Lady Gaga uses it to help manage her fibromyalgia. Jennifer Aniston swears by it for glowing skin. Infrared is having a moment, but can it take traditional sauna's crown? The battle lines are drawn
IR is great in a treatment room or residential where regular cleaning can happen. It is terrible in communal spaces because the microbes are not killed due to the lower room temperature and therefore when one person sweats, they leave behind a proliferation of microbes for the next person. Wrapping yourself in a towel defeats the purpose of IR, which needs to penetrate the skin.
Traditional sauna IS infrared therapy. Why does this continue to be mystified? IR adds nothing. It only subtracts the experience of sweat, high heat, steam, and camaraderie.
I'm not aware of any science that backs the health claims made by infrared cabin adherents.
For a person who shoots and is on their feet all the time, IR is a dream for someone like me. I feel better within a few hours. My inflammation is gone and my skin even looks amazing.
There is a lot of misleading advertising and selling with IR and sauna that make it difficult to know what's true. I'd be interested in any accurate info anyone has.
IR is great in a treatment room or residential where regular cleaning can happen. It is terrible in communal spaces because the microbes are not killed due to the lower room temperature and therefore when one person sweats, they leave behind a proliferation of microbes for the next person. Wrapping yourself in a towel defeats the purpose of IR, which needs to penetrate the skin.
Traditional sauna IS infrared therapy. Why does this continue to be mystified? IR adds nothing. It only subtracts the experience of sweat, high heat, steam, and camaraderie.
I'm not aware of any science that backs the health claims made by infrared cabin adherents.
How are you getting that traditional sauna is IR?
Sauna is convective heat. There is some IR present but it declines so fast that I can't imagine it plays much or any role in heating people.
The people at Culture of Bathing are doing a fabulous job with this Substack. Thank you!!
Yeah. I can't really keep up. Overhelmed by the flood! 🙂
For a person who shoots and is on their feet all the time, IR is a dream for someone like me. I feel better within a few hours. My inflammation is gone and my skin even looks amazing.
Good article Emma.
There is a lot of misleading advertising and selling with IR and sauna that make it difficult to know what's true. I'd be interested in any accurate info anyone has.
One article on IR: https://medium.com/@trumpkin/ir-beneficial-or-snake-oil-7a5374fd7baa
Does IR permeate foil blanket.
IR does not fall into definition of sauna. No steam, not hot enough.