How Does an Infrared Sauna Work?

Infrared sauna cleansing is achieved by exposing your body to infrared heat, thus raising your body’s core temperature. Infrared heat is dry, unlike in a traditional humid sauna, creating an artificial fever that prompts the body to cool itself down by sweating profusely. Fluid from the lymphatic system is then pushed out through the skin as perspiration over the whole body.

Total-body perspiration is one of the fastest ways to cleanse, it takes a burden off the kidneys and bladder as perspiration becomes the primary method to excrete toxins. By drinking purified water to replace the fluid that is lost in this process, lymph fluid and blood can be purified quicker.

Some people use rigorous exercise or sports to perspire, but the result is not normally total-body perspiration. When muscles are metabolizing nutrients to produce energy in this manner, it can produce lactic acid, causing the body to become more acidic and less alkaline. The advantage of infrared sauna cleansing is that a high level of total-body perspiration can be achieved to cleanse and alkalize the body in minutes, instead of having to do hours of intense exercise. 

Why Do We Need Total-Body Perspiration?

Lymph fluid is the intercellular fluid that cleanses cells by removing waste products, there is actually two to three times more lymph fluid in the body than blood! Blood is pumped by the heart, but lymph fluid has no pump, and depends instead on muscular contractions through walking and other exercise. The muscles push the lymph towards the lymph glands (nodes) which are mainly located in the torso and upper body. You may have experienced swollen, sore glands at one time or another-sauna cleansing is one of the most effective ways to cleanse the lymph fluid and the lymph glands quickly.

Have you ever wondered why we seem to get “sick” during cooler weather? In the summer or in tropical climates, we experience the benefits of infrared heat from the sun, causing us to sweat. This cleanses the lymphatic and immune systems on a regular basis, releasing toxins from the body. However, in cooler climates we do not get as much infrared heat from the sun, so toxins can build up, putting extra burden on the lymphatic and immune systems.

Another thing to consider is our modern lifestyle: it keeps us out of the sun’s infrared heat thanks to convenient air conditioning, and we are often exposed to environmental toxins like food additives, pesticides, artificial sweeteners and scents, preservatives, drugs, artificial hormones, beauty products, and much more. All of this means that toxins are around us more than ever, and yet we are inside more than ever, leading to a buildup of toxins without as many opportunities for regular total-body perspiration.

Most of the infrared sauna’s effectiveness is due to its ability to produce total-body perspiration at a comfortable heat level, in contrast to the humid and incredibly high temperatures of traditional saunas.

What is Infrared?

Infrared is a frequency of light which we cannot see, but it heats up objects and moisture directly, rather than the surrounding air. Have you ever walked on hot sand or stones that have absorbed heat from the sun? Similarly, infrared frequencies penetrate the body, the body absorbs the heat, and the heat then emanates from you. Infrared saunas can cleanse at a lower temperature (40-60 Celsius) than a traditional sauna. It heats the moisture in the body, rather than heating the skin, making it the safest, most therapeutic heat.

Our infrared sauna is built with a heater made of solid stone that is housed in surgical, demagnetized stainless steel. This heater produces the most natural and balanced infrared for your body, without any off-gassing, and the sauna is made out of natural cedar, a material that is naturally anti-bacterial and anti-fungal. 

Benefits of an Infrared Sauna on the Systems of the Body:

Circulatory System: increases circulation to eliminate waste from cells.

Digestive System: You burn up to 600 calories per session, making it ideal for supporting weight management 

Endocrine System: Cleanses the toxins that can disrupt this system, and people who experience SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) can benefit greatly.

Liver/Gallbladder System: Total-body perspiration takes the burden off the liver to cleanse the blood. This allows the liver to detoxify the body more effectively.

Immune System: Infrared boosts the immune system by promoting detoxification of heavy metals, chemicals, and other toxins taken into the body.

Lymphatic System: Cleanses the entire lymphatic system through optimum total-body perspiration.

Muscular System: Deep, penetrating heat warms and relieves tension and soreness in the body within minutes.

Nervous System: Relaxes the central nervous system decreasing stress, anxiety, and fatigue.

Reproductive System: Benefitted as a result of the endocrine system being cleansed.

Respiratory System: The penetrating heat helps to loosen congestion and mucus, making breathing easier.

Skeletal System: Penetrates deep into the bones, soothing arthritic, stiff, and tired joints.

Urinary System: Drinking pure water and total-body perspiration cleanses the body while taking the burden off the kidneys. That is why the skin is often called the “third kidney.”


Interested in experiencing a session in our infrared sauna? Read more about it on our services page!