Sauna 101.com -- Info Guide to Saunas and Steam Rooms for the Home

The Infrared Sauna

Infrared sauna, also called far-infrared (FIR) sauna, is perhaps the most popular type of sauna for new home installations. It works by warming the body in the same manner as sunlight. Infrared sauna uses those wavelengths of visible and non-visible light that heat the body naturally from the sun.

Unlike traditional saunas that use a single, floor-standing sauna heater topped with sauna rocks for heat, infrared sauna uses several ceramic emitters built into the walls that produce radiant heat uniformly, without the need for fans. This allows for the design of extremely small and compact saunas that can simply be plugged into an electrical outlet and even be moved elsewhere.

Far-infrared saunas tend to keep the ambient air temperature of the sauna lower than that of older infrared saunas, but you feel just as hot. All infrared saunas use less power, operate at lower temperatures, heat up faster, and require less maintenance than traditional Finnish saunas.