What is all the hype about infrared saunas?

3 people enjoying an infrared Sauna at P3 Recovery

Keen to try an Infrared Sauna? Sauna bathing is a practice that has been used by cultures around the world for centuries and is still a key part of many even today.

While there may be some differences between what they look like and how they operate, the idea is much the same: to use heat – particularly dry heat – to heat the body and induce intense sweating.

Thanks to modern technology, the sauna bathing options available to us have expanded. Alongside the traditional dry sauna that have been around in different forms for many years, we now have the option of an infrared sauna.

What is an infrared sauna?

While a traditional sauna will use fire or electricity to generate intense heat, an infrared sauna utilises infrared light waves to generate heat in the body. As these waves penetrate deeper into the tissues without excessively raising the temperature of the sauna room, infrared sauna therapy is ideal for people who can’t tolerate the heat of traditional sauna rooms. There are also additional benefits that you won’t find in traditional saunas. 

What are the benefits of infrared saunas?

Infrared saunas use infrared waves that fall within the electromagnetic spectrum. Invisible to the naked eye, these waves have the ability to positively alter tissues by penetrating below the surface of skin to generate mitochondrial activity and effectively circulate heat. The benefits of this are wide-ranging – from reducing pain and oxidative stress to increasing detoxification and improving cardiovascular health. Infrared sauna therapy has also been found to improve circulation. This can have far-reaching benefits, from better skin tone to lowered blood pressure. In fact, researchers discovered infrared sauna therapy significantly improves blood vessel function in diabetes patients with high cholesterol.

Infrared saunas are perfect for optimising your body’s natural detoxification process by helping to flush out toxins from your body via sweat. The infrared waves stimulate your body’s sweat response which, as one of your detoxification pathways, helps to eliminate harmful toxins from your system. Infrared saunas also promote deep relaxation and decrease stress levels, which can be a major contributing factor to toxin build-up in the body. Additionally, infrared sauna therapy is known for its ability to help people manage their body composition. By increasing core body temperature and improving circulation, infrared sauna therapy can help burn fat stores more quickly, especially when coupled with cold immersion therapy.

Long-term research is still being conducted so science can’t tell us yet exactly how the infrared sauna works on the body, but it is still considered an affordable, safe, and extremely effective way to improve overall wellness. So if you’re looking for a sweat sesh with a range of health and wellness benefits, come and check out the infrared sauna in our Recovery Center start sweating it out like never before!

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