Sauna Buying Guide

This topic and page is one of the most viewed on our website. Most people have owned or experienced one or the other but only a few people have had the opportunity to experience both.

Infrared saunas have not been on the market as long as traditional saunas, so most people are not as familiar with Infrared as they are with traditional saunas. We would like to take this opportunity to lend understanding to this long-misunderstood subject.

A (hot rock) or traditional Finnish sauna does not heat the body. The heating element heats only the air that surrounds it, which in turn results in an extremely hot environment, with air temperatures reaching as high as 180F to 220F. The user must splash water on the heating element in order to adjust the humidity to protect the body's (lungs, skin, eyes, etc.) mucous membranes.

An infrared sauna heats the body directly with infrared heat instead of the surrounding air, resulting in a much lower ambient temperature of typically 100F to 130F. Raising the humidity is not necessary within the sauna. An infrared sauna requires a much shorter warm-up time; this in turn saves electricity. Because of the lower temperatures infrared saunas are much better suited for people who find extreme temperatures of the traditional sauna to be oppressively hot or claustrophobic.

They are also more appropriate for people who suffer from chronic illness who may otherwise be unable to enjoy daily sauna sessions. Due to these lower temperatures, you can stay in the sauna for longer periods of time. This gives you the benefit of being able to sweat more than you might using a traditional sauna.