Infrared saunas not only provide a great means for relaxation, there are many potential health benefits from boosting immunity to detoxification. Once you start shopping around, you will quickly see you have no shortage of options. It is important you give your purchase some thought to ensure you buy the sauna that best suits your needs and wants. Here are just a few helpful hints to get you started:
Try Before You Buy
There are some purchases where testing the merchandise just makes good sense before pulling the trigger. A sauna is one such purchase—they are not all the same. Make sure to ask the dealer if you can try any saunas you are thinking about purchasing.
This test drive will not only let you know if you’ll be comfortable, you’ll get a better sense of whether you like the design, and if it made with high quality materials. Do you like the design of the doors and windows? Does this look like a place you would want to spend time in day after day?
Choice of Wood
The choice of wood will make all the difference in the look of the sauna and how well it will hold up.
For example, look for fine-grained, hand-selected tongue-and-groove wood rather than course-grained, which will start peeling at some point. Hemlock and cedar are the top choices for infrared saunas.
Inquire as to whether the wood comes from a forest that is certified as sustainable—such locations engage in environmentally friendly practices that do minimal damage to the surrounding water, wildlife and other aspects of the environment. Know that low-cost models sold on the internet tend to be made from wood that comes from the Southeast Asian country of Myanmar, and does not follow responsible harvesting and planting practices.
Construction and Health Matters
Chances are, you are buying an infrared sauna for the health benefits, so know that construction factors in. Look for saunas that are made with tightly fitting joints and screws rather than glued together. That not only speaks to quality, but will spare you breathing in heated glue and the assorted gases emitted. You want pure air.
Heat Panels: Ceramic or Carbon?
Carbon panels are considered the superior of the two, with ceramic rods or coils being used on many lower-cost models.
Carbon panels heat up faster, and distribute heat much more broadly and evenly, avoiding particularly hot or cold spots in the sauna. It is a more comfortable heat compared to steam saunas as well. Unlike ceramic panels that are very hot to the touch, you can actually lean up against carbon panels. Carbon-based heat is more likely to penetrate the body, which underlies the benefits of an infrared sauna.
Carbon also heats up faster—10 to 15 minutes compared to 30 to 45 for ceramic, which will translate to reduced energy consumption. Carbon panels made in Japan are of the highest quality
Delivery, Installation and Warranty Protection
Whether you are shopping for an infrared sauna in Colorado Springs, Kalamazoo or Calabasas, it is important you select the local dealer with care, which offers its own installation and a solid warranty program. Make sure the company itself handles any warranty issues—you don’t want to be tasked with hiring an electrician or shipping parts off to the factor to be repaired or replaced.