Huntington Beach-based SaunaBox is heating things up with the launch of its first product.
The SaunaBox SmartSteam is a portable steam sauna system designed to be set up anywhere on the go.
The company was co-founded in May by 25-year-olds Sean Morrisey and Nolan Kahal, who have enjoyed the health benefits of saunas since their college athlete days at the University of Southern California.
Compared to traditional home saunas that can cost thousands of dollars, SaunaBox retails for $449 on its website.
Its portable nature has gained popularity among professional athletes, attracting partnerships with organizations that represent top players in Major League Baseball and the National Football League.
Health Benefits
It takes less than five minutes to assemble a SaunaBox.
Each kit comes with a portable chair and a SmartSteam chamber that pumps steam into a heat-insulated tent.
The remote-controlled SmartSteam unit offers seven levels of heat, reaching up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
Morrisey and Kahal recommend that beginners start out on a lower level for 10 to 25 minutes to get accustomed to using a sauna.
Besides relaxation, saunas are associated with multiple health benefits.
Morrisey and Kahal cited a study by Dr. Rhonda Patrick, co-founder of FoundMyFitness, finding that people who used heat therapy three to four times a week decreased their risk of heart disease by half.
Regular sauna use has been shown to increase blood flow, lowering blood pressure in people with hypertension, according to the National Institutes of Health.
E-Commerce Background
Both Morrisey and Kahal come from an e-commerce background.
The two met through mutual friends and in 2020 co-founded Ideah Labs, a digital marketing agency.
Ideah Labs recently exited its portfolio company Tags Mate, a trackable wallet compatible with Apple Inc.’s AirTag, after scaling it to $1.4 million of sales in the first six months.
The success of Ideah Labs has allowed Morrisey and Kahal to bootstrap SaunaBox without any investors.
They expect SaunaBox to generate $2 million in revenue by the end of the year.
