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Infrared Sauna FAQs

Infrared saunas are incredibly good for you. They safely cause your skin to sweat without raising your body temperature like in a traditional sauna. Infrared saunas allow you to sweat longer, without the side effects of too much heat. Many medical doctors, naturopaths, and other regulated health practitioners are recommending infrared saunas, due to their gentle approach to inducing human sweat as an excretion pathway for environmental toxins.

Infrared saunas are better than traditional saunas for people who do not easily tolerate extreme heat. They operate at comfortably warm temperatures allowing people to sweat longer. Infrared heat penetrates gently into the skin triggering your sweat before the core body temperature rises. Infared saunas are cheaper and easier to use. Many models will stand on any floor surface, plug into any existing household outlet, and do not require plumbing.

The proven benefits of an infrared sauna are that they trigger sweat without the side of effects of over-heating. Humans excrete significantly high concentrations of toxic heavy metals through sweat. Chemicals like flame retardants, plasticizers and pesticides are detected in our sweat but not in our urine. An infrared sauna allows more people to tolerate detoxifying though sweat, and thus use them more often.

Infrared saunas are safe. Although all saunas are both safe and beneficial, Infrared saunas are recognized to be safer than traditional saunas because the temperature is not as hot. More people can tolerate it for longer sessions. Medical grade infrared saunas are intentionally built with non-toxic materials such as ceramic elements, stainless steel, tempered glass and non-aromatic wood such as Basswood, so there is no off-gassing while heating it.

It is safe to use an infrared sauna every day. Medical grade infrared heaters are made with the same ceramic as your dinner plates. They get warm and transfer heat into your skin through the air. As with any sauna, individual users must gauge their own tolerance for every day use. Drinking water and electrolyte minerals before, during and after the sauna can help to increase tolerance for everyday use.

You can stay in an infrared sauna as long as you like. Most people enjoy a 20-30 minute session. Duration depends on how fast you sweat, and how long you can tolerate the heat. Medical grade infrared saunas have a functional window to allow cool air inside and help you regulate the heat to your own tolerance.

The temperature in an infrared sauna should be set at a maximum of 55C, or about 130F. But to use the sauna you don’t wait for it to get that hot. Go inside at 25C, or 77F and let the heat rise while you’re inside. This saves time, energy, and allows your body to acclimate to the rising heat so you can more easily tolerate it and stay inside longer.

You can use an infrared sauna as often as you like. Many people use it 4-7 times a week. That would be every day to every second day. The key is to monitor how you feel. If you ever feel like you’re not in the mood, then make that your day off. Your body is trying to tell you something.

Infrared saunas really detox your body. Since 2010 scientists have published studies showing there are ten times more toxic heavy metals in our sweat than our urine. There are also studies showing we can sweat out pesticides, plasticizers and flame retardants. This makes infrared saunas one of the safest and effective ways to detox your body.

Infrared saunas help with weight loss. The act of sweating has been medically recognized to potentially burn 600 calories in 30 minutes of continuous sweating. Infrared saunas allow most people to stay inside for up to thirty minutes, whereas hotter saunas may require people to exit earlier to cool down.

In her best-selling book “Hot Detox”, Canadian nutritionist Julie Daniluk wrote that infrared saunas are an essential part of any approach to reduce inflammation. The book, subtitled: “A 21 Day Anti-Inflammatory Detox to Heal Your Gut and Fuel Your Body” is considered an authority on reducing chronic inflammation.

Infrared saunas help with muscle recovery, according to fitness professionals, strength trainers and exercise physiologists who utilize infrared saunas in the recovery process for their training programs.

Infrared saunas do not increase your heart rate like exercise. Traditional high temperature saunas will do this, but not infrared saunas. Medical grade infrared saunas can trigger sweating without raising the core blood temperature. They operate below your body temperature of 37C or 98.6F, so your heart rate and your temperature stay normal.

There are no risks to using an infrared sauna. A good medical grade infrared sauna operates at a comfortably low heat and will be built with ceramic elements, stainless steel, glass and non-aromatic wood. The only potential risk is entering a hot environment that is built with unknown or unverifiable adhesives, or carbon fiber style heaters that can emit noxious fumes when heated.

Anyone can use an infrared sauna. If a woman is pregnant she should stop using any sauna. If a woman is breast feeding, she should not use a sauna, because toxicants accumulated in fatty breast tissue may excrete in higher concentrations than normally expressed in the milk alone. Children should be monitored or accompanied when using a sauna.

Infrared saunas are safe for seniors. Like anyone, seniors should monitor their own heat tolerance, occasionally open the window to breathe in cool air, and exit as soon as they feel uncomfortable from the heat. Anyone with metal implants should cover the area with a dry towel during the session to avoid potential heat transfer into the implant.

Pregnant women should not use any type of sauna. If a woman is breast feeding, she should still not use a sauna, because toxicants accumulated in fatty breast tissue may excrete in higher concentrations than normally expressed in the milk alone.

Infrared saunas do not emit radiation. Radioactivity is associated with radioactive particles used in nuclear energy, weaponry, and cancer treatment. These are highly controlled and regulated and are not found in saunas. Microwave ovens utilize radio waves to heat food. Infrared saunas simply emit gentle radiant heat like sitting in a greenhouse. The phrase “radiant heat” is sometimes confused for “radiation”.

Low EMF in an infrared sauna means the system is wired in North America and does not leak electrical energy typical of saunas made in Asia where the electrical supply is different. Infrared saunas with carbon fibre heaters will typically emit an “Electric Magnetic Field” (EMF) higher than acceptable for human exposure over prolonged periods. Ceramic elements in infrared saunas made in North America have low EMF and are safer.

How much EMF is safe in a home sauna depends whether you are sensitive to EMF, and how close you get to the heaters. Typically, an EMF measurement of 5.0 Milligaus is harmless for 20-30 minutes. Medical Grade infrared saunas have EMF measurements at 1.0 or less, but may be slightly higher if sitting closer to the heater. Infrared saunas from Asia can have an EMF up to 80 MilliGaus.

You can put an infrared sauna in any room of your home. The infrared sauna design that snaps apart into the wall components for easy moving and assembly, has revolutionized sauna use in North America. These infrared saunas can sit on any floor surface, plug into any existing household outlet, and do not require drains or vents.

Infrared saunas do not require special wiring for the most part. Many North American made models are designed for a regular 15 amp household outlet. Infrared saunas imported from Asia normally require a 20 amp outlet which may require special wiring. Larger infrared saunas, including the ones made in North America, can be made any size and will require a 220 volt electrical supply, similar to a dryer or a stove.

Infrared saunas use very little electricity. Usually about 25 cents per session. Once turned on they take only 10-15 minutes get warm enough for you to go inside. Letting the temperature rise while you’re inside allows your body to acclimate as it gets hotter. By the time you’re sweating and ready to come out, you’ve had it turned on for less than an hour.

It takes 10-20 minutes for an infrared sauna to heat up. It depends how hot you like it. A good medical grade infrared sauna is slower because it is designed to make you sweat without heating your blood. Most people like to go inside after 10 minutes when it’s at 25C or 77F. If you like a much hotter sauna, then let it warm up for 20 minutes before going in.

Infrared saunas should last a lifetime, if you get the right one. An infrared sauna handcrafted in Canada should last decades at the pace of one or two people using it 4-7 times a week. Some imported infrared saunas only last about 18-36 months before being thrown out. Imported saunas are also made with flimsy and toxic materials.

Infrared saunas come in a range of sizes and prices, from $900 to $9,000 for a one or two-person unit. A “Good” infrared sauna is not always based on price. Many cheap Asian made imports are priced higher to mislead buyers that they are higher quality. The best Canadian made medical-grade infrared saunas can be purchased for $4,500-$5,500 for a one or two person unit.

Expensive infrared saunas are not always worth it. Some importers of Asian factory-built infrared saunas will sell two-person models for $8,000 when they only paid $800. It can be a way to mislead buyers that they are higher quality. If you can guarantee the quality is non-toxic, Canadian made and medical grade, with a long warranty, it’s probably worth a little extra.

What you should look for when buying an infrared sauna is where it is made. Canadian manufacturers are under the strictest electrical regulation in the world. Moreso than Europe, and certainly Asia where compliance is not effectively policed. Many re-sellers use distracting language like “Canadian company” or “US-Business”. This is designed to distract you from the fact they are imported.

The difference between ceramic and carbon infrared heaters is longevity and toxicity. Ceramic heaters made in Canada or the US are solid and toxin-free. They are designed for saunas, and accepted by doctors because they are efficient, effective and non-toxic. Carbon infrared heaters are made in China as floor-heaters, and badly adapted for saunas. They are both flimsy and toxic when heated.

Toxin-Free saunas must contain zero plywood, zero composite material such as carbon fiber, zero plastic, zero adhesive, and zero chemical finishing on the wood. These are all common building materials that are not designed to remain stable in an elevated heat environment. Toxin Free saunas are made with solid planks of non-aromatic wood, no glue, pure ceramic plate heating elements mounted on stainless steel, with a tempered glass window.

The best infrared sauna brand in Canada is SaunaRay.  For over two decades SaunaRay has designed and built non-toxic and medical grade infrared saunas trusted by doctors and their patients. Every unit made in SaunaRay’s Canadian factory is still in operation. For safety, comfort, design, longevity and the highest level of customer satisfaction, SaunaRay is by far the best infrared sauna brand in Canada.

SaunaRay ships regularly to clients in the US. It’s easy, we handle all the paper work and the sauna arrives seamlessly at your door anywhere in the USA.

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