INFRARED SAUNA FAQ

How does an infrared sauna work?
The idea behind infrared therapy is to heat your body directly with infrared heat. In a traditional sauna you are just sitting in a hot room, 180-220 degrees. In an infrared sauna, the infrared is heating your body directly and 20% of the heat is heating the air. The idea is to increase thermal energy in the body so you want the infrared on your front core and your back core.

The infrared heat increases thermal energy and temporarily stimulates your lymphatic system, immune system and your cardiovascular system. Your bodies response to that is to sweat profusely.

In addition to the infrared heat triggering a profuse sweat, the water in our body also resonate with far infrared heat and this also helps with the detoxification process.

With this in mind, you now understand why we stress the importance of both front and back wall heaters in an infrared sauna. If you do not have front heaters in your sauna, you will not raise your core body temperature as well and you will not receive as much of the desired effect. All of our Clearlight Infrared Sauna™ models have heaters all around you… on your front, back, sides, legs and feet.

What are the benefits of a Mahogany wood sauna?
Mahogany is a beautiful reddish/brown wood known for its use in high quality furniture, boats and musical instruments.  We only use sustainable grade “A” clear Mahogany for our infrared saunas giving Clearlight Mahogany Infrared Saunas their unique and beautiful look.

Mahogany is know for its durability and beauty, with a similar hardness to Basswood.  It will not get hot to the touch when you experience relaxation inside your sauna.  Mahogany is the ideal material known for its use in boat building as it holds up very well when exposed to moisture; therefore, it provides additional benefits for uses within a sauna increasing the durability with sweat resistance.  It stands up well to environmental factors and has an overall resistance from cracking and splitting that you might otherwise encounter with lesser-grade wood materials.

What are the benefits of a Basswood sauna?
North American Basswood is a “white” wood with a yellow to whitish color. Basswood has a very dense cellular structure making it stronger, more stable and sweat resistant. It is also resistant to cracking and splitting.

Basswood is also considered hypoallergenic. It has almost no odor and is one of the only woods not considered a “sensitizer” for people with Multiple Chemical Sensitivities.

How long is the warranty on my Clearlight® infrared sauna?
We take pride in being one of the few companies that provides you with a limited lifetime warranty for residential use on the entire sauna – heaters, wood, controls and electrical. Your sauna is built in a modular fashion so replacing parts is easy. We only use the highest quality materials in each Clearlight® Sauna model to minimize the possibility of warranty issues. Very few infrared sauna companies offer this type of complete lifetime warranty.

For commercial use, we offer a complete 5 year warranty on the entire sauna.

Will I need to hire an electrician?
Standard household electrical outlets are 120 volts. Most are rated at 15 amps and some, like bathrooms or kitchens, may be rated at 20 amps.

Clearlight Infrared Sauna™ models run on either 120v or 240v depending on the sauna model and the size of the sauna. Please review the specification for the model you are interested in to see the electrical requirement or contact a Clearlight® Sauna specialist at 800.798.1779.

Many of our sauna models will plug into any standard household outlet. Many models require you to hire an electrician to install the proper electrical circuit.

What are the optimum infrared wavelengths for an infrared sauna?
The infrared wavelengths of a far infrared heater are determined by the surface temperature of the heater itself. The lower the surface temperature of the heater, the longer the infrared wave and the more beneficial the infrared heat will be.

Our large True Wave™ far infrared heaters run at an optimal 180-200°F surface temperature producing exceptional quality far infrared heat. This means our heaters produce the majority of the infrared heat in the vital wave range of 6 to 12 microns with a good portion of wavelengths at 9.4 microns, the optimal absorption range of far infrared by the human body.

Only our True Wave™ heaters combine the high infrared output of ceramic with long wave carbon infrared heat to produce the most effective infrared heaters available. You can only find this combination in Clearlight® infrared saunas!

Our True Wave™ Full Spectrum infrared heaters are powerful 500-watt heaters that produce near, mid and far-infrared. Adding in full-spectrum therapy to your Clearlight Sauna® will enhance the benefits if our far infrared heaters. You will get more benefits faster in a full spectrum infrared sauna.

For more detailed information about our heaters and why they produce exceptional far-infrared heat, please click here.

Do you just sell your True Wave™ infrared heaters individually?
Absolutely. We have designed an infrared heater kit and control system so you can install our True Wave™ heaters in your already existing sauna or one you are building yourself. You can even install these in that small room you’ve always wanted to convert into a sauna.

The heater package consists of enough heaters for your designated space, digital keypad control and power supply, all necessary cables, cedarwood, lights, and accessories. Just give us a call at 800.798.1779 x 850. We are happy to spec out a far-infrared heater system that will work for your space. Learn more about our custom infrared heater kits and submit your room dimensions for a quote.

Is infrared heat safe?
Infrared heat is completely safe and all objects give off and receive infrared heat. In fact, it is so safe, hospitals use similar heaters to warm newborns. Infrared is a part of nature and essential for life.

The human body gives off and receives infrared in the far infrared band. When a mother rubs a babies stomach to relieve pain, it is the infrared heat from her hand that is causing the healing effect. We have tuned our True Wave™ heaters to give off far infrared in this same range for maximum absorption by your body and for maximum therapeutic benefits.

Can I put my Clearlight® infrared sauna outside?
Yes, all Clearlight Infrared Sauna™ Models can be used outside with our optional water proof cover. Because we use high-pressure bindings and precision hand craftsmanship, our sauna cabinetry can endure outdoor humidity and dryness as long as you protect it with our waterproof cover.

Infrared saunas are designed to heat the human body, not the air. Only about 20% of the heat from our heaters goes to heat the air. Because of this, if you live in a place where the temperature gets below 40° F, we don’t recommend putting the sauna outside. It will take much longer for the cabin to warm up and it will not get as hot. Please consult one of our infrared sauna specialists for more information about putting your sauna outside.

How is my Clearlight® infrared sauna shipped?
Your new Clearlight® infrared sauna™ will generally arrive in your state within 7-10 days from the date it leaves our warehouse in Northern California. As part of our commitment to exceptional customer service, we ship every Clearlight Infrared Sauna model with a few higher levels of service.

First, our freight carrier will call to schedule an appointment to deliver your sauna. There is no worry that your sauna will arrive unexpectedly.

Second, your sauna will be delivered on a truck with a lift gate to ensure that any possibility of freight damage is minimized.

Third, the delivery driver will move your sauna off of the truck with a pallet jack and move it as far as they can roll it.

At this point, just open up the boxes and move the wall panels into place. Setup time for all of our Clearlight Sauna® models is about 45-90 minutes depending on the size and the model.

Installation service is available. If you need your sauna delivered into your house or up or down stairs, please just give us a call.

Can I receive constant infrared heat from my Clearlight® sauna?
Yes. The ideal way to use any infrared sauna is to have the infrared heaters on the entire time producing the optimal infrared heat you desire.

Infrared heat is most effective at lower temperatures as sweat oils secrete at lower temperatures and this sweat is different than water sweat. Your Clearlight Infrared Sauna™ is designed to heat your body more so than to heat the cabin (about 80% of the heat heats your body and 20% of the heat heats the sauna cabin). The following is our recommendation for use of your sauna:

1) Turn your sauna on and warm it up for about 10-15 minutes. The True Wave™ heaters in your sauna will reach their optimal operating temperature in this amount of time.

2) After this short warm up time, get in the sauna and turn the thermostat up very high to ensure the heaters stay on continuously during your session. Generally, your infrared sauna session will range in temperature between 100 – 125°F.

3) Sit back and enjoy your sauna session. Since the key to infrared therapy is heating your body core, you will find that you sweat more sitting up in the sauna with your back lined up with the back wall heaters heating your body core from the back. This positions you in such a way that the front wall heaters will be heating your front body core.

4) During your session the temperature will slowly climb inside the sauna cabin. Remember, your Clearlight Infrared Sauna is heating your body more so than heating the air.

5) Stay Well Hydrated. We emphasize this because it is essential to stay well hydrated when using your sauna. It is estimated that 70% of people are dehydrated. When you are dehydrated, your body holds on to water and will not allow you to sweat very much. It is recommended to drink water before you get in the sauna and bring a quart of water into the sauna with you and drink it during your session.

Don’t be fooled by other manufacturers that offer constant infrared heat by reducing the output of their heaters. At the reduced output you are not receiving optimal infrared heat.

How do I maintain my Clearlight® infrared sauna?
Clearlight® infrared saunas require very little cleaning, and there are no regular maintenance tasks or parts to replace. Infrared saunas provide dry heat; the only moisture produced is from your own perspiration. The enclosed cabins keep out dust and dirt. The ceramic compound in our True Wave heaters naturally produces a lot of negative ions that help purify the air. Treat the exterior like any piece of fine furniture. You can wipe the interior down with a sauna cleaner that we offer or you can make your own.

• Use towels on the bench and underneath your feet.
• If you notice excess moisture after a session, you can wipe off any excess perspiration or crack the door or roof vent and keep the sauna running for a few minutes.
• If needed, you can wipe your sauna down occasionally. Use a moist towel – don’t spray directly onto the heater panels. Use our sauna cleaner or make your own: A few drops of a high quality essential oil in water (examples are Tea Tree, Eucalyptus, Arborvitae, Lavender, Lemon – your choice); a solution of 1T baking soda in a gallon of water. For Basswood models, you can use a weak solution of hydrogen peroxide or Tea Tree oil in water.
• For locations with high use such as clinics and spas, we offer a No VOC varnish to use inside the sauna and waterproof bench pads.
• Use your vacuum hand attachment if you want to clean dust or debris from your sauna.
• Perspiration stains don’t affect your sauna’s performance. If you eventually get perspiration stains that you would like to remove it’s easily done by lightly sanding.

In choosing a Sauna, I shopped the Internet. CLEARLIGHT was the obvious winner for nice designs, state-of-the-art sauna technology and quality construction. Believe me, I checked them all.

I ordered the unit and received it within a week. I set it up easily with my son in an hour. The beauty of the sauna is striking, and the aroma of the cedar is like being in another world.

If you want a state-of-the-art sauna that looks like a work of art and creates a micro environment that’s totally relaxing, I recommend CLEARLIGHT. About two weeks after I got it, a representative of the company contacted me to make sure everything was OK. What a company!  Thanks.

Richard H. Bell, Lewes, Delaware 
Chairman, Harvard Business Services, Inc.