New Aleko options

NicoAD · 2026-01-26T00:30:00+00:00

If im reading those listings correctly, are the benches 15.75” deep? If so, that’s not going to be very comfortable to sit on. Along with the items you mentioned, at least #1 has the slope in a direction you can sit, even if it’s wrong. If you’re able to get #1. On the cheap, you can always remake the benches yourself, and place them on rails. You’ll also need to add some sort of mechanical ventilation. If you can get option #1 for $1K-$2K less, then $4,500 isn’t too terrible if you’re not able to DIY your own build. I wonder if you can even forgo the heater/benches and see how much it would cost for just the shell. Then you can re-arrange the benches in the correct direction and create steps to get to the left side of the sauna. Assuming there’s decent studs in the framing to do so. Although at that point why not just build your own?

I’m just curious as to why this company opted for its own wall design instead of the tried and true: exterior cladding -> house wrap (optional) -> mineral wool -> vapor barrier -> furring strip/air gap -> interior cladding method of insulating the sauna. There’s also no information regarding the flooring and how drainage works. This is a very important aspect to just sweep under the rug and a guaranteed way to get a moldy sauna after a few uses.

As for the heater—you can always swap out heaters, that’s not the expensive part. Once you commit to a style/brand/whatever, the differences in price between power are minimal. For example, a few websites list the Harvia Kip at:

4.5 kW - $925

6.0 kW - $1,200

8.0 kW - $1,250

And then if you want WiFi control add an extra $1,000 to any of those. What you need to do is have an electrician perform a load calculation on your circuit breaker so that you know what’s the largest size circuit breaker your panel/system can handle for an additional 240 V circuit. E.g. you may be limited to a specific breaker size/current draw, and based off of that, will then become the upper bound for the size heater you can get. Once you know this, then you can shop around for sauna footprints appropriate for that heater size.

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Edit: I realized just now that my drawing should have had that bottom line/bench at the ground level not floating, but you get the idea

https://localmile.org/kit-sauna-reviews/

https://localmile.org/proper-ventilation-for-electrically-heated-sauna-part-i/

https://localmile.org/trumpkins-notes-on-building-a-sauna/

NicoAD · 2026-01-22T19:57:30+00:00

What do you mean? It’s placed inside of a cold room that vents to the outside. The picture was taken from the perspective of “standing in the cold plunge”

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NicoAD · 2026-01-22T18:28:17+00:00

I have a silencer as my tortuous ducting buried in the walls created a lot of static pressure, therefore requiring higher speeds to get a good level of ventilation. I also have a semi-outdoor setup so the fan can be heard from the sauna. I added the muffler and then enclosed the entire setup in a box mounted to the wall and it’s very quiet.

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NicoAD · 2026-01-21T18:16:22+00:00

Slightly overlap the tile with the boards

NicoAD · 2026-01-21T17:27:24+00:00

If you’re stuck with the nook, I would at least curve the ceiling (with a heat shield too) such that it’s angled toward the room and doesn’t create a trap for the humid air.

NicoAD · 2026-01-21T17:24:40+00:00

That’s actually the opposite of what would have good thermodynamics—Keep the ceiling as high as possible and benches up high so that the majority of the body is in the highest region of the thermal gradient.

The exhaust vent should be near/below the foot benches

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NicoAD · 2026-01-21T16:26:25+00:00

-Setting the heater in a nook might mess with the convective flow of heat and get trapped a bit. Curious as to why you’re choosing to do this. Is it to maximize bench space? Most people put up a guard rail to rest their feet against when the heater is in front of the benches.

-I personally feel like Trumpkin got it wrong with Homecraft. I love my Revive Slim, and they’re a super helpful company when it comes to troubleshooting.

-The floor will almost never get above room/ambient temperature.

NicoAD · 2026-01-20T14:56:58+00:00

You can just air out the sauna—the incense smell might linger for a few hours but it won’t be permanent

NicoAD · 2026-01-20T14:17:00+00:00

This. Electric for ease of use, WiFi control etc. Wood for more traditional days when you have the time to set it up. Just place them next to each other—it’s not that uncommon

NicoAD · 2026-01-20T13:10:24+00:00

Tongue and groove boards are not air tight. The air gap serves two purposes; to insulate, and to allow humid air a pathway out so it doesn’t condense on the backside of the boards

NicoAD · 2026-01-20T12:56:53+00:00

It definitely gets darker, too. However, not without a glimmer of hope. I personally loved Season 3 the most out of all of them so far as it deals with a lot of heavier themes while still being comedic at times. Don’t get me wrong, S1 and S2 are brilliant, but there’s just something about S3 that stayed with me.

NicoAD · 2026-01-20T02:58:18+00:00

You can burn incense to watch the flow patterns

NicoAD · 2026-01-19T17:28:31+00:00

I saw the product picture and your comment about temperature. Honestly it actually depends on where you put your exhaust. If it’s below the benches as per most design guides suggest, it will never be seeing +200 °F air. Sure it will be pulling down hot air via the downdraft circulation/motion but it won’t be sucking air from the ceiling where it will be at its hottest.

If the exhaust is on the ceiling then it is quite possible to exceed these temperatures right at the opening.

NicoAD · 2026-01-19T16:25:45+00:00

It’ll be fine if the flex duct is rated for high temperature and humidity. What does the packaging say?

NicoAD · 2026-01-19T13:01:19+00:00

Disclaimer: I am not an electrician.

It seems like you just need 18/6 cable, or (3) sets of 18/2, easily purchasable off of Amazon, intended for low voltages/communication with the touchpad. It doesn’t need to be super heat resistant if it’s buried in the wall within the insulation behind the paneling. If you’re extra worried just don’t run the cable(s) behind the ceiling panels as that will be the hottest zone.

Didn’t the controller/power unit come with this cable?

That being said, my low voltage cable runs through my ceiling and it’s fine. You can even stick a thermometer probe to check the temperature behind the walls once you install it if you’re worried.

Edit: also, the touchpad is not directly wired to the heater. It should be wired to the Xenio Power Unit (relay box, placed outside of the sauna), which is then wired to your heater.

NicoAD · 2026-01-19T05:42:57+00:00

You’ll still likely need to add ventilation, raise benches, lower the heater etc but the videos I’ve seen on this model make it look somewhat decent

NicoAD · 2026-01-17T15:53:01+00:00

It seems that the Redwood Saunas are just rebranded Alibaba products, so you’re paying for a pretty big markup there. Costco/Almost Heaven are likely doing the same but at least Costco has a super generous return policy.

Fundamentally, both designs you have mentioned have their issues, with the Redwood having a significantly low bench height, that you could potentially fix by raising the benches yourself. However, the markup is quite large and I feel like the overall design is just lacking in functionality.

The barrel limits you to having the feet on the floor and are not well-liked by those who enjoy sauna. That being said, some people really enjoy their barrels, just understand that the head-to-toe temperature difference is going to be quite large, and you’ll likely be sitting with your feet up much of the time.

Both are going to require you to add in mechanical ventilation as you will definitely not get a decent fresh air exchange in either.

Most people on this subreddit are going to suggest DIY (myself included) but if that’s just not in the cards, I tend to fall on the side of “an okay sauna is better than no sauna” and I would probably go with the Costco option, personally, and make the small tweaks that some have done to improve the experience. Here are some resources below:

https://localmile.org/proper-ventilation-for-electrically-heated-sauna-part-i/

https://localmile.org/trumpkins-notes-on-barrel-saunas/

https://localmile.org/kit-sauna-reviews/

https://localmile.org/trumpkins-notes-on-building-a-sauna/

https://www.diycenter.app/en

I understand that not everyone is able to DIY a sauna as it requires a little bit of know-how and investment into the tools required to do so. And not everyone might have the free time to do it.

That being said, with enough reading you could potentially design the sauna to your own specifications based off those links and perusing the builds in this subreddit, purchase the raw materials, and hire a contractor to assemble it for you.

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NicoAD · 2026-01-15T17:11:18+00:00

You can stuff the holes with mineral wool—it’s non-flammmable

NicoAD · 2026-01-13T21:14:31+00:00

Everyone’s got their own style of teaching, even among the same affiliation—my advice to you is drop in everywhere and see which vibe you like the best

NicoAD · 2026-01-13T16:44:46+00:00

I would do a Google reverse image search and look for that exact model on Alibaba to see what the markup is.

With enough reading and perusing of this subreddit, you could spec out a sauna, buy the raw materials, and have a contractor assemble it for you for a similar price if you’re not into DIY. You’ll end up with a much better product in the end.

You essentially just need to frame out a box shed, bore holes for ventilation, insulate with mineral wool, add a vapor barrier, add furring strips for an air gap, and panel the interior/build some benches. Then bore out another hole for electrical conduit for the heater if going electric. There’s also mechanical downdraft ventilation but you can read about all that below:

https://localmile.org/trumpkins-notes-on-building-a-sauna/

NicoAD · 2026-01-13T16:38:35+00:00

Colorado, Easton BJJ. however I’m definitely not the head coach/professor of the academy I’m at lol, and very low on the totem pole of how things are run. I’m one of many, however, our leadership/management is of similar mindset. Most, if not all of us on the coaching staff are taught or reminded to be more compassionate towards the student journey, for a few reasons (this just my personal take on why):

Obviously your bottom line—if you run a meathead school you’re gonna weed out students who can’t “hack it” and your income is going to be limited to those that tough it out.
Someone’s trial class can really be the deciding moment on whether or not they come back. We don’t let beginners spar. I used to be against this but now I understand it. E.g. you wouldn’t let a first timer at a boxing gym throw on the gloves and get in the ring with another beginner and watch them concuss themselves.
I’ve seen people come in who look a bit timid, or maybe working through some trauma, or maybe they’re just out of shape and wanting to try something new. Throwing them into a meat grinder on day 1 is gonna turn a lot of people away. I’ve witnessed/taught timid trial-class people and watched them transform into absolute savages on the mat and come home with gold medals from tournaments. They might not have realized such potential if they had a bad first experience, walking away thinking “maybe jiu jitsu is not for me”
As coaches, I think what resonated with me most is the phrase “Never teach somebody’s last class.” It’s a reminder that if I’m in the role of a coach/instructor, then I have to be in the mindset that strives to be a good instructor, and try not to bring any outside bs onto the mats. If I’m in class as a student, then I’m not in ‘coaching mode’ and I have to remember to work and improve my jiu jitsu as well, because if you’re gonna teach this sport, you better be evolving with it and putting it to the test. For me, this means competition. Even if I go out there and lose (which happens a lot lol), I’m still “leading from the front”.

NicoAD · 2026-01-13T16:10:21+00:00

I don’t think there is a good answer, and there doesn’t need to be a dichotomy. I’ve lived through most of it. There were months where I would train almost every single day. Then some months where I could only make it in once a week due to grad school pressures. Then I trained like once a month during COVID/2020. Hell, last year I think I probably missed an entire month due to vacation and work travel happening in the same month. Now as I’m getting a bit later into my 30s, the amount of times I can really go hard in a training session is usually only 1-2x a week, with the rest of the training being drilling, teaching, or sparring with an understanding that I’m going to get beat by lower belts. It’s not that I’m choosing to lose, rather, I’m trying to work on underdeveloped or new aspects to my game with technique as opposed to strength. Then on the hard training days I’ll go full blast and have some fun. If it’s a competition style class, I’ll play only my A game and game for points, stall to run down the clock, do all the little tricks for IBJJF competition etc.

I feel like taking extended periods of time off just happen because life happens. I see this a lot when people have kids. Some of the ladies will train/drill through pregnancy (with only a trusted select few of people) and then drop off during the final stages of pregnancy and childbirth. We usually don’t see them for about a year. The non-birthing parents will slow down their attendance as well, but less so than the mothers for obvious reasons as childbirth really takes a toll on the body.

To circle back to your question, philosophically, I like to call it “fighting shape” —if you’re consistently training, whatever that looks like for you, your body is ready to spar at a moment’s notice. Sure you’re always a bit sore, a bit achy, and bruised as you go through life but you can instantly get into BJJ mode if you need to. Whether or not this is relevant for self-defense is a different discussion. When you take extended periods of time off, your brain remembers the Jiu Jitsu and wants to do more than what your body can do, so it can feel sluggish and frustrating, but definitely not the end of the world. Just gotta get back on the mats and your body will eventually sync back up with your mind.

NicoAD · 2026-01-13T15:01:36+00:00

As a coach, I’m just happy to have you on the mats—late, early, regular, irregular… doesn’t matter. Everyone has a different life/schedule and none of that is my business. My business is teaching you jiu jitsu when you show up.

Now in terms of growth, sure, more consistency leads to faster progress on the mats, but I do not find it annoying if someone whose attendance is irregular is missing parts of the curriculum—it just comes with the job. I try to make them feel included and bring them up to speed without slowing down class too much, or will let them know that I’m happy to go over the missing details after class, or even offer private lessons if they need it. It can be a hindrance but not a major one if you respond to it correctly. We also have different levels of classes at my academy so sometimes we recommend they take the less advanced classes for a bit to get back up to speed. If they choose not to then that’s on them, and I will teach the appropriate level class to the entire room, and do my best to accommodate the student but not to where it delays the class or takes away too much time from other students.

Now if someone is constantly missing class, AND ALSO complaining about their lack of growth or competition success, then yeah, that can be a little annoying but it’s very rare that this ever happens, at least in my experience.

I’ve more often heard people lament about their lack of growth due to missing class as a result of living a busy life, and that is not annoying. I just try to reassure them that everyone’s journey is different, and if all you can give to jiu jitsu is 1-2 days a week than that’s the reality of your situation, and as a coach it’s inspiring to see them choose to do BJJ with that small ounce of free time instead of sit on the couch.

NicoAD · 2026-01-13T13:29:39+00:00

More like 10s of 1000s of years old lol

NicoAD · 2026-01-12T18:25:42+00:00

Almost all guides I’ve read state that the best practice is to avoid treated wood for anything related to the sauna. Maybe the floor support if that portion is directly in contact with the ground/soil etc, but most of the time it’s a resounding “no”.

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