Hype aside, what can infrared saunas actually do for you and your health? Here’s what some of that preliminary research says about four potential benefits of infrared saunas: In a small 2009 study, 17 patients with rheumatoid arthritis and 17 patients with ankylosing spondylitis (an inflammatory disease that can affect the spine) completed eight infrared sauna sessions over the course of four weeks. Results showed that during these sessions, patients experienced decreased pain and stiffness1 to a statistically significant degree. And, over the course of the four-week trial, the patients showed clinical improvements in pain, stiffness, and fatigue (though these improvements didn’t reach statistical significance). Also promising: The study didn’t find any adverse effects from the infrared sauna sessions, and the sauna sessions didn’t exacerbate the patients’s diseases. These findings suggest infrared saunas are a feasible treatment for patients with inflammatory arthritis, though the authors note that folks should chat with their doctor before using infrared saunas for treatment and that more research on the topic involving bigger populations is definitely needed. He describes some papers that discuss how infrared can promote the production of cell-signaling molecules and components that are involved in the breakdown of collagen, which suggests infrared could potentially3 be damaging to the skin. But at the same time, he describes other material that shows infrared can promote healing and collagen4, leading him to conclude there isn’t enough data to say whether or not infrared is helpful—or harmful—to the skin. Fenton attributes these seemingly conflicting results to the fact that different studies evaluate different types of infrared light. “Sometimes very low levels of certain types of energy can have one type of effect whereas high levels can have a different [effect],” he explains. Mixed results aside, one thing folks seem to love about saunas in general (both infrared and traditional) is the fresh-faced, dewey look they induce. “People do feel like after being in a sauna that their skin has sort of like a nicer glow to it,” says Fenton. At the same time, “there are certain people who you may not get the [skin] benefits that they want from going into a sauna,” he adds, using the example of folks with rosacea. “When they go into the heat, they don’t want that sort of rosy cheek glow.” But for the average person? “Maybe it’s temporary, but it does give you a nice glow to the skin.” Fenton’s ultimate conclusion: “I personally would not feel comfortable…going into an infrared sauna two or three times a week with the unknown about how it could really be affecting the skin,” he says, adding that he also wouldn’t fret about occasional use. Another note: “Some consumer groups have raised concerns about exposure to Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) from infrared saunas,” he says. “Whether this is clinically significant or not is still being debated. Some manufacturers utilize low EMF technology and this may be a consideration for those seeking to purchase or utilize a sauna for a long duration.” Also, to Fenton’s earlier point, if you have a skin condition like rosacea that could be exacerbated by a sauna sesh (either infrared or traditional), you may want to skip the practice altogether. “We have some very intriguing, short-term, small trials that seem to suggest some possible benefit, but to really understand the risks and benefits, we need much larger clinical trials, done over much larger periods of time,” Bauer says. He adds that there’s not yet enough data from a medical perspective to recommend that anyone should use infrared saunas, though at the same time, he notes that the few peer-reviewed studies to date haven’t revealed any serious adverse effects, either. So where does that leave us? Ultimately, we need bigger clinical trials conducted over longer periods of time in order to confirm results. So in the meantime, it’s really your call whether to embrace—or skip—the trend.
