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INFRARED SAUNA BUYING GUIDE
What To Consider When Buying An Infrared Sauna
We understand that purchasing an infrared sauna can sometimes be confusing When doing your research about purchasing an infrared sauna, be sure to consider the following questions:
- What are the differences between infrared saunas and heaters?
- What are the benefits of the different infrared heaters?
- What type of wood is best?
- Why is a lifetime warranty important?
- Why is heater placement important – should there be heaters on the front walls and side walls? What about floor heaters?
- Which heaters produce dangerous levels of EMF (Electromagnetic Fields)?
- Is a low ELF sauna important?
These are just some of the questions we have received over the last 23 years. We’ve put together this infrared sauna buying guide to answer these questions and help guide you through the infrared sauna buying process.
What To Look For In An Infrared Sauna
Materials and Build Quality
For many years only high-quality far infrared saunas dominated the infrared sauna market. Craftsmanship, for the most part, was very high. Woods used were Western Red Canadian Cedar and quality white woods such as Basswood, Spruce, and Aspen.
The majority of infrared heaters produced used ceramic and metal, with ceramic being the preferred type because of higher infrared efficiency and infrared output. There were rigid quality control standards for the woods, glues, and electrical safety used.
As options over the internet have expanded, low-quality overseas manufacturing spawned numerous upstart sauna companies with little to no understanding of the therapeutic benefits of infrared therapy. They were selling a wooden box with heaters, offering low cost and in turn low-quality saunas on the internet and at big box stores.
Models from these manufacturers can lack quality of materials, construction, and safety down to even the basic wiring including substandard controls and heaters. Beware of any noxious odors from toxic glues being used in the manufacturing process or smells from the wood itself. Subpar saunas can also have wood that has not been finished or sanded and is rough to the touch as you pass your hand over it.
Heater Positioning
Saunas with heaters positioned above the head are not effective as it is the infrared wavelengths coming off the heaters directly that offer the benefits in an infrared sauna.
Positioning heaters above the head wastes infrared energy that could be better used in the front of the sauna, or by the calves and sides of the body. The ideal infrared therapy directs heat at your body with the proper wavelengths so it is important it targets your front, back, and sides. Without proper heater placement, you will only receive partial benefits.
Look for heaters kept low to keep the infrared heat aimed at your body and completely surround you with infrared heat. There is no wasted energy up over your head & you will receive benefits faster through the maximum amount of infrared heat.
Sauna Size
Infrared saunas made for home or commercial uses can be built to accommodate between 1-6 people depending on your intended usage:
- One Person Saunas – Require the smallest space to install and are adaptable to either a business or home environment.
- Two Person Saunas – Combine the optimal balance of size and comfort allowing extra room for individual use or the ability to use the sauna with another person.
- Three Person Saunas – Provide additional room to stretch out and are ideal for multi-person use with infrared heat spread evenly throughout.
- Four to Five Person Saunas – Provide additional space & allow you to remove the benches for exercises or hot yoga.
Frequently Asked Questions About Infrared Saunas
How Much Do Infrared Saunas Cost?
A premium infrared sauna can cost between $3,000 – $8,000. The final cost will depend on the size (1 person, 2 person, etc.), materials used (primarily the type of wood), and any additional features or accessories such as chromatherapy lights, halotherapy units, or bluetooth speakers.
What Is The Best Wood For An Infrared Sauna?
Western Red Canadian Cedar is considered by many to be the best wood to use for saunas. Other woods commonly used are spruce, basswood, and redwood.
Western Red Canadian Cedar (WRCC) wood is often used for the following reasons:
- Cedarwood is a softwood that resists cracking and splitting caused by the heating up and cooling down in the sauna. No sauna wood lasts longer than cedarwood.
- Cedarwood contains aromatic oils that are known for their healing and cleansing properties to aid detoxification during your sauna session.
- Cedarwood is naturally antifungal and antibacterial owing to the unique properties of cedar oil. This is especially important in the sauna where bodies, moisture, and heat combine to make the environment perfect for molds and bacteria.
- Cedarwood is one of the most beautiful woods available ranging from very light honey to a deep walnut shade.
- Cedarwood smells good and gives you a true sauna experience. WRCC is considered non-aromatic cedar and has a very subtle smell and is satisfying to the senses.
- Cedarwood can be easily sanded inside the sauna to remove any stains caused by perspiration and to bring back the fresh cedar smell.
Sauna users who are very sensitive to smells (Multiple Chemical Sensitivities) may want to consider a sauna made of white woods like Basswood. These woods have less of a smell than WRCC and may be more comfortable for people with MCS.
What Are The Differences Between Infrared Heaters?
Far Infrared Heaters
When comparing far infrared sauna heaters you need to look at the size of the heater, the material that is producing the infrared heat, the quality of the heat, and the surface temperature of the heater.
The two most common materials used in far infrared heaters are ceramic and carbon:
- Ceramic is a very efficient, effective material when heated to produce infrared heat. Ceramic has a very high emissivity rating, meaning it produces a lot of infrared heat. The drawback to ceramic heaters is that they tend to produce a shorter infrared wavelength. Shorter infrared wavelengths are not as readily absorbed by the human body so they are less therapeutic.
- Carbon infrared heaters generally produce a longer infrared wavelength. Carbon is very light so the heaters can be bigger and can run at a lower surface temperature. These low surface temperatures produce long wave infrared heat. Longwave far infrared heat is readily absorbed by the human body and will produce more desirable wellness results. The drawback of carbon heaters is that, while they produce high-quality infrared heat, they do not produce a lot of infrared – they are weak. In technical terms, they have a lower emissivity rating as compared to ceramic heaters.
Most companies that use carbon heaters extend their heaters well up into the head region and almost to the ceiling in the sauna in an effort to try and get more heat into the sauna. They do this because of the low output of their heaters. This is wasted infrared heat as it is only heating the air over your head and not your body directly. We also believe heating the head directly is not recommended in infrared therapy.
Full Spectrum Infrared Heaters
A full spectrum infrared heater emits all three infrared wavelengths: near (IR-A), mid (IR-B), and far-infrared (IR-C). Some infrared saunas offer a combination of heaters to produce full-spectrum infrared heat. The sauna may have one heater that produces far infrared, one that produces mid-infrared, and one that produces near-infrared.
You will also see some infrared saunas that use low wattage (10-40 watt) LED’s to produce near-infrared. Our belief is that LED near-infrared light therapy is very effective for topical infrared treatments however, it is not suited for the sauna environment. You want to put the LEDs directly on your skin. The DPL Nuve by LED Technologies is a great example of an effective FDA-approved near-infrared handheld device. With LED near-infrared embedded in the wall of the sauna, you would have to climb up on the bench to receive effective therapy as the LEDs should be right up against the area you are treating.
By offering all three wavelengths the infrared heat will penetrate deeper past the Epidermis and Dermis into the Subcutaneous layer.
Why Are Low EMF And Low ELF Levels Important?
Low EMF Infrared Saunas
Our True Wave™ far infrared heaters are the original carbon-based infrared heaters with virtually no EMF (Electromagnetic Fields). We pioneered this technology for use in infrared saunas. More and more research is being conducted into the harmful effects of EMF. That is why our R&D department spent over two years developing both patented and patent pending methods to eliminate virtually all of the EMF from our heaters. Many of our competitors still have EMF levels 20 to 50 times higher than our True Wave™ infrared heaters. With an average EMF level of less than 1milligauss (mg), when tested directly on the heater, it is well below the CDC’s recommendation of a maximum of 3mg.
Some health effects linked with EMF are:
- Memory Loss
- Depression
- Loss of Energy
- Irritability
- Inability To Concentrate
- Weakened Immune System
- Chronic Fatigue
- Headaches
Dr. Duncan, the founder and designer of Clearlight Infrared Sauna® models, has always ensured that the therapeutic results of your sauna are our number one priority. Seeing the research and information available on the harmful effects of EMF, we felt that if there was a chance that high levels of EMF can cause health issues, we needed to find a way to bring the levels down as low as possible. We were the first company to accomplish this with our True Wave II, far infrared heaters, and True Spectrum, full-spectrum heaters.
Find out more about EMF and its effects HERE.
Low ELF Infrared Saunas
ELF (extremely low frequency) is also referred to as the electric fields or dirty electricity. There are some people that are very sensitive to ELF and have various reactions including sleep disruption and agitation and there is some link to cancer as discussed in this Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Bulletin: https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/elfradiation/healtheffects.html
All Jacuzzi® infrared saunas include our ELF canceling technology. While EMF is canceled in the heater itself, we have to go to great lengths to cancel the ELF from our saunas.
- We run the electrical wires through metal conduit.
- We twist the wires to cancel the ELF and EMF.
- We protect all electronics with foil shielding.
- We carbonize and ground the fishnet mesh that covers our heaters to ground and cancel the ELF.
How Does A Jacuzzi® Infrared Sauna Differ from Other Saunas?
Quality of design and construction coupled with superior and innovative heating technology. We start with the highest quality woods. All saunas are built by hand to our strict 48 point Quality Control. No sauna leaves the factory without being fully tested and approved by two levels of quality control.
With the ETL and CE certification, we are bound to provide a high-quality product. We use non-toxic glues. Our saunas are hand-sanded, the handles and trim are handcrafted, the tongue and groove wood is color-matched to look beautiful and all Clearlight Infrared Sauna models are designed to give you a lifetime of wellness and relaxation benefits.
Almost every other infrared sauna company uses industrial heaters that have been adapted to be used in an infrared sauna. Not willing to settle with industrial infrared heaters, we manufacture our own patented-pending infrared sauna heaters in our factory. We manufacture our True Wave combination Carbon/Ceramic far infrared heaters and full spectrum (near, mid, far) infrared heaters.
Being innovators in the infrared sauna industry, we have always set the trends that have guided the industry:
- Our True Wave™ far infrared heaters are the only infrared heaters on the market that combine both the high output of ceramic with the long wavelength of carbon to produce a sauna session that is unmatched. Our True Wave™ full spectrum infrared heaters deliver more near-infrared, mid-infrared, and far-infrared than any other infrared sauna on the market. These heaters are designed specifically to heat the human body.
- We are the industry pioneer of low EMF carbon-based infrared heaters and offer the only low EMF full spectrum infrared sauna on the market.
- We are the first company to offer a low ELF infrared sauna. All Clearlight Premier™ Far Infrared and Clearlight Sanctuary™ Full Spectrum sauna models include our ELF canceling technology.
- We use Eco-Certified grade “A” clear Western Red Canadian Cedar or Basswood. All of our Clearlight Sauna® models are available in both Cedar and Basswood. Our commitment to our customers is to provide the highest quality products. Our Eco-Certified woods meet three sustainability standards as part of our green initiative.
Our years of manufacturing infrared saunas go into every Clearlight Sauna® model While our sauna cabins are of exceptional quality, with hand-sanded panels, high-quality close grain wood, and attention to detail, the therapeutic benefits are our main focus. Our R&D department is always researching and testing new components for your sauna so when you buy a Jacuzzi® infrared sauna, you are buying the highest quality, most therapeutic infrared sauna available.
What Does The Jacuzzi Sauna Warranty Cover?
With our limited lifetime warranty for home use, we stand behind our saunas. This warranty covers the entire sauna; the wood cabin, heaters, controls, and even the audio system.
Almost every other infrared sauna is only covered under a 7-year warranty or less. If something goes wrong with your sauna in year 8 the manufacturer is not obligated to provide parts for saunas older than 7 years.
All Clearlight Infrared Sauna® models installed for home use are covered by our Limited Lifetime Warranty. Your sauna is warranted to be free from manufacturer defects for as long as you own it.
Be sure to ask when researching infrared saunas if the company offers a True Limited Lifetime Warranty.
If you are using your sauna in a commercial environment, we offer a complete 5-year warranty.
Jacuzzi® sauna models are the highest quality infrared saunas on the market today. Give us a call at +6012.297.1138 or send us an email and our infrared sauna specialists will be happy to help guide you through the infrared sauna buying process.
Don’t just take our word for it. Hear what our customers have to say. CLICK HERE to see over 100 video testimonials from our customers describing the benefits they have received from their Clearlight Infrared Sauna.
An infrared sauna specialist is standing by 7 days per week.
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