The VA doesn’t have what you need. Eight years in the Marine Corps, a chronic PTSD diagnosis, 90 pounds post-service, sleep apnea, nightmares — Andrew built this system because he needed it himself. Then it worked. Now he builds it for others.
Andrew installs every Blackroot unit personally. No franchisees. No subcontractors managing the build. The founder is on your job site for the full installation and commissioning.
“I’ve read research on the therapeutic effects of sauna on veterans with PTSD and TBI. I wanted the most complete version of that intervention possible. So I engineered one — heat, infrared, earthing, and reflexology simultaneously. My nightmares ended. My sleep apnea resolved. Ninety pounds gone. I don’t say this as marketing. I say it because it’s what happened.”
Combat stress produces specific neurological and physiological signatures. The research below is not generic wellness literature — it is directly applicable to PTSD, TBI, chronic pain, sleep disruption, and the inflammatory burden of prolonged operational stress.
Controlled study documented significant PTSD symptom reduction following infrared sauna intervention. The mechanism: heat activates the parasympathetic nervous system, directly counteracting the chronic sympathetic overdrive that defines PTSD hypervigilance. Session after session, the nervous system learns a new baseline.
Whole-body hyperthermia produced antidepressant effects that matched pharmacological intervention in a randomized controlled trial. The proposed mechanism involves serotonergic pathways activated by core temperature elevation — the same pathway targeted by SSRIs, without the side effect profile.
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor — the molecule responsible for neural repair, plasticity, and learning consolidation — elevates up to 66% above baseline after a single 20-minute session at 170°F. For veterans with TBI, this is direct cellular support for the repair process that no supplement reliably produces.
Grounding research documented normalization of the diurnal cortisol rhythm — the 24-hour cortisol curve that is dysregulated in PTSD, producing hypervigilance at night and fatigue during the day. The Blackroot copper rod floor delivers continuous earthing throughout the session, passively, without any additional practice.
Chronic inflammation is a defining feature of combat exposure, and elevated CRP is consistently documented in veteran populations. Grounding reduces CRP and fibrinogen. The 2.7× increase in RBC zeta potential reduces blood viscosity and rouleaux clumping — directly improving circulation to damaged tissue, joints, and the brain.
Veterans have elevated cardiovascular risk. The 20-year Finnish longitudinal study of 2,315 people — not an intervention study, a population tracking study — documented 40% lower cardiovascular mortality and 66% lower dementia risk in the group using sauna 4–7 times per week. These are population-level outcomes.
Every other system runs one modality. Blackroot runs three — heat, infrared, and grounded acupressure floor — all at full output, every session. The compounding effects are documented. No other unit on the market can legally make this claim.
Harvia Spirit SP60E, 6kW, at 165–185°F. Triggers the full heat shock response cascade. HSP70 for cellular repair. BDNF for neural plasticity. Norepinephrine up 300%. Growth hormone up 140–200%. UL 875 listed, 240V/60A dedicated circuit.
Finnmark Spectrum Plus — the only IR panel UL-listed for simultaneous Harvia operation. Near-IR activates cytochrome c oxidase, increasing ATP. Mid-IR releases nitric oxide via eNOS. Far-IR reaches the deepest connective tissue. 3–5cm penetration depth.
Patent-pending C110 ETP copper rods in river-washed 3/8" pea gravel, wired to earth ground. 2.7× RBC zeta potential. Cortisol normalization. Simultaneous plantar reflexology — heel maps to sciatic nerve, arch to adrenal glands, ball to heart and lungs. Passive, the entire session.
The VA Community Care Network allows veterans to receive care from non-VA providers when VA facilities cannot provide timely or local access. While the Blackroot unit itself is a construction project, the protocol sessions and consultation may qualify under certain circumstances. Andrew will work with you directly to document the therapeutic rationale.
Blackroot Recovery is the official recovery technology partner of Project Restore Hope (EIN 33-4050972) — providing at-cost multi-modality sauna installations for PRH Warrior Houses across the country.
Every unit is all-inclusive — materials, labor, travel, commissioning, protocols, warranty. One price. Nothing billed separately after you say yes.
No sales team. No scheduling system. Andrew is a veteran, a licensed GC, and the person who will build your system. Email goes to him personally. He responds to every inquiry himself.
No spam. Direct response from Andrew, personally.