CLT: the hidden strength at the heart of your luxury Wildhut sauna

Wildhut saunas are not only beautiful to look at, they have a secret ingredient at their core that makes them incredibly strong, resilient and great for the planet too.

It’s called CLT (Cross Laminated Timber) and is the hidden layer in the walls, floor and ceiling of our saunas that brings a whole range of benefits that help make your sauna experience fabulous, cost effective and environmentally friendly. 

Here’s how…

First things first: what is CLT?

Cross Laminated Timber is an innovative, engineered building material made from layers of pine, spruce or fir boards glued and pressed together under immense pressure to create a very solid wood. The secret to its construction is that each layer is placed at right angles to the one below, making it incredibly strong. 

CLT was first created in Austria in the 1990s and is the first significant new building material to be adopted by the construction industry in the past 100 years. While it’s still relatively new in the UK, it’s been used around the world to build everything from skyscrapers to multi-storey carparks.

We’re enthusiastic about CLT because it’s helping to make our saunas both super strong and highly sustainable. And we’re proud to be one of the very first sauna companies in the UK to recognise and pioneer this amazing material.

How is CLT used in Wildhut saunas?

The first thing you see when you look at a Wildhut sauna is the very elegant exterior panelling finish. Step inside and you see the rich warm tones of our fragrant cedarwood interior panelling or the light, sophisticated finish of our alder wood panelling – both are traditional sauna woods known for their exceptional resilience to heat and steam.

In between these inner and outer layers are 60mm-thick, heavy-duty CLT panels that hold the whole structure together, bringing a raft of benefits.   

What are the benefits of using CLT?

Built to last

CLT helps make our Wildhut saunas incredibly stable as its cross-laminated structure resists warping, swelling and shrinking. In fact, this innovative material is as strong as concrete, even though it’s five times lighter, which means the panels inside the sauna won’t bend or bow. You can even lift and relocate your sauna when you move! Most importantly, when other, cheaper saunas are beginning to leak, lean or rot, your Wildhut sauna will still be going strong for years to come. 

Climate friendly

CLT is made from renewable wood, often sourced from sustainably managed forests where the trees are grown as a crop and replaced when cut down. Trees naturally store carbon as they grow which means that when you choose a Wildhut sauna you’re helping to lock away carbon and create a cooler world. 

Fun fact: Europe’s sustainable forests produce enough wood to build a house for a family of four, every 7 seconds!

Warm as toast

The thick, layered CLT panels at the heart of a Wildhut sauna, combined with our solid construction materials and approach, mean we have great insulation totally covered. You can enjoy a quick even heat in your sauna and keep the heat where you want it – inside! Less wasted energy means fewer emissions, lower bills and happier sauna sessions too. 

Safe as houses

It’s reassuring to know that CLT is fire-safe and meets tough fire safety standards, so as things heat up you can sit back and relax.

Stands up to steam

Many traditional woods struggle to cope with heat and steam. CLT’s design means it’s much less likely to warp or rot as its multiple layers block moisture from getting deep into the wood, while still allowing the structure to breathe. This helps to keep your sauna in great shape for longer.

Like to know more?

If you’d like to find out more about our range of beautiful, durable, eco-friendly saunas and how you could invest in one for your home or business, please contact us here.