The Essential Infrared Sauna Guide {Should You Be Using One?}

Saunas have been around for thousands of years and the Infrared sauna is responsible for more than 100 healing benefits. It’s time to find out if using a sauna is right for you. The sauna originated in Finland and, even today, there are built-in saunas in almost every house there! During the Middle Ages saunas were common throughout Europe. Back then it was not typical to find a sauna that resembled the current types of sauna that we know so well today though. Nonetheless, they were and still are very effective types of health therapy.

Early on in my healing journey (over five years ago) I learned in depth about using an infrared sauna to help relieve the terrible autoimmune symptoms I had from my Hashimoto’s, chronic EBV and other silent infections. After a lot of research, we purchased the best medical grade infraredsauna from this companyto help my body heal. Saunas can absolutely be used for helping heal chronic illness but they are not for everybody. It’s important you dive into the facts to decide if you should be using a sauna.

Saunas, in their simplest form, are basically heat therapy for the body. From its earliest days, even as far back as 2000BC with the Mayan civilization, saunas have been used to help a person sweat and relax. The idea behind sauna usage is to aid the body in getting rid of toxins, lose excess weight and help reverse cellular damage experienced in the body from a variety of intrusions.

The word sauna can either refer to a small or large room that holds wet or dry heat where one or more people can gather to bathe in the heat. Similar to the dry heat sauna method, Infrared saunas are now being used. These types of saunas use infrared light to heat the body.

There are four different types of saunas

Savusaunas (or smoke saunas), which are used by the Finnish people. These are saunas that heat a room through wood burning. The smoke is allowed out and the room stays heated for up to 12 hours.
Dry Saunas, which are hot rooms heated by fire, electricity, hot stones or gas.
Steam Saunas, where the room is heated by a heating element like hot stones and then water is placed on the heating source to generate steam in the room.
Infrared Saunas, which heat the body using light frequencies at lower temperatures, which are absorbed by the tissues. The body is heated up from the core, raising overall body temperature and increasing metabolic activity.

There are 3 types of infrared saunas.

Smoke saunas

Are not generally used in cultures outside of the Finnish, surround the body by carcinogenic molecules, even if the smoke has been let out of the room. For respiratory health, and overall cellular health this can cause adverse effects.

Dry and Wet heat saunas

Heat the rooms to over 200 degrees Fahrenheit which can be extremely uncomfortable for people. Dehydration can set in much quicker and, because the air is heated around the person, rather than heating up the cells they tend to be less effective for experiencing health benefits. Furthermore, wet saunas can often contain mycotoxins like mold due to the environment continually being damp.

Infrared saunas

Can have high electromagnetic frequencies (EMF’s) which can cause diseases in the body like cancer, skin diseases, autoimmunity, infertility and even eye diseases. (Side note: It’s really important to manage the EMF’s that your body comes in contact with-especially in your home where you can control them.) Infrared saunas can also have a low emissive infrared light which means low quality and quantity infrared light making the sauna experience less effective for promoting good health. Another negative with an infrared sauna can be that it only emits one kind of light frequency – near, mid or far. Since each wavelength is responsible for different benefits, this can be problematic resulting in lack of beneficial health effects. A sauna with only one light frequency is like taking your B12 vitamin without the other co-factor B vitamins which allow the B12 to actually be used in your body. Isolating specific compounds, or in this case, different light waves is never healthy. Each type of sauna, depending on the type of building or room it’s in can emit volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) as well.

If there’s so much negative, which type of sauna is the one you should use?

My answer may surprise you since the Infrared sauna above has a lot of negative aspects but… Using an Infrared sauna has so much clinical and scientific evidence of its health benefits, so it truly is the only type you should be using to drastically improve your health. Plus, all the negative points listed above can be remedied if you purchase the safest infrared sauna.

There are a few caveats for choosing the perfect infrared sauna, I want to discuss with you to make sure you get the safest, most effective type out there.

You need to use an infrared sauna that does not emit EMF’s, has high emissive infrared light, is full spectrum so you are not isolating one type of light frequency, and is enclosed in material that does not have any VOC’s or allergens.

That may seem like finding a needle in a haystack though. Which is why I want to help you! After a lot of research, I found a rock-star company that makes an ultra-low EMF (virtually none found through scientific testing), high emissive (high quantity and high quality) ultra-efficient heat, infrared sauna! Not only that, but their mPulse saunas emit a full spectrum of infrared light giving the maximum health benefit and you can choose one that is made from non-toxic materials like hypoallergenic basswood that emits no VOC’s. (Sunlighten is the only sauna company to offer this.) I can’t tell you how excited I was to have found Sunlighten. Not only are their products outstanding and safe but their customer service is top notch.

Although some of the following benefits can be found from using other types of saunas, all of them are specifically experienced with infrared sauna usage.

Autoimmunity and Inflammation–Autoimmune conditions like Hashimoto’s are caused by inflammation in the body. By helping to increase blood flow and increase circulation to the body, time spent in the sauna will reduce overall inflammation in the body. Since Infrared saunas help to reduce oxidative stress in the body one can find that the autoimmune symptoms can decrease and even be remitted through infrared sauna usage on a consistent basis.
Reducing Liver Congestion & Help Cleanse from Environmental Toxins–The liver is the primary organ that filters our blood, breaks down old and damaged cells, metabolizes fats, and plays a central role in the metabolic processes that go on in the body. When it gets backed up the rest of the entire body is affected. It’s important to implement various healthy liver protocols into your daily regimen. Using an infrared sauna is one of the most effective modalities you can use.
Healthy Heart–Improved cardiovascular health is on the top of the benefits list when using an infrared sauna. Infrared saunas have been found to improve ventricular arrhythmias in patients with chronic heart failure as well as help to normalize blood pressure, improve healthy cholesterol levels and help increase cardiac output.
Broken Bone Recovery & Quickened Wound Healing—Photobiomodulation in an infrared sauna can improve wound healing due to its powerful anti-inflammatory effect and cell rejuvenation.
Detoxification–According to Dr. Amy Myers, Infrared saunas, as opposed to the other types, allows you to eliminate up to seven times more toxins from the body. Since, one of the ways our body takes the trash out (or gets rid of the toxins) is through our skin, sweating in a sauna is the perfect way to move out the junk. The light frequencies of this (affiliate link) sauna are able to penetrate the body up to 1.5 inches which allow for greater removal of toxins.
Supporting Healthy Joints and Reverse Chronic Joint Pain–Infrared saunas help to reduce muscle spasms and increase blood flow increasing the body’s ability to heal itself naturally.
Cellular Healing–With full spectrum saunas, each type of frequency is able to support healthy function of vital organs like liver kidney, intestines, lungs and skin.
Anti-Aging–Infrared saunas are able to increase antiaging hormones to help reduce wrinkles and crow’s feet and improve overall skin tone including softness, smoothness, elasticity, clarity and firmness. With Sunlighten’s mPulse sauna’s there is even an anti-aging setting!
Improve Cognitive Health–Due to the infrared saunas ability to help the body detox as well as improve norepinephrine levels, this results in enhanced cognitive ability and may even reduce the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
Mood-Boosting & Stress Busting–Stressors from our daily lives cause increased cortisol levels which can, on a chronic level, be detrimental to health. Infrared saunas help to balance the cortisol levels as well as activate the parasympathetic nervous system and reduce overall tension in the body.
Weight Loss and Metabolic Diseases–Through sweating, since the core temperature in the body increases, the body can release excess water and salt as well as burn extra calories. Cellular changes from the infrared sauna can also decrease food cravings.
Support Healthy Sleep Patterns–When an infrared sauna is used in the afternoon and the body has been given a chance to cool down, it has been shown that infrared ray exposure helps with insomnia as well as overall sleep quality.
Drastically Improved Respiratory Health Using an infrared sauna consistently has been linked to decreased symptoms of respiratory diseases like COPD, Asthma, and emphysema because it assists in improving airway obstruction, loosening phlegm and alleviating chest tightness.
The proliferation of Cancer Cells–The hyperthermic infrared light used in these saunas has been researched and found to have promising effects on malignant cancer cells. Specifically, Far Infrared light rays have been found to inhibit the effects of five different cancer cells lines reducing cancerous masses and inhibiting the spread of cancer cells.

Wound Healing (1)
Type II Diabetes (2) (3)
Improved Skin Health (4)
COPD (5)
Cardiovascular Health (6)
Blood Pressure (7)
Chronic Heart Failure (8)
Arthritis (9)
Ankylosing Spondylitis (10)
Autoimmune (11)
Chronic Pain (12) (13)
Anti-aging (14)
Cancer (15) (16)

As I mentioned before there are three infrared light wavelengths and most infrared saunas only come with one wavelength. A full spectrum sauna includes all three types and is the best to use. The three infrared wavelengths are Near, Mid and Far and they each are responsible for different health benefits.

With all types of saunas, there are some risks that are important to be aware of.

Dehydration can be a severe adverse effect from heating the body for too long. It’s important to hydrate before, during and after using a sauna with water and electrolytes.
Heat exhaustion can also be a problem if a person spends too much time in the sauna.
For those with autoimmune conditions, there can be a herxheimer reaction if too much time is spent in the sauna. It’s important to start very slow (only 2-4 minutes at a time) in an infrared sauna if you have an autoimmune condition.
Saunas are not safe for children to use and they can be dangerous for pets as well.
During pregnancy, it’s important to consult with your physician to see if sauna usage will be beneficial or dangerous.
If you have the MTHFR SNP then you’ll want to consult with your practitioner to see if you are ready to use an infrared sauna. It’s important to start slow and titrate up your time if you have MTHFR.

Being an owner of an Infrared sauna for over five years now, I can honestly, say this was one of the best investments my husband and I made for our health. As a homeschooling mom, with autoimmunity, running two home-based businesses, I absolutely need to be purposeful about taking time out since life can be so busy and I could be running around all the time. Using our sauna has been a great excuse to decompress and get my parasympathetic state into action. When I enter into the warm sauna with a book or my Bible in tow and my favorite CD to pop into the player, my body instantly relaxes and calms. It’s my tranquil time and my health benefits have been profound. Since I have Hashimoto’s as well as the MTHFR SNP and don’t get rid of the toxins in my body well, using the sauna is one of my favorite ways to support my body’s natural healing mechanisms.

Here are specific health improvements I have noticed.

Instant stress relief
Improved thyroid numbers and antibody levels
Clearer skin
Better digestion
Reduced overall inflammation in my body
Better circulation
Ability to tolerate more foods

We have used a Sunlighten sauna for over half a decade and have thoroughly enjoyed the health transformation both my husband and me have experienced. It’s the only Infrared sauna company we recommend. Click here to browse the types of saunas they make.

Have a patented solocarbon heating technology and are the only 3-in-1 (far, near, mid) sauna maker on the market.
The only far infrared heater on the market clinically backed and tested and shown to raise core temperature and lower blood pressure as well as aid in weight loss.
Proven, third party testing to be 99% emissive. {Highest quality light available}
Third party tested and found to have ultra-low EMF technology at virtually no detectable levels.
Made of safe, non-toxic materials, everything is heat sealed so no harmful chemicals are released during heating.
100% quality controlled manufacturing and the wood they use in the saunas is 33% thicker than the industry standard and commercial grade. Their saunas are 40% stronger than any other on the market.
The wood is sourced in an environmentally friendly way and only PEFC & FSC certified woods are used.
The only company to offer hypo-allergenic basswood which is the only wood NOT listed on the toxic wood chart. No adverse reactions have ever been reported with basswood. This is the type of wood that our sauna is made of.
Patented magnetic locking system to hold the sauna together, make it a cinch for assembly and very easy to move. We moved our Sunlighten sauna to our new house without a hitch!
ETL Certifications ensure electrical safety.
High-end music systems can be added to your sauna for a full relaxation experience.
Use NASA inspired LED’s inside and outside of the sauna for a better ambiance.
#1 Doctor and Consumer recommended brand and they have been featured on The Doctors and Oprah.
The only medical grade saunas out there that are clinically backed and proven to be 99% effective.
Sunlighten has been in business since 1999 and they have outstanding customer service.

You have learned what a sauna is as well as the types of saunas available today. Now you know that not all saunas are created equal and there are several significant factors to pay attention to when making an investment in a personal sauna. Additionally, you discovered the risks, many health benefits and what the science says about the benefits of using infrared saunas.

Have you ever used an infrared sauna? Are you looking into purchasing your own personal sauna? If so, I want to make sure you don’t waste your money since it’s a serious investment. Let me know if you have any questions and please tell me all about your healthy results using a Sunlighten infrared sauna!

The Essential Infrared Sauna Guide {Should You Be Using One?} | Feasting On Joy (2024)

There are four different types of saunas

Smoke saunas

Dry and Wet heat saunas

Infrared saunas

If there’s so much negative, which type of sauna is the one you should use?

Near Infrared

Mid Infrared

Far Infrared

Here are specific health improvements I have noticed.

References