Raymond Ortega, Power & assembly writer

I write the guides about everything that happens before the first session: where the sauna goes, how it goes together and what it plugs into. Read enough owner reviews and you see how many disappointments start right there. A cabin that needs its own circuit, photographed next to an ordinary wall outlet. A ceiling that turns out a little too low once the roof panel is on.

Most of my time goes into the dull pages: the electrical section of the manual, the assembly diagrams, the line in the spec sheet that gives total wattage. I compare plug types, amperage and circuit requirements across models, count the panels and connectors each cabin ships with, and check the clearances the manufacturer asks for around the walls and above the roof.

I'm not an electrician, and every power guide says so. The guide's job is to tell you what to ask one, and which numbers to have ready when you do.

I haven't put these cabins together in anyone's home for this site, and I won't pretend I have. What I can do is read the documents closely, line the models up and tell you what to measure before you order.