Which Infrared Sauna Is The Best?
Portable infrared saunas have hit the American market with a lot of momentum, and are positioned to grow in popularity here as they have already done in Europe. This leaves most of us asking ourselves: “which portable infrared sauna should I bring home?” This Buyer’s Guide may be just what you are looking for. In order to have a wonderful experience buying and using a portable infrared sauna everyone should know the essentials. There aren’t too many things too know, just a few basics that should be taken into account. First there is the type of infrared heater. Most saunas advertised as far infrared actually use heaters with less than 50% of their emissions as far infrared, wile the rest emit medium infrared with smaller wavelengths that are damaging to the skin. With those saunas, you feel convection heat or heat only near the heater. Some so-called FIR saunas with flat carbon panel/sheet emitters actually only emit 5-10% far infrared! Various portable saunas and all dome saunas use this type of emitter, which also has a high output of unhealthy electromagnetic fields (EMF) because the wires have to be zig-zagged to cover the entire dome. Saunas with these types of heaters should be avoided. Click here to find more info and see pix of fir sauna heaters.
Far infrared ray heaters are most efficient when they are of the carbon coated ceramic make. Originally infrared heaters were ceramic, then came the carbon designs. By combing the two, portable infrared sauna manufacturers are able to benefit from the long waves that come from carbon and the high quantity of waves that come from the ceramic. Additionally, look for the saunas with heaters that heat up immediately. Another aspect of portable FIR saunas often overlooked is whether or not the infrared heaters continuously emit infrared rays. Most saunas get too hot and automatically turn off to prevent overheating. You cannot detect that they are turning on and off because infrared rays have wavelengths out of range for the human eye. You will most likely come across the handy temperature control feature that some of the portable saunas on the market have. Note that this feature causes the infrared heater to shut the FIR emissions off in order to maintain a certain temperature. More recent designs have been able to partially remedy this issue by varying the system’s voltage so as to only loose some of the infrared rays. If you must have the thermostat controls, look for such models. It is important to find a portable FIR sauna that reaches the right temperature. For improved metabolism and increased blood flow and lymph circulation your sauna should be around 170F (75C.) Don’t waste your time with infrared saunas that only reach temperatures of around 110F (43C.) Don’t forget to consider the size of the portable infrared sauna.
In all the efforts to find the right sauna it can be easy to overlook the sauna size. If you end up with a sauna that doesn’t work for you size, you’ll be disappointed and the handy portability of your sauna will be of no benefit. By far the most flexible design style is the portable infrared sauna that is somewhat cube-like in shape and has a chair in the middle to sit on. This shape seems to fit the largest variety of body shapes and sizes.
You may have noticed that the majority of these points are directly related to finding a portable infrared sauna with the right infrared heater. If you can find a sauna with a quality heater then you’re on your way to enjoying your very own portable infrared sauna.
