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By Pertti Olavi Jalasjaa

Western red cedar is an ideal wood for building saunas. Known for its resistance to decay, the soft red-brown timber is a particularly popular choice for building outdoor saunas. Many builders also use Western red cedar to construct gazebos, decks and other structures that must withstand all kinds of weather and outside elements. Western red cedar is also commonly used to line closets and chests, for the pungent aromatic oils from the wood are believed to discourage moth larvae, which can damage cloth.

Native to the northwestern U.S. and southwestern Canada, Western red cedar has a long history of use by the Native American people of North America’s northwest coast. Some northwest coast tribes refer to themselves as “people of the red cedar” because of their great reliance on the softwood for basic materials. Western red cedar is called “the tree of life” by the Kakawaka’waka tribe and is still revered by all northwest coast people for its healing and spiritual powers.

According to the 1945 writings of Erna Gunther, the late University of Washington anthropologist who studied the northwest coast tribes, “The Lummi chew the buds of cedar and swallow them for sore lungs, while the Cowlitz chew them for toothache, and the Skokomish boil them for a gargle. The Skagit boil the ends of the leaves for coughs… The Klallam boil cedar limbs for tuberculosis medicine, (and) the Quinault make an infusion of the bark and twigs for kidney trouble (and) boil and infusion of cedar limbs to wash sores due to venereal diseases.”

Nearly 50 years later, authors Jim Pojar and Andy Mackinnon wrote of a northwest coast Native myth that claims Western red cedar was created by a “Great Spirit… in honor of a man who was always helping others: ‘When he dies and where he is buried, a cedar tree will grow and be useful to the people – the roots for baskets, the bark for clothing, the wood for shelter.”

Throughout the years, outdoor as well as indoor saunas made of Western red cedar have provided great benefits to the people lucky enough to own them or use them on a regular basis. Sweat bathing in cedar saunas has been credited with promoting blood circulation, improving lung function, increasing immunity to viruses and infections, assisting skin care, and aiding relaxation. And the list of potential positive consequences of consistent cedar sauna use doesn’t end there. Given the many verified health benefits of sauna bathing and the strong convictions of the Native American people of North America’s northwest coast, it might be quite apropos to call Western red cedar saunas “saunas of life.”

Western red cedar can be used in the construction of many types of home saunas and sauna kits. Countless backyard saunas, bathroom saunas, basement saunas, bedroom saunas, patio saunas, barrel saunas, custom saunas, traditional Finnish saunas, radiant heat saunas, modular saunas and pre-cut saunas made of Western red cedar have enhanced the homes and properties of fastidious sauna bath fans for many years.

Unbeknownst to even some of the most devoted sauna bath enthusiasts, Western red cedar is not technically a true cedar wood; it is a cypress. Cedar refers to trees belonging to the genus Cedrus in the coniferous plant family Pinaceae, whereas Western red cedar refers to a species of trees that belongs to the genus Thuja in the Cupressaceae or cypress family. Despite the distinction, most sauna manufacturers and sauna dealers market home saunas made of Western red cedar as simply cedar saunas.

For further information on Western red cedar saunas, contact a qualified home sauna builder or retailer.