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Infrared Sauna Benefits

By Home Sauna Guide · Facts about Plunge as read 2026-10-28 · Updated 2026-10-28

The short answer

Infrared sauna use is a way to get warm, sweat and sit still for a while. For most healthy adults who stay hydrated and keep sessions short, it looks low-risk, and many people find it relaxing. Beyond relaxation, the research is thin. The best-supported findings involve heart-related markers, but they come from small, short studies, many on people with existing heart conditions, and several rely on traditional (Finnish) saunas rather than infrared ones.

This page grades seven common claims as stronger, limited or unproven, shows what each grade rests on, and links the page we read for each one. Nothing here is medical advice, and the research we read does not show that a sauna changes the course of any disease.

Two people talking inside a slatted-wood infrared sauna lit in warm orange, with a lighting colour menu at the right
Image from Plunge's marketing, shown for illustration. Any text in the image is Plunge's own statement, not our finding.

How to read the grades

The grades describe the research, not the sauna. They are our reading of the pages and abstracts listed under Sources, and they are deliberately conservative.

Three study types appear again and again, and each answers a different question:

The evidence ledger

ClaimGradeWhat the research isSource
Relaxation and stress reliefLimitedMedical-page summaries describe it as a plausible, commonly reported effect. The Harvard Health page we read cites no specific trial. The Cleveland Clinic page says some research suggests reduced stress and better mood.Harvard Health; Cleveland Clinic
Better sleepUnproven for infraredThe sleep research we opened tested warm bathing, not infrared saunas: 23 healthy adults, a crossover design, longer warm baths before bed shortened time to fall asleep. Cleveland Clinic says more research is needed.Journal of Physiological Anthropology, 2023; Cleveland Clinic
Muscle soreness after exerciseLimitedOne randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 21 elite soccer players used far-infrared clothing, not a sauna. Soreness rose less in the far-infrared group, but strength, jump height and a muscle-damage blood marker did not differ. Cleveland Clinic calls the sauna evidence anecdotal.Biology of Sport, 2016; Cleveland Clinic
Cardiovascular markers (blood pressure, heart function)Stronger (relative to the others)A 2018 meta-analysis of infrared sauna studies in 491 people with heart failure found short-term improvements in some heart measures but no significant blood pressure effect; the evidence was graded moderate to insufficient. A 2009 review found small blood pressure drops in two small studies. A large Finnish cohort links frequent traditional sauna use to lower cardiovascular risk.Clinical Cardiology, 2018; Canadian Family Physician, 2009; JAMA Internal Medicine, 2015
Chronic painLimitedThe 2009 review found one randomized trial of 46 patients. Those who added sauna therapy to rehabilitation were more likely to be back at work after two years. Cleveland Clinic says many studies are small and need confirmation.Canadian Family Physician, 2009; Cleveland Clinic
Weight lossUnprovenWeight lost during a session is mostly fluid and returns when you drink. Calorie burn is only slightly above resting. An 8-week trial of 47 adults found exercise reduced fat mass; the summary we read does not show a fat-mass advantage from adding a sauna.Healthline; Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol, 2022
"Detox" (sweating out toxins)UnprovenReviews of sweat studies cite contamination problems in sweat sampling. One study found BPA in 3 of 386 sweat samples but in 340 urine samples. The liver and kidneys do the filtering.Science Feedback, 2024

"Stronger" is relative: the 2018 reviewers themselves rated their evidence moderate to insufficient, and the Finnish study is an association, not a trial of infrared saunas.

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Relaxation: the safest bet

Heat, quiet and a set-aside block of time make for a pleasant routine. Harvard Health describes relaxation and a feeling of well-being as the main reported benefit of sauna use, and the Cleveland Clinic page says some research suggests it may reduce stress and improve mood. We did not find a large, well-controlled infrared trial behind either statement, so the grade is limited.

If you want a warm, screen-free ten or twenty minutes, an infrared cabin can give you that. Whether it beats a hot bath is a question the research has not answered.

Sleep: the evidence is about warmth, not infrared

The idea is simple. Raising your body temperature before bed is followed by a drop in temperature that may help you fall asleep. The study we opened tested that idea with bathing. In 23 healthy adults, a longer warm bath 1.5 to 2 hours before sleep shortened the time to fall asleep and improved self-rated sleep quality compared with a shower. The authors listed limits: core temperature was not measured directly, the study ran in winter, sleep stages were not recorded, and the age range was wide.

That study says nothing direct about infrared cabins. The Cleveland Clinic page raises the same body-cooling idea and notes that more research is needed. Our grade is unproven for infrared sauna specifically. If you try an evening session, view it as an experiment on yourself and finish at least a couple of hours before bed.

Muscle soreness: far-infrared studies exist, sauna studies are scarce

Most of the recovery research we found used far-infrared lamps or clothing rather than a cabin. In the soccer-player trial, 21 elite players wore far-infrared pants or placebo pants while sleeping for three nights after an intense jumping session. Soreness rose through 24 and 48 hours in the far-infrared group and through 72 hours in the placebo group. Strength, jump height and creatine kinase, a blood marker of muscle damage, did not differ. The authors noted that highly trained athletes may resist this kind of damage, which limits what the trial can show, and that soreness was scored on a single visual scale.

A sore-muscle benefit is plausible, since heat increases circulation, and Cleveland Clinic says some people report relief. But the page frames this as anecdote, and the trial above tested clothing. Grade: limited.

Cardiovascular markers: the best-supported area, with big caveats

This is where most of the serious research sits, and it is easy to overstate. Here is what we read.

Heart failure and infrared sauna. A 2018 systematic review and meta-analysis in Clinical Cardiology included seven studies and 491 people with heart failure. Every study that met its criteria used an infrared sauna. The typical protocol was a sauna at 60°C (140°F) for 15 minutes, followed by 30 minutes of rest, five times a week for two to four weeks. The pooled results showed short-term improvement in some measures of cardiac function, such as ejection fraction and a blood marker called BNP. Blood pressure showed no significant effect. The authors rated the evidence moderate to insufficient, noted a moderate risk of bias, short follow-up and mostly Japanese participants, and called for longer studies.

Blood pressure. The 2009 review in Canadian Family Physician searched several databases and found nine relevant papers. It reported two small studies in which systolic blood pressure fell: one randomized trial with 28 people, and another with 25 at-risk men. The author listed small samples, short study durations, unvalidated symptom scales and a single research group behind every study as limits. A separate 8-week randomized trial in 47 sedentary adults with cardiovascular risk factors found a systolic reading 8.0 mmHg lower when a 15-minute sauna followed exercise, compared with exercise alone. The summary we read did not say whether that sauna was infrared or traditional.

Traditional saunas, not infrared. A prospective cohort study in JAMA Internal Medicine followed 2,315 middle-aged men from eastern Finland for a median of 20.7 years. Men who used a sauna four to seven times a week had lower risks of sudden cardiac death, cardiovascular death and death from any cause than men who used one once a week. That is an association in a Finnish population that uses saunas in a particular cultural way. It does not show that adding an infrared cabin to your home will produce the same result. If you want the practical differences between sauna types, read our comparison of infrared vs traditional saunas.

Bottom line for this row: promising, small, short, and mostly not about healthy adults using a home infrared cabin.

Chronic pain: one trial, one research group

The pain evidence in the 2009 review comes from a single randomized trial of 46 patients, in which sauna therapy added to a rehabilitation programme was linked to a higher rate of return to work after two years (77% versus 50%). That is a long follow-up, but it is one trial, and every study the review covered came from the same research group. Cleveland Clinic says some research suggests infrared sauna may help certain types of chronic pain, and adds that many studies are small and need confirmation. Grade: limited.

If you live with persistent pain, a sauna is not a substitute for a diagnosis. Ask your clinician whether heat suits your condition.

Weight loss: mostly water

You will weigh less right after a session. That is sweat. Healthline's page on the topic says the weight comes back when you drink again, and that calorie burn in a sauna is only slightly above what you would burn at rest. The average person loses roughly a pint of fluid in a short session, per the same page. The 8-week exercise trial we read found exercise reduced fat mass; the summary we read reported no fat-mass advantage for adding a sauna session afterward.

If you are trying to lose weight, a sauna does not do the work for you. Grade: unproven. Do not use heat to shed pounds before a weigh-in: dehydration is the main risk, as the next sections explain.

"Detox": unproven

Marketing for infrared saunas often says sweating clears toxins. We graded this unproven. Science Feedback reviewed the claim in 2024 and rated it unsupported. It describes sweat studies with sampling problems, such as contamination from skin cells and oils, and points to one study in which BPA turned up in only 3 of 386 sweat samples but in 340 urine samples. Its conclusion, drawing on a 2019 review, is that direct evidence for sweating as an effective way to remove toxins is lacking, and that the liver and kidneys handle that job.

That does not make a sauna bad. It means a seller who promises "detox" is promising something the research we read does not support. Read that wording as a warning sign about the seller.

What is not shown

Reading across the ledger, a few things the research has not established:

If a seller or article tells you otherwise, ask for the study, and check whether it tested an infrared sauna, a traditional sauna or something else.

Who should talk to a doctor first

Heat makes the heart work harder. Harvard Health says pulse rates can climb by 30% or more during a session, and that people with uncontrolled high blood pressure or heart disease should check with their doctors before using a sauna. Cleveland Clinic says anyone with a pre-existing medical condition should check with a healthcare provider before starting an infrared routine.

Ask first if any of these apply:

This list is not complete. When in doubt, ask.

Safe-use notes

These come from the pages we read, and they are general. Your own doctor's advice comes first.

Where Plunge fits

We promote Plunge and earn a commission if you buy through our link. That relationship does not change the grades above, and none of the research we read was done on a Plunge sauna.

Per Plunge's product pages, as read 2026-10-28, the Standard model is $7,190 and the Pro is $7,490, with far-infrared panels plus full-spectrum incandescent towers in both. Plunge states a near-zero EMF rating (0.1 mG per its Trifield reading). That is Plunge's statement, which we have not independently verified. If you want to understand what the heaters do, read our page on full spectrum infrared saunas. For the numbers behind the price, including electricity, see infrared sauna cost, and for a spec-by-spec read of both models, see our Plunge infrared sauna review.

Who it suits: adults who want a quiet, repeatable heat routine at home, have a budget well above $3,000, have indoor space and, for the Pro, access to a dedicated 240V, 20A circuit.

Who should look elsewhere: shoppers with a budget under about $3,000, anyone planning an outdoor install, people who would rather try a sauna blanket or portable first, and anyone without an appropriate circuit. Plunge's pages we read did not state a trial period or a return policy, so read the policy at checkout before you decide.

To compare your options against clear criteria, start with our guide to the best infrared home sauna.

FAQ

Does an infrared sauna help with weight loss?

Not in the way marketing suggests. The weight you lose in a session is mostly water, and it returns when you rehydrate. The sources we read describe only a slightly higher calorie burn than resting. We grade this unproven.

Is infrared sauna evidence the same as Finnish sauna evidence?

No. Much of the large observational research is on traditional Finnish saunas. The infrared studies we read are smaller, shorter and often in people with heart failure. See the infrared vs traditional sauna comparison for how the two differ in practice.

Can an infrared sauna help you sleep?

Warm bathing before bed has shown a shorter time to fall asleep in a small study of 23 healthy adults. We did not find equivalent infrared sauna trials, so we grade it unproven for infrared.

Does an infrared sauna remove toxins?

The research we read does not support that claim. The liver and kidneys do the filtering, and studies of sweat show sampling problems and tiny amounts of the substances measured.

How long should a session last?

Harvard Health says no more than 15 to 20 minutes in a sauna. Cleveland Clinic suggests beginners start at 5 to 10 minutes and caps even experienced users at 20 to 30. If you have any medical condition, ask your doctor what is right for you.

Is it safe if I take medication?

It depends on the medication. Some drugs affect sweating or blood pressure. Harvard Health advises avoiding alcohol and medications that may impair sweating around a session. Ask your doctor or pharmacist about yours before you start.

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Sources