If you enjoy going to a sauna, or if you’ve been thinking about the health benefits associated with saunas, you might want to consider installing a sauna in your home. They cost less than you might think, are easy to maintain, and installing one in your home is much more convenient and cost-effective in the long run than maintaining an expensive fitness club membership just to have access to the sauna.

Traditional Saunas Or Infrared Saunas?

While you are considering a sauna for your home, you should carefully  consider which type of sauna you should buy. Traditional steam saunas are the kind most commonly found in health clubs and hotels, and their health benefits are well-documented; however, they rely primarily on steam created by water added to a heat source (burning wood, coals or electric heating) to induce perspiration, and it can get a bit uncomfortable when the temperature gets up above 180 degrees Fahrenheit.

Infrared saunas are growing in popularity as an alternative for home sauna use, for several important reasons:

• They rely on infrared rays to warm the skin, rather than focusing on heating the air inside the sauna.
• This creates a gentler, more effective, and less intense environment (typically 125-150 degrees) while producing a similar perspiration effect.

The health benefits associated with saunas are enhanced with infrared technology. Because infrared warms the skin at a deeper level, blood flow and heart rate are increased, and blood pressure can be lowered. Also, the cells are oxygenated at a deeper level, allowing for the release and removal of more toxins from the body than traditional sauna use can cause. Even the number of calories burned in the sauna is increased—up to 600 calories per session.

Infrared saunas are more convenient to install. Unlike traditional saunas, infrared saunas do not usually require special electrical wiring or a dedicated breaker. Additionally, infrared saunas require less maintenance than conventional saunas. Add the fact that most infrared saunas are far easier to assemble than the traditional kind, and you can understand why they are increasingly popular for home use.

Less Expensive, More Convenient

While installing a sauna in your home will certainly include some up-front costs, consider that maintaining a health club membership for sauna access can cost much more over time—not to mention that you must travel to the health club several times a week to enjoy the benefits. A sauna in your home does not have to be shared with the public, and you can choose from one person, two person or four person saunas, as well. When you consider the health benefits, it can be well worth the cost to have the convenience of a home sauna.  Not only will you save money, you will probably use it more often because its in your home.