The History of Infrared Saunas: From Ancient Ritual to Modern Wellness Innovation
🚀 From Sci-Fi to Ancient Roots: The True Story of Infrared Saunas
The first time I heard the phrase infrared sauna, I imagined something futuristic — like a luxury amenity aboard a space station. I doubt I’m alone. It sounds high-tech, advanced, and new. But while the term might feel modern, the concept behind it is anything but.
Infrared saunas may sound futuristic:
But they’re rooted in an ancient tradition of using heat to heal, detoxify, and restore the body.
Like many people, I only discovered the benefits of infrared saunas in the last 20 years. They’ve helped me address everything from high blood pressure to insomnia. But to understand their value today, it’s worth looking back to see where it all began.
🔥 The Ancient History of Sauna Therapy
Saunas in some form have existed for millennia — long before electricity made infrared heat possible. Across cultures, people have relied on the power of heat to detoxify, relax, and heal.
Temazcal (Mexico & Guatemala):
Temazcales were dome-shaped, stone-built sweat houses. Volcanic stones were heated by fire and placed in the center of the room, emitting dry heat. These structures were used after battle or physical exertion to restore and purify the body.
Temazcales were early dry saunas:
Athletes and warriors entered them to cleanse the body and spirit after intense effort.
Sweat Lodges (North America):
Used by Indigenous tribes for spiritual ceremonies. Built from saplings and covered with animal hides or blankets, they used steam from water poured on hot stones.
Sweat lodges combined ceremony and cleansing:
Spiritual purification and physical healing were often one and the same.
Estonian & Finnish Steam Saunas:
Saunas in Estonia and Finland date back thousands of years. Finnish saunas were originally pits dug into hillsides, with fire-heated stones and water thrown over them to produce steam.
The Finnish sauna shaped modern traditions:
When Finns migrated across the globe, they brought the sauna culture with them.
Saunas weren’t just for health — they were cultural rituals:
Used for childbirth, religious ceremonies, and rites of passage, saunas were a cornerstone of traditional life.
Even today, steam saunas in gyms and spas operate the same way: hot stones and water creating enveloping steam — now powered by electricity instead of fire.
🌈 Discovery of Infrared Light
The story of infrared saunas begins with science — specifically, the discovery of invisible light rays beyond red.
In 1800, British astronomer William Herschel conducted an experiment using a prism and sunlight. He observed that just beyond the red part of the visible spectrum, there was a region producing heat, even though it couldn’t be seen.
This was the discovery of infrared radiation:
Herschel called them “calorific rays” — heat-generating light we can’t see but can feel.
His work laid the foundation for what would become infrared therapy more than a century later.
Infrared isn’t visible — it’s experiential:
We can’t see it, but our bodies respond to it through warmth, relaxation, and detoxification.
Throughout the 19th century, researchers continued investigating this light. They discovered how it could be measured, how far it penetrates surfaces, and how it might one day be harnessed for medicine.
💡 Kellogg’s Light Bath: The First Infrared Sauna
In the late 1800s, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg (yes, the breakfast cereal pioneer) invented what he called the electric light bath. This wooden cabinet used incandescent bulbs to emit near infrared light and warm the body.
He debuted the invention at the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago. It gained popularity across Europe and was even used by German doctors who reportedly treated the King of England’s gout. He was so impressed that he had a unit installed in Buckingham Palace.
Kellogg’s invention predated modern infrared saunas by nearly a century:
It used near infrared to heat the body — without steam, fire, or humidity.
His electric light bath combined innovation with ancient wisdom:
A modern mechanism for what indigenous cultures had known for centuries — heat heals.
🌐 Far Infrared: A Space-Age Breakthrough
True far infrared sauna technology emerged in the 1960s, when NASA began researching FIR radiation for astronaut health.
In 1965, a Japanese doctor received the first patent for a ceramic far infrared heater. He began using it in therapeutic settings to promote healing and detoxification — similar to how near infrared and steam saunas were used.
Far infrared reaches deeper into the body:
It heats tissue directly, improving circulation, reducing pain, and boosting detox — all at lower ambient temperatures.
NASA’s exploration helped us sweat smarter here on Earth:
What started as space-age tech soon became an everyday tool for natural healing.
For years, the technology was only used by physicians in Japan. Then in 1979, it was released to the public and began making its way into North America throughout the 1980s.
🧱 Heater Evolution: Ceramic vs. Carbon vs. Hybrid
For decades, infrared saunas relied on ceramic rods to generate heat. These heaters were effective but operated at very high surface temperatures and created uneven heat distribution.
Then came the innovation of carbon fiber panels:
Broader heat distribution
Lower surface temperatures
Longer infrared wavelengths
Carbon heaters improved comfort, but sacrificed intensity:
They weren’t always powerful enough to elevate core body temperature effectively.
In response, advanced sauna manufacturers began designing hybrid heaters — combining ceramic’s power with carbon’s comfort.
Ceramic + Carbon = Deep healing + Comfortable sessions:
This hybrid approach delivers maximum sweat and optimal safety.
One of the pioneers of this design was Sauna Works, who patented this hybrid heating technology for their Clearlight saunas. This advancement brought modern infrared saunas to a new level of performance.
These heaters are now the gold standard for infrared therapy:
High-output infrared, even cabin heat, and safe long-term use in one elegant design.
🔥 Infrared Saunas Today: A Fusion of Old and New
Today’s infrared saunas are sleek, accessible, and highly effective. They combine everything we’ve learned from thousands of years of healing with today’s medical-grade precision.
Whether you’re using it for:
Detoxification
Cardiovascular health
Muscle recovery
Immune support
Mood regulation
…infrared saunas offer a low-barrier, high-reward wellness practice.
Far infrared sauna therapy offers something better:
Safe, consistent, whole-body healing — rooted in history and backed by science.
What began as a volcanic ritual in a stone hut has evolved into a cedar-lined sanctuary you can install in your own home.
You’re not just sweating — you’re connecting with an ancient truth:
That healing happens through heat, rest, and ritual. And infrared brings all three together.
