As the founder and CEO of Clearlight Infrared Saunas International®, I'm regularly asked my opinion on the infrared sauna vs. Finnish sauna debate. For that reason, I decided to dedicate a short blog post to the topic. I'll tell you which sauna is best for your unique circumstances by digging deeper into the differences that both saunas have.
But let's first look at an infrared sauna - Finnish sauna comparison: where are they the same?
That question is very simple to answer: both saunas are built from woods, ideally quality woods, in a confined room that allows the temperature around your body to rise. But, how that higher temperature is achieved, and the philosophy around it is fundamentally different in a Finnish sauna and an infrared one - so let's explore that difference:
Difference 1: Heating Method
Let's explore how the heating methods of Finnish saunas and infrared saunas are different. First up, Finnish saunas:
Finnish Sauna Heating Method
Finnish Saunas work by heating up sauna rocks that absorb a lot of heat through different means. These means of heating up the sauna rocks include burning wood, coal, or electricity. After the sauna rocks become hot, you can pour water over them. The water evaporates and heats up the air inside the sauna.
As a result, the air around you becomes very hot, and you'll start sweating. Intuitively the heating method of the Finnish sauna is very simple for most people to understand, contrary to "infrared light". So, next up, let's explore the heating method of infrared sauna: