The How, What, and Why of Infrared Sauna Bathing

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How to Use an Infrared Sauna

An infrared sauna only requires one to sit back and relax in the mild heat in order to experience the health benefits. For some, the slow burn of the infrared sauna’s lower temperatures can be easier to tolerate, while the high heat of a regular sauna can create unhealthy stress.

As the owner of a traditional outdoor sauna myself, there are certainly days when the intense heat doesn’t agree with me, and a lower setting is much more tolerable. Cultivating a keen body awareness is a key part of safe sauna use. Even though it’s a natural process, there are inherent risks of using an infrared sauna, so it’s important to know how to adequately prepare the body before, during and after infrared sauna bathing to get all the benefits.

“Be careful to stay hydrated when using an infrared sauna,” advises King. “ You need to double up on your intake of low-sugar electrolytes and increase your water intake if you’re using the sauna frequently and sweating a lot. Otherwise, the water is going to go right through your body.”

King also recommends bringing water into the sauna to help cool down your core body temperature. And as a general rule for safe infrared sauna use, “if you feel any lightheadedness, heart rate palpitations, or anything that’s “off”, exit the sauna immediately.”

What to Look for When Buying An Infrared Sauna

A home sauna is a big investment, so before you hit go, do the research to make sure that you know exactly what you want and need for the right price. Dialing in my wish list and comparing it against what was truly feasible made all the difference in choosing the best home sauna for me. Need a little cheat sheet? Here’s what to look for when buying an infrared sauna:

Size: Measure the available space in your home or consider installing one outside
Quality: A sauna’s high price tag indicates it’s made well with durable materials, free of harmful chemicals, and wood such as eucalyptus, cedar, pine, spruce, among others, that can withstand the heat, so be wary of ultra-cheap options
Features: Some companies offer add-ons like color light therapy and bluetooth speakers for deeper restoration

Different Types of Infrared Sauna Heaters

Full of acronyms and scientific terms, infrared sauna heaters might seem like they deserve their own encyclopedia. Yet, most infrared sauna heaters can be categorized as either a “full spectrum” or “far infrared” heater. Here’s the difference:

A far infrared sauna heater emits only far infrared heat to raise the body’s core temperature and help sauna bathers get in a good sweat similar to that of moderate exercise.

A full spectrum infrared sauna heater emits all three wavelengths (near, mid, and far infrared), which produces heat that penetrates past the deep tissue, going beyond a detoxifying sweat, to encourage healing and revitalization on a cellular level.

You will also likely come across “low EMF” and “low ELF” when researching infrared saunas. Low EMF stands for low electromagnetic field, while Low ELF stands for extremely low frequency. These terms speak to the way the heaters have been engineered to avoid radiating any harmful levels of electromagnetic wavelengths, which you shouldn’t need to worry about with a good quality infrared sauna.

Now that we’ve covered all the essential information that you should know before buying an infrared sauna, let’s dive into which could be worth your investment, based on our research and expert recommendations.