As an Asian, I am very familiar with wet (steam) sauna and dry sauna. Infrared sauna is a type of dry sauna that uses... infrared (duh). Wet sauna is much harder to be tolerated because of humidity. Think of dry heat (like Phoenix) vs humid heat (like Texas). In a humid condition, your sweat cannot evaporate easily, therefore more sweat accumulates on your skin for sticky sensation. Sweat is useless at cooling unless it's evaporated, which is why dry sauna is much easier to tolerate compared to wet sauna.
I've done a quick google search on infrared saunas (
1). There are three types of infrared, near, middle, and far infrareds. One that is used the most for sauna is the far infrared, which is good for detox. There are many products and companies that don't specify the exact type of infrared. It is logical to think that those products are all made with far-infrared, but please contact the company before making a big investment.
Main difference between conventional sauna and infrared sauna is mobilizing the toxins from subcutaneous tissues (fat) directly into sweat (
2). In conventional sauna, these toxins would circulate in the bloodstream first, before getting excreted as sweat. Also, the depth of penetration for tissue is much greater. This could potentially cause too much toxins getting dumped out of the body, so do not fall in for marketing hype like "safest ways to remove toxins."
The integrative doctor I see has a complementary infrared sauna, so I went in this morning to try it out. The sauna unit they used was from High Tech Health company, made of wood. I arrived too early, so the sauna was still heating up. It started at 120 F (~49 C) and the temperature rose to 140 F (60 C). I was drenched in sweat at about 30 minutes in and sat in there for 45 minutes total. The temperature was bearable at 140 F, not too intense compared to wet sauna I've encountered in the past. I took a shower right afterward and was given electrolyte drinks to replenish essential minerals.
It's too early for me to say what benefits or detox shock the sauna has caused to my body, so I will report back within a week. For now, I feel no difference in fatigue, brain fog, and energy levels.