Benefits of Infrared Saunas

Part of my philosophy for my personal care and for my clients’ as a Health Coach is to find many different ways to help our bodies work as efficiently and as flawlessly as possible. I love having a big toolkit filled with many different options to use for different situations as I see fit.

One of the tools that I got to know this year is an infrared sauna. After reading a lot about them from many different sources, I finally went to give it a try and it was love at first use.

The first question I had was, what’s the difference between infrared and regular saunas? The main difference is that the heat and rays in infrared saunas penetrate deeply into the skin, joints and muscles. A regular sauna relaxes the body, opens skin pores, and increases sweat, but it doesn’t go as deeply. The light in infrared saunas directly penetrates your skin, but does not warm the air around you. This allows you to get results at lower temperatures than regular saunas.

The claims of infrared saunas sound like a dream come true and there are many regular users that rave about their benefits. Like with everything, I have read some articles from people that tried them a couple of times and liked them, but didn’t believe they could possibly get all the benefits that they claimed. I always read the scientific research behind technologies like this one and after finding about their safety, I decided to try them out to have the experience for myself. All the scientific research in the world is useless if it’s not working out for you so you always need to listen to your body and trust your instincts first. I will include links to scientific studies at the end of this article so you can make your own conclusions.

The main benefits claimed by infrared saunas are: relaxation, detoxification, pain relief, skin purification, weight loss, and improved circulation and heart function. Studies show that people with the following conditions have shown benefits from the regular use of infrared saunas: muscle and joint pain, depression and anger issues, chronic fatigue, poor digestion, heart disease, arthritis, high blood pressure, and diabetes.

In order to experience this technology first hand, I started using an infrared sauna for 30-minute sessions a couple of times per week for a month. A benefit I noticed was an overall feeling of well being immediately after my first treatment. I also felt more relaxed and slept better. My skin felt less dry, as if I didn’t need to put as much moisturizer. It was also easier to drink plenty of water on the days I had the treatments since I didn’t have to make a conscious effort to stay hydrated, which is always a good thing. What I liked the most about my sessions was the overall well being feeling that I got from these sessions. I felt relaxed, with no tight muscles and more flexible. I also felt lighter and more rested. This data is all subjective as I didn’t measure calories burned, heart rate, etc. but when you are looking for a new self care practice to add, sometimes feeling better is all that you need! After all, just the fact that it helps to decrease stress in our body and mind will do wonders for our overall health. Would I recommend infrared saunas? Absolutely!

The type of infrared sauna that I used is called Hotworxs and it is available at a spa called Planet Beach. There are many different brands of infrared saunas available at spas and even sold for home use. The one that I used offered the option to just relax inside the sauna, or do any of the many virtual 30-minute exercise sessions that include yoga, Pilates, foam rolling, or fitness. When you choose any of these exercise sessions you are naturally burning even more calories, stretching more your joints and muscles, increasing you metabolism, and strengthening your body while receiving the benefits of the infrared sauna.

I talked to Planet Beach management in Panama to arrange for anyone that wants to try infrared sauna to do so via a free trial! If you live in Panama city in Central America (or know someone that lives there), just mention @ElenasHealthyWays when you visit them and they will let you try out a 30-minute session as a courtesy. Their Instagram handle is @planetbeachpanama and you can find their phone number in their profile in case you want to call them first. I will be getting more treats like this one for readers from many parts of the world, but today it was my beloved Panama’s turn.

For those of you that want more in depth reading regarding infrared saunas, below, please find links to scientific studies and articles regarding their technology, usage and safety:

Have you try infrared saunas before? I would love to hear about your experience.

Healthy wishes!

Elena

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