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If something claims to improve my physical and mental wellbeing, I’m listening. And if that same product is easy to use and fits seamlessly into my lifestyle, I’m signing up. That’s exactly why I jumped at the opportunity to test out the Sun Home Saunas Infrared Sauna Blanket.
When it comes to saunas, I need no convincing. I love them. Having a sauna in my house would be the ultimate luxury, but saunas tend to be very large and very expensive. A product that could deliver those same sweat-filled benefits in a compact, apartment- and budget-friendly package would be a game changer. And after using it for over a month, I can confidently say the Sun Home Saunas’ Infrared Sauna Blanket is changing the game for me.
We like
- Health and wellness benefits
- Portable and convenient
- Much more affordable than a physical sauna
- Easy to use and clean
- Lowest EMF in the industry
We don't like
- Expensive
- Takes up a good amount of space
- Might not be long enough for tall people
Sauna Science
The Sun Home Saunas Infrared Sauna Blanket claims to promote weight loss, improve mood, relieve stress, promote relaxation, and decrease inflammation, among other benefits. How can snuggling up in a sweat-inducing sleeping bag do all that and then some? I tapped former professional sprinter, entrepreneur, and healthy living expert Michael Kummer to help me understand how infrared sauna blankets work.
According to Kummer, infrared sauna blankets use conductive heat (extremely hot surfaces directly touching your body) to penetrate muscle tissue and deliver health benefits such as stress and tension relief, pain relief, immunity support, and detoxification. The heat in most infrared sauna blankets is generated with EMF (electromagnetic fields), commonly known as radiation. The Sun Home Blanket has the lowest EMF in the industry, so you can feel safe knowing you’re getting the benefits of infrared heat without being exposed to harmful levels of radiation.
Infrared Saunas v. Infrared Sauna Blankets
Most infrared saunas will run you at least a few thousand dollars. Looking at the difference in cost and size alone, I was curious how a sauna blanket compares to a true sauna cabin. “The amount of energy (and heat) emitted via infrared rays is called emissivity,” says Kummer, “and most sauna blankets are between 84% and 88% emissive. In comparison, the Sunlighten sauna cabin we have in our backyard features heaters with 95% to 99% emissivity.” I may not be great with numbers, but for such a compact, affordable device, a sauna blanket isn’t trailing too far behind a regular sauna.
What does this all mean anyways? “The higher the emissivity, the more benefits you can achieve — even at lower temperatures,” Kummer shares. “That doesn’t render sauna blankets ineffective, it just means you have to work with higher temperatures to reap the full benefits.”
Equipped with all of this information, I felt more than ready to slip into the Sun Home Sauna Blanket and feel the benefits for myself.
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Sweating It Out, Sun Home Style
Setting up the infrared sauna blanket for my first use was seamless. The product comes with an easy-to-follow instructions manual, and setting it up could not be more intuitive. Just lay the blanket down flat, plug into an outlet, and set to your desired heat and time. The blanket can get up to 167 degrees fahrenheit and stay hot for a 60 minute session, but of course you can start lower and slower.
That’s exactly what I did. For the first go, I followed the brand's suggestion in the instruction manual: 50 degrees celsius (aka 122 Fahrenheit) for 20 mins.
I took the blanket out of the branded carrying case, which makes it easy to store when you’re done using it, and laid it out flat. The blanket is 71” inches long by 63” wide and hefty, but not overly heavy. I laid the blanket out flat, plugged it in, and waited for it to warm up. Once it was ready I unzipped the blanket, put in the bamboo insert (which you can buy separately for $75), and slipped inside. After a bit of shifting around, I found a comfortable position in the sauna blanket. I put on an episode of “Girls” and just relaxed. I didn’t sweat much in this go around, but still enjoyed the warming, calming effects of the blanket.
This quickly became my ritual. Watching a good tv show while wrapped in the blanket is the ideal form of multitasking, and it helps take my mind off of the heat. As time went on, I challenged myself with hotter temperatures and longer sessions. Some days I used the bamboo insert, some days I didn’t. I always wore long pants, a sweatshirt and socks. Sometimes I left my shoulders and arms out of the blanket, though I definitely felt the benefits more when my entire body was covered. At 5’6”, I could cover myself fully from the shoulders down, but because the blanket is only 71” inches long, all of you very tall folks may not be able to do the same. I still think you can get a pretty great burn with your shoulders out, but it’s worth mentioning.
My experience with the sauna blanket differed day by day, which I really enjoyed especially since there is a cap on the heat and time settings. It offered gentle recovery after a hard workout and a great sweat on days where I didn’t move as much as I would have liked to. The plentiful use cases made me realize just how versatile this device can be.
One of my favorite parts about the product actually doesn’t even have to do with how it works. It is so easy to clean. I feared that keeping a product like this, one that gets covered in sweat regularly, in my bedroom could become pretty nasty pretty fast. To my surprise, the Sun Home Saunas Blanket is super easy to clean. If you use the machine-washable bamboo insert, that process is made even easier, but once the blanket cools down just wipe it down and spritz with a little cleaning spray. I used the brands Premium Cleaning Spray ($25), which is a blend of lavender and tea tree oils.
Investing In You
With time, any good investment appreciates in value. And if you give it a chance, I think adding a Sun Home Saunas Infrared Sauna Blanket to your wellness repertoire will bring limitless value to your life. Not only will you get to experience the immediate effects of a good sweat session (hello, endorphins!), but you’re likely to see improvements in your mood, skin health, and physical wellbeing. And if that isn’t worth a one-time payment of $499, I don’t know what is.
Sweat it out with Sun Home Saunas
