Sinead Corcoran Dye falls asleep in her infrared sauna blanket, but does it do what it says it'll do? Photo / Getty
Sinead Corcoran Dye falls asleep in her infrared sauna blanket, but does it do what it says it'll do? Photo / Getty
Sinead Corcoran Dye feels the heat testing a cheaper alternative to a home sauna.
If you read this column every week (thank you), you may remember I tested out a home sauna a few months ago. I did rate it for relaxation, and the feeling I was sweating out everymeal I’ve ever eaten. It cost a few thousand dollars though, which is out of most people’s budgets, mine included.
This week I came across a much cheaper alternative – the $259 portable, infrared sauna blanket from Well Products Limited, which is actually more of a heated sleeping bag than a blanket. It comes with a control box that plugs into the wall and includes a book of instructions that must have been roughly translated from another language into English, because it made no sense and was virtually impossible to follow. I just made it up as I went along, praying I wouldn’t electrocute myself.
After plugging in the blanket and climbing in, I attempted to zip myself up to my neck. Unfortunately, my arms just don’t bend that way, so I got as high as my boobs. I then lay on the ground like a sausage roll in a rustling, steamy plastic bag, which quickly became very sweaty. I was a sweaty foot in a sock.
There are numerous alleged health benefits from using an infrared sauna blanket. They include weight loss, muscle-tension relief, detoxification, increased metabolism, decreased constipation, better sleep and a stronger immune system. The controlled, timed heat is said to cause the body to sweat and release toxins, aiding a healthy immune system, boosting your metabolism and accelerating the burning of body fat, although research suggests this could just be water weight.
While technology that uses heat to penetrate the skin and burn fat does exist (think laser lipolysis, where heat from a laser helps remove fat deposits), an orthopedic surgeon specialising in sports medicine doubts sauna blanket temps get high enough to blast all your Uber Eats.
“The infrared waves also fire up only the superficial skin and won’t actually reach the fat cells underneath,” Dr Laith Jazrawi says.
Saunas also claim to be good for post-workout pain relief, but a study in the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research showed applying ice post-exercise was superior to heat for reducing muscle strain.
Relaxation is another result touted by fans of infrared blanket use, and I will say it was more relaxing than being in an actual sauna because I could choose how much of my body to have inside the bag, so I didn’t get too hot.
Another pro was that it’s portable, so I could position it on my living room floor in front of the TV, which was way better than my garage sauna, where I had to just stare at my bike rack.
While you probably wouldn’t get much use out of a sauna blanket as we’re coming into summer, I rate it for the colder months. I can’t say I slithered out of it a svelte size 6, but I did fall asleep in it, which was a win.
