Oh, the cedar
treeIf mankind in his infancy
had prayed for the perfect substance
for all materials and aesthetic needs,
an indulgent god could have provided nothing better.
- Bill Reid
Oh, the cedar
tree
If mankind in his infancy
had prayed for the perfect substance
for all materials and aesthetic needs,
an indulgent god could have provided nothing better.
- Bill Reid
We support sound forest management practices. Our business has been endorsed by the timber industry and forest stewardship groups alike. We visit each of our suppliers and work with them to supply the highest quality wood. All of our red and yellow cedar comes from small family mills in the towns of Southeast Alaska.
Quick Links to: Western Red Cedar, Alaskan Yellow Cedar, Port Orford Cedar
Western Red Cedar's qualities of beauty, workability, strength, natural rot resistant oils, and sweet aroma, make it the perfect material for a natural wooden hot tub. We use the best quality cedar with true straight grain for our tubs. All our material is clear vertical grained heartwood. Red Cedar is plentiful and we support sound forest management practices. Much of our Red Cedar is from salvaged trees and all is sustainably harvested by small family mills in the towns of Southeast Alaska.
Latin Name: Thuja Plicata, commonly known as Red Cedar or Giant Arbor-Vitae which means "tree of life." A fitting description for a tree which has been so important to human survival in the past and continues its importance in the present.
The cedar is an exquisite tree - the broad and buttressed base tapers quickly to a perfectly straight trunk dressed in gray-brown bark and gracefully sweeping boughs heavy with the feather like needles.
The cedar tree contributed perfect materials for early civilizations - soft straight grained wood - easily split, carved and beautiful to behold - it was easily fashioned into shelters, canoes, containers, masks, and tools. The inner and outer bark provided textiles strong and durable enough to make baskets that lasted for generations. The withes (branchlettes) provided strands for ropes that match the strength of modern materials. The roots when split into fine splines made exquisite baskets. No wonder the cedar tree is held in the highest respect by Northwest Natives. Today the same cedar tree is held in highest regard by boat builders, carvers, and craftspeople around the world.
Yellow Cedar's qualities of yellow color, fine clear grain, beauty, workability, strength, natural rot resistant oils, and citrus aroma, make it the perfect material for natural wooden tubs. As the Japanese do, we use this wood for our ofuros. We select the best quality cedar with true straight vertical grain for our tubs. Yellow Cedar is plentiful in this area and we support sound forest management practices - much of our Yellow Cedar is from salvaged trees and all is sustainably harvested by small family mills in the towns of Southeast Alaska.
Latin Name: Chamaecyparis nootkatensis, commonly known as Yellow Cedar, Yellow Cypress, or Alaska Cedar. The Yellow Cedar tree contributed perfect materials for early civilizations - tough straight grained wood - easily carved and beautiful to behold - it was fashioned into shelters, bows, paddles, containers, masks, and tools. The inner and outer bark provided textiles strong and durable enough to make blankets, baskets, hats and capes that lasted for generations. No wonder the cedar tree is held in the highest respect by Northwest Natives. In recent history the Yellow Cedar has been a prized boat building wood used for planking.
Hinoki (Chamaecyparis obtusa) grows in Japan. Port Orford Cedar (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana) grows on the coast of Oregon. These beautiful sister trees are actually in the cypress family and are relatively rare. They share all the same characteristics. Most of what is available as Hinoki in Japan is actually Port Orford Cedar imported from Oregon. We use their names interchangeably. Our tubs are made with Port Orford Cedar - a truly magical material.
No wonder it is thought to hold magic and spiritual powers. This is why it is used to build Buddhist and Shinto temples in China and Japan. The tree is a beautiful towering giant that easily tops 200 feet with blue green flat splays of foliage. It prefers the mist of warm coastal rain forests. The wood is clear, straight, strong, has excellent decay resistance, and to top it off a beautiful aroma like lemons. The color is yellow-light tan that mellows and deepens beautifully with time. Besides temples, it is the best wood for arrow shafts, boat building, and of course the famous ofuro - Japanese bathtub.
Because it is in short supply, the price is higher than either Yellow or Red Cedar. All of our Port Orford Cedar is sustainably harvested from salvaged logs. We only make a small number of tubs with Port Orford Cedar each year.