Infrared Saunas vs. Traditional Saunas: Which One Actually Delivers More Health Benefits?
Infrared saunas have become extremely popular in recent years. Swapping out clunky stones for sleek panels, they're more compact and produce less heat than traditional saunas, making them a viable option for everywhere from boutique fitness studio locker rooms to cramped city apartments.
But are infrared saunas as effective and beneficial to your health as their Nordic forebears? Much of the research done over the last few decades has been on traditional saunas, says Vivek Babaria, DO, RMSK, a board-certified interventional spine and sports medicine physician at DISC Sports & Spine Center. Meaning that when it comes to infrared tech, "we are extrapolating."
But that's not to say the benefits aren't there. In fact, experts are confident in infrared saunas' ability to convey most, if not all, of the upside of a traditional sauna, along with some unique benefits of their own.
"I don't think an infrared sauna gives you more benefit [than a traditional sauna], but I think infrared allows for convenience," Dr. Babaria says. "So you might be more consistent with it."
Whether you're curious about the infrared sauna at your gym, looking for a more convenient way to practice contrast therapy at home, or generally interested in improving your health, here are the key benefits and considerations to be aware of.
Related: The Nordic Recovery Trick That's Helping Athletes Train Harder with Less Pain
What Are Infrared Saunas?
Unlike traditional or "Finnish" saunas, which use a wood-burning furnace or electricity to heat stones that, in turn, warm the air, infrared saunas don't use a central heat source. Instead, these kinds of saunas use panels that emit infrared light that interacts directly with your body. That's why the air inside an infrared sauna is never as hot as what you'd feel when you step inside a traditional sauna. "The skin and receptors receive this energy, which is then converted to heat in the body," says Dr. Babaria.
Infrared Sauna Benefits
While a traditional sauna might generate more heat, infrared saunas aren't without their own unique benefits.
"Far infrared waves are going to penetrate more deeply into your skin and into your tissues, and that's going to then circulate throughout your body and warm you up a little bit more from the inside out," says Christopher T. Minson, PhD, a professor of human physiology at the University of Oregon. "It's a little bit different from the traditional sauna, which is really, really hot."
Improved Heart Health
"The cardiovascular benefits are, first and foremost, the most consistent in the research," says Dr. Babaria. "When you have heat increasing skin surface temperature, one of the most immediate measurable benefits you're getting is heart-rate elevation, which can mimic being in a higher heart-rate zone."
In fact, a 2019 study found that 25 minutes in a sauna increased subjects' heart rate to the same extent as moderate exercise. While the study was done using a traditional sauna, this benefit would carry over to infrared, Dr. Babaria says. "If you're doing infrared, it just requires more time. So the session length ends up being longer."
Soothing Sore Muscles
According to Dr. Babaria, an infrared sauna can help ease the dreaded delayed-onset muscle soreness, or DOMS, that tends to set in a day or two after a hard workout. "We've seen that hydration and heat definitely help combat it," he says.
While the common misconception is that infrared light penetrates all the way into the muscles, this benefit is actually the result of increased body temperature and improved circulation, Dr. Babaria says.
Infrared saunas aren't just good for helping to prevent and soothe DOMS; they can also be used to reduce muscle soreness immediately after a workout. "We want to remove lactic acid as fast as possible to let the lymph nodes open up and clear out the body," Dr. Babaria says. "When you increase heat post-workout, you're increasing oxygen-rich blood delivery to the area, which helps promote clearance."
Better Sleep
Research has consistently shown that passive heat-that is, raising your body's temperature without physically exerting yourself-can be an effective and reliable tool for both improving sleep quality and even falling asleep more quickly.
"Heat, in general, improves neurovascularization-which improves your heart and your oxygenation-and those types of things help with sleep," Dr. Babaria says.
Perhaps even more valuable than the heat of the sauna is the cool-down that follows. According to the research, including this 2002 review, by triggering the body's natural cooling process-whether following an infrared sauna session or even just a warm bath-we're able to mimic the drop in core temperature that occurs naturally before falling asleep.
Pain Relief
If you suffer from joint pain, an infrared sauna may be able to help. "We know that heat can help reduce the viscosity of synovial fluid"-the thick liquid found inside joints like the knee and shoulder, Dr. Babaria says. "If you heat up any liquid, it's going to be able to move better. If that liquid can then move better, it's less likely to clump up and cause joint rigidity."
In fact, according to Dr. Babaria, the kind of internal heat that you get from an infrared sauna could help with pain in general, and it's due in part to the corresponding improvements to sleep.
"All of those things have a circular tangential connection," he says. "[Sleep helps with] tissue recovery, which then, in turn, helps with pain overall. If you can use your sauna to improve your sleep quality, then your pain can improve."
Relaxation
If you've ever used an infrared sauna, you probably don't need a research paper to tell you that it can induce a tangible sense of calm and well-being-particularly in the hours following exposure. (And if you do, here's a 2023 study, published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, which found that, in addition to better sleep quality, subjects reported improvements in relaxation and mood.)
"When it comes to our circadian rhythm, and just biorhythms in general, being in a sauna has a way of regulating us, whether it's infrared or not," Dr. Babaria says. "And being able to decrease stress and lower your cortisol-those two things are going to improve quality of life."
Fighting Off Illness
Whether you're looking to fight off a cold or strengthen your immune system to help prevent getting sick in the first place, an infrared sauna could be a good place to start.
"The reason that you get a fever to begin with when you're sick is because your body's revving up to fight," Dr. Babaria says. "There are interleukins, cytokines, and B cells that can function better at a higher temperature. So instead of reducing the temperature of a fever response, you promote it with heat."
According to Dr. Babaria, the same principle could apply to readying your body's defenses before the heat of battle. "I consider it a priming tool," he says. "If you're in a state of increased body temperature, your immune system will be primed to deliver better."
FAQ
Who shouldn't use infrared saunas?
It's always best to check with your doctor before trying something new that's going to put your body under considerable stress. While infrared saunas can deliver some great holistic health benefits, they aren't universally safe for everyone, particularly those with certain health conditions.
"If you have a neurological condition that doesn't allow you to feel sensation or temperature, that would be risky," Dr. Babaria says. "People with conditions like multiple sclerosis would be another one that comes to mind. People who might have Raynaud's syndrome or inflammatory diseases. Severe cardiovascular patients. If you're on a pacemaker or taking anti-arrhythmic medication. Those are just some of the people who should be wary of using an infrared sauna."
Which is better, a traditional sauna or an infrared sauna?
If we're going on research alone, the answer-at least, for now-would have to be a traditional sauna. "As of today, the traditional sauna has more data and research to support its use," Dr. Babaria says. But that's only because scientists have been studying traditional saunas for decades, and infrared saunas are a much more recent innovation. As the research on infrared saunas catches up, we'll have a much clearer picture.
That said, what is already clear is that, while it seems to be that you'd have to spend longer in an infrared sauna to reap similar benefits to a traditional sauna, an infrared sauna can be a much more practical choice in certain circumstances.
"[Traditional saunas] are bigger and take up more space, and you have to have the ability to put that in your home," Dr. Babaria says. Traditional saunas also produce considerably more heat, not just inside the sauna but outside, too, so that's an important consideration if you plan to install it indoors.
Ultimately, it comes down to consistency, Dr. Babaria says. Neither option is going to benefit your health unless you actually use it regularly. "I think you should choose based on which one is in your budget, and how often you're going to use it," he says. "[The best option] is whichever one you're going to be more consistent with."
This story was originally published by Men's Journal on May 19, 2026, where it first appeared in the Health & Fitness section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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This story was originally published May 19, 2026 at 11:49 AM.