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Therapies · product guide

Infrared sauna: does it work?

Panels warm your skin directly while the air stays around 45–65°C. Gentler than a Finnish sauna, with a much smaller evidence base of its own.

Limited evidenceReviewed September 2026

What it is

An infrared sauna uses carbon or ceramic panels that emit infrared radiation, warming your skin directly while the air stays much cooler than in a traditional sauna, usually around 45–65°C (113–150°F). 'Near', 'mid' and 'far' describe the wavelength band; 'full-spectrum' cabins combine them, often adding red or near-infrared LEDs. The category also covers portable pods and infrared blankets you lie in.

It feels gentler, which is the appeal, and it's also why the big Finnish sauna findings don't transfer automatically. Those came from ~80°C rooms; minute for minute, an infrared session is usually a lighter heat load.

How strong is the evidence?

Limited evidence

The best-studied infrared protocol is Japanese 'Waon therapy' (15 minutes at 60°C, then 30 minutes resting under blankets) in people with heart failure. Small trials and one multicentre randomized trial reported better symptoms and walking distance, though the main blood-marker endpoint didn't reach significance. A 2018 review of 40 dry-sauna studies found mostly small, varied trials. There are no long-term outcome studies of infrared use in healthy people; a Japanese cohort linking near-daily hot baths to less cardiovascular disease hints that heat dose, not the device, is what matters.

The claims you'll see, checked

Gives the same benefits as a traditional sauna

Unproven

The mortality and stroke data come from ~80°C Finnish saunas. Infrared heat is real, but it's a different and usually lighter dose, with no comparable long-term studies.

Penetrates deeper, so it's healthier

Unproven

Infrared warms the outer layers of skin and your core heats through circulation, as in any sauna. No study shows depth of penetration adds a health benefit.

Detoxifies heavy metals and toxins

False

Sweat carries only small amounts of metals and chemicals; your liver and kidneys do the real clearing, and no good trial shows sauna 'detox' improves health.

Burns up to 600 calories a session

False

No measurement supports this. The weight you lose is water.

Helps heart failure

Mixed

Supervised Waon therapy improved symptoms and walking distance in small trials of patients. That's a medical protocol, done with a cardiologist, not evidence of heart benefits for healthy people.

'Full-spectrum' LEDs add red-light therapy benefits

Unproven

The heat is real; extra cellular benefits from lights inside a hot cabin are largely untested.

What to look for

  • The air temperature it actually reaches and holds (many cabins top out around 60–65°C), and how long it takes to heat up.
  • Heater coverage: panels at your back, sides, front and calves heat you more evenly than a single back panel.
  • Electrical safety certification (UL or ETL listing, CE or UKCA) and whether it runs on a standard outlet or needs a dedicated circuit.
  • Materials: solid wood and low-VOC glues and finishes. Run a new cabin empty a few times to air it out.
  • For blankets and pods: reliable temperature control, an automatic shut-off timer and a washable inner liner.
  • Room to sit upright, or lie down, the way you'll actually use it.

What to skip

  • 'Low EMF' or 'zero EMF' premiums. There's no evidence the fields from heater wiring harm health, so treat it as a preference, not a health feature.
  • Detox, calorie-burn and 'deeper penetration' claims.
  • Colour-light therapy, crystals and negative-ion generators.
  • Paying more for 'full-spectrum' or built-in red light expecting extra health benefits; they're untested in a sauna.

How to use it

  • A studied starting point is about 15 minutes at around 60°C, as in Waon therapy, then rest and cool down gradually.
  • Build up slowly and drink water before and after.
  • Several moderate sessions a week fit the heat evidence better than one long one.
  • Get out if you feel dizzy, nauseous or unwell, and stand up slowly.

Who should be careful

  • Same precautions as a traditional sauna: no alcohol, extra care with heart disease, low blood pressure, heat-sensitive medicines and medication patches, pregnancy and fever.
  • If you have reduced skin sensation (diabetic neuropathy, spinal cord injury), be careful with panels close to the skin and with blankets, which can burn skin you can't feel.
  • Don't fall asleep in a blanket or pod; set the timer.
  • Heat can lower sperm counts, so pause regular use if you're trying to conceive.
  • Heart failure: use infrared heat only with your cardiologist's guidance, as in the studied Waon protocol.

The studies

Every citation is checked against its PubMed record.

  1. Waon Therapy for Managing Chronic Heart Failure - Results From a Multicenter Prospective Randomized WAON-CHF Study
    Tei C, Imamura T, Kinugawa K, Inoue T, Masuyama T, Inoue H, et al. · Circulation Journal · 2016 · Randomized controlled trial

    In 149 hospitalized patients with advanced heart failure, 10 days of daily far-infrared sauna (60°C for 15 minutes, then 30 minutes under blankets) improved symptom class, 6-minute walk distance and heart size on X-ray versus controls; the change in the primary blood marker (BNP) was not statistically significant. No serious adverse events.

  2. Clinical Effects of Regular Dry Sauna Bathing: A Systematic Review
    Hussain J, Cohen M · Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine · 2018 · Systematic review

    Across 40 studies with 3,855 participants, only 13 were randomized trials and most were small (under 40 people). Outcomes were varied and mostly reported benefits; the authors called for larger, higher-quality studies to establish effects and safe doses.

  3. Habitual tub bathing and risks of incident coronary heart disease and stroke
    Ukai T, Iso H, Yamagishi K, Saito I, Kokubo Y, Yatsuya H, et al. · Heart · 2020 · Prospective cohort

    In 30,076 Japanese adults aged 40–59 followed for about 20 years, near-daily hot tub bathing was associated with 28% lower risk of cardiovascular disease than bathing 0–2 times a week (HR 0.72), with no association for sudden cardiac death.