Sunlighten Infrared Sauna Review: Is It Worth It?

‍What is an Infrared Sauna?

An infrared sauna utilizes infrared panels with infrared lights to penetrate your skin and heat you up. Unlike traditional saunas, which rely on heated rocks to warm the air around you, infrared saunas directly heat your body, providing a more efficient and targeted experience.

The temperatures in infrared saunas typically range between 120°F to 150°F (49°C to 65°C) whiletraditional saunas can reach higher temperatures, often ranging from 150°F to 195°F (65°C to 90°C) or even higher.

How Does an Infrared Sauna Work?

The infrared light emitted by the sauna penetrates up to 3 inches deep into your skin, promoting sweating and increasing your core body temperature. This deep heat penetration is believed to offer a range of health benefits, including detoxification, pain relief, improved circulation, and stress reduction. 
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Benefits of Infrared Saunas

• Detoxification - Infrared saunas promote sweating, helping to rid your body of toxins and impurities.
  
  
• Pain Relief - The deep penetrating heat from the infrared lights stimulates blood flow to sore or injured areas, which can help alleviate muscle tension and stiffness. This increased blood flow delivers oxygen and nutrients to the tissues, as well as triggering the release of endorphins which can work together to simultaneously promote healing and reduce pain.
  
  
• Improved Circulation - When exposed to the infrared heat, the body's temperature rises, causing blood vessels near the surface of the skin to dilate. This dilation allows for increased blood flow and circulation throughout the body, promoting better cardiovascular health.
  
  
• Relaxation and Stress Relief - Stepping into an infrared sauna offers an escape from the stresses of daily life, allowing you to unwind, focus on your breathing, relax your muscles, and clear your mind.
  
  
• Stress Resilience -  Hormesis is a biological phenomenon where exposure to low doses of a stressor or toxin can help train the body to adapt or in simpler terms, ‘what doesn't kill you makes you stronger’. Whether it’s cold thermogenesis or heat stress, these acute stressors train the body to adapt to stress and better deal with and handle future stress.
  
  
• Building the Immune System - Studies have shown that exposure to heat can stimulate the production and activity of certain immune cells, including white blood cells, lymphocytes, neutrophils, and basophils, and therefore aid the body in fighting infections. 
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For more information about the research and benefits behind Infrared Saunas, watch the video here.
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The Sunlighten mPulse Infrared Sauna 101

Due to their numerous benefits, infrared saunas have gained immense popularity over the last couple of years. A popular and growing company within the industry is Sunlighten and their mPulse advanced infrared saunas. The mPulse boasts cutting-edge technology and innovative features to provide users with customizable sessions tailored to their specific needs and was designed to offer a luxurious and therapeutic at-home sauna experience. In this review, I’ll be assessing what makes it so special and if it is indeed worth the hype.

Ease of Build

Truthfully, the assembly process for the Sunlighten mPulse wasn’t as efficient as I would have liked and I got caught up on some of the instructions I found unclear. To help anyone reading this who is potentially interested in purchasing their own, here’s a link to a video where I share all my top assembly tips to help you smooth out the process. Once I got over the assembly hurdle however and turned on the device, it’s been smooth sailing ever since.

Quality and Design 

The Sunlighten m Pulse has a sleek and elegant design, a visual allure that can complement any space it’s put into (especially my garage), and consists of high quality, beautifully crafted, and non-toxic materials - a roof panel and floor panel, four walls, a bench, and a thick and sturdy glass door. The wood itself has a nice aroma and is available in lighter basswood, darker eucalyptus, or an eucalyptus/cedar inside and outside combination. Of all the above options, I chose the lighter basswood but would personally recommend the eucalyptus as found the basswood could stain more easily.

The sauna comes with exterior lighting to enhance the ambiance and elevate the overall aesthetic appeal of the sauna, as well as LED light panels that can be turned on and off within the sauna (using the remote).

Features and Functionality 

The mPulse offers numerous unique features designed specifically to cater to individual preferences. One standout aspect is its customizable infrared sessions, accessible through a user-friendly 10.1-inch control panel. Users can select from pre-programmed options like detoxification, relaxation, cardiovascular, and pain relief, each with preset infrared wavelengths (near, mid and far), intensities, and durations. The control panel operates like a standard Android device, enabling Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity for music playback, app downloads, and more while the mPulse also features two built-in Blaupunkt speakers and temperature control. Although it takes some time to heat up, it provides a comfortably moderate temperature, allowing for extended sauna sessions and potentially enhanced benefits compared to traditional saunas.

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EMF Emissions

With the influx of Infrared Saunas arriving on the market, there have been some growing concerns about their safety and the amount of electromagnetic field (EMF) emissions that they’re producing. Once built I tested the m Pulse using an EMF reader and was pleased to see the readings were well within the safe range despite being next to the panels at full blast.

My Favorite Way To Use The Sauna? 

My overall experience using the Sunlighten mPulse has been amazing and I feel truly blessed being able to use it after a long day of work or when recovering from a workout. My favourite application however has been the social aspect and using the sauna to build a sense of community and social connection. As someone who doesn’t like to go out and drink very often, I love that I can invite people around to use the sauna with me and catch up and bond during the experience.

From an energy and health perspective, I’ve noticed big changes in my overall sense of relaxation, mental clarity, stress and energy levels and I’m very excited to see the benefits of it over a long-term basis. 

Overall Rating and Conclusion

After using the Sauna for a couple of months, I would give the Sunlighten mPulse a solid 9/10. I love the experience, the way it makes me feel daily, its safety and low EMF levels, and ease of use after it’s set up. Some of the minor criticisms I have for the product are that it was a little difficult to put together, I’ve had a little trouble connecting my phone to the Bluetooth settings of the tablet and I’m not a fan of using the remote for the lights on the inside. (It is important to note that the newest models of the mPulse have solved this issue and don’t require the remote anymore) 

In conclusion, infrared saunas offer a host of health benefits, making them a worthwhile addition to any wellness regimen. Whether you're seeking pain relief, detoxification, or stress reduction, an infrared sauna provides a safe, effective, and enjoyable way to support your health and vitality.
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For the full review video of the Sunlighten mPulse, watch the video here.