Inside Sauna360's Supply Chain: What the Records Show

In the sauna industry, it is not much of a secret. Ask an experienced dealer or distributor how Sauna360 sources its products and most will tell you the pre-built room cabinets come from China. Traditional electric heaters ship from Finland and Sweden. Infrared panels are a murkier picture — customs records show Chinese thermal equipment suppliers in the mix there too. The broad strokes have been the model for years and are well understood by people who work in the trade.

What is less clear is how well it travels downstream to consumers — particularly the many buyers who purchase Finnleo, Tylö, or Helo saunas through hot tub retailers or pool-and-spa showrooms, where sauna is often a secondary product line and staff may not know the sourcing details themselves.

A federal safety recall issued last October put the supply chain arrangement on the public record in unusually plain language. CPSC Recall #26-040, issued October 23, 2025, covers bench seating in Tylö-branded Halmstad and Kiruna Hybrid sauna rooms. Seven consumers reported bench collapses, including one who suffered head and neck injuries. The units sold for $6,000 to $12,000 apiece through various U.S. distributors. The recall notice states: "Manufactured In: China."

Sauna360 is the Cokato, Minnesota-based subsidiary of Masco Corporation (NYSE: MAS) that markets saunas under five brands: Finnleo, Tylö, Helo, Kastor, and Amerec. Masco acquired the company, then known as TyloHelo Inc., in a deal announced July 31, 2023. This report draws on U.S. customs records, a 2022 on-the-record interview with company executives, and SEC filings to document how the supply chain works.

The Recall: Federal Documentation of Chinese Manufacturing

CPSC Recall #26-040 is the single most authoritative piece of evidence in this story. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is a federal agency; its recall notices are legal documents. There is no ambiguity in the language.

The recall covers bench seating in the Tylö Halmstad 2, 3, and 4 sauna rooms and the Kiruna Hybrid 2 and 3 sauna rooms. Units sold between July and December 2024. Seven reports of bench breakage were filed before the recall was issued. One consumer sustained head and neck injuries. About 1,000 units were recalled in the United States, plus nine units in Canada.

The defect is structural, not electrical. Bench wood can collapse under normal use. The heater is not implicated. But the recall notice identifies the importer as "Sauna360, Inc., of Cokato, Minnesota" and states the manufacturing origin as China.

CPSC Recall #26-040 Key Details: Tylö Halmstad 2/3/4 and Kiruna Hybrid 2/3 sauna rooms. Approximately 1,000 units recalled in the U.S. plus 9 in Canada. Sold July-December 2024 for $6,000 to $12,000. Defect: bench can collapse, posing a fall hazard. Seven incidents reported, including one injury with head and neck injuries. Importer: Sauna360, Inc., Cokato, MN. Manufactured In: China.

The Tylö brand is built around its Swedish origin. Its website, catalog copy, and dealer materials describe a factory in Halmstad, Sweden, "since 1950," and use the phrase "MADE IN SWEDEN" prominently. For Tylö electric heaters, that is accurate. For the Halmstad and Kiruna Hybrid sauna room cabinets, the CPSC recall says otherwise.

The Paper Trail: 865 Containers from China

U.S. customs bill-of-lading records, accessed via commercial databases including ImportGenius and ImportKey, document Sauna360's import history across nearly 20 years. The pattern holds across the company's name changes, from Saunatec to TyloHelo to Sauna360.

The importing entity at 575 East Cokato Street, Cokato, MN 55321 has logged 1,009 documented shipments from November 2006 through April 2026. The vast majority originate from a cluster of Chinese suppliers operating under the "Sfactor" brand in Jiangsu Province.

Wuxi Sfactor Co., Ltd. (Xishan Industrial Zone, Wuxi, Jiangsu) accounts for approximately 460 containers totaling 8.2 million pounds. Its most recent recorded shipment arrived April 8, 2026. Customs description on bills of lading: "WOOD PREFABRICATED BUILDINGS." At least one bill of lading references "ATM GROUP NA BASKET NAC MASCO" in the product line, a direct trace to the Masco parent. Changzhou Sfactor Co., Ltd. accounts for approximately 370 containers (6.8 million pounds), primarily transshipped via Pusan, South Korea. A third Sfactor entity in Suzhou accounts for 58 additional shipments filed under the former TyloHelo importer name.

Additional Chinese suppliers include Guangdong Hongyuan Home Furnishing Co., Ltd. of Guangzhou (which operates as "Royal Saunas," an OEM exporter of infrared and traditional sauna products) with approximately 35 containers, and Hangzhou Fulton Thermal Equipment Co. with roughly 150 shipments.

European shipments tell a different story for traditional electric heaters. Sauna360 AB Tylö in Sweden accounts for approximately 62 containers described as "SAUNA HEATERS WITH CONTROLS AND SPARE PARTS" with customs documentation noting "COO SE" (Country of Origin: Sweden). Sauna360 Oy in Finland accounts for approximately 34 containers of "ELECTRIC HEATERS / ROCK FOR HEATERS / CARTON BOXES." Finnish timber suppliers including Pieksawood Oy, Koskisen Oy, and Mäntsälän Saha Oy contribute smaller volumes of heat-treated alder and other sauna materials.

The Chinese side of the ledger, however, also includes thermal equipment suppliers. Hangzhou Fulton Thermal Equipment Co. accounts for approximately 150 shipments to Sauna360, and Far Infrared Sauna Technology Co. is listed in records under the former TyloHelo importer name. The specific contents of those shipments are not detailed in customs descriptions, but the supplier names suggest infrared heating components rather than wood cabinets.

Estimated Import Volume by Origin (container counts): Chinese suppliers (Sfactor room kits + thermal equipment + others): ~865+ containers, approximately 86% of total inbound volume. Swedish factory (traditional heaters and controls): ~62 containers. Finnish factory (traditional heaters and rocks): ~34 containers. Finnish timber suppliers: remaining volume. Source: ImportGenius, ImportKey, U.S. Customs bill-of-lading records.

The broad pattern: pre-built room cabinets come from China. Traditional electric heaters come from Scandinavia. Infrared components appear to have Chinese suppliers as well, though the exact product breakdown is not fully documented in public customs data.

On the Record: 'Most of Sauna360's Revenue'

The customs data tells the story in container counts. In Summer 2022, Sauna360 executives spoke directly about it.

Enterprise Minnesota, a regional business publication, ran a feature on the company during the height of the global shipping crisis. Journalist Robb Murray got unusually candid on-the-record comments.

"What used to cost $5,000 to bring a container in is now $25,000 to $30,000. It's crazy. We've seen a surge in (custom-built) sauna sales because of that. People are asking, 'Why buy a portable one from China when I can get one that's made in Minnesota for almost the same price?'" — Mark Raisanen, Director of Sales and Marketing, Sauna360

Murray wrote: "The saunas manufactured in China make up most of Sauna360's revenue" and "the free-standing, pre-sized units manufactured in China comprise the bulk of the company's sales." Direct reporting, attributed to named officials, published fourteen months before Masco completed its acquisition.

A now-archived page on the TyloHelo U.S. website was even more explicit: "We also produce high quality entry level and mid-range saunas and infrared rooms in our China facility. Our sauna heaters and controls are made in our Hanko, Finland plant, and our steam generators and boilers are made in our Woodinville, Washington Plant."

That language is no longer publicly visible on the company's websites.

Brand by Brand: What the Websites Say vs. What the Records Show

Each Sauna360 brand emphasizes its Nordic heritage differently. None mention China on consumer-facing pages.

Tylö is the most stark case. The brand's About page states: "Nestled in Halmstad, Sweden, Tylö boasts 75 years of unwavering dedication to the art of sauna craftsmanship." Catalog copy reads: "MADE IN SWEDEN — The Tylö factory is located in Halmstad on the west coast of Sweden. We have been here since 1950 and continue perfecting our products which are manufactured from scratch solely by us." Electric heaters made in Halmstad likely justify that language. The Halmstad and Kiruna Hybrid sauna rooms, which the CPSC recall identifies as manufactured in China, are sold on the same website under the same brand identity. The consumer site does not distinguish between heater origin and room origin.

Finnleo markets itself as "The Genuine Finnish Sauna" across its entire web presence. Its About page references "our US-based manufacturing" for custom saunas and notes its 1984 founding in Cokato, Minnesota. Its NorthStar product line explicitly says "Made in the USA." Its heaters are described as "genuine Finnish heaters, designed and built in Finland." But the flagship tagline is applied to the full product line without any disclosure that pre-built sauna room kits are manufactured in China. One authorized Finnleo dealer independently states on its website that "Finnleo Pure Infra Saunas are also made in China," though it adds that Finnleo "owns and operates their own factories" there. That factory ownership claim has not been independently verified and appears to be contradicted by Masco's SEC filings.

Helo is the relative transparency outlier for traditional saunas. Its custom saunas page states: "Custom sauna interiors are handcrafted in the USA and heaters in Finland." The overall brand still uses "The genuine Finnish sauna, handcrafted for life," but the USA manufacturing disclosure for custom interiors is accessible and specific. For its traditional sauna line, this is meaningfully more transparent than Tylö or Finnleo.

Kastor operates as a heater-only brand, marketed as "Finland's oldest sauna brand, founded in 1916," with manufacturing at Hanko, Finland. As a heater brand with no room kits in its product catalog, its Finnish manufacturing claims are accurate.

Amerec manufactures steam generators in Woodinville, Washington, and has transferred its sauna product line to Helo. Amerec's website notably avoids explicit country-of-origin claims, a more restrained approach than its sibling brands.

What Masco's Filings Disclose

Masco Corporation (NYSE: MAS) is an $8 billion revenue home improvement products company. Its FY2024 10-K states that Plumbing Products companies "manufacture products primarily in North America and Europe as well as in Asia and source products from Asia and other regions." That language technically covers Chinese manufacturing, but provides no product-level breakdown. The Exhibit 21 subsidiary list shows Sauna360 entities in Finland, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Minnesota, Delaware, and Taiwan. There is no Chinese entity.

The absence of a Chinese subsidiary matters. If Sauna360 owned the Sfactor factories in Wuxi, Changzhou, and Suzhou, those entities would appear in SEC filings. They do not. The most likely conclusion is that Sfactor operates as an independent contract manufacturer, not a company-owned facility. This contradicts the dealer claim that Finnleo "owns and operates" Chinese factories.

On Masco's Q4 2024 earnings call, CFO Richard Westenberg disclosed approximately $450 million in China imports across the company in 2025, with 80% (approximately $360 million) in the Plumbing Products segment. He said Masco had "successfully reduced our exposure to China by 45% since 2018" and expected China imports to fall below $300 million by end of 2026. Sauna-specific sourcing has not come up on Masco earnings calls.

The Disclosure Gap: Masco FY2024 10-K describes manufacturing "primarily in North America and Europe as well as in Asia." Sauna360 corporate website and press materials list manufacturing in "Finland, Sweden, and the United States." No Masco filing identifies China as a Sauna360 manufacturing location. No Chinese subsidiary appears in Exhibit 21.

How Competitors Handle Disclosure

For context, here is how other premium sauna brands handle country-of-origin disclosure.

Harvia (Nasdaq Helsinki: HARVIA), the world's largest sauna heater manufacturer, openly discloses its Guangzhou, China factory in investor materials. The Guangzhou facility produces heating elements and resistors assembled into complete heaters in Muurame, Finland. Harvia's annual reports name the operation explicitly.

EOS (Germany) states: "100% made in Germany — we develop and produce our products exclusively in Germany." Narvi (Finland) carries the official Finnish Key Flag Symbol, a government certification requiring at least 95% domestic production. Klafs (Germany, acquired by Kohler in 2023) consistently markets German manufacturing at its Schwäbisch Hall factory. Auroom (Estonia, part of Thermory Group) prominently states "Handcrafted in Estonia" across its product line.

Chinese OEM manufacturing is not unusual in the sauna industry. The budget and white-label segments depend heavily on Chinese production. Among premium brands built around heritage narratives, though, explicit origin disclosure is the norm. With 145% tariffs on Chinese imports now in effect, the sourcing question has taken on new financial stakes for buyers and brands alike. Sauna360's consumer-facing materials do not follow that pattern for its pre-built room products.

What Buyers Should Know

The sourcing split is not news to people inside the trade. Experienced sauna dealers, distributors, and industry veterans generally know that Sauna360's pre-built room kits come from China and its heaters come from Scandinavia. This has been the model for a long time. What is less consistent is how well that gets communicated at the retail level.

A significant share of Finnleo and Helo saunas in the U.S. are sold through hot tub and pool-and-spa retailers, where sauna is one of several product lines. Staff at those stores may not know where the room cabinet was manufactured, because it is not information that prominently surfaces in dealer training or product sheets. A salesperson who tells a customer "the heater is made in Finland" is not wrong. They may just not know to add "the room itself is built in China."

What remains unclear is the current SKU-level breakdown. The 2022 Enterprise Minnesota article indicates custom saunas are built in Minnesota while pre-built kits come from China, but product lines may have shifted since the Masco acquisition. Whether Masco's stated effort to reduce China sourcing has changed Sauna360's product mix since the 2025 tariff escalation is also unknown.

This is a sourcing story, not a quality indictment. Chinese manufacturing is not inherently inferior. The bench recall is one data point about one structural component. The broader point is that buyers spending $8,000 or $10,000 on a sauna marketed as "Made in Sweden" or "The Genuine Finnish Sauna" may want to ask specifically where the room cabinet was built. Customs records and the CPSC recall both suggest the answer, for pre-built models, is likely China.

The broad sourcing model is an open secret in the trade: pre-built room cabinets come from China, traditional electric heaters from Scandinavia, and infrared components likely from China as well. Experienced dealers know the general picture. But the buyer at a hot tub showroom who just picked out a Finnleo may not have been told any of it — and the brand websites do not say. It is a fair question to ask before signing.