What Are Some Important Consumer Considerations When Purchasing An Infrared Sauna For Your Home
As a consumer it can be challenging at times to discern the quality of a product from one manufacturer to another. While this may not be a huge issue for small purchases, it does pose significant questions on bigger ticket items and investments.
If you are considering bringing an infrared sauna into your home, it will be important to understand the componentry that affects the efficacy and safety of each unit. This will allow you to ask the right kind of questions to ensure you bring the highest quality sauna into your home for the lowest price.
Not all saunas are created equal. The intention of this article is to help you, the consumer, understand the elements of an infrared sauna, and what to look for in quality control.
An infrared sauna is a powerful healing modality for a wide variety of conditions, and is also a vehicle to enhance vitality and longevity. This means that it is important that your infrared sauna be a safe oasis of health, not another contributing factor to illness.
What Are The Key Factors That Consumers Should Look For When Purchasing An Infrared Sauna?:
- Infrared Spectrum: Near, Mid, or Far?
- Wood: Eco-Friendly and Untreated
- Heater Type: Ceramic or Carbon?
- EMF Reading: What Is A Healthy Range?
- Color Light Therapy: Medical Grade?
- Certifications: ROHS, ETL, CE, ISO: 9001
- Health Claims: Authoritative Sources
Near, Mid, And Far Infrared Light Spectrum: Does It Matter If Your Sauna Contains All Three?
As you begin investigating buying options for an infrared sauna for your home, you will want to have an understanding of the distinction between near, mid, and far infrared light. This will give you an opportunity to educate yourself as the consumer about the relationship between light and human physiology.
You will notice that big box stores offering lower priced saunas generally only offer the far infrared spectrum. This is significant to note as it is the combination of the infrared light spectrum that renders the most impactful healing benefits for the body.
While there will still be some benefit to using just a far infrared sauna as is offered by big box stores, it is exponentially more valuable to health to engage in broad spectrum infrared sauna therapy. This is because each wavelength interacts with the body in a very specific and unique way.
Ideally, you will want to bring a broad spectrum infrared sauna into your home for maximum healing benefit. Before making a purchase be sure that the infrared sauna offers near, mid, and far infrared light.
All light emanates from the sun and is measured in nanometers, some light is visible to the human eye, such as color light, while others are invisible. Infrared light is invisible to the human and begins just as the color red fades out on the light spectrum. (1)
This means that infrared light is on the far end of the light spectrum from potentially harmful light, such as UV rays. Any light measured at 400 nm or less will fall under the category of ultraviolet light, for which there are several subsections. (1)
Visible color light ranges from 400-600 nm. The invisible infrared spectrum ranges from 650-1200 nm. There is a strong quality of healing from this spectrum of light in relationship to the human body that is remarkable.
Red and Near Infrared Light:
The wavelength of red and near infrared light produce profound effects on mitochondrial metabolism. Light frequency emanating between 550-800 nm stimulates photoreceptors within the cytoplasm C to positively affect change within the energy conversion centers of the cell: The mitochondria.(2)
The ostensible effect is to increase ATP production to enrich the quality of blood while simultaneously improving circulation. It will be important for anyone looking to bring an infrared sauna into their home to ensure that near infrared light is included. (2)
Collagen production is also stimulated by the near infrared spectrum which positively affects bone marrow, connective tissues, and skin.
***It may even be worth buying a separate panel of red and near infrared light that can be added to your sauna for increased exposure.
For more information on the benefits of red and near infrared light, please click here.
Mid and Far Infrared Light:
The mid and far spectrum of light when used in tandem with near infrared light is particularly effective in penetrating deeply into the soft tissues of the body. This occurs due to the wave frequency of this light. This means that not only is the surface layer of the epidermis affected, but the internal body temperature increases to induce a cascade of biological changes. These include, but are not limited to, artificially induced fever to reduce lingering bacterial infection, improved production of Heat Shock Proteins (HPS), profound detoxification and therefore significant relief to the internal organs.
When shopping for an infrared sauna for your home you will want to be sure that your sauna is broad spectrum and features the near, mid, and far infrared light spectrum.
Wood: Eco-Friendly, Untreated, and Durable Wood
The cabin-like structure of an infrared sauna is made of wood. By virtue of being a sauna the temperature within the unit will rise. As this occurs the potential for off-gassing from heavily treated wood increases. Breathing in this toxicity is potentially very harmful. The wood within the saunas sold by big box stores tends to be treated and therefore poses a potential threat to health.
Sauna manufacturing companies should to be able to tell consumers where the wood comes from and whether it has been treated. Consumers should also be mindful of the durability of the wood. Look for manufacturers that use Basswood or Red Cedar, as these wood types have a long life span and will not splinter off with exposure to heat.
EMF Reading: Measure Emissions Off Of Heating Panels
EMF stands for electromagnetic field, or electromotive force. All electronic devices emit some level of EMFs, some more than others. An infrared sauna is an electrical appliance and there will be some EMF exposure during use.
Be sure to find a manufacturer that demonstrates the EMF measurement with a device, if they are unwilling to demonstrate measurements then move on to the next provider.
Typically, cheaply made saunas will have higher EMF readings. This is unacceptable for a health care appliance such as an infrared sauna.
Heater Type: Ceramic or Carbon?
While shopping for an infrared sauna you will certainly be confronted with the decision to go with one type of heating panel or another: Ceramic or Carbon. The reality is that both types of panels are effective in maximizing the different light frequencies. You will want to find a manufacturer that offers both ceramic and carbon heaters.
Carbon heaters are better at delivering mid and far infrared light, while ceramic heaters are more effective in providing near infrared light. You will want to find a manufacturer that offers both ceramic and carbon heaters that surround the walls of the sauna so that all portions of the body are immersed in light emissions.
Cheaply made infrared saunas will feature less square footage of heating panels, be sure that the infrared sauna that you choose offers significant heating panels that surround the entire interior walls of cabin structure.
Chromotherapy: Medical Grade Light Therapy
Chromotherapy is the use of color lights to heal the body. When shopping for an infrared sauna, be sure that the quality of color lights used is high, and not simply LED light of the Christmas decoration variety.
Additionally, the benefits of color light therapy when used in conjunction with broad spectrum infrared light, including near infrared light, are enhanced because the color light spectrum is able to ride on the back of the giant of the infrared spectrum. This means that color light has by nature a different wave pattern and when used in conjunction with infrared light is more effective as a healing modality.
Find more information on chromotherapy here.
Certifications: Approved Nationally & Internationally
As a consumer, it is important to ensure that all health and wellness related products come with the stamp of approval from both national and international organizations that guarantee safety, health, and quality control.
Be sure to check for the following certifications on the sauna brand you wish to buy:
ETL, ROHS, CE, ISO: 9001
For more information and details on the meaning of each of these certifications please click here.
Health Claims: Reliable And Authoritative
As you educate yourself about the myriad of health benefits available to individuals who engage in regular infrared sauna bathing be sure to check that manufacturers are using reliable sources for their information.
All claims should be backed by primary authoritative sources, these would include abstract journals from NIH, Harvard Medical, and other reputable academic institutions.
Mayo Clinic and other health foundations may be sufficient, however these often depend on primary sources. Be sure that your infrared sauna manufacturer has well cited sources for all medical claims.
Consumer Education Is Vital When Purchasing An Infrared Sauna For Your Home: What Sets Saunas.org Apart From Other Brands?
Take your time purchasing an infrared sauna for your home, ask lots of questions of manufacturers, and be sure that all health claims are backed up with reliable and authoritative sources.
Saunas.org is committed to using state-of-the-art technologies that enhance health, are safe to use, and are made with high quality non-toxic materials, for the lowest consumer cost possible.
Saunas.org saunas are the only infrared sauna on the market today that come fully equipped with Himalayan Salt walls, these are both attractive aesthetically and therapeutic for the pulmonary tract as they serve as a form of halotherapy, or salt therapy.
For more information on halotherapy click here.
Saunas.org, unlike many other infrared sauna brands, has the ability to increase temperature to 176 degrees Fahrenheit, rather than the typical 150 degrees of most other infrared sauna brands.
While there are many considerations to keep in mind when purchasing an infrared sauna for your home, there is also ample information available for consumers. Take your time, and ask lots of questions to be sure you are bringing in the ultimate healing vehicle into your home!
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