When most of us think about saunas, one of two things comes to mind: people sweating in a steam-filled room or in a wood-paneled, very hot room. Indeed, traditional saunas are typically extremely hot, with some maintaining dry heat and others dousing the heat source with water, creating steam. In contrast, infrared saunas heat the body without heating the surrounding air. The heaters in infrared saunas emit long, infrared wavelengths that deeply penetrate the skin. Essentially, an infrared sauna conveys all of the benefits of the sun without the sun’s harmful UVA and UVB rays. More importantly, the heat of a far infrared sauna has a body penetration of up to 1-3/4 inches, whereas traditional saunas only penetrate about 1/8 inch of the body. This can result in a number of potential health benefits, five of which are outlined here.
1. Weight Loss – When it’s hot, your body works hard to maintain its core temperature by sweating. In other words, you lose weight when you sweat. In an infrared sauna, you can burn up to 600 calories in one 30-minute session.
2. Detoxification – Through the air we breathe, the environment in which we live, and the...