Infrared saunas are a new type of sauna that eschews the aspects of a traditional sauna. Traditional saunas, also known as Finnish saunas, use steam to heat the air within the sauna to create a sweltering environment in which the user can work up a sweat. The problems with these saunas is that they take a long time to heat up (up to an hour), they use a lot of energy, and the steam created only causes a skin-deep sweat and often makes it very difficult to breathe. Even if they do not use steam, the super-heated air still makes breathing difficult. Traditional saunas are also prone to mold and mildew because of the dark, damp environment they create.



Infrared saunas use infrared energy to heat your body directly, as opposed to heating the air around you. We are all familiar with infrared energy, whether we realize it or not. Infrared energy is the invisible energy created by the sun that produces heat. What you essentially get in an infrared sauna is the same effect as if you were lying out in the sun—but without any risk of burning. Sunburn is caused by ultraviolet rays, which are completely absent in an infrared sauna. Infrared saunas are also not likely to accumulate mold or mildew, since they do not use steam—which creates the perfect environment for such things to grow in traditional saunas.

The benefits to using an infrared sauna are many. They are far more energy-efficient than traditional saunas, they take only ten to fifteen minutes to heat up, and because the infrared energy penetrates deep into your body, they provide for a much deeper, detoxifying sweat. One major difference that sauna users note right away is that with infrared saunas, you never have any difficulty breathing. It's essentially the same feeling you get on a hot, dry summer day. Yes, you're hot and sweaty, but you can still breathe freely. This is because the sun's infrared rays are heating you directly, not super-heating the air around you to make you hot. The cooler air temperature within an infrared sauna will allow you to stay in the sauna for longer periods, and will therefore allow for more overall sweating.

The detoxifying effects of infrared saunas have been well documented. The infrared energy they use to heat your body actually increases your body's core temperature, effectively heating your body from the inside out. This actually affects your body on a cellular level. The infrared energy loosens the toxins stored in your body's fat cells, allowing them to them be released from your body in your sweat. Many users have also found that this in turn aids them in healing damaged tissues, relieving arthritis, and increasing circulation—which is always beneficial for your health.

We can all agree that in our post-industrial society, man-made toxins have become a part of our lives and our very bodies. This is an unfortunate side-effect of our fast-paced lifestyles and the drive-thru dinners that go along with them. Don't rely on a traditional sauna to simply make you sweat away the pounds, invest in an infrared sauna—something that can detoxify your body and improve your overall health.