Product Review: Sauna Cream

There’s a restaurant that I love in Chinatown. It’s located in a busy strip mall with scarce parking and there’s always a wait to get in. One day, while waiting to get in, I notice this cute little Korean skincare store. So, I decide to browse the shop tucked within the many stores and restaurants.

The store is small but manages to use every square inch to stock at least 100 different products. I can’t explain it, but I get so excited about new skincare products. I get especially giddy about Korean skincare potions and lotions. Most of the product’s packaging is written in Korean. The cute, elderly lady in the store speaks very little English (apparently the actual owner was outside handling a fender bender and her mom was tending to the store in her absence). However, I take ques from pictures and marketing on the packages to help me figure out what the products do.

Immediately, a little box labelled ‘Water Glow Sauna Cream’ grabs my attention. To me, sauna equals moisture, and I’m all about that moisture boss. When I get to the register, the store owner (whose back now) reaffirms my purchase when she says, “Good choice, This stuff is great.” Scoooooooooore!

I do a quick Google search to get more details about my new purchase. The So Natural website touts the cream as a moisturizer that also acts as a makeup primer. The key ingredients include coconut water (good), birch sap (hmmm), hyaluronic acid (the real MVP), shea butter (tried and true), white cedar sap (interesting), and niacin amide (sciencey). The sauna cream has a gel-like consistency with tiny red vitamin specks. If you look closely in the jar, you can actually see little oxygen bubbles.

For the first couple of weeks, I use the moisturizer in a few different ways to see how it would best fit into my skincare line up. First, I use it the morning in combo with a moisturizing sunscreen. Then, I use it at night as the last step in my routine. Eventually, I settle on using it at night a couple of times a week for an extra boost of hydration.

I absolutely love the results. My skin looks and feels plump and dewy. I’m usually pretty heavy-handed when I apply skin products, but with this stuff, a little goes a long way. Every time I use Sauna Cream, I feel like I’m giving my skin a mini spa treatment. It’s like slathering concentrated steam on my skin.

The Takeaway

Sauna Cream does deliver a just-after-the-spa glow. And I like that it’s more of a healthy sheen instead of an oily shine. At $34, it’s not quite a luxury skincare product but not discount either. While I can’t say that I notice a difference with my makeup, I don’t mind because I wasn’t looking for a primer. In my battle against aging skin and desert air, Water Glow Sauna Cream has been a solid fighter.