A sauna session may already be part of your wellness routine. Whether at your favorite spa or local gym, sweating out toxins has long been considered a health benefit. But infrared sauna therapy offers something more, and 2015 may be the perfect time to upgrade from the traditional steam room to a dynamic infrared sauna.
What Is Infrared?
Saunas have been used for thousands of years for body detoxification and well being, but advanced technology has only recently allowed for use of infrared rays—the same wavelengths found in sunlight—to heat the body directly. Infrared is a band of invisible, radiant energy found on the electromagnetic spectrum and should not be confused with dangerous forms of radiation like ultraviolet.
Why Infrared?
Infrared saunas provide a pleasant, deep-tissue warming sensation in response to the external infrared frequencies, a process called resonant absorption. As the body works to cool itself down, benefits abound: metabolic rate increases, blood vessels dilate causing cardiovascular circulation to escalate and sweating commences, generated by cellular reactions.
Conventional vs. Infrared
Traditional wet/dry saunas transfer heat through the circulation of hot air, but infrared saunas use far infrared rays to heat the body directly, from the inside out. While conventional saunas need these high air temperatures to pull out impurities from the body, infrared saunas use far infrared rays to penetrate the skin, pushing out impurities at a lower temperature. The infrared sauna experience provides added health benefits beyond detoxification; infrared saunas aide in immune system improvement, skin care, pain relief and even cancer treatments.
Where Are Infrared Saunas?
Though infrared saunas are more commonplace in Europe and Canada, they are gaining popularity in the U.S. Now, infrared saunas can be found in speciality spas and wellness centers across the country and can also be bought and installed at home for personal use.
Try: Halsa Saunas by health mate®, in various designs and sizes: single-person to multi-user, lounge editions to stand-up styles. Halsa has also recently launched the Gift of Wellness, where, for every 20 saunas sold, Halsa will collaborate with a leading health care provider to donate one Classic1 sauna to a recovering cancer patient. halsasaunas.com
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