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What Are The Benefits Of An Infrared Sauna At Home?
If you are a regular sauna user at the gym, you might want to consider if a home infrared sauna is a good investment. If you want to find out exactly how much you'd save, there is a calculator at the bottom of the page.
This choice is not just a financial issue, though. Home and gym saunas have different advantages, benefits and considerations. But here's the thing. How do you matching them with your lifestyle, and with your health and selfcare goals?
This article helps you weigh these two options, to navigate the pros and cons. Would you prefer the privacy and convenience of a home sauna or the communal vibe of a gym sauna? Compare the two, and know the differences, and make a choice that suits you.
home Personal Wellness Retreat: Home Infrared sauna, blankets, and mat
A home infrared sauna gives you a personal and convenient wellness retreat. If you’d want to integrate sauna sessions into your daily routine, a home sauna provides the luxury of a private sanctuary. Unlike public gym or studio settings, a home sauna is your space, and features your choices in terms of size, features, temperature, timing, and ambiance.
Home infrared saunas are designed to fit into various indoor spaces, so you can enjoy all of the goodness of sauna therapy - without leaving the comfort of your home. You get to indulge in a sauna session at any time, be it early in the morning, after a workout, or as a relaxing end to the day.
The control over the environment also means a quieter, more meditative experience, away from the distractions and interactions of a public setting. While the personal sanctuary of a home infrared sauna offers unparalleled comfort and convenience, the world of infrared wellness goes far beyond just the traditional cabin setup.
From compact and affordable options like infrared sauna blankets starting at $140, or versatile infrared PEM mats, to personal and yoga tents that can even accommodate two people. Each option meets different needs, spaces and preferences.
Discover the various options for your infrared sauna at home: from cabins to blankets
If you value privacy and personal space, home infrared saunas deliver an unmatched level of comfort.
Relax in a way that's most comfortable for you, incorporating it into a meditation practice, listening to music, or simply enjoying the silence. This personalization extends to health and wellness routines, making the home sauna a versatile tool of holistic well-being.
Pros
Convenience and Accessibility: Ability to use the sauna anytime without the need to travel.
Cost-Effectiveness: Over time, owning a home infrared sauna is more cost-effective than paying for gym memberships or studio sessions (see the calculator below).
Customization: Flexibility to set preferred temperatures and session lengths.
Cons
Initial Investment: While traditional sauna cabins can represent an upfront investment, the world of infrared saunas is rich with choices to suit your lifestyle and needs. Options like infrared sauna blankets and personal tents are not only more pocket-friendly; they bring the experience to you, wherever you are. Their affordability, flexibility and portability make them ideal if you lead a nomadic lifestyles, are on a tight budget or have limited space.
Maintenance: With the choice of your ideal infrared sauna – whether it is a spacious cabin, a sauna blanket, infrared PEMF mat or a portable tent – comes the responsibility for its maintenance and possible repairs.
Though the comfort and convenience of a home infrared sauna are appealing, let’s compare it to the experience of using a sauna in a gym or studio setting. This alternative has different advantages and is more suitable should you prefer a more social and varied wellness environment.
The Community Wellness Hub: Gym IR sessions
Utilizing an infrared sauna at a gym or studio offers a unique experience suitable if you prefer a more social approach to fitness and selfcare. Such facilities are usually clean and professionally operated places where members can merge sauna sessions into their regular workouts and wellness routines.
The atmosphere in gym or studio saunas varies of course, but generally combines the elements of convenience and community. Members appreciate the ease of fitting sauna sessions into their gym visits, either before a workout to warm up muscles or afterward for relaxation and recovery.
This group setting allows for professional, even personal, instruction and guidance, encourages members to share tips, experiences, and motivations with others. Many find this contributes to their enjoyment.
Gyms and studios give you access to extra amenities, like fitness classes, personal training, and relaxation areas, which members can take advantage of before or after their sauna session. This holistic approach, combining physical exercise with unwinding and recovery, is a major advantage for those who choose gym or studio infrared saunas.
Pros
Community and Social Interaction: Gym and studio saunas often facilitate a sense of community. They are places where you can meet others with similar wellness goals, creating opportunities for social interaction and support.
No Maintenance Worries: Using a sauna at a gym or studio eliminates the need for personal maintenance and upkeep. This can be an advantage for those who prefer a hassle-free experience.
Flexibility in Use Without Long-Term Commitment: If you're not ready to commit to the expense and space of a home sauna, gym and studio saunas give you flexibility without the long term commitment.
Cons
Recurring Membership or Session Costs: Unlike a one-time investment in a home sauna, mat, or sauna blanket, the gym and studio sessions involve recurring costs, which might add up over time (See calculator).
Limited Privacy: Saunas in these settings are communal and less private than a home sauna. Not ideal should you prefer to meditate or be on your own during sessions for other reasons.
Travel and Scheduling: Users must travel to the gym or studio and adapt their sauna sessions to the facility's operational hours, which might not always gel with their personal schedule.
Potential for Crowded Spaces: Depending on the time of day and the popularity of the facility, public or even membership saunas can be crowded, which sounds a lot less relaxing.
PERSONAL VS. COMMUNAL SAUNA EXPERIENCES
To choose between a home infrared sauna and a gym sauna is about what you prefer: a personal retreat from the hectics of daily life, or a communal environment to unwind.
A home sauna, like a private sanctuary, promises the ease and immediate access to relaxation and selfcare, when and where and how you like it.
If you are energized by group dynamics, the gym sauna offers a lively and shared healing environment that will align better with your recreational wishes and ideas.
Drawn to the privacy and customization of a home sauna? Consider which type suits your lifestyle and space best.
Making Your Sauna Choice: Personal Needs and Preferences
Whether you lean towards the gorgeous and fixed presence of a traditional cabin or the freedom and comfort of a portable blanket, therapeutic mat or personal sauna tent or dome, your choice should reflect your ideals and seamlessly fit into your daily life.
Lifestyle Considerations
Your daily routine and commitments are a large part of the equation. For those with a packed schedule, the time-savings of a home sauna might be irresistible. If your lifestyle thrives on social interactions though, and a structured environment, non of the maintenance and cleaning, the communal vibe of a gym or studio sauna should be more fulfilling.
Future Outlook
Life's changes. Where possible, try to look ahead when choosing your sauna. Portable options like sauna blankets, PEMF mats and personal tents offer unparalleled flexibility, perfect for dynamic lifestyles or smaller living spaces.
Traditional cabins, need a stable setting, but add lasting value and a permanent selfcare facility to your home.
Trial and Experimentation
There is not substitute for experience. Trying different sauna types firsthand will make it clear what best suits your personality and needs pretty fast. Explore local showrooms or take advantage of trial offers for portable saunas to understand the convenience and comfort of each.
Health Consultation
Your goals and concerns should guide your sauna choice. Consult healthcare providers or wellness experts to discern how different sauna formats—from PEMF mat to cabins—can complement your health and fitness routines. [1]
Environmental Impact
The ecological footprint of your sauna choice is an important issue these days [2]. Portable options might be more energy efficient and have used less materials. Traditional saunas can be evaluated for sustainable construction and energy consumption, aligning your home retreat with environmental stewardship.
Resale Value and Portability
Consider the long-term aspects of your sauna investment (see the calculator below). Portable saunas, such as sauna blankets or PEMF mats, provide flexibility and adaptability, easily moving with you.
Traditional cabins, though stationary, will spruce up your property's appeal and resale value, offering a fixed sanctuary of well-being.
Your ideal sauna experience is closer than you think — continue exploring.
cost & savings Calculator
As we said, there is more to the choice between home sauna or sauna device, and using an external infrared sauna or sauna club and spa membership. But if you consider getting your own home sauna, blanket, or infrared PEMF mat, this simple calculator helps you find out how much you'd save.
* Choose if you're buying an infrared home sauna, blanket, or PEMF mat.
* We assume your device will last 10 years, and at 3 sessions a week. The more sessions you do, the higher your overall savings will be. The app also takes gas consumption into account if you have to drive to the
* The app will calculate maintenance, installation cost, and energy consumption over a period of 10 years (of course, no installation cost and less energy usage for blankets and mats).
* Next, fill in the monthly subscription fee of your sauna club, spa, gym, studio, or whatever. If you only use the sauna on a "pay-as-you-go" basis, leave this field open. In that case, fill out the field below it with the price of one sauna visit.
* Note that these are indicative figures, as personal circumstances vary, and energy and installation costs and gas prices differ depending on location.
Sam Everhart
References:
1. Brent A. Bauer, M.D., What is an infrared sauna? Does it have health benefits? Mayo Clinic, https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/consumer-health/expert-answers/infrared-sauna/faq-20057954
2. Global Footprint Network, Ecological Footprint, Advancing The Science of Sustainability, https://www.footprintnetwork.org/our-work/ecological-footprint/
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