Infrared therapy guide

What is infrared therapy? Near, mid and far infrared explained

Infrared therapy is the use of infrared energy on the body, delivered either as radiant heat or as specific wavelengths of light. At home it takes four forms: infrared saunas, portable sauna domes, heated mats and LED devices that emit red and near-infrared light.

The examples throughout are Clearlight, HealthyLine and Lumaflex equipment that Sauna Republic carries.

What infrared therapy is

The term covers two uses of the same energy. In an infrared sauna, dome or heated mat, electric emitters give off infrared that your body absorbs as heat. LED towers and panels instead emit narrow bands of red and near-infrared light at stated wavelengths, and the aim is for tissue to absorb the light rather than to warm up; researchers call this photobiomodulation. The two are specified and studied differently, so evidence about one does not automatically apply to the other.

Infrared itself is ordinary: it is part of sunlight, it carries much of the warmth that reaches you from a wood stove across a room, and your body gives it off constantly. The eye cannot see most infrared, so you notice it only as warmth.

Near, mid and far infrared: how the bands differ

Infrared has longer wavelengths than visible red light. Visible light spans roughly 400 to 700 nanometers (nm); infrared runs from just beyond that to about one millimeter, where microwaves begin, and is divided into bands. One micron equals 1,000 nm.

Near infrared vs far infrared, in practice: in a sauna both arrive as warmth, while an LED device delivers near infrared as a specified band at a measured intensity.

How infrared heat differs from a traditional sauna

A traditional sauna heater warms the air and a bed of stones, and hot air carries the heat to your skin; water ladled onto the stones adds humidity. Infrared heaters instead send radiant energy that your skin, the benches and the walls absorb directly, so the air plays a smaller role.

A Cleveland Clinic overview describes traditional saunas as "typically heated between 150 degrees Fahrenheit and 195 F" (about 66°C to 91°C), with humidity of "about less than 20%," and notes that "temperatures in infrared saunas typically land between 110 F and 135 F" (about 43°C to 57°C).

Neither is better in the abstract: an infrared cabin runs cooler and stays dry, and several sizes run on 120V household power, while a traditional sauna offers hotter air and steam. Our Finnish sauna vs infrared sauna comparison covers the trade-offs, and Sauna Republic also carries traditional saunas.

Four ways to use infrared therapy at home

The four home formats differ in how the energy reaches you, how much of the body they cover, and what they need from your space and wiring.

Infrared saunas

Infrared sauna therapy is the most familiar format: a wood cabin you sit in, warmed by heater panels around you. Clearlight's indoor cabins seat one to five people and include a corner model and a wheelchair-accessible model, and the Sanctuary Outdoor 2 and Outdoor 5 are built for outdoor use. Browse the Clearlight indoor sauna collection or start with our Clearlight saunas buying guide. For infrared and traditional heat in one cabin, the Finnmark FD-4 Trinity and FD-5 Trinity XL combine Finnmark's infrared heaters with a Harvia traditional heater and stones, plus a red light panel at 650 nm, so you can switch between heat types. They are in our hybrid sauna collection.

Portable sauna domes

The Clearlight Curve is a one-person, lie-down far-infrared alternative to a cabin: two clamshell sections close over you from the shoulders down while your head stays outside. It ships with the Clearlight Amethyst PEMF Mat and packs away between sessions, which suits renters and small rooms; it is not an upright or shared session. Our Curve dome guide has the specifications.

Heated infrared mats

A mat warms you from the surface you lie on. The Clearlight Amethyst PEMF Mat passes far infrared through a layer of amethyst crystal and adds pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) therapy and negative ions; HealthyLine mats combine far infrared with PEMF, heated gemstones and negative ions, and most add red LEDs. Compare them in our HealthyLine mats buying guide and the PEMF and infrared therapy mat collection. A mat heats only the side of the body resting on it, so it is a different session from a cabin, not a smaller one.

LED red and near-infrared devices

LED devices are not designed as heat sources. Towers and panels, sold as red light therapy or infrared light therapy, emit light at stated wavelengths. A 2017 review by Michael Hamblin in AIMS Biophysics notes that photobiomodulation is also known as low-level laser therapy and identifies the primary light-absorbing molecules as cytochrome c oxidase in mitochondria. Clearlight towers split their LEDs between 650 nm red and 850 nm near infrared, and Clearlight designs only the CORE to attach inside its saunas; it says the Full Body is not designed to attach to a Clearlight sauna. Lumaflex panels strap to one area, using 630 and 850 nm or, on the Essential Pro, six wavelengths up to 1064 nm, and Lumaflex lists them as FDA-cleared Class II devices. See our Clearlight tower guide and Lumaflex buying guide.

Far infrared vs full spectrum

Among infrared saunas, the main technical choice is spectrum. Clearlight's Premier is far infrared only, at roughly 6 to 14 microns; the Sanctuary adds True Wave Full Spectrum heaters on the front wall that also emit near infrared (700 to 1,400 nm) and mid infrared (1,400 to 3,000 nm).

Which is better depends on your goals. The infrared-sauna evidence reviewed below comes from studies of far-infrared saunas. A full-spectrum cabin adds near infrared, which overlaps LED wavelengths, but as part of a broadband heat source rather than a specified band at a measured intensity, so findings from LED studies should not be assumed to carry over.

Wiring and timing matter too: the larger Sanctuary models need a dedicated 240V circuit, and the Premier's Full Spectrum Heater Upgrade is factory-installed, so it must be specified at order. Our Sanctuary vs Premier guide compares the lines model by model, or browse full-spectrum and far-infrared saunas separately.

What the research says, and where it stops

Sauna studies examine whole-body heating; photobiomodulation studies examine light at specific wavelengths and doses. Findings from one do not transfer to the other, and none below is a claim about a particular product.

Far-infrared saunas

A 2009 review by Beever in Canadian Family Physician assessed published evidence on far-infrared saunas and cardiovascular risk factors. It reported limited moderate evidence for far-infrared sauna in normalizing blood pressure and in congestive heart failure, fair evidence from a single study in chronic pain, and weak evidence from single studies in chronic fatigue syndrome and obesity. It also found consistent fair evidence refuting claims that far-infrared sauna lowers cholesterol.

Dry sauna bathing in general

A 2018 systematic review by Hussain and Cohen in Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine gathered 40 clinical studies with 3,855 participants; only 13 were randomized controlled trials, and most were small, with fewer than 40 participants. The authors concluded: "Regular dry sauna bathing has potential health benefits. More data of higher quality is needed on the frequency and extent of adverse side effects." The review covers dry sauna bathing broadly, not infrared cabins specifically; our infrared sauna benefits guide looks at the infrared studies in more detail.

Red and near-infrared light

Hamblin's review describes how cells absorb red and near-infrared light, a proposed mechanism rather than a finding about any device. A 2009 review in Dose-Response by Huang and colleagues describes a biphasic dose response frequently observed in low-level light therapy, in which low levels of light have a much better effect than higher levels, so a longer or stronger session is not automatically better.

Mats and domes

This guide cites no research on heated mats, PEMF mats or portable domes and draws no conclusions about their outcomes. For a buyer, the practical conclusion is modest: choose a format for fit, comfort, space and wiring, and read any promised health outcome with caution.

What to look for when shopping

Settle the format and, for a cabin, the spectrum first. Then compare these.

Heater technology and published EMF testing

Clearlight's True Wave heaters, used in its Sanctuary and Premier cabins and the Curve dome, are a carbon-ceramic design. Clearlight publishes EMF and ELF (extremely low frequency) figures for them, including a magnetic-field reading of under 1 milligauss measured directly on the heater, and links a 2016 survey of a single heater that it commissioned from an engineering firm. EMF here means the low-frequency fields from current in heaters and wiring, not the infrared itself; if it matters to you, ask where and how the readings were taken. Our infrared sauna EMF guide explains what the readings mean and how to check them.

Size and placement

A cabin needs a level, dry floor and clearance for the door and power connection; the two-person Premier IS-2 measures 50 by 44 inches. Our basement sauna and garage sauna guides cover those spaces.

Electrical service

Clearlight's indoor cabins fall into three groups.

Have a licensed electrician confirm capacity before ordering, including for an in-sauna CORE tower, which pushes most Clearlight models past their default circuit amperage and needs Clearlight's published circuit upgrade. Our sauna electricity cost guide shows how to estimate running costs.

Warranty

Clearlight lists a lifetime residential warranty on its cabin saunas (five years commercial); the Curve dome and Amethyst mat carry seven years residential, and Clearlight's red light towers five years. HealthyLine offers a 90-day money-back trial and a limited warranty of up to five years.

Room for other therapies later

Some owners add other modalities later, a practice often called therapy stacking: the CORE tower for red and near-infrared light inside the cabin, the AROMA ONE cool-mist diffuser, the HALO ONE halotherapy (salt therapy) device, or the Clearlight Plunge for alternating heat and cold. The research cited in this guide covers sauna heat and red and near-infrared light only, each studied separately; it did not examine aromatherapy, halotherapy or cold immersion, and no claim is made that combinations do more.

Safety basics

These precautions apply to every format above.

Frequently asked questions

Browse the full infrared sauna collection to compare cabins side by side.

Clearlight, Sanctuary, Premier, True Wave, Curve, CORE, AROMA ONE and HALO ONE are trademarks of Sauna Works, Inc., dba Clearlight Infrared. Sauna Republic is an authorized Clearlight dealer. Finnmark and Harvia are trademarks of their respective owners. This article is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Clearlight describes its products as general wellness products; their statements have not been evaluated by the FDA, and they are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. If you are pregnant, managing a heart, blood-pressure or other medical condition, or taking medication, consult a healthcare professional before use, and follow the manufacturer's safety guidance.