Infrared Sauna Heaters

What is the difference between ceramic and carbon heaters?

Both heaters will provide you the amazing benefits of far infrared heat….Including a profuse detox, weight loss, muscle and joint therapy, clearing of skin, scare removal, decrease cellulite, cardio, conditioning and many many more health benefits. 
However, the heat distribution differs between the two heaters. If you are interested in using the sauna for a quick intense sweat coupled with an intense muscle therapy, ceramic would be the best choice. Carbon is favored as the heat is more comfortable and makes it easier to relax in the sauna longer and will still provide an intense sweat. Carbon heaters are also more commonly used for those with a condition or disease in which the infrared can improve health and well-being.
Do you want to enjoy the best of both worlds?  Ceramic and carbon simultaneously…..

Why our 2009 Dual Lux is the #1 Selling Sauna in the US……

1. Our 2009 Dual Lux boasts both ceramic and carbon heaters that strategically placed to give you the best performing far infrared sauna on the market today.

The 2009 Dual Lux has a total of 7 heaters far infrared heaters.  We placed two ceramic heaters on the back wall for that deep penetration (80% of Americans suffer from back aches and pain) – two ceramic heaters on the front wall to blast your upper extremities and one under the bench…. Now since Carbon is a full surround heater that covers more surface area we placed two additional Carbon heaters on the left and right side of the sauna…. Your head is the largest nerve ending on your body, this is why when you start to sweat you usually start on your forehead, therefore these two large carbon heaters were strategically placed to cover your upper body while the ceramic blast your front and back.

This is the most amazing setup and best seller in the US!

What is the difference in wood quality?

This is a great question as the quality of wood is the second most important decision when purchasing a sauna.
There are 5 most commonly used woods in the construction of Far Infrared Saunas; Hemlock, Cedar, Basswood,
Red Cedar and Cedar: Red cedar is an attractive aromatic wood. A little more expensive than others, Red Cedar is a lightweight but very strong wood. It is decay resistant and resists cracks better than other woods. If you have an allergy or sensitivity to the natural oils found in cedar wood this is not the wood for you. Please note that cedar oil can be a lung irritant and cedar saunas are not recommended for those with asthmas or allergies.
Hemlock wood: Most companies will say this is cheap and brittle wood, they couldn’t be further from the truth. Hemlock is able to maintain a higher temperature than other woods. Hemlock planks have very good stability, the wood is naturally resistant to warping and wear. No odor. 100% hypoallergenic and non-toxic.
Canadian Hemlock:  This wood boasts the same characteristics as regular Hemlock but it is considered to be as durable as Red Cedar without the harmful effects.  It is known as the’ forest bath’ and has a longevity of 300 -1000 years, most other woods average 200 years. It is also100% hypoallergenic and non-toxic.

Basswood: Basswood is considered to some companies as the best hypoallergenic wood on the market.  This is partially true as Basswood does boast hypoallergenic properties, however they all stretch the truth.  In recent studies between Basswood and Hemlock the difference in toxic emitions for both were less than .05%. 

Poplar Wood:  It’s best to stay away from poplar wood. Poplar wood has been proven to  gives off emissions when heated.

Construction of the cabin

Best is to look for solid wood, tongue and groove constructed cabins. Veneer constructions may have the advantage of being cheaper, but the cabins are comparatively weak. They are vulnerable to moisture damage that lifts the veneer off the plywood.
Also, and more importantly, plywood constructed cabinetry emits toxic formaldehyde.
That also counts for the windows in your sauna. Look for a sauna with windows in tempered glass. Doing so you won’t have to worry about the off-gassing from the (plastic) windows when heated.

Far Infrared Spectrum Scale and why it’s important:

Far infrared is located on a electro-magnetic scale.  This scale has three different scales; ionization rays, light and electric wave.  Now this is very confusing to most but Far infrared falls into the light part of the scale.  Within this part of the scale infrared is measured between .75 and 1000 microns. There are near-infrared, mid infrared and far infrared… Far infrared is measured between 4 and 14 microns where 9.4 microns is the deepest penetrating.  If you stay between 8-10 microns this is where far infrared will make water molecule resonance and urge blood circulation or profuse sweat.
Now why is this important to me?  Well some sauna manufactures never conduct test on their heaters and most typically emit more near infrared and mid infrared then they do far.  This is unfortunate as these have no benefits to the human body whatsoever.

Infrared light therapy explained

We all know that the sun is an enormous source of energy. Not all of this energy is beneficial. Although life needs energy from the sun, too much sunlight damages the skin.
Infrared light therapy provides many of the health benefits of natural sunlight without any of the dangerous effects of solar radiation.
Infrared heat is not ultraviolet radiation. Infrared energy travels 2-3" deep into the body and increases blood circulation and nourishes damaged tissue.
The energy that we feel from the sun gets transported to the earth by means of electromagnetic radiation. These rays can be divided into several wavelengths.
Wavelengths are measured in nanometers (nm). A nanometer is one millionth part of a centimeter or about 0.000000394 inch.
Now, each wavelength transports a certain amount of energy. The higher the frequency of the wave, the shorter its wavelength and the more energy it can transport.
Higher frequency = shorter wavelength = more energy.
Only part of the sunrays make it al the way through to the earth. Part of it gets absorbed by our atmosphere.
The radiation that does reach the face of the earth is called global radiation. It ranges from Ultraviolet light over visible light and then all the way over to infrared light (IR), which is used in infrared light therapy.
The global radiation is divided like so

• UVB from 295 to 315 nm 0.1%
• UVA from 315 to 400 nm 4.9%

• Violet from 380 to 436 nm
• Blue from 436 to 495 nm
• Green from 495 to 566 nm
• Yellow from 566 to 589 nm
• Orange from 589 to 627 nm
• Red from 627 to 780 nm totals at 39% visible light

• IR A from 760 to 1,400 nm 37 %
• IR B from 1,400 to 3,000 nm 16 %
• IR C from 3,000 to 10,000 nm 3%

We are particularly interested in the infrared rays (IR). As you can see, they are divided in three types :

• IR-A : short wave infrared
• IR-B : medium wave infrared
• IR-C : long wave infrared

Phew, did you really follow me all the way to here ? You must be really motivated. Not to worry, it gets more readable from here on.
The short wave infrared will heat up our body faster. But, they have a major drawback : they almost totally bypass the receptors in our body. The consequence of this is that our central nerve system doesn't receive any "high temperature warning". Needless to say : this is bad.
At present, several discussions are going on between governments, NORM commissions and infrared sauna manufacturers. Short wave infrared light therapy will probably only be possible under doctor's supervision soon. A lot of people don't like the ultra-rapid heating of short wave infrared.
That is why it is recommended to use long wave infrared in your sauna cabin. Of course, a combination of both is also possible. You can place IR-C emitters at your backside and IR-A rays in the corners in the front, as they have to travel a longer distance to your body.
Every kind of heat that we can feel from a distance is transported by infrared rays. Whether it is the heat from a stove, a light bulb, or even the body heat from another human being.
Our bodies emit infrared radiation in a wavelength range from 300 to 5,000 nm and our hand palms emit radiation from 800 to 1,400 nm. Infrared light therapy is very old. Healing by laying on of hands is practiced in China for 3,000 years and is based upon this emission of IR rays. Indian yogis mainly perform laying on of hands in cases of sore eyes.