Infrared Sauna - Hot Enough?

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fishmonger
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Infrared Sauna - Hot Enough?

Post by fishmonger »

So I've looked through a number of the sauna threads here, but haven't really come across an answer to this. I'm considering putting in an infrared sauna in my basement. Most of what I've found is that they max out around 140 degrees.

As much as I'd like to think that I would prep an outdoor sauna and use it regularly, for lifestyle reasons infrared would be way more practical. Has anyone gotten an infrared sauna and been disappointed that it isn't hot enough for regular use?
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firebirdparts
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Re: Infrared Sauna - Hot Enough?

Post by firebirdparts »

I built one and then we bought a Jacuzzi brand. I have not experienced disappointment, and in fact I think merely surviving for more than about 45 minutes at 150 is a concern for me. Both were designed to run on an ordinary 120 volt circuit which would be limited to 15 amps. The jacuzzi It takes about 30 minutes to get over 130 and it'll heat up to the setpoint max of 158 given an hour (don't hold me to this). We have two friends that bought them after we did, and one of them mentioned that he put a piece of foam insulation on the top of his. I think he got the idea from some forum, so there must be such a thing somewhere discussing IR saunas. They leak air and the front is glass. You could make some improvements there if you wanted to.

setpoint is currently on 152, I looked.
This time is the same
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TomatoTomahto
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Re: Infrared Sauna - Hot Enough?

Post by TomatoTomahto »

I'm confused. Are we talking a sauna (where temps often are up to iirc 194F) or a spa/hot tub where going above 140F is considered unsafe?
I get the FI part but not the RE part of FIRE.
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fishmonger
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Re: Infrared Sauna - Hot Enough?

Post by fishmonger »

TomatoTomahto wrote: Wed Mar 22, 2023 10:04 am I'm confused. Are we talking a sauna (where temps often are up to iirc 194F) or a spa/hot tub where going above 140F is considered unsafe?
Sauna, nothing to do with a hot tub
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TomatoTomahto
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Re: Infrared Sauna - Hot Enough?

Post by TomatoTomahto »

fishmonger wrote: Wed Mar 22, 2023 11:38 am
TomatoTomahto wrote: Wed Mar 22, 2023 10:04 am I'm confused. Are we talking a sauna (where temps often are up to iirc 194F) or a spa/hot tub where going above 140F is considered unsafe?
Sauna, nothing to do with a hot tub
In that case, 140F is not close to hot enough, unless there's something special about Infrared. I just now took a sauna at 180F (old fashioned non Infrared) and it was fine for almost half an hour. 140F would not have been satisfying. Being in my 70s, I can't take the heat as long as I once did.

The reason I asked about the hot tub is that ours is not, in Massachusetts, allowed to be set higher than 140F. I would prefer it a few degrees hotter, but our pool guys say he can't legally do so.
I get the FI part but not the RE part of FIRE.
8000m
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Re: Infrared Sauna - Hot Enough?

Post by 8000m »

Effective temps for infrared sauna's do not need to be as high as conventional saunas. 140-150 tends to be the sweet spot for me. DW prefers ~130.

Random side note: If you care about EMF levels, be aware they can be quite high. There are heating panels in many of the current generation IR Saunas that claim to be low EMF, though I've been disappointed by their actual EMF performance as measured on an EMF meter. Low EFM panels do exist though, so source them accordingly if this is a concern.
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TomatoTomahto
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Re: Infrared Sauna - Hot Enough?

Post by TomatoTomahto »

8000m wrote: Wed Mar 22, 2023 12:06 pm Effective temps for infrared sauna's do not need to be as high as conventional saunas. 140-150 tends to be the sweet spot for me. DW prefers ~130.
Learn something every day. Thanks.
I get the FI part but not the RE part of FIRE.
turtle18
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Re: Infrared Sauna - Hot Enough?

Post by turtle18 »

We also have a Jacuzzi brand infrared sauna, specifically the Clearlight Sanctuary I. The maximum setting is 158˚F as firebirdparts mentioned. We've found ours tops out at about 155-156˚F, and takes about an hour to reach that temperature. I've also heard that others, like Finnleo, top out around 140˚F but am also curious to hear about others' experiences with other brands.
8000m
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Re: Infrared Sauna - Hot Enough?

Post by 8000m »

TomatoTomahto wrote: Wed Mar 22, 2023 12:08 pm
8000m wrote: Wed Mar 22, 2023 12:06 pm Effective temps for infrared sauna's do not need to be as high as conventional saunas. 140-150 tends to be the sweet spot for me. DW prefers ~130.
Learn something every day. Thanks.
Stretched analogy for 'why':
Sitting in 50 degree water is far colder than sitting in 50 degree air. To a lesser extent, this true of Infrared for heat delivery/transmission/energy penetration into the body.
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fishmonger
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Re: Infrared Sauna - Hot Enough?

Post by fishmonger »

TomatoTomahto wrote: Wed Mar 22, 2023 11:52 am
fishmonger wrote: Wed Mar 22, 2023 11:38 am
TomatoTomahto wrote: Wed Mar 22, 2023 10:04 am I'm confused. Are we talking a sauna (where temps often are up to iirc 194F) or a spa/hot tub where going above 140F is considered unsafe?
Sauna, nothing to do with a hot tub
In that case, 140F is not close to hot enough, unless there's something special about Infrared. I just now took a sauna at 180F (old fashioned non Infrared) and it was fine for almost half an hour. 140F would not have been satisfying. Being in my 70s, I can't take the heat as long as I once did.

The reason I asked about the hot tub is that ours is not, in Massachusetts, allowed to be set higher than 140F. I would prefer it a few degrees hotter, but our pool guys say he can't legally do so.
Exactly, that's why I was curious. With a conventional sauna, I'm usually around 160-170
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fishmonger
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Re: Infrared Sauna - Hot Enough?

Post by fishmonger »

8000m wrote: Wed Mar 22, 2023 12:06 pm Effective temps for infrared sauna's do not need to be as high as conventional saunas. 140-150 tends to be the sweet spot for me. DW prefers ~130.

Random side note: If you care about EMF levels, be aware they can be quite high. There are heating panels in many of the current generation IR Saunas that claim to be low EMF, though I've been disappointed by their actual EMF performance as measured on an EMF meter. Low EFM panels do exist though, so source them accordingly if this is a concern.
The brand I've looked at (and again, I'm very early in the process) is SaunaRay, which is supposed to be extremely low in EMF
hicabob
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Re: Infrared Sauna - Hot Enough?

Post by hicabob »

TomatoTomahto wrote: Wed Mar 22, 2023 10:04 am I'm confused. Are we talking a sauna (where temps often are up to iirc 194F) or a spa/hot tub where going above 140F is considered unsafe?
104 Fahrenheit is generally the high setting for hot tubs. 140 degree water will burn you in a few seconds. I like 180-190 for a dry sauna.
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TomatoTomahto
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Re: Infrared Sauna - Hot Enough?

Post by TomatoTomahto »

hicabob wrote: Wed Mar 22, 2023 2:14 pm
TomatoTomahto wrote: Wed Mar 22, 2023 10:04 am I'm confused. Are we talking a sauna (where temps often are up to iirc 194F) or a spa/hot tub where going above 140F is considered unsafe?
104 Fahrenheit is generally the high setting for hot tubs. 140 degree water will burn you in a few seconds. I like 180-190 for a dry sauna.
That was some kind of dyslexia/brain fart combination. I knew it had a 1, a 0, and a 4 :oops:
I should have said 104 and not 140.

We still had a young marathon runner faint after being in our hot tub at 104F for 20 minutes. PSA: don't hot tub alone; if we hadn't been there to make sure he didn't go under, his 100% faint (he was out like a light) could have ended very badly.
I get the FI part but not the RE part of FIRE.
PoppyA
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Re: Infrared Sauna - Hot Enough?

Post by PoppyA »

It is not uncommon to find homes with Saunas (sow-na, not saw-na) where I grew up. At least 30% of the homes have them.

140 would never cut it for me. I’ve been in infrareds & felt like they were a gimmick.
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enad
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Re: Infrared Sauna - Hot Enough?

Post by enad »

nothing beats steam
What Goes Up Must come down -- David Clayton-Thomas (1968), BST
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Artful Dodger
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Re: Infrared Sauna - Hot Enough?

Post by Artful Dodger »

This was from a site explaining the differences between the two.

Unlike a traditional sauna, infrared saunas don’t heat the air around you. Instead, they use infrared lamps (that use electromagnetic radiation) to warm your body directly.

“These saunas use infrared panels instead of conventional heat to easily penetrate human tissue, heating up your body before heating up the air,” explains physical therapist, Vivian Eisenstadt, MAPT, CPT, MASP.

An infrared sauna can operate at a lower temperature (usually between 120˚F and 140˚F) than a traditional sauna, which is typically between 150˚F and 180˚F.

Manufacturers claim that in an infrared sauna, only about 20 percent of the heat goes to heat the air and the other 80 percent directly heats your body.


Kind of like being in a microwave. :wink:
8000m
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Re: Infrared Sauna - Hot Enough?

Post by 8000m »

Artful Dodger wrote: Wed Mar 22, 2023 3:29 pm Kind of like being in a microwave. :wink:
That's the next innovation to disrupt the sauna industry.... Microwave Saunas! Full sessions in 30 seconds or less;)
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