Infrared Saunas vs. Finnish Saunas

This topic and page is one of the most viewed on our blog. Most people have owned or experienced one or the other but only a few people have had the opportunity to experience both.

Infrared saunas have not been on the market as long as traditional saunas , so most people are not as familiar with Infrared as they are with traditional saunas. We would like to take this opportunity to lend understanding to this long-misunderstood subject.

A (hot rock) or traditional Finnish sauna does not heat the body. The heating element heats only the air that surrounds it, which in turn results in an extremely hot environment, with air temperatures reaching as high as 180F to 220F. The user must splash water on the heating element in order to adjust the humidity to protect the body's (lungs, skin, eyes, etc.) mucous membranes.
An infrared sauna heats the body directly with infrared heat instead of the surrounding air, resulting in a much lower ambient temperature of typically 100F to 130F. Raising the humidity is not necessary within the sauna. An infrared sauna requires a much shorter warm-up time; this in turn saves electricity.

Because of the lower temperatures infrared saunas are much better suited for people who find extreme temperatures of the traditional sauna to be oppressively hot or claustrophobic. They are also more appropriate for people who suffer from chronic illness who may otherwise be unable to enjoy daily sauna sessions.

Due to these lower temperatures, you can stay in the sauna for longer periods of time. This gives you the benefit of being able to sweat more than you might using a traditional sauna.

Sweat Analysis
Unfortunately there is too much wrong information about the release of body toxins due to infrared saunas. The claims of 15-20% of your sweat contain toxins is completely misleading; many conditions in the human body affect how toxins are released.

We subscribe to the belief that infrared saunas will release more toxins than traditional saunas, but we do not agree with these unsubstantiated numbers.

Power Requirements
Most of our Gaia Saunas use a standard 110 volt, 15 amp power plug. Most Finnish saunas run at 240 volts and between 12 and 30 amps. Many sauna companies fail to pass this important information to the consumer so that you have to upgrade your homes wiring to accommodate Finnish saunas. Another benefit of infrared saunas is that all of our units except our 2 largest models run on standard 110 volt, 15 amp power. This is yet another advantage of infrared saunas. Our trained professionals will assist you in assuring your electrical requirements are within safety standards prior to purchasing any Gaia sauna.

Installation
Unlike Finnish saunas which usually must be built into the allotted space within your home because they come in pre-cut units, infrared saunas are modular. This means they come pre-built and ready to assemble. It is very rare to find a modular hot rock sauna which means the sauna is pre-built for you. Even if you did, it still would take 4 to 5 times as long to assemble as an infrared unit and usually needs upgrades to your home electrical wiring system. With an infrared sauna, if you move locations, because it's modular it disassembles easily to take with you.

Price
With Finnish saunas, they must be constructed predominately out of cedar. Cedar is a much more expensive wood but is needed because with Finnish saunas you need to splash water on the heaters. This exposes the unit to considerably more wear and tear, usually needing to be replaced between 5 to 7 years. This is not required with infrared saunas which is a great advantage because this translates into a lower price for the consumer. Also, infrared saunas do not require vapor barriers to insulate the unit.


Question & Answer?

Q: What is the main difference between the actual heat of an Infrared Sauna and a traditional sauna?
A: Infrared heat is actually energy, part of the electromagnetic spectrum, which includes other harmless waves like radio waves and visible light, and is therefore a “radiant” heat (don’t worry, it is not radiation, does not contain ultraviolet or x-rays, other areas of the spectrum). Finnish saunas use thermal heat, which heats the surrounding air.

Have you ever been outside on a sunny but chilly day? When the sun is on your body you may feel comfortably warm, but as soon as it is obscured by clouds, you immediately become chilled. The clouds effectively blocked all of the infrared heat coming from the sun.