Editorial Policy
How this site works.
What we cover, how we decide what to recommend, and where the money comes from. Short version: no sponsored content, ever.
What Saunaroots is
Saunaroots is an independent editorial site about sauna culture, written from an Estonian perspective for a New York audience. It covers the culture and history of sauna, reviews bathhouses in New York City, and provides practical guidance for people thinking about a home sauna.
It is not a wellness brand. It is not a lifestyle platform. It is a site written by one person who grew up with sauna as a normal part of life and thinks New York deserves to understand what that actually means.
How the site is funded
Saunaroots is funded through affiliate commissions, the home sauna business (we work with Arctic Finland House to bring Finnish sauna cabins to New York), and selectively through brand partnerships where they make sense.
Any paid or gifted relationship is disclosed clearly at the top of the relevant content. The line we hold: if we wouldn't recommend it to a friend who asked honestly, it doesn't go on the site — regardless of what's being offered.
Affiliate links
Some links on this site may be affiliate links, meaning we receive a small commission if you purchase something through them — at no extra cost to you. When this is the case, it is disclosed at the top of the relevant article.
Affiliate relationships do not influence what gets recommended. If something is not worth recommending, it does not get recommended regardless of whether there is a commission available. The only things that appear in recommendations are things we would tell a friend to buy or visit.
Home sauna sales
Saunaroots works with Arctic Finland House to bring Finnish sauna cabins to the New York metro area. This is disclosed openly and consistently — on the Home Saunas page, in any article that mentions it, and here.
This commercial relationship does not affect editorial coverage. The journal and guides cover sauna culture honestly, including topics that have nothing to do with home sauna sales. Bathhouse reviews are not influenced by whether a venue competes with or complements the home sauna offering.
Bathhouse reviews
Venues are reviewed based on publicly available information, reader reports, and — where possible — personal visits. Where a review is based on sources other than a firsthand visit, this is stated clearly in the article. We do not accept free visits or comp sessions in exchange for coverage.
The criteria we use: whether the steam is real (can you pour water on the stones?), the quality of the cold contrast option, the communal setup, and the overall honesty of what is being sold. A place that calls itself a Finnish sauna but runs infrared panels will be described accurately.
Corrections
If something on this site is wrong, we want to know. Email info@saunaroots.com with the details. Corrections are made promptly and noted in the article.