Do you suffer from certain medical conditions or want to treat your body with a healthy experience? If so, infrared sauna therapy is for you. It is a great way to relieve muscle and joint pain, and it helps detoxify your body. Infrared saunas use a particular type of light wave that penetrates and warms the body’s core, safely and naturally promoting health in as little as 20 minutes a day. However, if you want to see the best results, you need to take the sessions regularly. The first few sessions should last for at most 30 minutes, working toward eventual 50-minute sessions. However, a short session of even 20 minutes is beneficial if you are pressed for time.
You might be wondering how you will be able to spare extra 30-50 minutes in the gym after your workout session. You can consider buying a sauna for your home and take up the sessions whenever you have time. It is not pricey and can be installed in most homes and larger apartments. In most cases, you would not need a carpenter, electrician or plumber to install the sauna.
How does an infrared sauna work?
Infrared saunas work utilises infrared heaters to convert light directly to heat. This heat can warm nearby objects but does not raise the temperature of the air in the sauna; in other words, a bather in an infrared sauna absorbs heat, but the surrounding air does not. Infrared radiant heat is often confused with ultraviolet (UV) radiation. However, infrared radiant does not damage the skin the way UV does and provides several benefits of natural sunlight.
In these saunas, heat penetrates deep into the body tissues. This deep tissue warmth can do wonders for stiffness, sore muscles, and joint pain. These sauna heaters are ready for use much quicker than traditional sauna heaters. Usually, they take 10-20 minutes compared to at least an hour in the case of the conventional sauna; moreover, they use much less energy.
Also, since these saunas’ air does not get hot, they are suitable for people with respiratory problems who find it uncomfortable or risky to go in a traditional sauna.
Things you need to consider when buying an infrared sauna
The surface temperature of the infrared heater
Finding out the surface temperature is one of the essential things to consider when buying an infrared sauna. This is important because the infrared heater’s surface temperature determines the size of the infrared wavelength. Remember, the higher the surface temperature, the shorter the wavelength and the lower the surface temperature of the heater, the longer the infrared wavelength will be.
The heating element is used to heat the sauna.
The two heating elements used in saunas are- carbon and ceramic. So to get the most out of your sauna sessions, it is crucial to ensure that the heat is directed, where needed, to the body’s core. Many traditional carbon heaters produce high-quality infrared heat; however, they do not produce much of it, which is also not directed at the body. On the other hand, ceramic heaters produce quality infrared heat and a lot of it. But since the surface temperature is higher, the wavelength of the infrared heat is shorter and not as therapeutic. Hence, it would help if you found an infrared sauna with carbon and ceramic heating elements.
Manufacturer’s warranty
Make sure the manufacturer you choose offers a complete lifetime warranty, meaning they cover all parts of the sauna- wood, heaters, electrical, controls, etc. So do ask about the warranty and how long the infrared heaters will be covered. You may come across the manufacturers that say their sauna has a lifetime warranty. Still, later, you will find out that the infrared heaters are not included in the lifetime warranty.
To sum up
Saunas have come a long way in recent years. The advent of better technology, better materials, and a greater understanding of sauna benefits has helped make the sauna popular across the world. If you have any medical issues, it is better to talk to your healthcare provider before you invest and start your sauna routine.
