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Don’t Get Steamed Up Over Which Sauna to Buy!
Have you been shopping for saunas lately and find it confusing which type you should buy? There are some differences between steam and infrared, but also some similarities. Let’s try to answer some of those questions for you because the sauna you will use the most is the one that is right for you!
If you enjoy an intense aerobic workout where you get really hot and get your heart rate up, you may enjoy a steam sauna. It is a hotter environment with the moisture of steam to add to the heat. If you like a little lower heat that penetrates your skin deeper, you may prefer the infrared.
Some of the similarities of the two include detoxifying, relaxation and stress reduction. The biggest reason someone would buy one over the other are the differences. The traditional sauna is the only sauna that you can not only control the temperature, but also the humidity level by the amount of water you pour over the rocks. It gets to a hotter temperature of around 150-190 degrees. Because of the hotter temperature, you may only need to sit in a traditional sauna around 10-15 minutes to achieve results. A steam sauna is the most beneficial for clearing sinuses because of the moisture, and giving you the feeling of an intense aerobic workout by increasing your core temp.
An infrared sauna, in comparison, heats up to about 110-140 degrees. A bather tends to sit in those rooms for more like 20-30 minutes. Because the heat penetrates your skin deeper in an infrared room, it doesn’t need to get as hot to be beneficial in detoxifying and relaxation. An infrared room seems to be more beneficial for increasing circulation and helping with joint issues like arthritis. It is compared more to a low intensity workout.
Both rooms are very efficient to run. A traditional sauna costs about $.37 per hour, where an infrared costs about $.18 per hour. Most traditional saunas do have to be hard-wired 220v unless they are 1 or 2 person units. Most infrared saunas can be plugged in to a 15 or 20 amp outlet depending on size.
So as you can see, there are some similarities, but also differences that you may want to consider when purchasing a sauna. There are also some combo units out there that will do both, which may be a good option if there are multiple people using the sauna that want different benefits from it.
No matter which sauna you choose, it should be a relaxing experience that will improve your overall health and wellness. So Happy Sweating!
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