Infrared Saunas Will Not 'Detoxify' You
In a basement in Manhattan, people are sweating. And—this may interest you—they’re naked. They’re sweating to detox, to lose weight, to improve their complexions, and to experience euphoria, and if you listen to purveyors of infrared saunas they’re going to achieve not only that, but also more. They’re going to improve their circulation, they’re going to relieve their pain, and they’re going to emerge from their tiny personal sauna boxes relaxed, all of their earthly stressors and pains and toxins, whatever they are, soaked up into a fresh white towel.
It sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? Yes, it does. But as the adage goes: if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is exactly as good as it sounds, especially when you look closely at its nebulous claims. Or, wait—how does that adage go?
Infrared saunas use infrared light to heat the body from within rather than the air from without, as a traditional sauna does. Because of this, the saunas are able to operate at a lower temperature, usually around 157 degrees Fahrenheit rather than over 200, while providing the same (science-supported) cardiovascular benefits. Infrared saunas claim the light penetrates skin more deeply than the heat of a traditional sauna, which leads to more sweat, which leads to a more abundant release of “toxins.”
The infrared craze has recently grown from a, , , among many others, and they were the subject of a last August. The coverage is often credulous; surprisingly, the most skeptical stance I found was in a blog post on Equinox gym’s website titled which compares their claims (many) against the science that supports their claims (essentially none). Still, the Equinox blog post comes to the same conclusion as the rest of the coverage: Sure, the claims that infrared saunas make are so far unverified, but … … do it anyway.
