Infrared vs Traditional Sauna: What the Evidence Supports

Someone on the internet told you infrared saunas are better because they heat you from the inside. Someone else told you traditional saunas are the only real saunas and everything else is a warm lamp. Both of these people are very confident. Let’s see what the research thinks.

The short version: traditional Finnish saunas have the bigger evidence base. Infrared saunas have the smaller footprint and the lower electric bill. The question is not which one is scientifically superior. It is which one you will sit in often enough for it to matter.

The quick verdict

If you want…	Look at…
The type with the most health research behind it	Traditional sauna
Lower upfront cost and easier installation	Infrared sauna
Runs on a standard 120V outlet	Some infrared models (check specs)
Higher temperatures and steam option	Traditional sauna
Fits in a small space, apartment-friendly	Infrared sauna
The cultural experience with water on stones	Traditional sauna

How they work

A traditional Finnish sauna heats the air. An electric or wood-burning heater warms stones, the stones radiate heat into the room, and the room reaches 175 to 195 degrees Fahrenheit (80 to 90 degrees Celsius). You sit in hot air. Your core temperature rises. You sweat. You can throw water on the stones for steam, which makes the air feel hotter without changing the thermometer. The room does the work.

An infrared sauna uses panels that emit far-infrared radiation, a type of light your skin absorbs as heat. The air in the cabin stays cooler, typically 120 to 150 degrees Fahrenheit (49 to 65 degrees Celsius), but your body still heats up. You still sweat. The experience feels gentler because you are not breathing hot air, and many people find it more tolerable for longer sits.

Both raise core body temperature. Both make you sweat. The mechanism differs. Whether that mechanical difference matters for health is the question the research has not fully answered yet.

Side by side

	Traditional sauna	Infrared sauna
Cost range (2-person)	$3,000 to $8,000 + installation	$1,000 to $5,000
Power draw	4.5 to 9 kW, almost always 240V	1.5 to 3 kW, some models 120V
Heat-up time	20 to 40 minutes	10 to 20 minutes
Operating temperature	175 to 195°F (80 to 90°C)	120 to 150°F (49 to 65°C)
Space needed	Dedicated room or corner, 4 x 4 ft minimum, 7 ft ceiling	Can fit in a bedroom corner; some are portable
Installation	Framing, vapor barrier, 240V circuit (licensed electrician)	Many plug into a standard outlet; some larger units need 240V
Upkeep	Clean benches, check stones, occasional wood conditioning	Wipe panels, clean benches, check heating elements
Steam option	Yes (water on stones)	No

The most practical difference for most buyers is installation. A traditional sauna is a construction project. An infrared sauna is often a cabinet you plug in. That gap matters more than most people expect when they are deciding between two things they have never owned before.

What the evidence says about traditional saunas

The largest and most cited body of sauna research comes from Finland, where traditional saunas are used and the studies followed thousands of people over decades.

The Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study tracked 2,315 middle-aged men for over twenty years. Those who used a sauna four to seven times per week had significantly lower rates of fatal cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality compared to those who used one once a week [1]. The same cohort showed associations with lower risk of dementia and respiratory disease.

A systematic review of 40 studies found regular sauna use associated with improvements in blood pressure, vascular function and cardiovascular risk markers [2]. A narrative review in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings summarized that sauna bathing appears to have cardiovascular, respiratory and pain-related benefits, while noting that most evidence is observational [6].

These findings are observational. The men who used saunas seven times a week likely differed from those who used one once a week in ways the studies could not fully control for: fitness, stress, social connection, diet, alcohol use. Sauna bathing in Finland is also deeply cultural, which makes it hard to separate the practice from the lifestyle around it.

Evidence thermometer: warm. Large studies, long follow-up, consistent direction, meaningful effect sizes. But observational, predominantly male, predominantly Finnish. We have strong reasons to be interested. We do not have strong reasons to promise.

What the evidence says about infrared saunas

The research on infrared saunas is younger, smaller and more focused on specific conditions.

A review in the Canadian Family Physician examined far-infrared sauna studies for cardiovascular health. Several small trials using a Japanese protocol called Waon therapy, which involves 15 minutes in a far-infrared sauna at about 140 degrees Fahrenheit (60 degrees Celsius) followed by 30 minutes of bed rest under blankets, showed improvements in endothelial function, exercise tolerance and symptoms in patients with chronic heart failure [3]. These are clinical studies on patients with existing disease, not general-population outcomes.

A small trial on 20 patients with chronic heart failure found that two weeks of Waon therapy reduced a marker of oxidative stress [4]. A pilot study on 13 women with fibromyalgia showed reductions in pain and symptoms after 12 weeks of Waon therapy [5]. Both studies were small, unblinded and lacked control groups doing something equally restful, which matters because lying still under blankets for 30 minutes is itself a plausible intervention for pain and fatigue.

No large, long-term observational studies of the type that anchor the traditional sauna research exist for infrared saunas. We do not have twenty-year follow-up data on populations of infrared sauna users. The Mayo Clinic Proceedings review noted that infrared saunas show promise, particularly for people who cannot tolerate the heat of a traditional sauna, but emphasized the need for larger and longer studies [6].

Evidence thermometer: lukewarm. Small studies on specific conditions are interesting and generally positive. But the sample sizes are tiny, the follow-up is short, the protocols are specific (Waon therapy involves supervised bed rest, not sitting in a cabin and scrolling your phone), and nobody has run the kind of large observational study that makes the traditional sauna data compelling. Most of the confidence you see in infrared sauna marketing is borrowed from traditional sauna research, which studied a different modality at different temperatures.

The “detox” question

Both types of sauna make you sweat. Sweat is mostly water and salt with trace amounts of other substances. A few small studies have detected heavy metals or other compounds in sweat, but the amounts are tiny compared to what your liver and kidneys process daily [7]. The idea that infrared saunas produce a “deeper” or more purifying sweat than a traditional sauna is a marketing claim without supporting human evidence.

Your liver detoxes you. Your kidneys detox you. They do this around the clock, for free, with no brochure. A sauna makes you hot and sweaty, which is a pleasant experience. It is not a filtration system.

The month-six question

Infrared sauna in month six. You plug it in, wait 15 minutes, and get in. The electric bill barely moved. The cabin is in the spare room. Nobody had to install anything. You use it after work while listening to a podcast. The ease of it has kept you going. The temperature is gentle and you sometimes stay for 30 minutes.

Traditional sauna in month six. The sauna is in the basement. It heats in 25 minutes. You walk down, throw water on the stones, and sit in real heat. The electric bill went up. You needed an electrician. But the experience is satisfying in a way the infrared cabin was not when you tried one. The heat is serious. The steam is good. You use it three times a week and it has become the best part of your evening.

The infrared sauna has lower friction. The traditional sauna has a more immersive experience. Most people who quit using either quit because of friction, not because of temperature. Buy accordingly.

Cost per session

Infrared sauna (2-person cabin, mid-range):

• Purchase price: $2,500
• Installation: $0 (plug-in 120V model)
• Electricity per session (30 minutes at 1.8 kW, $0.15/kWh): about $0.14
• Annual maintenance: $25
• Total first-year cost: $2,525
• Realistic use: 3 sessions per week
• Year one cost per session: $2,525 / 156 = $16.19
• Year two onward per session: ($25 + $0.14 x 156) / 156 = $0.30

Traditional sauna (2-person indoor kit, mid-range):

• Purchase price: $5,500
• Installation (framing, vapor barrier, electrical): $2,000
• Electricity per session (30 minutes at 6 kW, $0.15/kWh): about $0.45
• Annual maintenance: $50
• Total first-year cost: $7,550
• Realistic use: 3 sessions per week
• Year one cost per session: $7,550 / 156 = $48.40
• Year two onward per session: ($50 + $0.45 x 156) / 156 = $0.77

The infrared sauna costs roughly a third as much upfront and a third as much to run. If the research base is your deciding factor, the traditional sauna has more behind it. If budget, space and installation are the deciding factors, the infrared sauna is meaningfully easier. Both are cheap to run once the upfront cost is absorbed.

What to actually buy

If you go traditional: an indoor kit from an established manufacturer in the $4,000 to $7,000 range with a properly sized heater. Have a licensed electrician handle the 240V circuit. Budget for framing and a vapor barrier if the room is not already set up. Cedar or hemlock are the common wood choices. Avoid the cheapest imported kits unless you are comfortable replacing the heater or control board.

If you go infrared: a full-spectrum or far-infrared cabin from a company that publishes its panel specifications and EMF readings. Budget $1,500 to $4,000 for a two-person unit. Check that the heaters are carbon or ceramic panels, not just a few bulbs behind a grille. Make sure the cabin fits through your doorway.

For either: the best sauna is the one you will still be using in February. I like a hotter sit in a traditional sauna. That is a preference, not a prescription. If you know yourself well enough to know that anything requiring an electrician will sit unused, the infrared cabin that plugs in and works tonight is the better buy.

Check with a clinician first. Talk to a doctor before using heat or cold therapy if you have heart disease, high or low blood pressure, a history of fainting, are pregnant, have Raynaud’s or take medicines that affect heart rate, blood pressure or heat tolerance. Don’t combine sauna or cold water with alcohol, and never plunge alone. Get out and get help if you feel chest pain, dizziness, confusion or numbness; in an emergency call 911.

Related reading: Barrel Sauna vs Indoor Sauna: Which One Will You Actually Use? | Sauna and Heart Health: What the Research Actually Shows