Infrared Therapy: What It Is—and Why It Feels So Different
Infrared therapy has become increasingly popular in the wellness space.
And for many people, it’s simply easier to start with than a traditional Finnish sauna.
The temperature feels more manageable.
The air is easier to tolerate.
And you don’t get that same immediate intensity when you step inside.
But this also creates confusion.
Because infrared is often described as a “gentler sauna.”
And physiologically, that’s not quite right.
What Makes Infrared Different?
A traditional sauna heats the air around you.
Infrared works differently.
It uses light to heat the body more directly.
That means:
You can feel warm without extremely high temperatures
The experience is more gradual
And for many people, more tolerable
But the key difference is not just how it feels.
It’s how your body responds.
What Happens in the Body?
Even though infrared feels milder, there are still real physiological effects.
1. Circulation increases
Infrared exposure can help your blood vessels relax, which improves blood flow.
This is one reason it often feels calming.
2. Your body warms from within
Instead of being surrounded by very hot air, your body distributes heat internally.
3. You activate a stress response—just at a lower level
Like all forms of heat exposure, infrared creates a signal in the body.
But compared to sauna, that signal is usually smaller.
When Does Infrared Make Sense?
Infrared can be useful if:
You’re new to heat exposure
You don’t tolerate high temperatures well
You’re focusing on recovery rather than intensity
You want something you can do more consistently
And this is important:
The best protocol is not the most extreme one
It’s the one you can repeat
Sponsor
Today’s newsletter is sponsored by Boncharge.
They develop infrared sauna blankets and light-based tools designed to make infrared therapy accessible at home.
If you don’t have access to a sauna—or you’re just starting out—this can be a practical way to explore heat exposure in a more controlled way.
To get you started use SOEBERG10 on BonCharge.com
Final Thought
Infrared is not a replacement for sauna.
It’s a different tool.
Lower intensity.
Easier entry.
More accessible for many people.
But if you want to understand what it actually does—at the level of your cells, metabolism, and recovery—I go much deeper in the full article.
Read the full article
In the full piece, I break down:
What happens inside your cells
How infrared interacts with mitochondria
Why circulation changes
And how it compares to sauna from a metabolic perspective