Luxury Sauna Manufacture
Creating an Effe sauna requires equal amounts high-quality materials, hand craftsmanship, attention to detail, specialty tools, and most importantly, an elegant design that makes each Effe sauna unique. Because Effe’s luxury saunas are made to order, every single cabin is created to the client’s specifications in the Effe factory in Cesena, Italy. Each of the craftspeople within the factory are experts at their stage in the process, whether it’s building the frame of the sauna, polishing the wood, creating that characteristic vertical wooden slat design in the interior, or even wiring the entire structure to perfection.
Take a look at each step of the process and get a sneak peek at the level of artistry and craftsmanship that makes an Effe sauna unique.
The Sauna Structure
The entire sauna structure is, of course, made of wood, so before it becomes a sauna, the structure of the cabin must be built out and framed. Only the highest-quality materials and woods are used for Effe saunas. Effe never uses any timber resulting from deforestation or wood from trees at risk of extinction. Effe is compliant with the standards PEFC ITA 1002 REV. 4, FSC-STD-40-0003 V1-0 and FSC-STD-40-004 V2-0.
Creating Channels for Wiring
2. The walls of the sauna must be wired internally, of course, to allow for the proper functionality of the electric heater that will eventually heat the finished sauna. The walls of the sauna are expertly carved with channels for that exact purpose.
Assembling The Walls with Vertical Wood Paneling
The wooden walls of the sauna are then combined with the client’s chosen wood type for the characteristic vertical paneling of a traditional Finnish sauna. The wood types available differ among the different models of Effe saunas, but our most popular wood types are heat-treated aspen, dark natural wood, the traditional fir, and even some specialty types like cedar.
Insulating the Walls & Polishing
The walls of the sauna are insulated in the factory with a natural insulation, to ensure proper heat retention during use and to ensure that no heat leaks out from the cabin.
Next, the completed, insulated walls of the sauna are polished to a very smooth, almost velvety texture. The walls of the cabin pass through a specialty device to sand and smooth each surface, making every panel soft to the touch and perfectly silky.
Fixing Imperfections—Like Magic
Because Effe saunas are always made with real, natural wood, the wood grain is sometimes less than perfect. With one wood type, fir, the higher heat of the production process melts the sap remaining in the wood, leaving small inlets that need to be filled. Here, a craftsman is replacing an inlet with a replacement wood piece, leaving a seamless, perfect surface that nevertheless maintains the natural aesthetic of that gorgeous wood grain.
Making An Effe Sauna
0:09Assembling the Sauna
Every Effe sauna is first assembled in the factory to ensure everything is fitted and functioning perfectly before it is then disassembled for shipment and delivery. Here, we can see several different sauna designs all being assembled and checked for quality assurance.
Shipment
Lastly, the sauna is wrapped for shipment and arrives pre-assembled and pre-wired for easy installation in its new home.
