Jacuzzi Clearlight Sanctuary Y Infrared Sauna Review

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.

Interesting Fact: Healthy people often smell different from that of ill individuals. The body emits volatile organic compounds based on metabolic condition, which can change when disease or infection is present. So you can tell a lot about the smell of your sweat.

Science: Sauna in general has been shown to improve cardiovascular health, reduce inflammation, improve cognitive and mental health, balance hormones and metabolic function, improve physical fitness and athletic performance, and detoxify.

While there are several studies and research on traditional saunas, there aren’t as many studies that look specifically at infrared saunas:

• A small 10-person study found that people with chronic fatigue syndrome benefited from using an infrared sauna as part of an overall treatment.
• Another 10-person study found that infrared saunas helped decrease muscle soreness and increase recovery from strength-training sessions.
• According to one review, several studies have found that infrared light therapy saunas may help reduce blood pressure.
• Infrared penetrates the skin deeper than a dry sauna so there is typically a deeper sweat and more toxins are released.

Dr. Ai Mukai, physical medicine and rehab specialist at Texas Orthopedics, says that some athletes use saunas to help with performance and endurance. “Muscle strength and power seem to increase after sauna use. If you’re looking to build strength and power, saunas can help with that.” I definitely notice this after three months of use.

Here is an extensive and well-research article on the benefits of both dry/traditional and infrared saunas by Dr. Rhonda Patrick.

What are the differences between dry and infrared saunas?

Historically, saunas were heated by wood fires – a practice still observed today in rural parts of Finland. Most modern saunas, however, are heated by conventional electric heaters or infrared heaters. Conventional heaters warm the air to a high temperature, ranging from 70°C to 100°C (158°F to 212°F), optimally at 80°C to 90°C (176°F to 194°F) at the level of the user’s face.^[5][6] The heat of the warmed air transfers to the body.

Infrared heaters emit thermal radiation, which heats the body directly while also warming the surrounding air. They operate at lower temperatures than traditional saunas, at 45°C to 60°C (113°F to 140°F).^[7] Infrared heaters emit either near or far [or both] wavelengths. Near infrared heaters use incandescent bulbs to produce thermal radiation of varying wavelengths, ranging from near-infrared wavelengths (primarily) to middle-infrared wavelengths (to a lesser degree). Far infrared heaters use ceramic or metallic heating elements that emit energy in the far-infrared range, which is similar to energy produced by the sun.

— Dr. Rhonda Patrick, Found My Fitness

Infrared saunas DO NOT emit UV so the light won’t damage your skin. The biggest benefit to infrared saunas over dry is that you can get a much deeper sweat at lower temperatures. To me, an infrared sauna at 140 degree F feels just as hot as a traditional at 170. I’ve managed to get my body temperature up to 105 degrees F and my max heart rate to 168 bpm by just sitting in my infrared sauna. You can read my full experiment here. So I’m pretty sure my body is generating the beneficial heat-shock proteins that you get from a traditional sauna.

Self Experiment / What did I notice and/or measure: Over 6 months of use, I noticed:

• More efficient sweating
• Amazing mood after sauna (especially if I finish with a cold shower or ice bath)
• Maintained muscle mass even though I did less strength training
• My mental fortitude went up. I try to push my self by staying in the sauna after it gets uncomfortable and I believe this helps me push harder during a race or competition.

What I like about my Clearlight sauna:

• Very energy efficient – my power bill hardly changed
• Spacious – enough room to do exercises or yoga
• The RESERVE feature, which allows me to turn the sauna on at a later time (so I can wake up to a hot sauna!)
• Beautiful lighting inside and out
• Independently certified to contain zero V.O.C.s/toxins.
• Eco-Certified sustainably harvested Canadian Cedar Wood or North American Basswood
• Advanced medical grade chromotherapy
• Highest integrity and excellent customer service; in business for over 20 years with an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau

What I don’t like about my Clearlight sauna:

• Bluetooth Sound System (some may find this as a benefit): Each sauna comes standard with Bluetooth sound system, Nakamichi speakers and auxiliary input. And yes, the bluetooth can be disabled if you desire! I disabled mine to avoid any potential EMFs. I show you how in this video.
• Only the two front panels are full-spectrum, the other 3 sides emit far-infrared
• Required an electrician to convert a 120V to a 240V outlet; this is not necessary for the smaller Clearlight saunas
• Price is high, but you get what you pay for
• Doesn’t get as hot as a dry/traditional sauna (this is a pro and con)

Hacks I’ve made to enhance the benefits of sauna:

Keep in mind, my goal to to get the benefits of infrared and the benefits of heat-shock proteins so I want it as hot as possible.

• Added insulation to the ceiling to maintain heat longer and get the sauna hotter
• Added a thermal blanket above the glass ceiling
• Added a 3rd Full-Spectrum Heater panel
• Turned the Bluetooth off to avoid any potential EMFs (you can watch my video on how to do that)

Conclusion: Whether dry/traditional sauna or infrared sauna is debatable. Either type will make you feel amazing after and it contributes to your overall health and well-being by helping you relax, loosening up stiff or tight muscles, reducing joint pain, and giving you some much needed time to yourself. And there are no reports of negative effects so far, beyond the cautions about any sauna experience. I also believe nothing comes close to a Clearlight sauna for safety, efficacy, detoxification, hormone balance, skin health, cardiovascular fitness and all the other benefits of infrared light and heat.

Related Articles & Videos

• Exercising in the Heat
• How an Additional Clearlight Sauna Full-Spectrum Heater Improved my Sauna Experience & Benefits
• How I Built My Chest Freezer Ice Bath
• How to Enhance the Benefits of Cold Thermogenesis
• How to Hack Your Sauna Experience for Increased Benefits