by Luiza Bargo
My grandfather was a big fan of saunas. Every house he ever built had one, and I remember joining him sometimes because I’d get curious about what it was like. How could I not be interested, when he seemed to enjoy it so much? But as someone who feels a little claustrophobic in steam saunas, I never did quite understand what all the fuss was about. To me, it didn’t seem pleasant at all.
Recently, however, I tried an infrared sauna for the first time, and I might just be a convert. I reached out to Sweat Equity, located in downtown San Antonio, TX to schedule an appointment. Here’s how it went.
How infrared saunas work
To begin with, infrared saunas use light, not steam. They use less heat because the light wavelengths directly penetrate the skin, thus heating up your body without needing to heat the air nearly as much. Conventional saunas have temperatures ranging from 176-200 degrees Fahrenheit, whereas infrared saunas stays between 113-140F—meaning even at their highest, infrared saunas are still more than 30 degrees cooler.
Exposure to higher temperatures has been shown to lessen the risk of cardiovascular disease, but there still isn’t enough research available to say whether or not those benefits are lost with infrared. Still, an improvement in mental health is comparable between the two, and other studies have shown that consistent use of infrared saunas can improve symptoms of chronic pain and fatigue.
According to Sweat Equity founder Heather O’Neill, an infrared sauna can help you detox 28-30% of your toxic load compared to only 4-7% in a traditional sauna. While there aren’t enough studies to support this particular claim yet, there are plenty of other health benefits to be gained regardless, and no reports of negative side effects beyond the usual warnings of any sauna experience.
“When you start taking care of yourself on a cellular level, you will change your mental state.”
O’Neill notes that though she started her business with the detox and recovery aspects in mind, her reasons are very different now. This is because her clients have reported improvements in their mental well-being. “That’s huge,” she says, “because by taking care of your body, you are organically taking care of your mind. When you start taking care of yourself on a cellular level, you will change your mental state, and when you do that, you are then making decisions that align with that. So it’s a domino effect.”
And I believe that. I went in for two separate sauna appointments at her recommendation, to really get an idea of whether it could be helpful for better sleep (aside from any other benefits), and found myself pleasantly surprised by the whole experience. The night of my first appointment, I found myself getting really tired around 10 p.m. This almost never happens. When I told my spouse, “Wow, I’m so sleepy! I have no idea why,” he pointed out, “Didn’t you go to that appointment for this?” Indeed.
Which is to say, I think it definitely works. And with infrared saunas offering so many other potential health benefits, I would highly recommend giving it a try. Just do it on a day when you don’t have late-night plans.
Photograph: Diva Plavalaguna on Pexels