Give Yourself The Gift Of An Infrared Sauna

The happiest time of the year! The holiday season is a time everybody enjoys … but even Mariah Carey might need a breather now and then. Face it, while shopping, year-end work obligations, event planning, and other holiday activities it can be easy to forget to stop and smell the roses (or poinsettias). 

Occasionally slowing down is important to do all year round, but it’s something a lot of us forget to do during a time of the year which should be all about slowing down, counting our blessings, and reflecting on the upcoming year. 

As 2021 winds down, why not try an infrared sauna? 

Increasingly popular, the coldest time of the year is a great time to explore these hot boxes. Not just ideal places to relax during cold temperatures, these saunas also come with a surprising amount of advantages. 

Why Not A Regular Sauna? 

An infrared sauna resembles a regular sauna in some ways – basically, both saunas are big wooden boxes that use heat to help us detoxify, heal, relax, and more. But there’s one major difference: infrared saunas use infrared heat lamps to generate heat. 

Traditional saunas use dry heat or steam to heat the room. The heat these saunas produce is intense: temperatures in a regular sauna can top over 200°F, which understandably can be somewhat intense for many people. The heat in an infrared sauna is far more manageable – the lamps operate between 100°F and 150°F, allowing for a far more tolerable experience. Also, the lack of steam can make breathing far easier. 

There’s an additional benefit to infrared saunas – infrared heat penetrates beneath the skin, reaching as deep as our bones in some areas. Infrared therapy has been used to treat inflammatory conditions, neuropathy, arthritis, and other painful diseases for years. 

Infrared Saunas Help You Fight Off Disease 

There’s a reason we get hot when we have a fever – by raising its temperature, the body can help fight off infections. “An increase in body temperature has been known since ancient times to be associated with infection and inflammation,” says Elizabeth A. Repasky, who authored a study published in 2011 examining how immune cells worked when the body experienced temperatures similar to a mild fever. 

While more studies need to be done to truly determine how infrared saunas help immunity, infrared saunas do raise the body temperatures via penetrating direct heat. Studies have found infrared saunas seem to benefit people with chronic fatigue syndrome and to recover after workouts. 

Infrared Saunas Can Protect Your Skin 

Winter can be beautiful … but it’s also a season which all but declares war on your skin. Even if you live in an area where snow is rare, high winds and dry, cold temperatures can parch your skin. 

Infrared saunas help dilate the blood vessels, increasing circulation. In turn, this brings more oxygen and other nutrients to your skin. Among other benefits (like fewer wrinkles and improved tone), this helps the skin develop collagen, which also keeps your skin firm. 

Infrared Saunas Are A Great Way To Get Some “Me” Time 

It’s great catching up with family, friends, and coworkers as we navigate the maze of parties, get-togethers, and events during the holiday season. For a lot of people, though, these can be kind of draining … especially if you live with housemates who like to entertain. 

Getting some alone time in an infrared sauna is the best way to recharge, especially if it’s cold and windy outside. A quiet session alone will leave you feeling revitalized mentally and physically – especially if you enhance your infrared sauna with a little chromotherapy. 

Infrared Saunas Help You Fight The Winter Bulge 

With all the holiday parties and feasts, you’re inevitably going to overdo it occasionally. Although more studies need to be done, it’s thought infrared saunas can help people lose weight – especially if it’s accompanied by an active lifestyle and a healthy diet. 

Seriously – a study conducted by researchers from Binghamton University found people who visited infrared saunas three times a week for 45 minutes each session lost four percent of their body fat in 16 weeks. Other studies found 25 minutes in an infrared sauna was the equivalent of a moderate session with a stationary bike. 

Infrared Saunas Can Help Fight Off Winter Aches & Pains 

We mentioned earlier infrared therapy has been used to treat conditions like arthritis and neuropathy. Those aren’t the only conditions that can leave you achy when the weather gets cold, though. 

Although the exact reasons aren’t precisely known, it’s thought that changes in the barometric pressure can cause the soft tissue around our joints to expand, increasing fluid levels. In turn, this causes the nerves to be irritated, which is why many people feel aches and pains when it’s stormy or cold out. 

Heat’s been used to treat pain for centuries. The penetrating direct heat in an infrared sauna warms the joints, causing them to relax. Also, by raising the body’s core temperature, the immune system produces more white blood cells, additionally reducing inflammation and swelling. Finally, the increase in body temperature also widens blood vessels, also helping tissues, joints, and muscles heal and relax. 

This Winter, Warm Up In Style In A Las Vegas Infrared Spa 

Whether it’s cold, windy weather, or just the usual holiday hubbub, there’s no place better to recover and enjoy some self-care time than an infrared sauna. Sculpt Spa is Las Vegas’ leading provider of aesthetic treatments, including our cutting-edge infrared sauna. 

There’s no better place to relax and glow in a comfortable, non-judgmental spa-like environment. Don’t wait – talk to a Sculpt Spa pro today!