I love to do Bikram (hot) yoga. The amount you sweat during a 90 minute session is unbelievable. And you walk out feeling detoxed and mentally clear. As modern humans, many of us miss out on the opportunity to get a good sweat on a daily basis.
Humans are arguably not meant to be at a constant, comfortable temperature, and that true, optimal health requires at least occasional cold and hot practices.
In addition to the occasional discomfort, I believe humans are meant to sweat daily. Sweat secretions contain dermcidin, an antibiotic peptide that appears to regulate bacteria growth on the skin and may fight infection. Sweat has also been found to contain toxins such as BPA which means it’s one method for humans to detox.
And one of the most interesting things about using a sauna is that it actives something called “heat-shock proteins” which have been linked to resiliency and longevity.
This is what ignited my research into the world of saunas.
In addition to a good sweat and detox, supposed benefits of using an infrared sauna are similar to those experienced with a traditional sauna. This includes:
- better sleep
- relaxation
- weight loss
- relief from sore muscles
- relief from joint pain such as arthritis
- clear and tighter skin
- improved circulation
- help for people with chronic fatigue syndrome
Before I jump into my review, I wanted to mention the two main types of saunas:
- Dry/Wet or Traditional Finnish Saunas – Heats up the air using an electric heater and stones or burning wood to produce the heat. Temperatures usually range between 150-195 F.
- Infrared (IR) Saunas – Often referred to as waon therapy in the literature, infrared uses panels that emit the infrared waves portion of the light spectrum to heat a person’s core body temperature vs heating the external air. The whole point of an infrared room is that it delivers heat therapy without getting extremely hot. Temperatures usually range between 120-150 F.
Why I Chose Clearlight and an Infrared Sauna:
- Infrared saunas are usually smaller and easier for home use
- Infrared saunas don’t get as hot so you can do breathing exercises in them without burning your lungs. You can also use most electronic wearables inside with damaging them. I wear an Oura ring, Garmin watch and Whoop band inside my sauna and never had any problems. I would avoid bringing a smartphone in as they seem to be more heat sensitive.
- Infrared saunas are make you sweat at much lower temperatures so it’s easier to do breathing exercise and movement routines in
- Clearlight has a great reputation in the infrared sauna industry
- Clearlight has a LIFETIME warranty (which I have tested out — they have sent me a new ceiling, no questions asked)
- Clearlight saunas are low-EMF (if you’re concerned about or sensitive to EMFs)
- Clearlight’s Sanctuary models offer full-spectrum lighting (near-, mid-, and far-infrared)
- Clearlight offers the “Hot Yoga” sauna cabin. As mentioned above, I loved doing Bikram (Hot) Yoga. Clearlight’s Sanctuary-Y (Yoga) offers the ability to do Bikram in the comfort of your home. The two benches in the Sanctuary-Y sauna are easily removed to create a large open space to work out, stretch and do yoga. Set it up with two benches in, two benches out, or one bench in and one bench out. With heaters that go all the way to the sauna floor, you’ll work up a sweat in no time during your work out. You can read my article on the benefits of exercising in the heat here.