Celebrities including Gwyneth Paltrow and Sabrina Carpenter are posing in fashionable infrared saunas – which claim to ease anxiety and help with high blood pressure

If you think a visit to a steam bath is the height of luxury, think again. There is a newer and reportedly more effective version: the infrared sauna.

It’s a device that quickly gained support from celebrities around the world, with the likes of health queen Gwyneth Paltrow and singer Rita Ora raving about its benefits.

Unlike a regular sauna, which heats the air to warm the body, the infrared sauna uses red light to heat the body directly, without heating the air. This has similar effects, but at a lower temperature.

Because users can sweat for longer due to the lower temperature, the effect is more intense. This in turn could help alleviate mental health issues such as anxiety, muscle pain, and conditions such as high blood pressure and chronic headaches.

Individual sessions in the British capital typically start at £40 for 30 minutes, but health-conscious people can get their daily dose of infrared with an expensive gym membership, such as Soho House. And if you want to buy one, you’ll soon pay between £1,500 and £10,000.

According to Healthline, infrared saunas use electromagnetic radiation to directly heat the body to a lower temperature, typically between 120°F and 140°F, compared to the temperature of a traditional sauna, which ranges from 150°F to 180°F.

Purported benefits include better sleep, weight loss, detoxification, relief from muscle pain, improved circulation, and clear skin.

It’s a list of potential benefits that has prompted Goop founder Gwyneth Paltrow to hit the infrared sauna several times a week to promote healing and care for her skin.

Write on gunkThe 51-year-old said of infrared saunas: ‘Everything I do feels good, like a gift to my body.

‘I have energy, I exercise in the morning and I go to the infrared sauna as often as I can, all to support my healing.

‘An added benefit is that I have beautiful skin, which makes me happy. This makes me want to pay even more attention to my skin care.’

Last year, TV presenter Cat Deeley spoke candidly about the long-term COVID symptoms she suffered from and how she combated them with the help of an infrared sauna and a cryochamber at -118 degrees.

Speaking with Women’s Health UK Speaking about her poor health before her morning television appearance, Cat said: ‘After I had Covid, I was having pain in my hands and doctors couldn’t help me, so I started looking for other things.

Goop founder Gwyneth Paltrow has incorporated infrared sauna sessions into her wellness regimen

33-year-old Hot Right Now singer Rita Ora visits infrared sauna to reduce anxiety symptoms

Unlike traditional saunas, the treatment uses electromagnetic radiation to directly heat the body

‘The symptoms I had were a bit like MS: painful joints, no strength in my hands and something strange happened when I looked down: there is a nerve in your neck and it felt almost tingly and electric.

‘I saw that they often treat MS patients with oxygen tanks because it helps with rejuvenation. I found a place nearby that has one, and they also have a red light sauna and a cryo chamber, and I thought ‘for a penny for a pound’!’

The former Stars In Their Eyes presenter spends 45 minutes in the sauna, so she has to do everything she can to entertain herself.

She explained, “I have to read a magazine. So I have my glasses on and I’m trying to put my legs up the wall at the same time. Completely naked. I mean… thank God no one can see me.

“And then I sit there for 45 minutes, get really sweaty, take a shower, wash my hair, and then jump in the cryo tank.”

Sabrina Carpenter, 25, took a break from her blossoming music career to relax in an infrared sauna

TV presenter Cat Deeley discovered the infrared sauna after suffering from long-term Covid symptoms

Daisy Ridley recently revealed that she uses infrared saunas after being diagnosed with Graves’ disease last year. The autoimmune disease causes an overactive thyroid gland, which can lead to symptoms such as anxiety and sleep problems.

Talking to Women Healththe Star Wars actress revealed that she has incorporated infrared saunas to help relieve symptoms, alongside other physical therapies including massage and acupuncture.

“I do quite a few holistic things, but I also realize that it’s a privilege to be able to do those things,” she told the publication.

Meanwhile, stars including Sabrina Carpenter and Rita Ora have revealed their use of infrared saunas by posing in the fluorescent red lighting in photos they shared on Instagram.

Earlier this year, Rita described her mental health issues in an interview with Evgeny Lebedev on his Brave New World podcast, and the different methods she uses to manage her well-being.

Rita indicated that she owes the well-known methods of Wim Hof, The Ice Man, to her work. She regularly participates in a 40-minute infrared sauna, followed by a cold plunge bath or a cold shower.

The Hot Right Now singer added that panic attacks “used to feel weird” when they happened, but that she now uses acupuncture and other Chinese medicine to manage her symptoms.

Rita explains: ‘I really suffer from anxiety, I think everyone in my industry does, to be honest. I think it’s really cool now that it’s become a topic of conversation and that there are days that are better than others.’

However, Healthline warned that, as is to be expected with anything, there are potential risks involved. Pictured is a stock photo of a sauna

Meanwhile, professionals seem to think that infrared saunas are generally beneficial, but that too little is known about them.

“There have been many studies done on the use of infrared saunas in treating long-term health conditions and some evidence has been found that saunas can help,” according to a post on Mayo Clinic said.

‘Conditions studied include high blood pressure, heart failure, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, headaches, type 2 diabetes and arthritis.

“But larger and more precise studies are needed to prove these results. Some of these studies were also conducted with people who regularly used a sauna.”

However, Healthline warned that – as is to be expected with everything – there are potential risks involved.

According to the news agency, the following negative side effects may occur: heat discomfort, low blood pressure, dizziness, leg pain, respiratory irritation and claustrophobia.

They also said that medical reports show sauna goers suffering burns, fainting or falling, but it doesn’t seem to be specifically related to the infrared options.

Experts indicate that there are also groups of people who may prefer not to visit a sauna, or who may want to be careful with it. For example, people with nervous and motor problems, pregnant women, people with a weakened immune system and/or unhealed wounds, people with heart problems, the elderly and young children.

Dr. Ashish Sharma of the Yuma Regional Medical Center also warned in an interview with the newspaper that the “dry heat generated in an infrared sauna can cause you to overheat. With prolonged use, it can even lead to dehydration and even exhaustion or heat stroke.”