Far Infrared Saunas

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Looking for the best far infrared sauna with low emf for home use?  I was too… Why does finding a good honest sauna company have to be so complicated? It’s like they’re all gunning to rake you over the coals, they all say their sauna is the best on the market, and every single one of them usually imports from China, despite what their marketing claims say. Nothing wrong with things from China, but do you have to lie about it?  I had so much trouble finding the best safe low emf far infrared sauna brands, that I started reviewing infrared saunas to help other people avoid spending thousands of dollars on false marketing claims from Amazon and Costco saunas like I did. It’s been a long road, but I’m confident now that I’ve found better options that are more affordable.

Update – 02/10/19 – These are the 3 best sauna brands that tested the best

The right far infrared sauna for your needs, is going to come down to a combination between your budget, size (is it just for you, or is it for the whole family to use?), and what your most important benefit you’d like to get from your infrared sauna is? For some people it’s losing weight, for others it’s detoxing harmful chemicals or trying to heal Lyme disease. Or if you happen to be anything like me, and be in a similar situation where you’ve had mercury amalgam fillings, and you need to detox from heavy metals, boy oh boy are you in the right place. I was seeing a functional medicine doctor after I had my amalgams removed, and the only thing that got me into infrared saunas in the first place, was that my kidneys and liver were already taxed too much for heavy metal chelation. After months of research, one of the only options to detox heavy metals and avoid further stress on the body/organs, is through the skin. After buying several cheap saunas from Costco, Amazon, etc… I would later find out that they have SUPER HIGH EMF levels. I spent over $1,000.00 dollars JUST on emf meters, and have tested over $22,000.00 dollars worth of infrared equipment thus far. My hope is that my sauna reviews will help people save time, money, frustration, and mos importantly… wasted time not feeling better. I suffered for months and years with brain fog, fatigue, anxiety, and depression. But it doesn’t have to take that long… you can be on your way to better health in far less time. Hopefully my sauna reviews will save you from having to spend the thousands I spent buying them, and avoid high emf models from China that lie to you and tell you they’re “no emf.”

*Disclosure: I now sell saunas after having been through this whole health experience, and finding out just how few sauna companies there are that you can actually trust. When I originally wrote this article I did not sell anything, but after buying several of the most popular sauna brands that turned out to be terrible, it became clear that I should. I only recommend the brands that I believe in, and would personally tell my friends and family to buy that are certified safe low emf.


The Best Far Infrared Sauna On The Market For Home Use

Update – I changed my recommendation here after finding and using the . It’s the sauna I use everyday now, and have helped many people replace their older saunas with…. every single one has been happy as a clam! In my opinion, it’s the best value for the money, and is often better than most top rated brands because of the full body 360 degree far infrared coverage. I don’t know of any other sauna on the market that wraps your body in this much FIR coverage, and you can’t beat it for the price.

I no longer recommend the SaunaSpace NIR unit either, as $3,000.00 for some bulbs, a stick frame, and a tent is damn near highway robbery. You can see my SaunaSpace review here, and check out all my infrared sauna reviews here. The DIY NIR units I was building can get you by in a pinch, but in no way shape or form match the deep penetrating sweat of the far infrared saunas. It’s like night and day! (plus, you could ass those bulbs to ANY sauna for less than $200 bucks, so it’s almost irrelevant at this point…)


Why Are Far Infrared Sauna Reviews So Contradictory In Forums & Facebook Groups When Comparing Sauna Brands?

I’m sure you’ve seen it already if you’ve done any searching:  everyone you talk to says their sauna is the best, Sunlighten is better than Clearlight, then another person will say Sunlighten has super high EMF levels… It’s like, geez guys, how does a normal person that’s looking to improve their health make sense of all this bullshit?

And let’s be real here, for most of us, a $5,000.00 purchase decision is not a small thing you make on a whim. You want to know you’re buying something that’s reliable, non toxic, doesn’t have dangerous levels of EMF inside, etc…

My gripe with a lot of the forums and Facebook sauna detox groups, is that they usually become Nazis about only recommending one brand. It’s as if there is only **ONE** solution on the entire planet that can help you detox heavy metals. I’ve found, this simply isn’t the case in almost any area of life, and you can usually find evidence of people doing things successfully multiple ways. (it’s like saying only one type of business can make money when there are literally hundreds of types doing it daily right in front of your face! Why would a Lowe’s open up across the street from a Home Depot?)

After that, it usually becomes a battle of the brands, whereby you have ill informed people running around becoming keyboard warriors reviewing saunas they’ve never step foot in. Egos get in the way of actually helping people, people start putting profit over people, and in the end it just becomes one giant cluster fuck of inexperienced sheeple buying into a belief system that simply isn’t accurate.

I can’t stand people that force everyday Joe’s into buying things they can’t afford, simply because they use fear marketing in times of suffering. I’m specifically referring to people that are in ill health like I was, and finding some of these sauna groups and forums, and people bullying them into spending money they don’t have, simply because they’re made to believe that if they don’t buy this ONE brands of sauna, they won’t truly be able to heal.

That is just untrue, and it’s very unfortunate because so many people are suffering like I was, and are in a very vulnerable state like I was. That was the fuel to start these sauna reviews in the first place, because I was vulnerable, and bought into so many sauna scams like “zero emf” it’s not even funny. I figured if it was that hard for me to find a good far infrared sauna, it must be damn near impossible for some people suffering from the same brain fog, anxiety, fatigue I had.

My point is, there IS a sauna solution for people of all budgets, sizes, and types. It might not be the same brand for everyone, nor will it be the same size or electrical requirements either.

Some people simply can’t hookup a 20amp breaker in their apartments, won’t be able to run 220 for a larger sauna, or simply don’t have the space for some giant sauna enclosure in their home. Nor will they be able to afford it since most of their money already goes toward their health expenses as it is!

Then in other cases, another person may have the budget for a bigger sauna, or be buying it for a sick relative, and needs the whole family to use it in order to keep sickness at bay. Whatever your needs, there will be a sauna model that works for you and your budget, and there won’t be any bullying or hard sales tactics found here.I commonly recommend sauna brands and options to people that I could never make a dime off of… unlike some other people, I don’t make a living from selling saunas. 😉

If you want to buy a sauna that’s great. If you’re just researching sauna options, that’s fine too… no pressure at all. (I wasted over 4 months researching saunas before I would even buy my first one…. everyone said I had to buy a $5k dollars one, and that was a lot of money for me at the time. I was hesitant to spend that kind of money without knowing for SURE it was the right one. After calling several sauna companies, and realizing how pushy the salespeople were, I felt even more confused. It wasn’t until months later and testing several saunas, that I would finally find the best options without all the nonsense)


Why Cheap Far Infrared Portable Saunas Are Dangerous

I bought two different brands of portable far infrared saunas, and both of them were made with the foot heaters in direct contact with your skin. Now a lot of people are worried about the potential toxins that might be present in the fabric enclosure, since they are usually imported from China, and you never know what might be in them. But for my low emf testing, I was more concerned with having the body in contact with the emitters.

One of the models I purchased wasn’t too bad on the emf levels, but the other one was SKY HIGH, with over 60 milliguass right near your back. Mind you, this thing was advertised as “low emf” so I don’t really trust any company anymore unless I test it myself. (see all of my sauna reviews here) Because of the way portable far infrared saunas are designed, they inherently don’t offer much in the way of emf protection, and your body is always going to be close (if not touching) the heating elements, wiring, etc…

Not everyone is such a stickler for low emf as I am though, but if you’re looking for a low emf sauna, a portable far infrared unit is definitely not the way to go.

  • See my Durherm portable sauna review here
  • See the Radiant portable sauna review here

I’m sure some of them aren’t toxic, and can get you by on a super tight budget until you can save up for a full size sauna. But I wouldn’t use one as a long term solution… the close quarters just allow for a design that keeps the electrical far enough away from your body to yield low emf exposure in most cases.


There Are Other Sauna Brands That Manufacture High Quality Commercial Grade Far Infrared Saunas

The the sauna brands I listed above as the best residential sauna options on the market, aren’t the only good sauna companies on the planet. There are several others, I just don’t think it’s necessary for us to spend $10k on an infrared sauna, just to get the benefits we need at home.

I don’t recommend these other sauna companies in the buyers guide, unless you happen to be a chiropractor, medical doctor, or some other commercial use application that will be having tens or hundreds of people using the sauna per month. Residential use just doesn’t cause that much wear and tear to justify the almost double overall cost to buy a commercial grade unit.

In a doctor office application, then it becomes a wear and tear need, and there are some other commercial grade sauna companies that build specialty saunas that accommodate wheelchairs, heavy weight loads for 6+ people usage at a single time, and so forth…

For most people however, it’s more of a hassle to set these up even if they can afford it. Usually a dedicated circuit is required to run the sauna, which is next to impossible to run in an apartment or condo, and very expensive to have an electrician retrofit an older home with new conduit, unless you happen to have a covered pool patio, and can do exterior wiring… the weight of the sauna is often triple that of a normal home far infrared sauna, so shipping is more, you need more hands on deck for assembly, etc…

If this applies to you, contact me privately and I can make some recommendations for you. I don’t sell these, so it will be just me helping you out with solid recommendations for a medical application.


How Much Does A Far Infrared Sauna Cost On Average?

I hate this bait and switch a lot of the sauna companies do to you… making me sign up for an email list and giving my phone number, before ever even showing me the price. It’s like, come on guys, we know you’re only going to hound the ever living shit outta me, why not just tell me that up front ya know?

But I digress… there isn’t much I can do about this. However, I can tell you around about how much most of the far infrared saunas cost, within a couple hundred dollars of so, plus or minus without shipping. Some sauna companies offer “free” shipping, but they’re usually padding the retail price to do so, whereas others just charge whatever the shipping costs.

On average, a far infrared sauna costs anywhere from $1,000 – $6,000 dollars, and this is DEFINITELY a case of you get what you pay for.

On the low end, Costco and Amazon has far infrared saunas for under a thousand dollars, but they are stuffed with high emf heaters, and the build quality usually sucks. You can check out some of my reviews of the cheap ones I bought in the beginning of my sauna journey to see which ones to stay away from at all costs.

Update – I got this and have been very happy with it compared to the others I bought.

Do You Really Need To Spend $12k On An Infrared Sauna To Get The Benefits You Need?

The average 1 – 2 person infrared sauna, costs between $2k – $4k dollars. That is a pretty hefty range, but there are also a lot of different options like, types of heaters, power output, build quality, plywood or hardwood options, ultra lot emf ratings, etc…

The average 2 – 4 person infrared saunas, cost between $3,500 – $6,500.00 dollars, with the high end usually being unnecessary for most people. The best sauna for home use usually comes in at around $3,000.00 – $4,000.00 dollars, and the price difference will comes down to size most of the time.

But you don’t HAVE to spend that much just to get what you need… which is what none of the sauna companies themselves will tell you. Hell, there is a sauna that only costs $1,800.00 bucks, that will detox everything under the sun, and is a safe low emf far infrared sauna for that price. The only drawback is that it is small, and won’t work for couples or family use.

But if you’re a single person, and only need a 1 person sauna, there are affordable options that don’t cost an arm and a leg… Just like there are affordable 2 person saunas that will get the job done, and look awesome, that don’t cost $5,000.00 dollars either!

One Caveat To The Infrared Sauna Pricing

On average, most people spend around $3k – $4k on their sauna. The only thing I would recommend, is getting one slightly bigger if you can’t decide between a smaller model and a larger model. This isn’t because I want you to spend more money, it’s because I originally started out with a 1 person sauna, and once I tried a bigger 2 – 3 person model, it made the whole experience better.

You can stretch out more, bring in extra books, have places for towels, invite others to join you, etc… It really does make a difference, and is totally worth the extra $500 bucks for the extra space in most cases. Just make sure you’re not overlooking the power requirement… as some saunas that are bigger also bump up the power outlet requirements to 220, which isn’t practical for most people.

An infrared sauna is something you’ll have and love for life… invest a little extra in yourself here, and it’ll treat you well.


A Review Of Each Sauna Company I’ve Tested For Low EMF

The companies listed above aren’t the only far infrared sauna brands I’ve tested, just the ones I recommend and would trust with my own family.

Here is a list of other saunas I’ve reviewed, and either gotten rid or or sent back, and do not reocmmend:

  • Dynamic Saunas (Golden Designs Inc)
  • JNH Lifestyles “no emf” FIR
  • Clearlight “full spectrum”
  • Sunlighten M Pulse
  • Relax
  • Radiant Sauna
  • Therasauna

What Really Matters In A Sauna

  • Output Coverage
  • True Low EMF (none of this “3rd party verified” bullshit reports either, where they take the heaters out of the sauna itself, and test them on the ground… of course they’re going to be lower emf then!)
  • Cost VS Value
  • The Right Benefits For Your Needs

These Stupid Sauna “Review” Sites That Are Nothing More Than Glorified Amazon Affiliate Sites, Have Never Tested A Single Sauna A Day In Their Life

If you google “far infrared sauna reviews” or “best far infrared sauna” you’ll see what I’m talking about. These “review” websites put together top 10 lists of all the saunas sold on Amazon, Costco, etc… I bought into two of those scams, and purchased the supposedly low emf Dynamic sauna, which has levels over 100 milliguass in it.

Next I bought the JNH Lifestyles Ensi, which was supposed to be a “NO EMF” sauna that turned out to be a low emf sauna. False marketing, filled with sawdust when I got it, poor build quality made from cheap thin plywood scraps, under powered, and didn’t generate a deep penetrating detox sweat. I could go on and on about all the saunas I’ve tried. Bottom line, almost all of the saunas sold on Amazon and Costco, are junk imported from China with no quality control.

You have idiots that literally just go to Amazon, pick out saunas they can make money on, then put together a “sauna comparison review” with nothing more than a list of the top brands listed on Amazon:

  • JNH Lifestyles
  • HeatWave
  • Crystal Saunas
  • Dynamic Saunas
  • Radiant Saunas

Every single one of these is nothing more than an imported cabinet from China, which you can clearly see here on the shipping/importation manifesto that I dug up. Some of these companies even go so far as to register a fake LLC or DBA, so it doesn’t appear as though they import from the Chinese supplier they use. Shady as fuck, and the bottom line is, if you don’t see a guy with a video of him actually in the sauna with an emf meter, it can’t be trusted.


Low EMF Is #1 (especially if you have any metal in your mouth)

The first far infrared sauna I ever bought was from Costco, and it had over 100mg magnetic fields inside. I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone with heavy metal accumulation, since your body may become more antennae like than a regular person.


Full Spectrum Infrared: Marketing Hoax Or Legit Improvement In Infrared Benefits?

Meh, it’s like I always say… Far infrared is the workhorse in any of these “full spectrum” saunas.

Most of it is just marketing hype, and here’s why:

If you were to take any one of these full spectrum far infrared saunas, and do a session in one with everything turned on right out the box, you’ll get a good feel for it.  Then, if you were to unplug the “full spectrum” portion of the heaters in the next session you did, to where you were ONLY getting the far infrared, you would have a very similar sweating experience.

The reason being, is that the majority of the sweat inducing core temperature increase while you’re in the sauna, is due to the far infrared heat. Sure, there can be healing benefits of near infrared, but if you look at the scientific studies closely, normally you have to be within inches of the NIR source for the skin to even absorb it.  This makes a full spectrum NIR unit effectiveness, questionable at best.

At least that’s my take on it, and I didn’t think it was worth the extra money for me to bother with it, especially now that you can add NIR panels to any infrared sauna with a simple kit.


Resources:

DIY Sauna Course

14 thoughts on “Far Infrared Saunas”

  1. Matt.. what are the 3 recommended saunas? I’ve scrubbed several of your posts and I’m not finding the recommendations. ?? Thanks!

    Reply
  2. Hi Matt,
    So you do not currently have 1 that you would recommend? I actually purchased a JNH sauna (scammed, I know- they won’t take it back as it’s been 8 months since purchase, and they swear up and down it’s low EMF!), and would love to buy a true low emf sauna. Help!
    Anne

    Reply
    • Hey Anne,

      Sooooo, this is a tough time for me to answer this question. I’m hesitant to recommend any brand right this second, until I get done testing the rest of them. I have several at my house now, it’s just taking a little while to disassemble the old ones, and run the new ones through the gamut. There IS a JNH Ensi that’s low emf (I have it right now), but it has far too weak of a power supply to detox honey from a bee. The other models are definitely NOT low emf. The NO/ZERO EMF thing, from any company, is a total scam… I have videos coming out about that. (rule of thumb: if it plugs into a wall, it has emf. How much, and whether or not it’s harmful or not? That’s what we have to find out)

      When I first got my amalgams removed, and the functional med doc said my organs were too weak for chelation, I thought all I’d have to do was order a good sauna from Amazon and I’d be good to go. Well, when I first got it, I also recommended a few of the similar sauna models to the one I bought, and people have already bought them. Needless to say, I feel really bad about that, and I want to make DAMN SURE anything I recommend from here on out is 100%, without question, a good solid recommendation.

      I know that probably isn’t what you want to hear since you need something yesterday just like I do. Just thought I’d elaborate on why I took down the recommended brands for now, instead of just saying yes or no to your question. But as far as I know, I’m the only person I’ve seen test $22,000 dollars worth of saunas with multiple meters, and truly find out if they’re low emf or not. If you give me a little bit more time, I’ll have at least 2 that will be rock solid for everyone. Point being, I’m creating what I wish someone else would have made, before I bought my terrible saunas. (when you will be able to watch a video, and see firsthand what you’re buying is safe, it will make a world of difference)

      Are there any particular brands you want tested? Currently the list is: Dynamic Saunas, JNH Lifestyles, Sunlighten, Clearlight, Therasauna, Rocky Mountain Saunas, High Tech Health, Heavenly Heat, and SaunaRay.

      The only thing I can say with 100% certainty that is ultra low emf (under 1 milliguass), is a SaunaSpace if you’re into NIR.

      Reply
  3. Hi Matt,

    Wondering if you have any recommendations on a one person Clearlight vs the Heavenly Heat? I’ve done as much research as my brain can take over many months and want to purchase one this month. Any help would be greatly appreciated

    Reply
  4. Hi Tom,

    It’s going to be a while. What you probably don’t know, is that there are bout 45 videos I took down on YouTube that explain all this stuff. Some of my old content has misguided information in it, and needs to be reworked. It was an ethical decision to remove it (and all the sauna brand recommendations) as to not mislead anyone.

    I uploaded a smi related video yesterday, that talks about my ecommerce store solution that I’ve been working on to solve all this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ggtb7KsMGy4

    Reply
  5. I am windering related to safety of Solarus Saunas, how they rate re. EMFs, ELFs, etc. This has no wifi etc. in this particular one.

    Reply
  6. So if I understand you correctly, there is NO infrared sauna that the average person can afford that is safe to use. People like me on disability living on a fixed income or family barely making ends meet or college student don’t have a spare $2,000+ in our back pockets to spend. Can scratch up $300-$500 but none of them are safe for that price I guess. Will have to learn to live with aches and pains and no detoxing or getting a little better health with a sauna. Such is life for the poorer people.

    Reply

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