Sit back and relax to better your health? What’s not to like? Saunas have been a source of relaxation and rejuvenation for hundreds of years, but they’ve been enhanced with new technologies. While research is ongoing — and might not affirm every positive claim about saunas — studies indicate that regular sauna visits can have a myriad of benefits including lower blood pressure, improved muscle recovery, and more.
The anecdotal evidence is hard to ignore, too. If you don’t have a “sauna friend” that won’t stop talking about the benefits, give it a try. You just might become the sauna friend!
The Rise of Infrared Saunas
Many traditional saunas use steam or heating elements to turn up the temperature, but infrared saunas have emerged as a popular option. Instead of heating the whole sauna room, infrared saunas use infrared light frequencies that penetrate your skin and raise your core body temperature, so the environment around you doesn’t have to get as toasty.
For this reason, many find infrared saunas more comfortable and enjoyable than traditional saunas, while gleaning the same benefits. One recent study showed that infrared saunas mimic the benefits of moderate exercise, and another suggests that routine sauna bathing may be particularly beneficial to those with super stressful jobs.
Infrared saunas are thought to promote your overall wellness through relaxation, with benefits including:
- Enhanced Circulation: Infrared saunas may increase blood circulation, promoting damaged cell repair.
- Inflammation Reduction: The increased blood flow can help reduce inflammation, relieving pain, stiffness, and discomfort.
- Burning Calories: The faux-exercise effect burns a few hundred calories (thought to be between 200 to 400).
- Detoxification: Infrared saunas raise the body’s core temperature, which releases toxins through a cleansing sweat.
- Skin Health: The detoxification and increased circulation can promote healthy skin through collagen production and cell renewal.
- Stress Management: Infrared saunas use heat to help stabilize and balance stress hormones, releasing ‘feel good’ hormones (serotonin and dopamine) while lowering the stress hormone cortisol.
If relaxing while you soak in (or rather, sweat out) the same benefits of a light jog sounds good to you, check out these seven spots around Birmingham to get your sauna fix!
7 INFRARED SAUNAS IN BIRMINGHAM, AL
La Bella Skin & Wellness
Neighborhood: Liberty Park
More Info: labellabirmingham.com
La Bella is located in Liberty Park and seeks to bridge the gap between medical services and the spa experience. It offers chemical peels, waxing, massages, makeup, and more. It also features unique add-ons like oxygen dome treatments, which infuse oxygen into the skin to enhance the benefits of facials.
La Bella Owner Coleman Powell has an extensive résumé in the spa industry and brings his expertise to provide the ultimate pampering experience for every client. Adding a sauna session to your visit will be the icing on the cake.
The infrared sauna baths are $40 per 45-minute session, and the wellness center offers special member pricing for all its services. You can book your appointment here.
Healing Waters Wellness Center & Spa
Neighborhood: Southtown
More Info: morethancolonics.com
Elicia Jacob is a registered nurse and owner of Healing Waters Wellness Center & Spa. With a background that includes a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree from UAB (she’s also the hospital’s Director of Nursing in the Women’s and Infant Services Department), she brings her breadth of knowledge and expertise to the center. Offering a variety of wellness treatments, Healing Waters specializes in esthetics, body sculpting, and colon health.
The infrared sauna baths are designed to be an indulgence in luxurious relaxation while providing an array of health benefits. It’s located just off of University Boulevard and boasts a high customer satisfaction rating for its calming ambiance as well as its caring and attentive staff.
One-hour sauna sessions start at $40. You can book yours here.
Element Wellness Center
Neighborhood: Greystone
More Info: elementwellness.me
Element Wellness is located in Tattersall Park in Greystone and is dedicated to making wellness more attainable through quality treatments. You can choose from a menu of services like cryotherapy (cold therapy), IV drips, and massages to enhance your wellness journey.
While many infrared saunas use the ‘far’ infrared frequency, Element’s full-spectrum infrared sauna also incorporates ‘near’ and ‘mid’ infrared frequencies for a broader range of benefits.
Element is located next door to Greystone Chiropractic, and an infrared sauna session can enhance flexibility and reduce inflammation before or after an adjustment.
Individual infrared sauna baths begin at $40. You can book yours here.
Tonya Jones SalonSpa
Neighborhood: English Village
More Info: tonyajonessalon.com
Located in Mountain Brook’s English Village, the Tonya Jones SalonSpa is an Aveda Lifestyle Salon offering everything from hair and makeup services to massages and body treatments. Amenities set Tonya Jones SalonSpa apart, from complementary relaxation rituals to delectable samplings from their resident gourmet chef.
Their infrared sauna room also offers chromotherapy, a color light therapy that boasts a variety of benefits depending on the color. Choose one to hone in on a particular benefit, such as an intense green for regenerative stimulation or indigo for eliminating impurities. You can alsocycle through the colors for a rainbow of well-being.
Prices start at $30 for a 45-minute sauna session. You can book your appointment here.
Sparrow Health & Performance
Neighborhood: Greystone
More Info: sparrowclinic.com
Sparrow Clinic takes a holistic, whole-body approach to health. When CEO and Clinic Director Rebecca Rogers’s son Will was diagnosed with Alopecia Universalis at age 16, Rebecca began searching for anything to help. Her research put her on a path to embrace a ‘natural first’ mindset when it comes to health and well-being. This commitment is behind all of Sparrow’s services.
Their infrared sauna engages all five senses in a unique relaxation experience. It combines infrared heat you can feel with halotherapy, which provides a salt-infused air you can taste. The sauna also uses aromatherapy with essential oils, medical-grade chromotherapy, as well as a relaxing guided meditation or calming music selection for a truly immersive experience.
Sauna baths start at $40 for 30 minutes. To book your sauna session, email Sparrow here.
Restore Hyper Wellness
Neighborhood: Cahaba Village
More Info: restore.com
Located in Cahaba Village in Mountain Brook, Restore Hyper Wellness is all about providing holistic wellness through cutting-edge modalities. It offers services ranging from IV therapy and facials to cryotherapy to help you feel your best.
Restore’s infrared sauna is one of its four core wellness therapies, along with compression, cryotherapy, and red light therapy. These services can be combined to get the full scope of benefits. Whether you’re stopping in just for a restorative sauna session or want to start your action plan for whole-body wellness, Restore can help.
The infrared sauna baths last 30 to 45 minutes, and you can book yours here.
Opulent Wellness and Spa
Neighborhood: Homewood
More Info: opulentwellnessandspa.com
At Opulent Wellness and Spa, the team believes everyone deserves pampering to feel as beautiful as they are. Located in Homewood just off Oxmoor Road, it’s a full-service body salon that offers body contouring options along with its sauna services.
In addition to infrared sauna, the salon offer a relaxing sauna blanket detox where you snuggle up in a sauna blanket and indulge in aroma therapy while receiving similar benefits from traditional sauna rooms.
Their infrared sauna sessions also include a detox body wrap and start at $35. Book your session here.
Ready to give it a try?
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