Infrared Saunas - the new thing For many years people associated saunas with the act of throwing water onto a bed of hot rocks in order to create a humid steamy environment, but that all changed with the onset of the infrared sauna revolution. Read on to learn more about this new sensation....
A typical pre-built infrared sauna home kit	Infrared saunas are currently recieving great critical reviews in the sauna industry, so just what is all the buzz about? Unique factors of infrared saunas 1) Traditional saunas rely upon a bed of heated rocks, upon which the sauna user throws water in order to create steam. The combination of this steam and the heat from the rocks (called loyly), creates the sauna environment. Infrared saunas however require no hot rocks or water, relying instead on small infrared devices which are invisibly inserted into the sauna walls. Using a technology called Far-infrared radiant (FIR), these infrared devices heat the sauna. 2) Traditional steam saunas create a humid environment but infrared saunas create a dry heat (no moisture in the air).
3) Traditional saunas heat the entire enclosure, but infrareds primarily heat you, and the surrounding air is only mildly heated in comparison. 4) Infrareds operates at a much lower heat than traditional saunas. The temperature in an infrared ranges from 100-130 °F (38-54 °C), wheras the temperature in a traditional sauna is usually around 160-200 °F (70-90 °C) Unique Benefits of infrared saunas 1) Some people with respiratory/breathing problems find traditional saunas uncomfortable or even dangerous, but they can comfortably and safely use an infrared sauna. Similarly people with certain medical problems may find the greater heat of a traditional sauna to be harmful or dangerous for them, but they may be able to safely use infrareds due to their substantially lower temperatures. 2) Infrared saunas are far less expensive than traditional sauna setups to run, only costing approximately 5 cents per hour (in electricity usage). 3) It generally takes an hour or so to have a traditional steam sauna hot and ready for use but it only takes 10 to 20 minutes with an infrared sauna. 4) The setup costs of infrared saunas are usually much lower that those of traditional saunas. The setup process is also less complicated. 5) Maintanence of an infrared sauna is much easier due to the absence of moisture in the air and on the wood. Conclusion To the purist, infrared saunas are not true saunas. After all, where's the steam (loyly). Where's the traditional beauty of the whole sauna process, such as the act of tipping water onto the heated stones? People like this will prefer to stay with the traditional sauna. But to those who do not share these feelings, those with medical conditions which make traditional sauna a non-option, and also those on a lower budget, the infrared sauna is a very attractive option.