Day 117- Infrared Sauna

I finally took advantage of one of my Groupon deals, a hour massage, and 45 minute infrared sauna. Although this sounds delightful, the massage took my breath away and made me want to cry. Needless to say I don't spoil myself very often, so there were some gnarly knots in there that the masseuse was unable to break free, even after repeatedly getting his elbows in there as hard as he could. So after my torture session, which truth be told, I asked for, and in the end appreciated we got to my favorite part...the infrared sauna.

Infrared saunas to me are a mix between a steam room and sauna, it's not really that dry heat like you experience in a regular sauna, and you sweat like you do in a steam room. So what's so great about an infrared sauna you ask? Well, infrared sauna use infrared heaters to emit infrared radiant heat, which is absorbed directly into the human body, unlike traditional saunas which heat the body indirectly via air or steam. According to Wikipedia:

"Some infrared sauna proponents claim that the sauna is an effective method for considerably raising the rate of energy expenditure in the body. Proponents typically quote the Journal of America Medical Association stating: "A moderately conditioned person can easily sweat off 500 grams in a sauna, consuming nearly 300 kcal, which is equivalent to running 2-3 miles." So besides causing you to sweat profusely, what are other benefits of the infrared sauna?

Health benefits of infrared saunas:

• Detoxification
• Weight loss
• Cellulite- reduction
• Stress relief and relaxation
• Pain relief
• Promotes cardiovascular health
• Beautification of skin
• Tissue elasticity

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP