Infrared Sauna Info

Recently there were some questions from readers about infrared sauna contraindications, so I decided to write about it. The questions were about two types of contraindications I listed in my article ‘Is infrared sauna safe for you?‘: implants and menstruation.

The list of contraindications in that article was created by analysis of various sources on the Internet, as I have no medical education, so I cannot judge the validity of recommendations myself. Some websites don’t consider menstruation and implants a contraindication, so this is an unresolved question.

For menstruation, use of infrared sauna can increase menstrual flow. The popular opinion is that it’s a woman’s choice to take or not to take sauna sessions during that period, because some women find heat relieving and some don’t like it.

For implants, it’s harder to tell. I see no obvious reasons why implants should be prohibited in an infrared sauna, because they are unlikely to heat more than body tissues, but there is a variety of implant types and materials and effects of infrared heating can be unpredictable.

So, probably, implants and menstruation are not contraindications. But you should consult a specialist first and take sauna with caution in the beginning.

Some time ago I wrote that Soft Heat had closed their factory in Calgary, and that Randy Gomm, who operates infraredsauna.net website, had found a new carbon-heated sauna model line as a replacement for Soft Heat saunas. He wrote on his website that he is waiting for the new saunas to arrive.

And finally a notice have appeared on infraredsauna.net stating that the new saunas have arrived:

The new saunas have arrived and I’ve been very pleased with the positive feedback I’ve had from the practitioners who are using them with their patients/clients. If you’re interested in this new sauna, please give me a call and I’d be happy to send you some information on them and answer any questions you may have.

However, it is the only mention of the new models on the whole website. No details are disclosed, the only thing known is that the new saunas have use carbon infrared heaters. I hope there will appear more information soon.

This is a response to a great comment by Klaus on my post from the early days of this blog, about the difference between the infrared sauna and the traditional Finnish sauna. This response started as a follow-up comment, but I decided to make it a blog post later, because it covers an interesting topic of sauna heat and how “deep” it heats.

Klaus,
First, I want to thank you for this extensive explanation of principles behind the traditional Finnish sauna. Indeed, the key qualities of the traditional sauna are low humidity combined with high temperature. With higher humidity you’ll get the hammam (the Turkish bath) or the Russian banya. There is also a spa product, steam bath, which uses a lot of steam.

Now about “an infrared sauna … heats you more deeply than steam sauna” statement. It was my opinion back in 2005, when this post was written, I had less knowledge about both infrared and traditional saunas. Now, I know more and it makes sense to explain my current view.

Does the infrared sauna heat you deeper than the traditional one? As I think now, this question is not correct. What is “deeper”? Is 2 °C increase in core temperature “deeper” than 1 °C increase? Both saunas increase core temperature, depending on session length.

Depth of the layer of superficial tissues which has higher than core temperature can be taken as a measure of penetration. But this depth is mainly a function of thermoregulatory response or a human body and the total heat coming from outside. There is no difference if heat comes from infrared heaters or from extremely hot sauna air.

More than that, the Finnish sauna takes only about 10 minutes to increase the body temperature by 1 °C, while the typical infrared sauna needs about 30 minutes for that. To me it means than the traditional sauna provides more heat to a body in a given period of time. Someone may argue that the infrared one can rise core temperature more than 1 °C, which is unlikely, not only because there is no hard data supporting this claim (for the common infrared cabins, not for the medical devices for causing hyperthermia), but also because the common practice for the traditional sauna is to cool down after 10 minutes. More than 1 °C increase in core temperature is not advised both for the infrared and traditional saunas.

I see the difference between these saunas in the way they act. The traditional sauna is like a shock for a body. It gives a quick rise in temperature, and body should respond immediately with sweating and increased circulation.

In the infrared sauna, temperature increase occurs more gradually. There is no need for a quick thermoregulatory response. As a side effect, you can lose more sweat in the infrared cabin, because you spend there 30 minutes instead of 10 (on average). It doesn’t mean, however, that you will sweat three times more.

The look of your new FIR sauna cabin can be easily overlooked if you focus on usage details only, like heater type, warm-up time, comfort and so on. But probably you also want an infrared sauna box to fit the interior of your house well. In this case appearance is an important factor and you need to have an idea of how your sauna will look.

First thing you can do is to find the pictures of the model itself. Same model can exist in several modifications which use different wood types. Do not forget about other important aspects of wood such as toxicity and smell.

Looking at sauna pictures is a step in a right direction, but it is not enough. The fact is that many websites use “enhanced” pictures of a sauna, which were made to look good with image processing tools, like Photoshop. Many pictures are made too small to make out the details. So, if you order a sauna based only on digital pictures there can be a big disappointment when a sauna arrives. It may look completely different.

Think if you can find a place where you can see and try models you have selected. It is a best option I think. But if you can’t find a specific infrared sauna model in your neighborhood, you can look at real samples of wood of which it is made. Visit some woodworking and furniture shops and look at wood your future sauna is made of. Also you can try to find sample pictures on the Internet, using picture search on Google, Yahoo or other search engines. There are some specialized resources on the Web as well:

Common Furniture Woods - an article describing furniture woods with samples
Wood Profiles - a big list of wood profiles
WoodSampler - samples of wood from Woodwokers Association
Choosing wood for your furniture - another good article about furniture woods

Choosing wood can become entertaining in itself. Variety of wood colors and patterns is fascinating. I wish you enjoy your sauna not by only sitting in but also by looking at it.

If you look for infrared saunas at shows and expos in your local area, take a look on NuSauna web pages where they announce plans for participation in various events. NuSauna is a distributor of Cedrus Saunas.

Sam’ Club Schedule
Road Show Schedule

A new line of infrared sauna models for year 2007, Royal Saunas, was recently announced by SaunaGen. Now, when the infrared sauna market sees new models introduced more often than before, when competition is rising, this is an expected move from such brand as SaunaGen.

Here is how SaunaGen official website describe what enhancements new saunas have:

What does separate The Royal Sauna Series from other competitors? The new design of the Royal Sauna provides the end user optimum use of infrared heat from the front, back and lower side, and the angled infrared sauna. The most direct contacts the end user receives from all infrared saunas are from the back heaters. Royal Sauna has now angled its front heaters directly towards the end user.

Front heaters become angled, and it is a good change from my point of view, since a person taking a sauna will get more even exposure to infrared. Other changes are rather cosmetic - a color therapy, an improved design and so on. Heater type is ceramic, the same as in old models. Looks like SaunaGen has decided not to switch to carbon. I’ve also noticed that 1-person model looks like it has no angled heaters - dimensions are too small for that.

In addition to infrared saunas, SaunaGen also offers a spa kit, which contains an eye mask, aromatherapy, a spa robe and a towel, a body massager and a floor mat.

SaunaGen - Royal Saunas Series