Now that January has hit, and we no longer have Christmas festivities to brighten these dreary winter days, we need something new to give us our sparkle. No doubt most of us are feeling pretty sluggish and not our fittest and healthiest selves after several weeks of indulgent parties, dinners and nights out, never mind the endless supply of office chocolate within arm’s reach of your desk...

Needless to say, most of us feel the need for a detox at this time of year. We say ditch the green juice cleanses that make your stomach turn, and seek a warm escape from chilly winter weather in an infrared sauna.

How does it work?

Unlike traditional saunas, infrared saunas heat the body more gently and slowly, creating a less intense feeling of warming from the inside, not causing you to pour with sweat within the first couple of minutes, but instead taking longer to raise your body temperature to a point of intense sweating. This gives an altogether more relaxing and therapeutic experience.

Sessions usually lasting around 15-20 minutes at first, which can be built up to 30-40 minutes over time once your body becomes more used to the processes caused by this form of heating. Our body’s natural way of detoxing; when we are ill for example, is to heat up to rid us of bacteria, viruses, and other toxic organisms by sweating it out through the skin; a natural way of healing.

Infrared saunas mimic this process by warming the body from the inside out, penetrating the skin on a much deeper level than traditional saunas in order to purify the body and cleanse it of all those baddies which have built up over time.

Get the most out of your infrared sauna detox

Drink water before and after

A session in an infrared sauna will cause you to sweat a great deal, so it is really important that you hydrate properly before and after using an infrared sauna to avoid any headaches or light-headedness.

Try drinking coconut water for added electrolytes to supercharge your hydration and maximise your sweaty detox results.

Use a body brush beforehand

The skin is our body’s largest organ, and as long as its pores are not blocked, it can rid us of a huge amount of toxins and baddies through perspiration every day. Dry brushing the skin for 5-10 minutes before entering an infrared sauna can maximise the detox potential of your skin by removing any layers of dead skin and unblocking pores, therefore enabling your skin to sweat and efficiently release toxins.

A brush made with natural fibres is best for the job. Make sure to take a quick warm shower after body brushing to wash off dead skin before entering an infrared sauna for maximum detoxifying benefits.

Consistent use for recovery and healing

If you are looking to ease pain and encourage healing from an injury, several sessions in an infrared sauna over time will be more effective than a standalone session.

Using this treatment consistently over several weeks will promote superior healing and provide lasting pain relief from problem muscles or joints and long-term injuries. Overall healing and rejuvenation is also a great detoxifying benefit of long-term infrared sauna use.

Exercise before using

Exercise promotes the oxygenation of cells and raises body temperature, and often people have a difficulty sweating during exercise due to toxin build up, which in turn prevents them cleansing their body through perspiration during exercise.

Exercising a short while before using an infrared sauna will jump-start the detoxification process and help make you infrared sauna session which follows be as efficient as possible in cleansing baddies out of your body.

Why not try a new kind of detox this January, and give infrared saunas a go. Their deep-penetrating heat rays will rid your body of toxins, promote natural healing and leaving you feeling refreshed and revived for the year ahead. (Make sure to check with a health professional if you have any concerns about using this form of heat therapy).