Relax Sauna Review

Content may contain affiliate links

The Relax Sauna (portable far infrared sauna tent) has been a front runner in the portable sauna showdown for the last two months. Truth be told, when I first used the Relax Sauna, I didn’t like it. But the reality was, I didn’t really like any portable sauna.

Yep, they just weren’t for me. I didn’t have them set up right, I wasn’t comfortable in them, and I was spoiled from using tall larger wooden saunas built for several people.

However, over the last two years, folks have been asking and asking for portable sauna reviews, and while I was resistant to do them again, the need pressed on from subscribers.

So I set out to do what I always do: test everything in house, my way, with no outsider influences.

To be candid with you, this is kind of a pain in the ass. I mean rooms full of portable saunas, week after week using them, filming them, getting other people to use them…

As you can imagine, this is only fun for a little while. But when you get into the nitty gritty of it all, the devil is in the details like usual.

So enough rambling… how did the Relax Sauna perform in the testing?


The Relax Sauna Is A Top Performer
Among 9 Portable Saunas

Now, remember when I said I didn’t like the Relax Sauna the first time I used it?

I also didn’t have a room full of every portable sauna brand on the planet to compare it too either.

As the weeks went on over the last two months, I would use the Relax Sauna, then a similar portable like a Synergy or Therasage… and then try a $200 Amazon portable sauna against them all.

I continued this several times, and started to get a real world feel for them. One or two uses, or god forbid just throwing up a review like some influencers do (without even owning the product) just isn’t enough to notice the nuances between them all.


Performance

The Relax Sauna is by far the fastest heating sauna out of all the portables. I would even go so far as to say it is the hottest out of all of them as well.

The far infrared delivery is much different than the others, since you get a low slow heat that rises from the wall panels in most portable infrared saunas.

In the Relax Sauna, the portable sauna tent does not have panels in the side walls, and all of the heat rises from the generators in the floor.

This not only builds a fast strong heat that is unique to this portable sauna, but it also makes it the only portable sauna on the market that has a multi-fold tent.

(meaning, the tent folds up like a sun visor… much much smaller than any other on the market.)

That said, if you’re looking for the smallest, most portable infrared sauna for travel, this might be it.


EMF & VOC’s

If you know me at all, you know I’m an absolute stickler for EMF and VOC’s in saunas. It’s supposed to be a healing piece of equipment, so when sauna companies start with the bullshit mumbo jumbo that doesn’t live up to the claims, I get a little heated.

Before I even tell you my thoughts on this sauna, you should know up front that no portable sauna on the market is perfect.

Let me say that again…

There is no portable sauna on the market that is absolutely perfect. Everyone wants fast heating, no emf, no voc, under 10lbs, less than $200 bucks, and blah blah… it just isn’t going to happen.

Every portable sauna on the market has some level of EMF, VOC, and cost compromise associated with it. The Relax Sauna is no exception. It has some magnetic fields down by the feet, and a slight odor when unpacking the tent for the first time and heating it up. I’m not super sensitive to this, but compared to some of the other portable saunas that fill an entire room with off-gassing you can smell down the hall, this is much better.

Is It The Best Portable Sauna On The Market?

That said, I’m beginning to become a bit more lenient with my ways, because I recognize that there are a TON of folks out there who either don’t have the money for a sauna, don’t have the space, are renting an apartment like I was and are NOT in their forever home, travel for business a lot, and on and on…

So one of my mistakes of being so critical of portable saunas early on, was not taking into account the needs of others in different situations.

I’m telling you all of this because a “not – so – perfect” portable sauna can still give you healing heat therapy in any space, which is better than no infrared therapy at all in my opinion now, after years of doing this.

Bottom line: after testing all of the portable saunas, the Relax is a good option given the EMF is kept at the feet and VOC’s are minimal. Some folks may not agree with that, but all of the other portable saunas have the same hurdles with such a small cabin.


My Review

My review of the Relax Sauna is not over with. I’m still using it during the 30 for 30 sauna challenge on YouTube every night, and comparing it with other portable saunas.

But I’ve seen enough (and felt enough really) to know for certain that it is one of the top performers among all the portable saunas.

Maybe there are some points about it that aren’t for everybody, (for instance Chris doesn’t like the timer noise or something, meanwhile he’s sweating bullets lol), but overall it’s a super solid performer considering everything on the market in 2020 – 2021.


Conslusion: Buy It Or Not?

So Matt, you’ve said a ton here… a lot of it context, experiences, and opinion.

But I need a damn sauna, and I need it now. Should I buy this or not?

Haha, hopefully you get my humor. 🙂

If you’re looking for a portable sauna, and you want one of the best, you should definitely buy the Relax Sauna.

It isn’t the cheapest portable sauna on the market, but if you want a deep penetrating sweat, that can fit almost anywhere, and give you that big heat feel in a small package, this is it.

When I use my Relax Sauna compared to other far infrared portable saunas, I seem to sweat faster and at a higher heat in less time.


Relax Sauna Discount For Subscribers

If the Relax Sauna is right for you, Phil has given me a discount code for my subscribers. Heads up also, the price is going up next month according to Relax… not trying to push you into anything, just wanted you to know ahead of time if whatever I say in the videos changes later.

To purchase your Relax Sauna, go to www.relaxsaunas.com and use coupon code justice for an additional discount for my subscribers.

32 thoughts on “Relax Sauna Review”

    • Hi Dory,

      I probably wouldn’t compare it to wooden saunas at all without more details on what you’re looking for? The portables are not like the wooden saunas in my opinion, but I am biased there (and I’m also thinking of each aspect wrapped up into one: comfort, seating position, emf, quality of sweat, etc…).

      If you just mean does it get hot enough for a good sweat, sure of course. The the heat delivery is pretty different compared to a wooden FIR sauna though.

      Reply
    • Hi Blake,

      Depends on what you’re looking for and exactly what your most important criteria is… most of the portable saunas are performing fairly well for their category, but a couple have features the other doesn’t and vice versa.

      If you can tell me a bit about what you’re looking for in a portable, I can help narrow it down for you. (I’ve used them all back to back this week)

      Reply
  1. Hi Matt. Thanks for all of your information.
    When you read the Relax Suns website info it seems that the FIR is safer and more therapeutic and deeper penetrating than NIR spectrum. If looking for therapeutic effect vs just sweat detox do you feel the FIR is better option?
    I was thinking about building your DIY in your course but seems that is mostly NIR.
    To make matters more confusing Relax website produces literature and videos comparing the 2 that make it seem NIR might be dangerous for skin and collagen. Is there a way to add more FIR to your DIY? Thoughts
    Best Steve

    Reply
    • Hi Steve,

      I don’t think I can explain this in detail in a comment. Happy to make you a video though. If you browse some of my other videos on youtube, you’ll see that I don’t believe there is such a thing as a near infrared sauna. I only call it that in order to avoid even more confusion. (it’s really a heat lamp sauna)

      But at the end of the day, all of these solutions will work. If I have unlimited budget, my choice is a large fir sauna. But not everyone has the space or budget for that, so we’ve come up with tiered solutions for different applications.

      That said, the Relax Sauna is the hottest portable sauna out of all the portable saunas I’ve tested.

      In my opinion, the most important thing is to be sweating as quickly as possible. Any of your options will do that for you, just comes down to space, time, budget, etc…

      Reply
  2. Hi Matt, appreciate all the work you put into your reviews! You mentioned that Relax Sauna is “one of the best” instead of simply saying “the best”, so I assume you’re implying that there is a better one out there 🙂

    Which brand would you say is the #1 absolute best portable sauna out there? Money is not really a huge issue, I just want the very safest in terms of EMF and VOC. Thank you in advance if you get the time to share your thoughts!

    Reply
    • Hi Chris,

      This is me being the most objective, most honest I can possibly be.

      For context: None of the portable saunas on the market today are perfect. Some have high voc, some have high emf, some are in between, etc… and no single one of them is immune to that. I was searching for one that was almost non existent emf, zero voc, really good fir saturation, and wasn’t $3k because you may as well buy a wooden sauna at that point. It doesn’t exist.

      That said, there can’t be a single best in my book. It would have to be perfect to be the best. However, there is a best for your particular needs or hierarchy of priorities when shipping for a portable sauna.

      For example, if you want the hottest portable sauna out of the bunch, that folds up into the smallest travel package, then the relax is the best choice for that. Hope that makes sense.

      Reply
      • Thank you for your insight! The reason I wouldn’t get a wooden sauna (like the Radiant Health that you recommend elsewhere) is that I live in a small studio where it would not be possible to find room for something like that (I am renting it pre-furnished, and it is fairly cramped, plus it would be difficult to move something heavy like that in given my specific circumstance). I know you’ve said elsewhere that Saunaspace is way overpriced, and I also don’t want to wait the 12-14 week delivery time they’ve stated on their website (I’m getting a sauna to work on detoxing and improving some chronic health conditions I have, so time is of the essence). Is there anything that is better than a Relax Sauna (in terms of low EMF/VOC), if we exclude Saunaspace and exclude relatively bulky wooden saunas (like Radiant Health or Clearlight)? I’m willing to overpay even (and would have considered Saunaspace if not for the long wait time) for something that is super safe and can be used in my apartment.

        Reply
        • Ah, makes more sense now Chris… In this case I’d say the Relax is your best bet.

          I get what you mean, always pros and cons to everything. For folks with budget being a primary a concern, I made the DIY course: https://saunacourses.com/p/diy-infrared-sauna-guide

          But even that isn’t perfect, even though I made it from scratch. Based on what you’re saying, I’d say the Relax is the right choice for you. Alternatively it would be the Therasage or Synergy in no particular order. (they feel much the same)

          Reply
          • Got it! Last question if you don’t mind: Even though Relax, Therasage, and Synergy all feel basically the same, which one is best in terms of EMF/VOC? (or are they all so low that it doesn’t matter for all practical purposes)

            Will use your referral code regardless of which one I end up buying to support you, thanks again!

          • Hi Chris,

            No the Therasage and Synergy feel the same, Relax has it’s own feel. (and feels a bit hotter because the enclosure holds the heat/moisture a bit more. If you watch the 30 for 30 sauna challenge I did on youtube, you can see Chris’ opinion on using them… he’d never been in saunas before.)

            Relax has a bit higher EMF by the feet than the others, but VOC’s are lower once it airs out. The other two, body voltage and mag/electric fields are similar.

            I don’t want to mislead you… they all have some level of EMF/VOC due to the nature of the enclosures.

          • Cool! I’ll probably go with the Relax then if you’ve seen that it has the lowest VOC levels.

            For the EMF, I was thinking I could just get EMF-shielding hats and boxers to protect the most sensitive areas of the body. Such as:

            https://getlambs.com/products/faraday-boxer-briefs
            https://getlambs.com/products/emf-proof-beanie
            https://www.amazon.com/EMFProtector-Radiation-Protection-Briefs-Blutooth/dp/B084Z96ZYN

            Saw a lot of options on Amazon, not sure if you’ve tried this idea before or think it could work

  3. Oh one more thing to add to my message earlier this morning: Is the Relax portable sauna lower in EMF/ELF/VOC than both Therasage and Synergy? I couldn’t find any exact stats on your website

    Reply
  4. Matt. Any thoughts re saunaspace thermalight bulbs? If extra price not an issue, do you feel they offer advantages over the ruby light or Phillips for their wider therapeutic wave spectrum along with heat produced described on the website ?
    Best Steve

    Reply
  5. Hi Matt,
    I was on the Relax site to research after reading your review. I came across this customer’s question which left me wondering how you would answer it, as now it’s stuck with me as it seems valid. Would you have a look? In its entirety here:

    Marc S. check VERIFIED PURCHASE
    2020-07-21
    I’ve had my Relax Sauna for a few weeks now, and I can certainly testify that it heats up very quickly, gets VERY hot, and induces a lot of sweating!

    Beyond that, however, I have some reservations. It’s easy to observe that most of the heat is coming from convection, not far infrared, because of FANS blowing air across the heat elements. This is why the unit heats up so fast and gets so hot. Pure Far Infrared radiation would not produce this effect. I did not know that the unit uses fans until I had already received it, and I don’t like the effect of all the heat produced by convection, which is not at all the same as Far Infrared radiation.

    I have another concern also, which is that while Far Infrared radiation travels in a straight line, in the Relax Sauna the user is not positioned in front of the far infrared generating units. The idea is that instead the far infrared radiation is supposed to be reflected off the inside surfaces of the tent and reach the body that way. In the promotional literature, the tent is described as acting like a “mirror light box”. Well, a mirror light box sounds like the right idea, but the inside of the tent is a blue nylon fabric that is not very reflective. I did research and found out that infrared radiation does not generally penetrate fabrics very well, but is instead absorbed (the degree of penetration is highly variable with the type of fabric, but in all cases the fabric blocks a large percentage of infrared radiation).

    So how much far infrared radiation is actually reaching the user in the sauna? It’s a big question mark, and when I am in the sauna I’m so overwhelmed by all the fan-blown convected hot air that I cannot sense far infrared radiation at all (and I have a lot of previous experience with an infrared sauna).

    The company has provided detailed data on the amount of EMFs present at different locations insides the sauna. This is good, but we also need similar data for the presence (or lack thereof) of actual far infrared radiation at various locations inside the sauna — not just right in front of the heaters. When
    accurate data of this type can be provided, it might help me feel confident that this sauna is actually working as it is claimed. Until then, I’m not so sure.

    I had a conversation with Phil Wilson about some of these issues, but at that time I had only had the sauna for one day. But I can say that Phil is a great guy, was very willing to consider my questions, and we had a very good conversation. I think Phil’s support is a real asset for users of this sauna.

    But on the whole, I’m a little disappointed with the Relax Sauna. It really seems just like a very hot box of convected, fan-blown, hot air. I’ll need a lot more reliable evidence before I’m convinced that the far infrared radiation is actually reaching my body, even though I do believe that the heaters are producing it as claimed. In the meantime, yes, I do get a good sweat, but this is a very expensive unit if most of what I’m getting is just convected heat from the fans blowing air over the hot elements.

    I wish there was more real accurately measured data about what this unit is actually doing.

    Reply
    • Hi Alita,

      That’s a valid concern depending on what you’re looking for. I had the same reaction when I first used it, but when I started putting other people in it and they sweat pretty darn good for a portable, it does indeed work well.

      Based on what you’re saying here, why not just buy something else?

      Aside from that, I’ll have to think about how you’d measure this. I know for a fact that it raises core temp, but you’re basically talking about the amount of mobilization in the subcutaneous layer, due to direct infrared stimulation on the target zone. (or lack thereof if I understand you correctly)

      The only thing that comes to mind at present, is measuring sweat contents between saunas.

      Reply
    • Hi Alita, Do you feel the same now about the sauna? I was leaning toward it but after reading your comment I’m unsure too. Clearly we want the benefit of the Infrared and not just the heat!

      thanks!

      Reply
    • Hi Alita

      This is a concern of mine as well.

      I want the numbers and compare to the wooden ones. I’ve not yet tried one but did just get a relax. They claim it produces far more FIR than any competition portable or not.

      Phil said they were going to do measurements and something like that soon.

      Reply
  6. Hi Matt,
    I bought a Relax sauna in June of 2020 based on two Dr.’s recommendations. I was in poor health at the time and didn’t want to spend alot in case I wasn’t able to use it and liked that it heated up quickly and was portable. It must be doing it’s job, my health is better and tests show certain toxin levels are alot lower…My concern now is EMF with long term use. I use the Relax sauna daily for 12 to 15 minutes and plan to continue using it daily when possible. What would be best for long term, daily use for low EMF?
    ( Appreciate your site..there is so much out there, it’s almost impossible to navigate)

    Reply
    • Hi Melissa,

      I wouldn’t worry about it. Main reason why is, you’re not going to find any other portable sauna that’s that much better. When the portable sauna comparison videos get released, you’ll see for yourself in the live test that the other portable saunas increase body voltage also. This is why I’ve had such a hard time evaluating these things… none of them are perfect.

      That said, after having the Relax sauna and other portables in testing now for a long time, it’s my opinion that you should absolutely keep using it… it’s doing you a LOT more good than harm.

      Reply
  7. Thanks for all the great content Matt.

    I reached out to one of the top 3 wooden sauna companies you recommended but the wait time for an order is going to take me (well) into next year. I’ll likely still do it, but in the interim I’d like to purchase a portable to get me going.

    While I appreciate EMF/VOCs aren’t “perfect” in any of the portables, that & price are my only concerns. Portability, no. Chair comfort, no.

    SO, in brief, should I go with one of your already top 3 recommended portables (which are all fairly pricey, only given I also plan to purchase a standard stand up, soon as they become available) or might it be worth it to wait for your upcoming, more in depth comparison video, in hopes it adds more insight or options.

    Thanks again!
    CB

    Reply

Leave a Comment