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Infrared saunas work off of infrared light, which directly impacts your core temperature. (Photo: Yahoo Health/Getty Images)By Cassie Shortsleeve
If you’re a fan of the sauna, you’ve likely noticed your favorite celebs frequenting a different version of the locker room staple: the infrared sauna.
Gwyneth Paltrow’s site Goop recently reported on the trend; Lady Gaga posted a photo of herself and a friend who is suffering from cancer on Instagram, hinting at infrared’s healing powers; and Jennifer Aniston even told us at Yahoo Health last year that she “loves an infrared sauna” because the “health benefits — like detox, relaxation, weight loss — are amazing.” Proponents claim sessions increase circulation, which, in turn, produce body benefits like decreased inflammation.
But what is an infrared sauna and can it really help your health — or is it all just a bunch of hot air?
Where the Trend Began
The Finnish have long known the powers of the sauna — for thousands of years, they’ve relaxed in wood-paneled rooms that reach temps exceeding 150 degrees Fahrenheit. The original goal: Escape cold winter days. There are examples of “hot air baths” and “sweat lodges” in Native American, Eastern European, and Chinese cultures, too.
But here’s what differentiates an infrared sauna from a traditional one: While a regular sauna heats the air, thereby raising its temperature (and thus, your body temperature), infrared saunas work off of infrared light that directly impacts your core temperature without making the ambient air nearly as hot, explains Brent Bauer, MD, medical director of Rejuvenate Spa at the Mayo Clinic Healthy Living Program.
In fact, infrared saunas generally run roughly 20 to 60 degrees cooler than regular saunas, which makes them easier to tolerate, Frank Lipman, MD, an integrative and functional medicine physician and Yahoo Health Advisory Board Member, tells Yahoo Health. Plus, since infrared is radiant heat, Lipman says it penetrates the skin more deeply than traditional saunas.
What the Science Says
“The research on both kinds of saunas — regular and infrared — is relatively thin,” Bauer tells Yahoo Health. And the studies that do exist on infrared saunas are small, he notes. “That’s not to say the research isn’t good; but it’s also critical that we don’t over-interpret it,” he says.
A lot of research on how infrared saunas can improve health only includes dozens of people — not thousands, like other, more robust studies. And these studies tend to be conducted on people with pre-existing health conditions, making it difficult to extrapolate the findings to a broader audience.
The results of the existing research: One Japanese study from last year of 49 people with congestive heart failure found that infrared sauna treatments increased the amount of blood being pumped to people’s heart and upped quality of life — both physically and mentally.
Another Japanese study of 21 people with peripheral arterial disease — a circulatory condition in which plaque builds up in the arteries — showed that daily infrared spa sessions for six weeks reduced leg pain and blockage of the arteries.
Another review of existing literature published in Canadian Family Physician determined there was “limited moderate evidence” to support infrared spa usage for “normalizing blood pressure and treating congestive heart failure”; “fair evidence” (from one study) to support the therapy for chronic pain; and “weak evidence” (again: one study) to suggest its use for chronic fatigue syndrome and obesity.
To put it simply: “There are some basic early trials that look intriguing,” says Bauer.
Most of the positive perks, he says, come from heating up your body.
“Plenty of research suggests that saunas — dry, wet, or infrared — have beneficial effects on lowering blood pressure,” Sean Mullen, PhD, director of the exercise, technology, and cognition laboratory at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, tells Yahoo Health.
“The sauna has an oxidative effect. Blood is going out to your extremities; your pores open, allowing you to sweat; and heart rate increases in an attempt to cool your body down,” says Mullen. In some ways, saunas mimic the effect of exercise on the body, he notes.
