wellness

Infrared Sauna VS Steam. What’s The Difference?

There is a new movement emerging that many of us are not aware of yet. People across the globe are opening their homes to Far Infrared Ray (FIR) Saunas. Traditionally people have sought out steam saunas, but that is changing. Let’s see if we can figure out why.

Steam saunas must operate at a higher temperature than infrared saunas in order to get the same results. FIR saunas are able to directly heat our bodies instead of heating the enclosure and air around our bodies. This is possible because of the infrared rays. This form of light ray is the part of the sunlight spectrum that is healthy for us, and invisible. It penetrates our skin directly and heats us from within, which eliminates the difficult breathing environments found in steam saunas.

The softer heat of FIR saunas penetrates deeper into the body (2-3 in. or 5-8 cm. deep) which enhances the effects of muscle relaxation. This deeply absorbed infrared heat draws out more toxins than the heat from a steam sauna.

Steam saunas do not offer the benefits of dry heat like infrared saunas do. Dry heat does not allow for mold, mildew or bacteria to thrive in the sauna environment. Sweating in an infrared sauna is the sanitary way to go.

According to Dr. Aundrea Adams of the International Institute of Holistic Healing, even our sweat is different in a FIR sauna compared to steam saunas. She found that sweat generated using a steam sauna was composed of mostly water (up to 97%) while sweat released after FIR sauna therapy was composed of less water (80-85%) and more toxins. On average the sweat contained 15-20% heavy metals, sulfuric acid, sodium, ammonia, uric acid and other fat-soluble toxins.

Since infrared heaters operate at a much lower temperature and still remain effective, they require much less energy to operate. Infrared technology is about 4-5 times more efficient than traditional methods of heating. Consuming less than 5 cents per kilowatt hour (varies by area), the infrared heater is easy on the wallet.

A major difference between infrared and steam is that infrared saunas are available as collapsible and portable units. The ability to pack you sauna up and take it with you is priceless. This has given infrared a marked advantage.

Far Infrared Ray (FIR) saunas are poised to be the sauna of choice in the future. Their ease of use, antibacterial technology, gentleness on the lungs make, and amazing health benefits make them an easy sell.

To learn more about the benefits of using an infrared sauna, visit HEALTHandMED.com