Are you on the lookout for ways to bring your health and wellness goals to fruition this year?
The rise of a new year offers the perfect time to reevaluate your needs and dive head-first into exciting ways to enhance your lifestyle and discover new routines you love.
Basking in the soothing warmth of an infrared sauna is sure to quickly become a favorite pastime, as heat wraps you in its cozy embrace.
With the many infrared sauna benefits, it’s no surprise they’ve become a highly coveted household addition, with many people enjoying the easy access home saunas provide.
Curious about how infrared saunas can benefit your health and wellness? In this guide, we’re covering it all and more!
How Do Infrared Saunas Work?
Before we dive into the nitty-gritty of the many infrared sauna benefits, it’s important to understand how they work.
Unlike traditional saunas that use steam or a heater to warm the air around your body, causing you to sweat, infrared saunas instead target your skin directly.
Using a very specific wavelength of light, these saunas are able to deeply penetrate the skin, warming you from the inside out.
This means they are able to provide the same great benefits at a lower temperature than other types of saunas.
While traditional saunas generally maintain a temperature between 160 to 180 degrees Fahrenheit, infrared saunas instead stay within a 120 to 140-degree range.
This provides comfortable heat that doesn’t feel quite as humid as traditional methods.
Thinking this means you’ll sweat less? Think again! Just because the air isn’t as warm and the temperature is lower, doesn’t mean you won’t be getting your sweat on!
Top Crave-Worthy Infrared Sauna Benefits
Now that we know how infrared saunas work, let’s explore what you can expect when you begin including them in your daily routine.
Glowing Skin
One of the most coveted infrared sauna benefits is their ability to support your skin.
Sweating helps your body purge impurities as pores expand and dirt and oils are flushed out of your skin.
While this is happening, the warmth also helps bring blood closer to the surface of your skin, better oxygenating your skin and causing that pink flush.
Furthermore, many infrared saunas include red light therapy, a bright red light transforming the interior into a glowing therapeutic haven.
Red light has become a common treatment for varying skin conditions such as eczema and acne.
Promotes Increased Circulation
Anytime your body temperature rises, your heart rate increases and blood vessels dilate to allow for this increase in blood flow.
This allows your blood to more easily reach farther extremities and bring oxygen-rich blood throughout your system.
Supports Improved Muscle Recovery
While we’re on the topic of improved circulation, this can promote better muscle recovery following exercise.
Not only does the increase in blood flow improve their oxygenation, but it also ensures they receive the vital nutrients needed to begin the recovery process.
Soothing Relaxation
Heat is a powerful way to bring comfort to not only your muscles but your emotional state as well.
As you take a moment to settle in and enjoy a pocket of peaceful relaxation, the warmth wraps around you, easing muscle tension while promoting a release of endorphins, those coveted feel-good hormones.
This can help reduce stress and anxiety, helping your body relax more fully while giving your mood a boost.
Most Restful Sleep
Last on our list (but certainly not least), is the positive benefits these saunas may have on the quality of your sleep.
Your circadian rhythm is largely influenced by the rise and set of the sun, but it can also be impacted by your body temperature.
Infrared saunas allow you to cause a fluctuation in your body temperature, which can help induce the feeling of being sleepy.
As your body temperature drops following a session in your sauna, it prompts your body that it’s time to rest, which can help you fall asleep faster,
Pair that with the physical and mental relaxation you can experience in a sauna, and you may discover you wake up with more energy after a restful night of sleep.
Essential Tips For Beginners
How you use your sauna is key in cultivating the infrared sauna benefits above, and if you’re just beginning to explore this therapeutic avenue, it’s important to follow a few rules.
Give Your Body Time To Adjust
First and foremost, you need to slowly acclimate to the extreme temperature your body will be experiencing.
One of the best ways to do this is to turn on your sauna and immediately get in, allowing your body temperature to rise alongside the sauna.
This will help slowly adjust, reducing the sudden jolt of stepping from one temperature into another.
Start Small
While the warmth may make it tempting to settle in for a half-hour session, this is far too long when you’re just starting out.
For your first week or two, it’s recommended you only stay in the sauna for five to ten minutes.
As you get more comfortable, you can start extending that time, working towards 20 to 25-minute sessions.
Don’t Underestimate Hydration
When it comes to saunas, hydration is non-negotiable.
You should be drinking plenty of water before, during, and after your session. As you sweat, your body is losing water.
Without replacing this water loss, or stepping into your sauna when your body is already dehydrated, can quickly result in adverse, and potentially dangerous, effects.
If at any time you begin feeling fatigued, nauseous, dizzy, or lightheaded, leave the sauna immediately and sit in a cool space, drinking cold water or juice.
Don’t Skip a Cool-Down
After every sauna session, you’ll want to give your body time to recover, naturally regulating your temperature.
Instead of stepping out of the sauna and jumping right into the remainder of your day, take a moment to sit somewhere comfortable, rehydrate, and allow your body temperature to return to normal.
Then, follow up with a cool shower to wash any sweat off your body!
5 Accessories to Enhance Your Time in The Heat
While the simple act of stepping foot into your sauna and settling in under the gentle embrace of the heat is enough to have you falling in love with your new self-care routine, with the right accessories, you can bring your experience even further!
Try adding one or all of these accessories to elevate your sweat sessions.
1. Enhance The Therapeutic Benefits with Essential Oils
Your sense of smell can be a powerful factor in your relaxation, with the scents you’re surrounded by influencing your entire experience.
Think about it—how often do you smell something that tugs at the edges of your memory, invoking a specific emotional response?
Or, what about those times you’re next to someone wearing a perfume or cologne that seems to assault your senses?
Both of these are perfect examples of the different experiences you can have based solely on what you’re smelling.
Adding your favorite essential oil to your sauna session may be just what you need to achieve pure bliss!
Whether it’s the subtle scent of lavender to coax your stress away, or the invigorating smell of citrus to awaken your senses, there are plenty of ways aromatherapy can improve your time in the sauna.
2. Get Comfortable with Plush Robes and Towels
Speaking of your senses, wrapping yourself in a cozy robe or towel can have a similar impact on your comfort, especially as the heat increases the sensitivity of your skin.
Opting for an ultra-soft towel can keep the scratchiness of older fabric from irritating your skin, for an even more luxurious experience.
These items also help give your skin room to breathe as you sweat, which is an important factor to consider when entering a high-heat environment.
Want to pair this with the aromatherapy from above? Dab a drop of your chosen scent onto the collar of your robe for a longer-lasting effect.
3. Enjoy Sculpted Support with a Backrest or Pillow
While the pillows you have on your bed or couch may not be the best thing to bring into your sauna, there are specific ones designed for saunas.
More often than not, these backrests and pillows are made of wood, and have a specific design to support your body’s natural curves, offering the perfect level of support and comfort.
If you struggle with back pain and are hoping your sauna can ease your aches and pains, a sculpted backrest may be just what you’re looking for!
4. Protect Your Investment with Bench Covers
While saunas are designed with sweat in mind, that doesn’t mean they’re impervious to sweat, and over time, accumulated sweat can result in their once bright interior becoming dull and unappealing.
A bench cover can help keep your sauna looking its best by absorbing sweat before it soaks into the wood.
Of course, this won’t mean you’ll never need to clean your sauna (you certainly will!), but it can greatly reduce how frequently you need to.
5. Turn up The Tunes
Pair this with your cozy robe and aromatherapy, and you’ll be tantalizing your every sense, amplifying the therapeutic benefits of every session.
While some saunas have built-in sound systems, if yours doesn’t, consider investing in some sauna-friendly speakers, or setting up some speakers outside your sauna door.
Whether you add the ambient sounds of a thunderstorm or are following a guided meditation, speakers can be a powerful addition to your sauna.
Indoor vs Outdoor Infrared Saunas
At Gary Pools & Leisure, we believe that every area of your home has the potential to become a haven of relaxation. That’s why we carry both indoor and outdoor saunas, ensuring you can transform the space of your choosing, making the most of your usable space.
Indoor saunas provide an unparalleled level of privacy and comfort, ensuring you can easily walk from one room, directly into your sauna without even leaving your home.
If you’re looking for the ultimate level of privacy while maximizing the value of your home, an indoor sauna is the perfect way to go.
Want something that combines the benefits of getting outside with the infrared sauna benefits listed above?
Sure, you may not be outside for long as you walk out your backdoor into your sauna, with the impressive glass front of the Sanctuary Outdoor 2 Infrared Sauna, you’ll enjoy unobstructed views of your backyard from within!
This outdoor sauna is perfect for those looking for ways to amp up the appeal of their outdoor space for year-round enjoyment.
Whatever model you choose, an infrared sauna is sure to be a welcome addition to your lifestyle, giving your daily routine the boost of comfort you’re looking for!
Infrared Saunas For Sale in Buffalo at Gary Pools & Leisure
Ready to leave your old routine behind and step into the world of warm comfort? Look no further than the friendly sauna experts at Gary Pools & Leisure!
With three locations spread throughout Buffalo, there’s sure to be a bright, welcoming showroom near you.
From Amherst to Clarence and Cheektowaga, we bring relaxation to homes across the region.
You’ll discover more than just infrared saunas through our front doors, however. We also carry a wide selection of premium hot tubs, pools, billiard tables, and backyard essentials!
We’re your one stop shop for everything backyard and home leisure! Visit your nearest location today, or contact your local team to learn more.
