Best Temperature for Infrared Saunas – Tips for Most Benefits

What is the Ideal Far Infrared Sauna Temperature?

An ideal temperature is between 110-130 degrees. However, it depends on what you want to accomplish. In an infrared sauna, you will have a better detoxification at lower temperatures and you will sweat more at higher settings.

Remember that infrared is what heals, not sweating. What is important is getting as much infrared as possible.

If you set your control panel at too low of a temperature and wait to enter until it has reached the desired reading, the heaters will short cycle off and on and you do not fully benefit from the infrared. This is one of the most misunderstood aspects of infrared sauna use.

FAQ – At What Temperature should I set my Infrared Sauna?

You want the heating elements to be on and delivering infrared the entire time, regardless of the temperature setting. So ideally you want to set the temperature at a higher level around 140. Then you can enter the sauna when it reaches 110 or 115.

Although you will begin sweating a bit sooner if you wait until the temperature is higher, you will lose out on infrared.  Heavenly Heat is an exceptional brand that allows individual heater control. This is one option we discuss in our complete Heavenly Heat Saunas review.

ceiling-vent

FAQ – How Can I Keep the Heaters on and Temperature Low?

If your unit has a ceiling vent, keep it open. When the temperature approaches 130 degrees, you can open the door to allow cooler fresh air to enter. When the air temp drop below 115, simply close the door. This will provide you a way to control the temperature and keep the heaters on the entire time.

This practice is what we do at our home and is one way to ensure the heaters remain on the entire time, delivering the healing infrared.

A Lower Sauna Temperature Provides a Better Detox

sauna-sweatSweat fulfills two primary functions. It cools the body and it removes waste products out of the body.  This is accomplished through two main types of sweat glands.

The Apocrine glands, which are located in areas such as the armpits and scalp, secrete sweat which contains higher levels of fats and organic compounds. The second group called Eccrine glands number more than 2 million and are scattered over the entire body, handling most of the sweating process.

These Eccrine glands, over the course of a normal day pump out nearly a quart of sweat. However, in a steam environment of 180 degrees or more, they produce this amount in only 15 minutes. While this cleans the pores and skin, it is also excretes higher amounts of electrolytes. Sweating at these 180+ degree levels requires replacing the lost fluids and electrolytes.

However, using an infrared sauna at the lower temperatures of 110-125 degrees results in a sticker, more fat-laden sweat and less electrolyte loss. In fact the sweat from an infrared sauna session is comprised of up to 20% toxins compared to only 3% toxins in the sweat produced in a high temp steam unit. This is a main reason it is the better choice for detox purposes.

control-panelSome users report beginning the session at a low 110-125 degrees for the first 20 minutes and then raising the desired temperature to around 135 to produce a more profuse sweat for the final 10 minutes.

Lower Infrared Heater Temperature is Better

Our bodies operate at a frequency of 9.4 microns. The closer the infrared is to this 9.4 microns, the better the absorption of the rays and the deeper the penetration. This also results in more toxins being shaken off the fat cells.

This is called resonance frequency. We know that certain sound waves can vibrate glass and a singer’s voice can even break glass. In a similar fashion, the closer the microns are to the ideal 9.4, the better the cellular resonance frequency.

No heater will remain exactly at 9.4 microns. But the cooler the heater element itself is, the more time it will have near this level.

Cheap carbon panels need to be much hotter to produce any viable amount of heat for the user and quickly move past the ideal micron levels. This is another reason they are very poor choices for true detoxification.

Clearlight was one of the first companies to pioneer lower temperature carbon panels that are also powerful in the amount of emissivity and healing they provide. This is one reason they only require heating elements halfway up the sides of the interior walls.

Cheaper brands need panels all the way to the ceiling to produce adequate amounts of emitted heat.

Individual Heater User Controls

Heavenly Heat is one brand that offers this excellent feature in their products. The user has the ability to turn on and off the two elements nearest them. This allows for better control of both body and cabin temperature.

Heavenly Heat is also one of only two brands that have cabin air flow. This not only circulates fresh air in, but the circulated air is also moved along the backside of the heaters. This helps to keep them operating cooler than they otherwise would. The vented air is also filtered out through a carbon filter. This is the only company with this feature.

These are a few reasons why that brand is an exceptional choice. It is also the best choice a person should consider for a chemically sensitive person. Their products are hand-made in the USA and are ultra pure and clean. They are unrivaled in this regard. Please read our complete Heavenly Heat Saunas review.

The Heavenly Heat website shares this information:

heavenlyheatsaunas.com

It is proportional – the greater the FIR exposure, the lower the required air temperature.

With Heavenly Heat, the infrared level is very high so the air temperature can be very mild. This is an important quality of good FIR saunas. With weak FIR heaters, like the plastic carbon types, the air temperature must be raised to higher levels to be effective, defeating a main reason for using infrared heaters in the first place. Heavenly Heat Saunas | Infrared Sauna Heaters

Those are very good insights.

What is the Best Temperature Setting for an Infrared Sauna?

Set the control panel to at least 130 degrees. A setting above 140 is even better. Begin your session when it is between 100-115 degrees. Open the ceiling vent. Once the inside temperature reaches 130-135, prior to the heaters cycling off and on, reduce the air temp by opening the door. This practice will provide the most healing and detox for you.

One informational site shares this advice for beginners:

If you are a beginner, and particularly if you are not in great health, you’ll want to start at 100 degrees or less. This way you’ll give yourself a chance to get used to the heat.How to take a sauna: Simple steps on how to use a sauna

Over time, the more you use your unit, the sooner you will begin sweating.

 

Heavenly Logo Image courtesy Heavenly Heat