Thermory Partners with Bergman to Bring Premium Sauna Wood to Japan
The Estonian thermowood giant signed an exclusive distribution deal with Tokyo-based Bergman Co., betting on Japan's expanding sauna culture.
Thermory, the world's largest producer of thermally modified wood, has signed an exclusive distribution agreement with Tokyo-based Bergman Co., Ltd. to bring its full sauna materials and architectural wood portfolio to Japan. The deal was signed in Tallinn, Estonia in November 2025.
What's in the Deal
Under the agreement, Bergman becomes Thermory's exclusive distributor for sauna interior materials (thermo-aspen, thermo-alder, thermo-magnolia, and thermo-radiata pine) as well as exterior architectural products (thermally modified spruce, pine, clear pine, and ash) throughout Japan.
The sauna materials are particularly relevant. Thermory's thermo-aspen and thermo-alder are prized for their tight grain, dimensional stability, and resin-free surfaces, qualities that align with the precision that Japanese sauna and bath construction demands.
Japan is a strategically important market for Thermory.
-- Katrin Reinaste-Parve, Thermory Group Sales and Marketing Director
Why Japan
Japan's sauna culture is experiencing a renaissance. The concept of "totonou" (the state of equilibrium reached through hot-cold contrast bathing) has driven a wave of new sauna facilities across the country. Bergman's connections with TTNE, an influential sauna creative collective, gives Thermory's sauna products a direct line into the community of architects, builders, and enthusiasts shaping Japan's modern sauna scene.
For Thermory, Japan represents both a high-value market and a cultural validation. Japanese builders and architects are among the most demanding in the world when it comes to wood quality and finish, making it a strong proof point for the thermowood category.
Sofia Mäkelä
European Correspondent & Sauna Industry Analyst
Sofia Mäkelä reports on the European sauna manufacturing industry and Nordic wellness culture from Helsinki, Finland.
Full byline
Sofia Mäkelä is a European Correspondent for SaunaNews.com, covering the sauna manufacturing industry, Nordic wellness culture, and the companies shaping the global thermal bathing market from her home base in Helsinki, Finland.
Born and raised in Helsinki, Sofia grew up in a country where saunas outnumber cars and weekly bathing is a way of life rather than a luxury. That upbringing gave her a native fluency in sauna culture that informs everything she writes. She studied journalism at the University of Helsinki before spending several years covering the Baltic timber and building materials industries for trade publications across Scandinavia and the Baltics.
Sofia's reporting focuses on the European manufacturers, from Estonian powerhouses like Thermory and Auroom to Finnish and German brands, that are supplying the global wellness boom. She tracks ownership changes, factory expansions, new product lines, and the export strategies that are bringing European sauna engineering to North America, Asia, and the Middle East.
When she is not visiting factories in Estonia or attending trade shows in Cologne, Sofia can be found at one of Helsinki's many public saunas or cross-country skiing in the forests outside the city.
