Wholistic Nutrition is a place to rebalance your body, re-energize your mind, and reconnect with your soul through sauna and nutrition. No question goes unanswered! Keep reading to learn about our frequently asked questions and be sure to reach out if yours aren’t answered below!
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is an infrared sauna?
In the infrared sauna, infrared light penetrates several inches into the body and creates heat, resulting in a whole-body hyperthermia on a cellular level to make you sweat.
- What are the benefits of being in the infrared sauna?
Sweating is the best way to rid the body of toxins (toxic drugs, pollutants, pesticides, and heavy metals), which in turn improves the immune system and overall health. Sweating is also a great way to increase metabolic rate and reduce stress – it’s like a workout without the work – burning 600+ calories per session. The infrared sauna helps you detoxify, improves circulation, lymphatic drainage, and cardiovascular health, reduces pain, increases your metabolic rate to jumpstart weight loss, rejuvenates your skin, and reduces stress and cortisol levels. Repeated exposure to heat from infrared light results in cumulative health benefits.
- Is infrared heat safe?
Infrared heat is completely safe and all objects give off and receive infrared heat. In fact, it is so safe, hospitals use similar heaters to warm newborns. Infrared is a part of nature and essential for life. The human body gives off and receives infrared in the far-infrared band. When a mother rubs a babies stomach to relieve pain, it is the infrared heat from her hand that is causing the healing effect. We have tuned our True Wave™ heaters to give off far infrared in this same range for maximum absorption by your body and for maximum therapeutic benefits.
- What’s the difference between Infrared saunas and traditional saunas?
Infrared heat is very gentle. The experience is similar to lying in the sun on a warm day and feeling the heat radiate to the core of your body. Unlike traditional (hot rock or steam) saunas – which operate at well in excess of 200°F – infrared heat has the benefit of being effective at a more comfortable operating temperature of 100°-150°F. Traditional saunas heat the air vs. the body directly. Rather than inducing detoxification and relaxation, this can make the experience unbearably hot and difficult to breathe. Because infrared heat penetrates human tissue vs. simply heating the surface of the skin, infrared saunas are seven times more effective than traditional saunas at detoxifying the body. By raising the body’s core temperature, infrared saunas can produce a sweat composed of 20% toxins vs. only 3% toxins with a traditional sauna.
- I’ve heard about electromagnetic fields (EMFs) -- is your infrared sauna safe from EMFs?
EMFs are like invisible energy emissions that come from any object that uses electricity. Most common electrical objects give off such low levels of EMF that they pose no risk to humans. Though infrared saunas are large and powered by electricity, the technology used in our infrared sauna keeps EMF in an extremely low range of approximately .05 mG. For context, the Environmental Protection Agency has previously proposed a safety standard of 3 mG, with anything below 3 mG being deemed as safe.
- How long do you recommend for each infrared sauna session?
We recommend working your way up to 30- to 40-minutes. You will have the room for 60 minutes total, giving you enough time to freshen up and change upon completion. Showering immediately after a sauna session is recommended and helps cleanse your skin of the toxins you have excreted during your sweat session. Each one of our sauna rooms is private and complete with an in-room shower for your convenience.
- What do I wear in the sauna?
You can wear a bathing suit or a towel. You will be in a private room alone or with a known partner.
- Is it clean?
Yes! Our saunas are sanitized after each use. Infrared light kills all bacteria and any airborne germs.
- How should I prepare for my infrared sauna experience?
Obviously, with all the sweating, you want to make sure to rehydrate! Please come to each session well-hydrated, not hungover or after drinking alcohol. Drinking water is available in the lobby. Towels are provided for your use.
- I’m taking prescription medications, can I use an Infrared sauna?
Individuals who are using prescription drugs should seek the advice of their personal physician or a pharmacist for possible changes in the drug's effect when the body is exposed to infrared waves or elevated body temperature. Diuretics, barbiturates, and beta-blockers may impair the body’s natural heat loss mechanisms. Anticholinergics such as amitriptyline may inhibit sweating and can predispose individuals to heat rash or to a lesser extent, heatstroke. Some over-the-counter drugs, such as antihistamines, may also cause the body to be more prone to heatstroke.
- Can children use the infrared sauna?
In general, children above the age of 12 can use the infrared sauna for a brief session. Children who are prepubescent are not able to thermoregulate (regulate their body temperature through proper sweat production) as well as adults do, so please consult with your primary care provider before using the infrared sauna.
- Who cannot use the infrared sauna?
Infrared Sauna use is not recommended for people who are pregnant, children under 12, those who cannot handle temperature extremes, those with hemophilia, fever, insensitivity to heat, and those under the influence of alcohol or who abuse alcohol.