If you are interested in adding a sauna to your home, then you should consider the many benefits of owning and using a far infrared sauna.
Unlike a traditional dry sauna, infrared saunas use less energy, produce less intense heat, and are an excellent choice for nearly any size home.
If you suffer from a chronic medical condition, have pain, or just want to relax in the privacy of your home, then a far infrared sauna is an excellent choice for you.
Learning how to use an infrared sauna is not tricky, and we are here to help.
Below, we explore everything you need to know about using this type of heat therapy, including some of the best accessories to make your experience even better.
By the end, you will be wondering why you don’t already own one of these fantastic wellness spaces for your home.
What is a Far Infrared Sauna?
Infrared saunas are a variation of this type of heat therapy that uses infrared rays to heat the body.
Where traditional saunas use some form of the stove to heat the air inside the sauna room, infrared saunas use panels that emit invisible infrared light, which heats your body directly.
Unlike other forms of light, infrared is invisible. But, this type of light is what gives the sun its warmth, which is why it feels so comforting to your body.
Your body quickly and safely absorbs infrared light, and it can penetrate deeply into your tissues.
By heating your body directly, instead of the air around you, infrared saunas are very efficient, and they do not need to reach the extreme temperatures of a traditional sauna to produce the same result, which is to raise your core body temperature and cause you to sweat.
A typical infrared sauna is constructed using similar materials and designs to dry or Finnish saunas.
This includes using wood for the walls, benches, and floors and quality insulation to hold the heat inside the room.
Unlike a traditional sauna, which has a stove powered by electricity, wood, or gas, an infrared sauna has several panels embedded into the walls of the sauna room which emit various wavelengths of infrared, especially far-infrared rays.
There are three types of infrared rays that are emitted by these types of saunas, but far infrared energy is the most prevalent.
Near-infrared rays are the shortest of the wavelengths, but this energy penetrates the deepest into your body.
These wavelengths are what heat your body’s core.
This type of wavelength helps your cells repair themselves and stay healthy.
Mid-infrared waves increase circulation to bring more oxygen to your cells while also boosting your overall metabolism.
The far-infrared rays are closest to your natural body heat and are readily captured by the water molecules inside your cells.
This wavelength restores our natural energy levels and leaves us feeling refreshed.
Inside an infrared sauna, the air will not be as hot as a traditional sauna.
The standard far-infrared room will reach no more than 130 degrees Fahrenheit, where a typical Finnish sauna can reach close to 200 degrees.
This is because the panels are not heating the air; they are heating you directly.
There are no hot stones inside an infrared sauna, either.
Because the temperature is not so hot and there is no stove to dry out the air, the inside of an infrared sauna will usually be about the same humidity level as your home.
When you sit or lay inside of a sauna that uses infrared panels, you will sweat just as you do from a traditional dry sauna.
This is because your body is being heated, and your core temperature is rising.
The infrared rays penetrate deep within your tissues, giving you healing warmth with many health benefits.
When your body absorbs infrared rays, you undergo a process called resonant absorption in which the frequency of the invisible light rats matches those of your body’s cells.
This allows water to pass easily through each cell membrane, which pushes out wastes and toxins and allows water and nutrients into the cell.
As you become hotter from the infrared energy, you sweat and release these wastes through your skin.
The popularity of infrared saunas has grown in the past few years.
The saunas themselves are less expensive to build and operate, the heaters are more efficient than typical radiant heaters, and they are safe to use.
Some prefer this type of sauna experience because the heat is less intense, and the humidity is less dry, which makes some people more comfortable during their sauna experience.
Infrared saunas offer many of the same health benefits as a traditional sauna, as well.
How to Properly Use a Far-Infrared Sauna
Most public saunas are of the traditional variety, using a stove to heat the air inside.
Therefore, the typical infrared sauna will be a home unit, so how you use your sauna is entirely dependent on your needs and preferences.
Read your sauna’s manual carefully to determine how long your sauna needs to heat up before you can use it.
Follow the recommendations for your specific model.
To begin, you should take a cleansing shower to remove products and oils from your skin.
When you sweat, these can drip off your skin and damage the wood of your sauna, and they can also clog your pores, interfering with your detoxification.
After you are rinsed, you are ready to enter the sauna.
Most people prefer to enjoy a sauna while naked since you will be sweating.
If you do not wish to be fully nude, you may want to wrap yourself in a towel or cotton sheet instead.
Always sit on a towel or appropriate mat inside the sauna, though, which will protect the wood from staining from the oils on your skin.
Sit inside your infrared sauna as long as you are comfortable.
Most people begin with 10-minute sessions and work their way up to more extended periods, usually no more than 40 minutes.
You can alternate between periods inside the sauna and time outside, where you cool down or take a cooling shower.
Most people like to repeat this cycle of hot and cold at least three times, but this is a personal preference.
Always make sure you are well hydrated before using any sauna.
ou can drink water while inside the sauna, and after you exit, you must continue to drink fluids for the rest of the day.
Many people do not realize how much fluid they have lost while inside an infrared sauna, because the temperature is not as high.
Always drink fluids after your sauna, including a small pinch of salt to restore electrolyte balances.
Most people like to sit or lay quietly while in the sauna, meditation, relaxing, or just enjoying the experience.
Others prefer to read or listen to music while enjoying their sweat bath.
You can adapt your activities to suit your needs.
After you have finished your final hot cycle, you should take a refreshing, cleansing shower.
This closes your pores while also cleaning your skin of sweat, oils, and all the toxins and wastes that were released in your sweat.
A cold shower will help to lower your body temperature, as well.
You should not get dressed until you are thoroughly cooled and no longer sweating.
Best Accessories for Far-Infrared Sauna
Your infrared sauna could benefit from many different accessories, depending on your needs.
Like a typical dry sauna, you may want to invest in backrests or headrests to make the benches more comfortable to lie down.
You could also install a timer, thermometer, or clock inside your sauna.
Wooden saunas, like most infrared saunas, should be maintained appropriately after each use.
A simple way to do this is to keep a soft-bristled brush inside your unit.
After you are done using the sauna, just drip the brush in a little clean water, scrub the areas where you were sitting or touching, and you are done.
This will prevent oils and sweat from discoloring your wood.
You should never use harsh chemicals or bleach in your sauna.
You may want to install hooks and cubbies outside of your infrared sauna room to make storing your robe, extra towels, reading material, and shoes easier.
Be sure that everything you need is within easy reach to make your sauna experience more enjoyable.
Precautions
The use of saunas is generally safe for everyone, and because infrared saunas are not as hot as traditional units, they are more well-tolerated by the average person.
Like any sauna, you should only use the sauna when you feel well and healthy, and only when you are adequately hydrated.
If you are unsure if you should use an infrared sauna, talk with your doctor.
- Do not use a sauna if you have recently eaten a large meal or if you have been drinking alcohol. Alcohol lowers blood pressure, and so does the sauna. Combined, this can result in a dramatic drop.
- Stay hydrated before and after your infrared sauna session. Alcohol is a diuretic, so you should not drink it during or after sauna use.
- If you have a fever, have been sick, or do not feel well, you should not use the infrared sauna. If you start to feel unwell, dizzy, or strange during your infrared sauna session, you should exit immediately.
- If you stand too quickly, you may feel lightheaded, so be sure to use caution when standing or walking inside your sauna.
- If you have cardiovascular problems, take medication for heart issues, or have issues with overheating or dehydration, talk with your doctor before using an infrared sauna.
- Saunas are meant to be relaxing and enjoyable. If you do not feel relaxed or if the sauna is making you uncomfortable, you should leave.
Benefits of an Infrared Sauna
Infrared saunas provide you with the same wellness benefits as more traditional dry sauna units.
Heat therapy and sweat bathing have long been recognized for their ability to improve health, enhance the skin, and help you relax.
The use of a far infrared sauna not only improves circulation in your body while lowering stress, but it also can help relieve chronic symptoms and conditions that could be affecting the quality of your life.
Those who use saunas regularly often report less pain and lower levels of inflammation.
Many also report sleeping better.
The primary purpose of sweating is to release pollutants, wastes, and toxins from the body, and this excretion process can help your skin appear healthier and enhance the overall health of your cells.
By ridding your body of unwanted substances, you are also helping your immune system to be stronger.
If you examine the research on the use of infrared saunas, you will see there is convincing evidence to show that using infrared saunas can:
- Lower your levels of inflammation, which helps with joint pain and stiffness as well as other medical conditions, including autoimmune disorders.
- Enhance your immune system’s function, which can mean fewer colds and other infections for you.
- Improve your heart health, including reducing blood pressure, enhancing blood flow, and lowering your risk of death from cardiovascular problems.
- Improve your energy levels while also enhancing your athletic performance and muscle strength.
- Improving the health of your cells while boosting mitochondrial function.
- Improving your brain function and lowering the rate of neurodegeneration, which happens as we age.
- Result in fewer problems with sleeping, mood disorders, psychological issues, and stress.
- Improve your efforts to lose weight and burn fat.
Conclusion
Investing in your health is one of the best things you can do.
Owning and using a far infrared sauna is not just going to help you relax, but it will also help improve your overall well-being, from your mind to your body.
Now that you know the basics of how to use an infrared sauna, as well as the accessories that will make your heat therapy experience better, isn’t it time you started looking for your perfect unit today?