Infrared Sauna: 10 Health Benefits

An infrared sauna warms your body directly with infrared light instead of heating the air, so you sweat and relax at a lower, gentler temperature than a traditional sauna. That is the whole idea, and it is why people who find a hot sauna hard to sit through often love infrared.

This guide covers what an infrared sauna does for you, which benefits have real evidence behind them, how hot it gets, how long to stay and how often to go. Visiting the infrared sauna at World Spa in Brooklyn for the first time? Read our companion guide to what to expect at your first infrared sauna session.

What Is an Infrared Sauna?

An infrared sauna is a sauna cabin fitted with infrared heaters instead of a stove. The heaters give off infrared light, the same kind of warmth you feel from the sun on a cool day, minus the ultraviolet. Your skin absorbs that light and your body warms from within.

A traditional Finnish sauna or a Russian banya heats the air to 160–190°F. An infrared sauna skips the hot air: the cabin itself stays comfortable, usually around 110–140°F, while your body still warms enough to sweat. For how the different heat rooms compare, see sauna vs steam room and the full 16 thermal rooms at World Spa.

How Infrared Saunas Work

Direct heat, not hot air. In a conventional sauna the stove heats the air and the air heats you. In an infrared sauna the emitters heat you. Because the warmth is absorbed by the body rather than the room, you get a deep, even heat at an air temperature many people find far easier to tolerate.

Three wavelengths. Infrared comes in near, mid and far bands, which reach different depths below the skin. Far-infrared is the band used in most sauna research and most spa cabins; many modern units combine all three. The practical difference between them for a guest is small.

Lower temperature, longer sessions. Because you sweat at a lower air temperature, a 30-minute infrared session feels manageable to most people, where 15 minutes in a hot banya can feel like plenty.

Safety and efficiency. Infrared saunas draw less power than a stove sauna and, used sensibly, are considered safe for most healthy adults. The gentler air temperature lowers the chance of overheating, and the heat is steady rather than in waves.

10 Health Benefits of an Infrared Sauna

Research on infrared saunas is still thin compared with the marketing. Most long-term data comes from traditional Finnish saunas, and clinics such as Cleveland Clinic and Northwestern Medicine describe infrared benefits as promising rather than proven. With that said, here is what the evidence and everyday experience support.

1. Muscle recovery after exercise. Heat raises blood flow to tired muscles, and many athletes use infrared after training to ease the soreness that sets in a day later. The studies are small, but recovery is the most common reason people give for using one.

2. Relief from pain and stiffness. A small two-year Japanese study of people with chronic pain reported better outcomes with infrared sauna therapy, and a pilot study in rheumatoid arthritis found less pain and stiffness right after sessions. Promising, not settled. If a sore back or shoulders is your reason for coming, pair a session with a hot stone massage — warmed muscles let the therapist work deeper.

3. Better circulation. Warmth dilates blood vessels and raises your heart rate slightly, so oxygen and nutrients travel more freely to muscles and skin. This is the best-understood effect of any sauna and the one most of the others build on.

4. Heart-friendly heat. A review of far-infrared sauna trials found improvements in blood pressure and blood-vessel function in people with cardiovascular risk factors. The effect is modest and no substitute for exercise or medication, but the direction is consistent.

5. Less stress. A quiet session in gentle heat eases muscle tension, and some small studies of heat therapy report lower anxiety and depression scores. Part of it is physiology; part of it is simply being warm, still and away from your phone for half an hour.

6. Deeper sleep. The body cools after a sauna, and that drop in core temperature is one of the signals that tells your brain it is time to sleep. Many guests find they sleep more soundly after a session, especially an evening one.

7. Fresher skin. A good sweat and the extra circulation leave skin looking flushed and clear. The research on lasting skin benefits is thin, so treat it as a short-term glow. Rinse off afterward so the sweat does not sit on your skin.

8. A deep, cleansing sweat. You will hear that infrared saunas detox heavy metals. Be skeptical: your liver and kidneys do the detoxing, and sweat is mostly water and salt. What a sauna does do is give you a deep sweat at a temperature that feels good — reason enough.

9. Support for the immune system. Regular sauna use is linked in Finnish studies to fewer common colds, most likely through the mild, fever-like rise in core temperature. That evidence comes from traditional saunas; infrared probably shares some of it, but it has not been shown separately.

10. A mild metabolic nudge. Your heart rate rises modestly in an infrared sauna, much as it does with light activity, and you burn a few extra calories. Treat that as a pleasant side effect, not a weight-loss plan — the weight you lose in the sauna is water and comes back with your next glass of it.

Best Practices for Infrared Sauna Use

Hydrate. Drink a glass of water before you go in and another when you come out. Water or an electrolyte drink afterward replaces what you lose — you sweat more than you think at this temperature.

Start short. Ten to fifteen minutes is plenty for a first session. Add a few minutes each visit until 30–40 minutes feels comfortable. Longer is not better.

Do not chase heat. The point of infrared is that it works at a lower temperature, so settle at the level that feels comfortable. If you feel dizzy, nauseous or your heart is racing, step out, cool down and drink water.

Cool down properly. Finish with a cool shower or, at World Spa, a dip in the cold plunge. Alternating hot and cold has benefits of its own — we explain them in our guide to hot and cold contrast therapy.

Dress light. A swimsuit or light spa attire lets the skin absorb the infrared. Heavy or tight fabric blocks it and traps sweat.

Make it a ritual. Leave the phone outside. Breathe slowly, listen to something calm, meditate or just sit. The relaxation benefit only shows up if you relax.

How Often Should You Use an Infrared Sauna?

For general wellness, three to four sessions a week is the usual recommendation. Healthy adults who tolerate the heat well sometimes go up to five to seven sessions a week; that is a habit to build up to rather than start with, and something to run past your doctor if you have any health condition.

By goal. Stress and sleep: two to three sessions a week is usually enough. Muscle recovery or chronic stiffness: three to four. Skin and a regular sweat: consistency matters more than frequency — pick a schedule you will keep.

Beginners. Start with one or two sessions a week and shorter stays. Your body adapts to heat over a few weeks, and longer, more frequent sessions get comfortable on their own.

Who should check first. If you are pregnant, have a heart condition, low blood pressure, a fever or a condition that makes you sensitive to heat, talk to your doctor before using any sauna. Skip the sauna after alcohol, and listen to your body every time.

Infrared Sauna Lifehacks

Relax and recharge. Because the air is gentle, an infrared sauna is one of the few heat rooms where you can close your eyes or read without fighting the heat. It is the calm chapter of a spa day.

Target your back. Sit so the emitters face the part of you that hurts, and use a rolled towel or cushion to support the spot. At World Spa the infrared elements sit beneath the benches, so the lower back gets the most direct warmth.

Stay a little longer than you would in a banya. The lower temperature is what makes a 30-minute session comfortable, and that longer soak is where the relaxation and sleep effects come from.

Make it one stop, not the whole trip. Infrared works best inside a thermal circuit: infrared, cold plunge, a hammam or steam room, then a rest. Moving between rooms is what a day spa offers that a home cabin cannot.

The Infrared Sauna at World Spa, Brooklyn

World Spa’s infrared sauna is built from Alder wood with the infrared elements set beneath the benches, so the warmth reaches the back and spine first. It runs with no humidity and is gentler than the banyas, so most guests stay in longer — the spa’s guidance for the room is 25 to 45 minutes. It makes a quiet stop between the hotter rooms and the cold plunge.

The infrared sauna is included with any World Spa day pass alongside the other fifteen thermal rooms, and you can add a massage or facial to the day. First time? Our guide to your first infrared sauna session covers what to bring, what to wear and how the day flows.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an infrared sauna? An infrared sauna uses infrared light to warm your body directly instead of heating the air around you. The cabin stays cooler than a traditional sauna, so most people can sit longer and still work up a good sweat.

How hot is an infrared sauna? Most infrared cabins run around 110–140°F, well below a traditional sauna at 160–190°F. World Spa’s infrared sauna is gentler than its banyas and has no humidity, so the heat stays calm and easy to sit with.

How long should you stay in an infrared sauna? Start with 10–15 minutes and build up over a few visits. World Spa’s guidance for its infrared room is 25 to 45 minutes. Leave earlier if you feel dizzy or uncomfortable, and drink water before and after.

How often should you use an infrared sauna? Three to four sessions a week is a common recommendation for general wellness. Beginners do better starting with one or two sessions a week and building up. Anyone who is pregnant or has a heart condition or low blood pressure should check with a doctor first.

Are infrared saunas good for you? For most healthy adults, yes. The best-supported benefits are easing muscle soreness and stiffness, better circulation, less stress and deeper sleep. Claims about heavy-metal detox or weight loss are overstated — treat the sauna as recovery and relaxation, not a treatment.

References

Infrared Saunas: What They Do and 6 Health Benefits — Cleveland Clinic

Health Benefits of Infrared Saunas: How They Work — Northwestern Medicine

What is an infrared sauna? Does it have health benefits? — Mayo Clinic

Far-infrared saunas for treatment of cardiovascular risk factors — Canadian Family Physician (PMC)

Infrared Sauna: 9 Possible Health Benefits — Healthline