Infrared saunas are said to detoxify, relieve pain, rejuvenate skin, and do many other amazing things. But can they really do it?
I first experienced a sauna in the late 1980s, while vacationing in the trendy (now mostly abandoned) town of French Lick, Indiana, home of the once-glamorous West Baden Hot Springs and the birthplace of legendary Celtics forward Larry Bird. Our weekend rental had an indoor cedar sauna, but no one in my family seemed to like it. So I sat there alone, wrapped in a towel, reading a young-adult science fiction novel for half an hour until the pages began to peel off the spine from the intense, dry heat.
Even to my jaded teenage soul, the sauna seemed like a quiet, relaxing retreat from a stressful world. But it wasn’t until I moved to Russia in my early twenties that I truly fell in love with the sauna, or banya in Russian.
So when my local CYL (short for Change Your Life) infrared sauna studio in Boulder, Colorado, announced a summer special ($199 for 60 days of sauna time), I signed up, intending to go five times a week for the next two months.
People have been sweating in traditional saunas since about 2000 BCE. The earliest known saunas were pits dug in the ground by Norsemen and heated with hot rocks and coals. However, throughout human history, indigenous peoples around the world have used steam baths for health and ceremonial purposes.
“Sauna” is a Finnish word, which is not surprising, since Finland is today the undisputed capital of sauna culture: in a country with a population of only 5 million, there are 3 million saunas. There is a Finnish proverb: “Without a sauna, there is no home.”
Visiting a Finnish or Russian sauna is usually a group activity. It’s a great time to socialize with friends, family, and neighbors, drink beer, and work up a sweat.
To cool off, jump into an ice-cold pool or lake, or roll around in the snow. After a few rounds of this “fried and frozen” ballet, your brain will be filled with endorphins and life will be great. Could this be one of the reasons Finland is consistently ranked as the happiest country in the world?
During our stay in Russia, my friends and I enjoyed a traditional Russian wood-fired sauna, a Turkish steam room, a traditional Finnish cedar sauna, and several swimming pools, including an ice-cold pool. We shared beer or a bottle of semi-dry Soviet champagne, applied face masks, rubbed used coffee grounds on our bodies to exfoliate between sessions, and shared intimate details of our lives. Saunas can inspire honesty.
There is a difference between a traditional sauna (like the one I visited in Indiana) and an infrared sauna. Traditional saunas heat the air, which means the air temperature must reach 185 to 200 degrees Fahrenheit before the body begins to sweat. Infrared saunas, on the other hand, use light to directly heat the body, requiring much lower temperatures, closer to 140 degrees Fahrenheit.
This means you can stay in an infrared sauna for longer, which infrared proponents say allows you to enjoy the benefits of a sauna for a longer period of time. Plus, unlike traditional dry or wet saunas, infrared heat can penetrate up to 3 cm below the surface of the skin, so some studies suggest that it can actually treat inflammation deep within the body.
Every time I leave a sauna in Russia, I feel refreshed, hopeful, and rejuvenated. Putting aside the social aspect of the experience, after a good workout my mind was clear and my body calm but energized.
Researchers call this state “relaxed alertness,” and it’s the ideal physical state for developing higher-order thinking skills like problem solving and creativity. As Finnish Nobel laureate F. E. Sillanpää put it: “The thoughts and feelings that arise on a sauna bench cannot be experienced anywhere else in the world.”
While you may have heard that saunas can “detox” your body, that’s not always the case. Sweating can help remove toxins from your body when you use a sauna, but the research to support this claim is inconclusive.
CYL features eight private rooms with futuristic gray pull-out sauna beds set on raised platforms. Each room also features chairs, mirrors, soft lighting, and speakers playing new-age music.
When I first arrived, the front desk staff recommended that I set my personal temperature level to 7. You can adjust the temperature of your bed, lower body, and upper body (from 1 to 10) if needed.
After my colleague left, I stripped naked and lay down on a bed covered in fluffy white towels, my head on the pillow, the covers pulled up to my neck. She had a towel draped over her chest, trapping the hot air inside. I felt like a human burrito. Or like an eccentric millionaire in his own hyperbaric chamber. Either way, it was quiet, cozy, and warm. I turned on a podcast and immersed myself in the experience.
After about 10 minutes, I started sweating heavily. Even my face without the mask started sweating. I put a cool towel on my forehead. In a few minutes, I would have to take my hand out from under the sauna blanket. When the timer finally went off, I breathed a sigh of relief. My heart was pounding and I was sweating all over.
Time to towel off. I’m really tempted to take a shower now, and putting on a bra is a pain in the ass again. (Pro tip: Bring a stretchy sports bra to wear after the sauna.) The studio recommends waiting a half hour before showering so your body can continue to sweat and flush out toxins.
After this my face really felt radiant, soft and smooth. I felt very comfortable. Later that night I slept like a baby.
Any good researcher will tell you that correlation does not equal causation. So whenever you try a new health trend, it’s important to maintain a healthy dose of skepticism. Here are my personal findings after sweating four to six times a week for 30 days.
The redness from the sauna lasted all day, but after a month, the acne was much less noticeable, and even the texture of my middle-aged skin was smoother. The blackheads were almost gone, with only a few remaining on my nose. The skin on my body was also smoother and softer. I found myself stroking my hands, enjoying their softness.
But the chronic eczema between my toes showed no significant improvement, which left me very disappointed.
You may have heard that a sauna can almost “replace” exercise because it makes your body sweat and can lead to weight loss. Although you do lose weight through sweating, you will likely gain it back once you rehydrate.
According to FitBit, my resting heart rate is typically 70-75 beats per minute (bpm). In an infrared sauna, my heart rate can reach 110-115 bpm, which for me is equivalent to a brisk walk, not an intense workout.
I think infrared therapy is a great option for those whose mobility is limited due to injuries. It is a way to get passive aerobic exercise without exercising. However, it is best to consult with your doctor before using it.
Don’t think of sauna use simply as a way to exercise or lose weight (it’s not), but as a comprehensive self-care practice.
The week I started using the sauna, I went back to the gym (OrangeTheory and weight training) and I can confidently say that I am experiencing much less muscle soreness than usual. If you are following an exercise program, consider adding sauna use to it.
I have plantar fasciitis in my left foot that has been coming and going on and off for over a decade. At times it has seriously affected my quality of life. I find that a combination of going to the gym and using an infrared sauna has helped me a lot with the pain. I woke up in the morning with a slight pain in my heel. After doing some stretches the pain went away.
I look forward to sauna time as “me time.” The experience itself is meditative and relaxing, and it allows my mind to wander and explore new ideas without distraction. As with the hot tub, problems seem to “disappear” when I’m in the sauna. I always leave feeling refreshed and inspired.
Not quite! Although visiting an infrared sauna is different from the public holiday saunas I have visited in Finland and Russia, it is interesting and healthy in its own way.
Infrared saunas are more like the American ones – they are more like an expensive, effective, adjustable life hack designed to improve your mood and increase productivity, rather than an hours-long immersion experience to share with friends.
I will probably continue traveling after the 60 day trip, but I need to go to Finland again soon to see the real Finland.
Using a sauna can be dangerous to your health. It is not recommended to use a sauna if you have any medical conditions, such as multiple sclerosis, if you are pregnant or trying to conceive, or if you are ill. People with blood pressure problems, heart disease, skin conditions, or poor heat tolerance should exercise caution before using a sauna. If you are unsure whether a sauna (traditional or infrared) is right for you, always consult with your doctor or health care professional.
It is extremely important to maintain your water balance before and after visiting the sauna to prevent dehydration.
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