If you’re considering adding a sauna to your home, one of the first decisions you’ll face is choosing between an infrared sauna and a traditional sauna. Both offer incredible health benefits and relaxation, but they work in fundamentally different ways. At Montana Hot Spring Spas, we help customers understand these differences so they can make the best choice for their wellness goals.
How Traditional Saunas Work
Traditional saunas, also known as Finnish saunas, have been used for centuries as a cornerstone of wellness and relaxation. These saunas heat the air around you to create an intensely hot environment, typically ranging from 150°F to 195°F (65°C to 90°C).
Key Features of Traditional Saunas:
- Use electric heaters, wood-burning stoves, or gas heaters to warm rocks, which then radiate heat throughout the cabin
- Create high temperatures with moderate to high humidity (when water is poured over hot rocks)
- Heat your body from the outside in, warming the air you breathe and the surfaces around you
- Produce the classic “sauna experience” with that distinctive hot, steamy atmosphere
How Infrared Saunas Work
Infrared saunas represent a more modern approach to heat therapy. Instead of heating the air, these saunas use infrared light waves to directly penetrate and warm your body at a cellular level.
Key Features of Infrared Saunas:
- Operate at lower temperatures, typically between 120°F to 150°F (48°C to 65°C)
- Use infrared panels or heaters that emit light waves in the far, mid, or near-infrared spectrum
- Heat your body directly without significantly warming the surrounding air
- Create a gentler, less intense heat experience that’s easier for some people to tolerate
The Main Differences at a Glance
Temperature and Comfort
Traditional saunas require higher temperatures to be effective, which some users find invigorating but others may find overwhelming. Infrared saunas achieve similar benefits at lower temperatures, making them more comfortable for people who are heat-sensitive, elderly, or new to sauna therapy.
Heating Time
Traditional saunas typically need 30-40 minutes to preheat before use. Infrared saunas heat up much faster, often ready in just 10-15 minutes, making them more convenient for busy lifestyles.
Heat Penetration
While traditional saunas heat your body from the outside in through hot air, infrared saunas penetrate deeper into your tissues (up to 1.5 inches), which some studies suggest may provide more effective muscle recovery and detoxification.
Energy Efficiency
Infrared saunas generally use less electricity because they operate at lower temperatures and heat up faster. Traditional saunas require more energy to reach and maintain their higher operating temperatures.
Humidity Control
Traditional saunas offer the option to control humidity by pouring water over hot rocks (called löyly in Finnish tradition), creating steam. Infrared saunas remain dry throughout the session, with no humidity control needed or available.
Health Benefits: Traditional vs. Infrared
Both types of saunas offer impressive wellness benefits, including:
- Improved circulation and cardiovascular health
- Stress reduction and relaxation
- Muscle recovery and pain relief
- Better sleep quality
- Detoxification through sweating
- Potential support for arthritis and chronic pain conditions
Traditional sauna enthusiasts often prefer the intense heat and humidity combination, which can produce more profuse sweating and provide a more vigorous cardiovascular workout.
Infrared sauna advocates appreciate the deeper tissue penetration and the ability to stay in longer sessions (30-45 minutes) due to the more comfortable temperature, potentially leading to more sustained therapeutic benefits.
Which Sauna is Right for You?
Choose a Traditional Sauna if you:
- Enjoy intense heat and the classic sauna experience
- Want the option to control humidity with steam
- Prefer the cultural and ritualistic aspects of traditional sauna bathing
- Have experience with saunas and enjoy high temperatures
- Want the most authentic Finnish sauna experience Choose an Infrared Sauna if you:
- Are sensitive to extreme heat or have respiratory concerns
- Want faster heat-up times and lower energy costs
- Prefer deeper tissue penetration for muscle recovery
- Are new to sauna therapy and want a gentler introduction
- Need a more compact installation with easier setup
Experience Both at Montana Hot Spring Spas
At Montana Hot Spring Spas in Billings, we’ve been helping customers discover the benefits of heat therapy since 1977. As we expand our sauna line with premium Tylö saunas, we’re excited to offer both traditional and infrared options to meet every wellness need.
Our factory-trained technicians with over 40 years of combined experience can help you choose the perfect sauna for your home, lifestyle, and health goals. We provide complete installation, training, and ongoing support — the same award-winning service that’s earned us the Billings Gazette Reader’s Choice Award for “Best Hot Tub and Spa Center” for 23 years running.
Ready to Transform Your Wellness Routine?
Whether you choose the intense, traditional heat of a classic sauna or the gentle, penetrating warmth of an infrared model, you’re making an investment in your long-term health and well-being. Visit our showroom at 2217 Grand Ave. in Billings, MT, or call us at 406-652-7727 to experience the difference for yourself.
Your journey to better health through heat therapy starts here.