About Us
Haines, Alaska
Where soaring, snowcapped, evergreen mountains plunge into turquoise fjords. Where massive brown bears and the world’s largest population of bald eagles feast on schools of migrating salmon.
Here, the same majestic beauty that surrounded generations of Chilkat Tlingit as they crafted their renowned cedar carvings and woven blankets surrounds and inspires our dedicated team as we strive to produce the finest cedar-scented wood hot tubs and handmade Japanese Ofuro soaking tubs available.
Our History
Our hot tub and soaking tub product lines each began over two decades ago as special requests for our founder — a skilled craftsman who ran a custom woodworking shop called Sea Otter Woodworks from his garage — came in.
The tubs were hits. As interest grew, he hired more woodworkers and moved to a larger production shop to keep up with demand.
Before long, tubs were outselling other custom woodworking projects by an increasing margin, and the Zen Bathworks brand was born.
Our founder retired and passed the torch to new ownership in 2017, and since then, Zen Bathworks continues to grow and innovate under our new leadership as we work to craft the perfect soaking experience.
Meet the Team
Handcrafted in Alaska by Alaskans.
Kent
Owner, General Manager, Lead Engineer
Tully
Production Supervisor & Master Woodworker
Michael
Engineer, Technical Sales
John
Sales and Service
Eric
Master Woodworker
Melissa
Accounting and Billing
Our Vision
We are big believers in the importance of stillness. Of taking quiet time to relax, destress, clear the mind, and reflect on why we’re here.
We think you’ll agree that a luxurious hot soak provides an excellent setting for this type of rejuvenation. Hot baths have been adopted by cultures throughout history and around the globe as a meditative, restorative practice, including our inspiration: the famous hot-spring bathing traditions of Japan.
We are also big fans of the amazing properties of wood. Did you know that scientific studies have found that touching wood reduces stress?
The captivating scents of red cedar and cypress wood aren’t their only amazing superpower — the same oils and resins responsible for the inviting aroma are chock full of antibacterial and antifungal molecules that help prevent mildew and decay.
What do you get when you combine passions for relaxation, hot baths, and cedarwood? World-class Ofuro soaking tubs and coopered stave hot tubs. Our goal is to deliver a simple, stress-free shopping experience that ends with you soaking in exactly the right tub for you.
As residents of the Tongass — the largest National Forest in the United States — we experience firsthand the beauty and benefits of healthy forests. We strive to source our lumber from companies that share our vision of healthy forests for the future.
The majority of our lumber comes from what is arguably the world’s most responsible and sustainable timber industry — our next-door neighbor British Columbia’s Western Red Cedar forests. In addition to setting aside an area larger than Great Britain that will never be harvested, ever, British Columbia’s foresters use a variety of selective harvesting and reforestation practices to ensure the future abundance of this amazing tree.
Make sure you reach out to our dedicated team with any questions you have about our handmade cedar hot tubs and Japanese Ofuro soaking tubs.
Hear from our happy soakers
