilled but attentive. It is why each Heritage Sauna is built by hand, one at a time, with a limit of ten each year.
For those who use these saunas, the human element is felt in every detail. The walls themselves speak of care and permanence.
Permanence as stress relief
It may seem unusual to connect construction with stress relief, but the two are linked. Stress is amplified by environments that feel temporary, fragile, or insincere. Calm comes from spaces that are stable, grounded, and authentic.
A log sauna offers this. When heat rises and silence settles, the knowledge that the walls around you are the very structure itself creates trust. Nothing is concealed. Nothing is false. The permanence of the build reinforces the permanence of the ritual.
In a world of panels, veneers, and temporary fixes, this matters more than ever.
A building, not a product
Perhaps the clearest way to describe the difference is this: a panel sauna is a product, a log sauna is a building. One is constructed quickly, shipped widely, and replaced often. The other is built into place, rooted in craft, and intended to endure.
By choosing not to use panels, Heritage Saunas is choosing to build for permanence. It is a decision that places us outside of convenience and into tradition. It is slower, harder, and rarer, but it results in something worth keeping.
The decision to avoid panels is not about rejecting modern methods for the sake of tradition. It is about choosing integrity over convenience, permanence over replacement, and craftsmanship over concealment.
A sauna built from solid timber is both structure and experience. It provides heat, shelter, and silence in one form. It stands without pretence, without layers, without compromise.
This is why we do not use panels. Because the sauna is not just a space to sit, it is a place to belong. And belonging demands more than panels. It demands structure itself.
Let’s Design Your Sauna
From coastal sites to alpine settings,
we help create saunas that feel grounded in their surroundings.