Infrared vs. Traditional Sauna: Show Me the Medical Studies
We only hear podcasts talk about traditional dry saunas — so can infrared actually lead to real health benefits? Well, this might shock you.
A recent study comparing far-infrared saunas vs. traditional saunas proved that infrared saunas were actually MORE effective at penetrating human tissue — even at a fraction of the temperature.
If you think about it, it makes sense. Infrared light waves heat your body directly rather than just heating the air around you (think: standing in direct sunlight on a cool day vs. standing in a hot, stuffy room).
This is why you can achieve similar cardiovascular and recovery benefits at a much lower temperature (110–140°F) — because infrared light penetrates 1.5 to 2 inches deep into your muscles and tissues.
In fact, a 2025 study found that a single far-infrared sauna session raised deep muscle temperature without raising core body temperature at all. That's a mechanism no traditional sauna can replicate. The heat isn't in the room. It's in your tissue.
Don't believe me? I can't blame you — it shocked me too. You can read the clinical studies yourself:
- Reed et al. (2025) — Journal of Applied Physiology
- Mero et al. (2015) — SpringerPlus
- Atencio et al. (2025) — American Journal of Physiology