The infrared sauna market has a trust problem. Not because the technology is flawed — far infrared genuinely delivers meaningful health benefits, and the research backs that. The problem is that a wellness category with solid science behind it has been colonized by marketing language designed to confuse rather than inform. Matt Justus is calling that out, and he's right to do it.
The core claim here is simple: most of what separates a $3,000 sauna from a $10,000 sauna is narrative, not biology. The wavelength that matters — far infrared — is available across a wide range of products. The wood type is mostly aesthetics. The EMF reports companies hand you are almost always incomplete. And the salesperson advising your purchase probably doesn't own what they're selling.
The knowledge base has extensive material on far infrared sauna protocols, and the consensus is consistent: it's the heat penetration that drives the therapeutic cascade. Far infrared reaches 1.5 to 2 inches into tissue, elevating core temperature, triggering heat shock proteins, driving cardiovascular adaptations. Near infrared, by contrast, is primarily a surface wavelength — useful for photobiomodulation, wound healing, skin applications. Legitimate uses. Just not what makes a sauna a sauna.
Dr. Mercola's near-infrared arguments get significant airtime in wellness circles, and he's not wrong that those wavelengths have biological effects. But Justus's point holds: if you're buying a sauna primarily for the thermogenic, cardiovascular, and detoxification benefits — the outcomes with the strongest evidence base — far infrared is your workhorse. The rest is a marketing upsell.
This is where I want to push beyond the article. The EMF issue isn't just a consumer protection problem — it's a signal about how the entire industry self-regulates. When a company tests individual components and presents that data as if it represents your exposure inside a powered, assembled unit, they're not technically lying. They're just being very selective about what they measure. That distinction matters enormously.
Electric fields are often the overlooked half of the equation. Magnetic field measurements get the attention, but if you're sitting in a sauna with high ambient electric fields — from wiring, from heating elements — your body is still responding. Comprehensive testing means a fully assembled sauna, powered on, measured at body position. Anything less is incomplete.
If you're in the market: focus on certified sauna lists compiled by people with no financial stake in which brand you buy. Treat wood type as a cosmetic preference, not a health decision. Ask for EMF documentation that covers the whole assembled unit, both electric and magnetic fields, measured at seated position. And if the salesperson can't tell you whether they personally own the model, find someone else to talk to.
The surprising connection here is how this mirrors the supplement industry. A category with genuine efficacy gets captured by marketing complexity designed to justify premium pricing. The biology doesn't require the complexity. Consistency and quality construction matter. The rest is noise. Your body doesn't know what brand of wood you're sweating in.