What is Infrared Saunas?

Coming back after a long day at work makes want a relaxation session. Quite often, you are not able to get it until you retire off to bed but if you have a sauna or steam room, you can wash away all your stress right at your home. If you do not have access to either of these and planning to make a choice between steam room and saunas, this article will help you understand the differences between saunas (particularly infrared saunas).

Difference between Steam Rooms and Infrared saunas

The way heat is generated in steam rooms and saunas is the main differentiator between both. Not only the method of generating heat, but also is the type of heat that’s generated in these two is quite different. Infrared saunas make use of infrared rays for generating heat. On the other hand, steam rooms are used for steam bath and are heated by hot and moist steam generated as result of boiling water. Infrared saunas generate dry heat that does not have any water content in it.

Another major difference between rooms of steam and saunas is in the setup of their rooms. Sauna rooms have wooden walls, flat ceilings, and wooden benches so that the people who sit inside do not get their skin burnt. Ceilings of the steam rooms are slanted so that water accumulated by condensing of steam trickles down along the walls and does not drop on the people using the steam room. Also, there is no arrangement of ventilation inside the steam rooms unlike the sauna chambers.

Sweat produced from the body due to heat does not get dried in rooms of steam because of the moist nature of steam. However, in case of sauna, steam dries up easily because of better ventilation and dryness of heat that penetrates your body. Due to the process of drying up of heat off your body, you may feel a little cooler despite the high temperatures of the infrared sauna chamber.

For certain health conditions like sinus or asthma, steam rooms are advised rather than infrared sauna. This is primarily because the steam is moist while sauna room’s infrared rays are hot and dry. Saunas may sometimes cause difficulty in breathing for the patients who have respiratory disorders.

A room of steam requires much more maintenance and cleaning efforts than an infrared sauna room since moisture often results in breeding up of bacteria. In order to drain out excess amount of water (generated due to condensing of steam), a room of steam also has arrangement for drainage of water unlike infrared saunas.

Before choosing to buy an infrared sauna based on size, style, and price, make sure to consider the heating element used. It can be difficult to tell the real differences between ceramic and carbon infrared saunas, and even more difficult to judge which is better.

Infrared saunas are an innovative new way to get all the healthy and long-lasting benefits of a sauna. Instead of sitting in stifling hot air in an enclosed room like in a traditional Finnish or steam sauna, infrared saunas use infrared radiation to safely and efficiently to help participants work up a healthy sweat. Infrared is very similar to sunlight, of course without the harmful ultraviolet rays.

There are many types of infrared saunas available for people who wish to enjoy them for their own use. Some public areas, such as spas and health clubs, are now adding infrared saunas to their traditional steam saunas. Infrared saunas can also be purchased over the Internet and pieced together at home. Home infrared saunas come in varying sizes, shapes, and styles. They are constructed with different types of wood. Even smaller portable models that easy fold up and wheel out of the way are now on the market. Whatever model suits you, one of the most important considerations for your home infrared sauna is the type of heating element used.

Many infrared saunas are outfitted with several thin, flat carbon fiber panels at varying locations in the sauna to distribute a uniform infrared heat. They are sometimes enclosed in fiberglass for protection and covering. Carbon panels are slightly flexible and therefore less likely to break in transit to your home sauna. Because of their flat, wide shape, they are capable of having a very large surface area which is important for a quality infrared sauna heating element.

Ceramic sheets, like carbon fiber sheets, have a large surface area and are built into the inner walls of a sauna on all sides. Ceramic is rather delicate so care must be used in shipping and handling the material prior to installation in your sauna. They are generally more expensive than carbon fiber heaters, but proponents say that they deliver true far infrared radiation whereas carbon panels only heat up and deliver simple radiant heat. This can induce perspiration, but doesn’t give you the same soft tissue benefits as ceramic heaters.

It is important to know that some Internet websites will compare carbon sheets to ceramic rods, which is like comparing apples to oranges. Rods are going to be more inefficient than plates or sheets, no matter what they are made out of. Rods have a smaller surface area and will require a higher surface temperature to run, so they will be worse than both carbon and ceramic plates. Keep that in mind when looking at information about carbon versus ceramic heating elements.