Both make you sweat. The difference lies in how the heat reaches your body.
Traditional (Finnish) sauna
Hot air (around 70–90 °C) first heats the room, then your body through convection and contact. The effect: intense, fast heat load, strong sweating, noticeable cardiovascular activation.
Infrared sauna
Infrared light warms your tissue directly rather than the air. As a result, an infrared cabin at much lower air temperatures (around 45–60 °C) feels similarly intense to a far hotter traditional sauna — with the heat penetrating deeper into the tissue.
What the research says
The traditional sauna has the broadest evidence base: large observational studies show a markedly reduced risk of cardiovascular events with regular use (2–3x per week). For infrared saunas there is less but growing evidence — early studies suggest similar effects on heart function, chronic pain and fatigue, plus improved circulation through deeper tissue warming.
What that means for you
- You like it intense and are used to heat → traditional sauna
- You find high air temperatures uncomfortable but still want to sweat deeply → infrared
- You are short on time → infrared often feels effective sooner at a lower temperature
At Zenctuary you can try both and find out what feels right — it doesn't have to be either/or.