Although the sauna has been in use for mental, physical and spiritual cleansing and well being for thousands of years, technology has only relatively recently allowed the direct use of infrared as a source of energy for heating the body. This application of infrared began in the early to mid 20th century in Germany, and has been actively developed by Japanese doctors and therapists for the last 40 years. Since the early 1980's, infrared therapy has been further refined and sold in the United States and many European countries.
An infrared sauna, also known as a FIR (far infrared) sauna or infrared room, operates differently from a traditional steam or wet/dry sauna in that the infrared emitters built into the unit heat the body directly, not by first raising the temperature of the air within the sauna. This is called conversion. This may be difficult to grasp until you first understand the fundamentals of the way infrared and far infrared works.
Infrared is a section, or "band" of invisible light found on the electromagnetic spectrum. It's a form of radiant heat that can also be called "infrared energy." About 80% of the sun's rays actually fall in this part of the spectrum. Far infrared is the form of this energy that occupies the region where wave frequencies measure between 5.5 and 1000 microns. See the graph below:
Infrared shouldn't be confused with ultraviolet or any other form of dangerous radiation. It is actually used in many different commercial and consumer applications, such as incubators in nursery wards. The human body itself radiates infrared energy, and as the earth is warmed by infrared rays from the sun it too radiates infrared. A good way to understand how infrared relates to the body is to imagine sun bathing at the beach. When the sun is out you can feel it's heat warming your body, but if a cloud moves in and momentarily blocks the sun, you feel a slight chill. This is because although the air temperature itself has not had time to cool, the cloud is preventing the infrared rays of the sun from reaching you.
An infrared sauna works by using infrared heating elements or "emitters" to generate far infrared energy within the sauna room. These "waves" of invisible light are selectively absorbed through the skin and penetrate into bodily tissue up to a depth of 1 to 1.5 inches. The tissue then responds in a process known as "resonant absorption," where the resonating frequencies of the external infrared react with cellular tissue causing the body to heat up. As the body works to cool itself, the metabolic rate increases, blood vessels dilate increasing cardiovascular circulation, and cellular reactions cause sweating. This is also the point where established medical and alternative therapy communities come into dispute.
Proponents of infrared sauna therapy state that aside from the obvious health and well-being benefits of any sauna like relaxation, an increased metabolism and improved cardiovascular circulation, there are bodily reactions unique to an infrared sauna. Primarily that fat soluble "toxins," heavy metals, and other contaminants that are stored in cellular tissues are released during the process of resonant absorption and expelled through sweat and also processed through the lymphatic system. This is commonly called "detoxification."
Critics of infrared sauna therapy state that there is no concrete scientific evidence to back the claims of detoxification. In fact, some members of the established medical community don't accept the idea of detoxification through infrared or any other method. Some even refute the idea that substances we absorb and accumulate that are toxic to our bodies exist at all.
It is the opinion of The Sauna House that synthetic and foreign elements that are potentially toxic do exist within our food and atmosphere and therefore our bodies, keeping time with the idea that it's not just what you eat, but what you absorb. The body, by necessity, has natural processes it utilizes to expel these substances, and both traditional and infrared sauna therapy stimulate these processes. The Sauna House doesn't have any PhD's on staff, but if you have done any research, you know there are assertions from medical doctors and scientists on both sides of the debate.
As the infrared sauna increases in popularity the health benefits have been more widely documented, and will continue to be in the future. Regardless of the debate over the specific advantages of an infrared sauna, there can be no doubt that they do deliver the many health and relaxation benefits common to every sauna. And in recognizing this, The Sauna House always looks to represent infrared saunas with the most effective infrared heating characteristics that the market has to offer.
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