If you are thinking about purchasing a home sauna, one consideration should be the health benefits that saunas provide.  But, some types of saunas offer better health benefits and less risk than others.  More and more people are turning to the infrared sauna because of the improved health benefits it provides with regard to the conventional steam sauna.

What is the difference between a steam sauna and an infrared sauna?  What are the added health benefits?

Both saunas produce heat, but under totally different concepts.  A steam sauna heats the air in the room.  The temperature in a typical steam sauna ranges between 180 and 200 degrees.  The heating process can take up to 45 minutes to reach the maximum temperature.

An infrared sauna, however, heats the body rather than the air. The body directly absorbs the infrared radiation.  The temperature is at a much lower level.  A typical infrared sauna’s temperature ranges between 110 degrees to 130 degrees.  Thus, the body’s core temperature is raised slightly, while the air temperature remains comfortable.

Another benefit of the infrared sauna is an increase in heart rate similar to the increase during exercise.  The heart rate increases to produce sweat to cool down the inner temperature of the body as a result of the infrared heat.  The increase in cardiovascular activity is beneficial to those who cannot exercise typically as in walking or running, thus strengthening the muscles and bones.

Another health benefit of infrared saunas is body detoxification.  In a steam sauna, around 3% of the sweat output is toxins.  In an infrared session, the sweat output contains around 20% of toxins.  Thus, infrared saunas eliminate 17% more harmful toxins than ordinary steam saunas.

Infrared saunas help reduce cellulite.  Since 20% of the sweat output is toxins, fat is a part of that toxin count.  As the infrared radiation heats up the internal body temperature, the body becomes hot enough to literally melt the fat in skin tissue and remove it from the body through perspiration.  A steam sauna is not as effective at eliminating toxins as an infrared sauna.

Other health benefits of an infrared sauna are temporary relief from pain, stiff joints and muscles, reduced stress and fatigue, blood pressure regulation, and cardiovascular conditioning.  Skin problems, such as acne, psoriasis, and eczema have been improved through the use of an infrared sauna.

Since infrared saunas keep the air cooler, the inside of the sauna does not hold moisture, so there is no problem with mold or mildew that may be encountered with a conventional steam sauna.

Infrared saunas are much more energy efficient, using up to 90% less energy than a steam sauna.  Since the air is much cooler in an infrared sauna, it is easier to breathe. There are no hot surfaces since the infrared sauna does not heat the air.

Buying a sauna is an investment in good health, so be sure to do enough comparison research to convince yourself that purchasing an infrared sauna is a much better investment than the conventional steam sauna.