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The Best Portable Infrared Sauna

OnlyTree Black
This article was written by Staying Alive Crew Published at 07:37 pm
Portable Infrared Saunas

The best portable infrared saunas provide an outstanding home spa experience, like no other. 

Infrared saunas offer the same benefits as traditional saunas, while at the same time offering a multitude of additional healing benefits, as infrared saunas penetrate more deeply into the skin, hence offering more in-depth cleansing and rejuvenation. 

We’ve scoured through the portable infrared sauna best sellers on the market, to bring you our shortlist of the best portable sauna experience. 

Table of Contents

6 Best Portable Infrared Saunas in 2024

Portable Infrared Saunas Buying Guide

Portable infrared saunas come in many different price ranges so there’s something to fit everyone's budget.

Infrared Sauna

Portable infrared saunas offer a spa-like experience in the privacy of your own home and can be set up in any room of your choosing. 

Infrared saunas are designed to heat the body through infrared light. They can reach a maximum temperature of around 150 degrees Fahrenheit, and users typically sit in them for up to 30 minutes.

An infrared sauna does not emit heat through the skin like traditional saunas made with rocks, dry heat, or steam, but instead, through light waves, that emits electromagnetic radiation.

The main difference between an infrared sauna compared to a regular sauna is that the heat created by infrared saunas penetrates deep into your skin allowing you to cleanse and rejuvenate on a deeper level than traditional saunas. 

Benefits of a Portable Infrared Sauna

Pain Relief

One of the main health benefits is providing pain relief through regular sauna use. 

Infrared saunas are useful for people suffering from arthritis or chronic pain caused by injuries. It can also be used to treat respiratory illnesses such as asthma, bronchitis, and pneumonia.

Relaxing

Saunas have been used for thousands of years as a way to remove stress, relax, detoxify and improve health. 

Portable infrared saunas are radiant saunas that provide deep relaxation through gentle warmth that helps clear toxins from the body at a cellular level, leaving you feeling refreshed and reinvigorated. 

Weight Loss

Portable infrared saunas help by increasing the body's core temperature which in turn increases metabolism for effective weight loss.

Releases Body Toxins

Placing your body inside an infrared sauna will induce perspiration where these toxic materials are released through the pores of your skin. 

Your body and mind are rejuvenated with the removal of toxins and heavy metals, that can cause a variety of health issues.

Improves Sleep

People who use infrared saunas on a regular basis report many benefits including relief from insomnia.

After a short session in the sauna, you may feel drowsy and relaxed. This is because the heat causes your body to produce serotonin, a neurotransmitter that helps you stay calm. 

Improves Blood Circulation

The blood and blood vessels play a very important role in our body, as they provide nutrients and oxygen to all of the cells. 

An infrared sauna is a great way to get your blood flowing and improve your health, especially if you suffer from common conditions like arthritis, blood pressure, or cardiovascular disease.

Benefits for Skin

An infrared sauna helps fight cellulite and the negative effects of aging on your skin such as wrinkles, age spots, and dryness. 

It can help enhance your blood flow which can deliver nutrients to your skin cells while removing toxins and wastes. 

This makes the sauna a great way to improve your skin’s firmness and elasticity. It also helps in increasing the production of collagen, which makes your skin healthier and tighter.

Recovery

The infrared radiation emulates the sun's natural healing rays that will speed up your recovery time after a workout. 

Being exposed to infrared radiation also helps reduce any muscle pain by increasing blood flow to the muscles and joints which assists with the removal of lactic acid buildup.

Improves Immune System

A stronger immune system makes it harder for pathogens and other foreign bodies to invade your body and do damage, allowing you to heal from common ailments like colds and flu more quickly.

Features for Best Portable Infrared Sauna

Infrared Range

Infrared is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength just longer than the light we can see, but shorter than radio waves. 

Infrared light is typically divided into three types: near-infrared, mid-infrared, and far-infrared.

It’s important to understand what near-infrared, mid-infrared, and far-infrared waves are. This helps to understand what configuration of infrared waves you get in your sauna.

The best radiant saunas use a mix of materials to leverage the different properties of the 3 types of infrared light.

Near-Infrared (NIR)

What we perceive as heat is the sensation of near-infrared waves given off by an object.

Near-infrared waves are also responsible for the production of near-infrared light, which has been found to help mitochondria in all cells repair damaged DNA and synthesize new protein.

Mid- and far-infrared waves also create heat in infrared saunas, but near-infrared waves are by far the most commonly used.

Near-infrared waves penetrate deeper into our skin to reach its dermis and epidermis layers, than other infrared wavelengths.

Mid-Infrared (MIR)

Mid-infrared waves are responsible for the sensation of warmth we experience when near a heat source.

Mid-infrared penetrates approximately 5 mm into our skin, hence, it penetrates skin less than far-infrared does, but still reaches its dermis and epidermis layers.

This type of light is also absorbed by skin cells to encourage skin renewal.

Far Infrared (FIR)

Far-infrared penetrates the skin to reach skin layers as low as skin cells.

This type of light can warm skin from the inside out and is used in portable saunas to heat the air around skin up to 40 degrees which releases sweat, toxins, and flushes out cellular waste.

This makes it a popular addition to spa treatments.

EMF

Electromagnetic frequency is the wavelength of the radiation from an infrared sauna. 

Infrared light has an extremely low frequency. The higher the frequency of light or any other waveform for that matter means more energy is carried by it.

Infrared sauna exposes you to very low energy radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation (RF-EMF), which has an extremely low frequency and therefore carries little energy. 

Making it unlikely to create any health problems in the short or long term.

Negative Ions

Negative ions are atoms that carry a negative charge of electricity. 

Negative Ions act like tiny magnets that bond to the toxins in your body and allow them to be released through sweat pores.

Infrared saunas that offer Negative Ions enable the cleansing and detoxification of the body and allow for natural healing to take place.

Types of Portable Saunas

There are 2 main types of portable saunas: 

Inflatable Saunas

They come with a pump to inflate it with. They are highly portable and easy to assemble.

Inflatable saunas are made with waterproof PVC or vinyl materials, which creates steam when heated up on the outside by hot water.

Inflatable saunas use electricity or batteries for heat. They take up less space and are easier to transport than a wood sauna.

Sauna Blankets

Very similar to an electric blanket, it’s a large, flat piece of heat-absorbing material that wraps around your body.

It gets very hot and is used to increase flexibility, improve blood circulation, and decrease muscle pain.

An infrared sauna blanket heats up when plugged into the wall or with disposable batteries.

The sauna blanket requires you to sit or lay down for maximum relaxation.

Temperature

The adjustable temperature range can be from as low as 80 going up to 150 degrees Fahrenheit (or even higher).

The temperature settings allow you to find the heat that's best for your body temperature and can help with a wide range of ailments during your sauna use.

Size

Portable full-body infrared saunas are similar in shape and size to full-sized saunas - about six feet tall, three feet wide, and four feet long. 

Full-sized infrared saunas are actually quite easy to fold and enable easy storage. 

Think about what room you intend to use the portable infrared sauna in. This will drive the dimensions that are suitable for you.

Timer Options

Most portable infrared saunas include a built-in auto-timer, which activates the infrared lights to a preselected temperature and shuts off when finished.

Most portable saunas have different auto-timer, which can be set in 5 or 10-minute increments up to an hour.

During your personal sauna session, you will have full control of all functions through a handheld remote control.

Chair/Heated Foot Pad

The most common portable sauna is equipped with a foldable chair and heated footpads.

If the heated foot pad on the floor gets too uncomfortable, simply put a towel on top of it.

Warranty

The warranty can range from 12 months to longer, depending on the manufacturer.

Price

Most portable infrared saunas cost around $1,000 to $2,000. However, lower-cost models may be available for around $500 or less.

There are also more expensive models up to $3,000 which offer additional features like chromotherapy (coloring lights), aromatherapy (fragrance oils), and ionization (to help purify the air). 

Be clear on the sauna use you want and balance this with your budget. 

Portable Infrared Saunas FAQ

Do infrared saunas actually do anything?

Infrared saunas can help with detoxification both through perspiration and infrared light technology. 

They also increase circulation, which can aid with pain relief and speed up muscle recovery after a strenuous workout.

Additionally, they can improve your immune system, detoxify the body, reduce blood pressure, and inflammation, burn calories, and even make you feel energized. 

Do infrared sauna blankets work for weight loss?

Infrared sauna blankets are a non-invasive, safe, and comfortable way to lose weight. It increases the body's metabolism and as you perspire, toxins are released from your body.

Some users report losing anywhere between 5 and 7 pounds within the first few months of using their blanket.

Which infrared saunas are the best?

There are 2 main types of infrared saunas:

Near-Infrared Saunas

Near-infrared penetrates the body by heating up water molecules, which are then absorbed through the skin.

As a result of this, they are usually great for muscle pain, arthritis, injury, and recovery. They also help people lose weight.

Far-Infrared Saunas

Similar to near-infrared saunas, far-infrared ones also work by heating up water molecules inside your body and helping treat the same problems as near-infrared saunas.

Far-infrared saunas tend to be smaller than near-infrared ones, making them a great portable option.

Which infrared sauna is best, comes down to your personal preference.

Are portable infrared saunas safe?

The short answer is yes. Many studies on the subject and most experts agree that it is safe - as long as you're not pregnant or have a chronic medical condition.

Note it is not recommended to use a home sauna for extended periods of time.

Portable Infrared Saunas Sources

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