Infrared Sauna vs Steam Room: What's Right for You?

If you're upgrading your home gym or recreation area, incorporating spa treatments into your routine, or looking for ways to level up your self-care, you might be thinking about investing in an infrared sauna or steam room.

Infrared saunas, in particular, are growing in popularity, especially among those who may prefer a steam room to a traditional sauna.¹ Infrared heat and steam can both offer therapeutic benefits and help you relax after a long day or strenuous workout, but they work differently and offer unique user experiences.²

Which is better? Keep reading as we explore the ins and outs of an infrared sauna vs steam room so you can make the best choice for your needs, lifestyle, and preferences.

Infrared Sauna vs Steam Room

Knowing exactly what each is and how it works can help you make a confident choice between a sauna and a steam room.

How They Work

An infrared sauna uses special lamps (called infrared lamps) to emit heat and energy through electromagnetic radiation. The lamps generate invisible light that penetrates the skin and warms the body from the outside in.³ Traditional saunas heat the enclosed area, but infrared saunas don't heat the air, so the temperature is lower and often more comfortable.⁴ Learn more about infrared vs traditional saunas in our blog.

With a steam room, a generator fills a sealed space with humid air. This creates visible steam and a moist-heat experience.

Temperature & Environment

The temperature of a steam room can range from around 100 to 120 °F (or about 38 to 49 °C). It'll generally run cooler than an infrared sauna, but the humidity is much higher, often 95 to 100%. This can make it harder to tolerate longer sessions.

Infrared saunas reach slightly higher temperatures, with far-infrared (FIR) models ranging from 120 to 150 °F (or 49–66 °C). With a dry cabin, there's very little humidity, so the environment can feel gentle and more comfortable for some people.

Warm-Up & Session Length

Infrared saunas tend to heat up faster than steam rooms, warming to the selected temperature setting in 10 to 15 minutes. Depending on the size and power, a steam room might take 30 to 45 minutes to fill the space with vapor.

Since infrared saunas don't directly heat the air, they can be more comfortable to sit in for longer periods, even for beginners. But how long should you stay in an infrared sauna? Sessions can be 20 to 30 minutes long, though you can work your way up to that duration.

With a steam room, sessions are usually limited to five to 20 minutes based on how well you tolerate the humidity. If you use a lower temperature, you might be able to go a bit longer.

Health Benefits

Now, let's look at the health benefits of infrared saunas vs steam rooms.

• Cardiovascular support – Steam rooms and FIR saunas create heat-driven vasodilation, meaning they help widen blood vessels. This may help with whole-body circulation, respiratory fitness, relaxing smooth muscles, and possibly lowering blood pressure.^5,6
• Respiratory relief – The humidity of a steam room can open airways and loosen mucus to help with congestion. Similarly, if you’re asking, “Is an infrared sauna good for a cold?”, some people do report reduced cold symptoms (like a runny nose and sore throat) after using an infrared sauna.^7,8
• Muscle recovery and pain reduction – At long enough wavelengths, a far-infrared sauna can penetrate deeper and offer systemic benefits, like relieving joint pain, soothing sore muscles, and minimizing inflammation after a long day or strenuous workout.⁹
• Detox and sweating – Steam rooms and saunas heat the body and raise the heart rate, which promotes sweating to help with detoxification. In either case, make sure you drink plenty of water before, during, and after a session.¹⁰
• Stress relief – Some users turn to an infrared sauna for anxiety support, as the gentle dry heat promotes calmness and relaxation.
• Skin health – The humidity in a steam room may leave you with surface hydration, while infrared therapy can help with collagen production, cell turnover, skin regeneration, and an overall complexion boost.¹¹ Learn more in our blog about infrared sauna skin benefits.

Both steam rooms and saunas support cardiovascular health and recovery.¹² A steam session might excel in terms of respiratory benefits, while infrared light therapy can be better for deep-tissue warmth, whole-body benefits, and skin improvements.¹³

User Experience & Comfort

How do you prefer to experience heat? You can think about climates and weather conditions you've experienced, like dry, hot regions or humid, muggy conditions.

If you're partial to dry heat, even at higher temperatures, an infrared sauna might be the better choice. (The overall temps are lower than traditional saunas, though, so you'll breathe easier.)

On the other hand, if you can tolerate dense humidity just fine and don't mind tropical conditions, you might like a steam room. Some people find their breathing is more labored than in an infrared sauna, but short sessions can still be relaxing.¹⁴

Safety & Precautions

Without directly heating the air, infrared saunas are considered safer for sensitive users than traditional saunas that use stoves and stones. But are they safer than steam rooms?

It can be safer to sit in an infrared sauna for longer periods because the extreme humidity can elevate the heart quicker and possibly aggravate respiratory issues. That said, both systems can be dehydrating, so it's crucial to drink plenty of water.¹⁵

If you're pregnant, have a severe heart condition, use a pacemaker, or have untreated hypertension (high blood pressure), it might not be safe to use a sauna or steam room. Beyond that, listen to your body, and know when to skip a session. If you're unsure, ask your healthcare provider.

Cost & Energy Efficiency

Infrared cabins are typically quicker to heat, and they don't use as much energy, so they can be less expensive to run than steam rooms. It depends on a few factors, like where you live and the size and type of unit you're using, but here's a rough estimate of how the costs might break down:

• Infrared sauna – Modern infrared saunas use about 1.6 kilowatts (kW) of power per session. If you use yours for 20 minutes a day, this comes out to roughly $7 a month on your electricity bill.
• Steam room – A steam room uses around 3 to 6 kilowatts per session. This might cost you around $27 each month with daily sessions.

Which Should You Choose?  

Considering all the benefits, expenses, and your personal priorities, align the type of system with your lifestyle, goals, and comfort.

• Choose infrared if you prefer dry heat, want longer daily sessions, have respiratory sensitivities, prioritize energy efficiency, or are looking for skin and muscle-relieving benefits.^16,17

Choose steam if you don't mind humidity, love the feel of enveloping warmth, are looking for congestion relief, or enjoy shorter, intense sessions.

Discover Lifepro Infrared Saunas  

Lifepro carries a vast range of products for self-care and recovery to support long-term wellness and day-to-day health. This includes far-infrared personal saunas with adjustable settings in the form of wood cabins and take-anywhere tents—no steam generator required.

Each unit is thoughtfully designed for user-friendliness and convenient daily sessions to reap the benefits of stress reduction, relaxation, circulation, and detoxification, plus relief from sore muscles and stiff joints. Our saunas are backed by a lifetime guarantee.

We also have a number of portable infrared products, from sauna blankets and wraps to hats and mats. Lifepro even has a mini portable steam room for those who want to sweat it out anytime, anywhere.  Check out the collection today.

Sources:

1. Yahoo Finance. Infrared Saunas Industry Report 2025: Market to worth $3.58 Billion by 2032 - Rising Health and Wellness Awareness. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/infrared-saunas-industry-report-2025-120000787.html
2. University of Buffalo. Sweat it Out: Sauna vs. Steam Room. https://www.buffalo.edu/recreation/rec-news.host.html/content/shared/www/recreation/rec-news/2021-2022/sweat-it-out-sauna-vs-steam-room.detail.html
3. Mayo Clinic. What is an infrared sauna? Does it have health benefits?. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/consumer-health/expert-answers/infrared-sauna/faq-20057954
4. Cleveland Clinic. Get Your Sweat On: The Benefits of a Sauna. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/sauna-benefits
5. Biology of Sport. Comparison of Physiological Reactions and Physiological Strain in Healthy Men Under Heat Stress in Dry and Steam Heat Saunas. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4042662/
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7. Temperature: Multidisciplinary Biomedical Journal. The multifaceted benefits of passive heat therapies for extending the healthspan: A comprehensive review with a focus on Finnish sauna. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10989710/
8. Medical Journal of Australia. Visiting a sauna: does inhaling hot dry air reduce common cold symptoms? A randomised controlled trial. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7168476/
9. Biology of Sport. A post-exercise infrared sauna session improves recovery of neuromuscular performance and muscle soreness after resistance exercise training. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10286597/
10. Journal of Applied Physiology. Muscle temperature increases during a single far infrared sauna session without changes in intestinal temperature. https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/japplphysiol.00067.2025
11. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. Cardiovascular and Other Health Benefits of Sauna Bathing: a Review of the Evidence. https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/s0025-6196(18)30275-1/fulltext
12. Canadian Family Physician. Far-infrared saunas for treatment of cardiovascular risk factors. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2718593/
13. Harvard Health Publishing. Sauna use linked to longer life, fewer fatal heart problems. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/sauna-use-linked-longer-life-fewer-fatal-heart-problems-201502257755
14. Advances in Integrative Medicine. Effect of the steam bath on resting cardiovascular parameters in healthy volunteers. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S221295882030118X
15. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Clinical Effects of Regular Dry Sauna Bathing: A Systematic Review. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5941775/
16. University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Benefits of sauna bathing for heart health. https://www.uclahealth.org/news/article/benefits-sauna-bathing-heart-health
17. Stanford Lifestyle Medicine. Sauna Use As a Lifestyle Practice. https://longevity.stanford.edu/lifestyle/2023/03/27/sauna-use-as-a-lifestyle-practice/
18. >Mayo Clinic Proceedings. Cardiovascular and Other Health Benefits of Sauna Bathing: a Review of the Evidence.https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/s0025-6196(18)30275-1/fulltext
19. Harvard Health Publishing. Sauna use linked to longer life, fewer fatal heart problems. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/sauna-use-linked-longer-life-fewer-fatal-heart-problems-201502257755