December 19, 2024
The Best Infrared Sauna Blanket To Buy 2024 – Heated Infrared For Budget At-Home Recovery
We include links to products we think are useful for our readers. If you click and buy a product through one of the affiliate links on this page, we may earn a small commission.
Infrared sauna blanket
We tried every infrared sauna blanket we could find for heated post-workout recovery with a sprinkle of weight loss, skin health, destress and sleep benefits
An infrared sauna blanket is one of the best budget options for full body heat therapy at-home
In our quest to find the best infrared sauna blanket, we have tried and tested some high quality, well designed infrared sauna blankets, some of which we have been using at home for over a year as part of our heated recovery regime after intense training sessions.
In fact, we tried every infrared sauna blanket brand we could find and that you may have seen pop up lately on your Instagram or Tiktok feed from Heat Healer, Mihigh, HigherDOSE to newer players like Recovery Project, Zoe Tech, Smomak and Steady State sauna blankets. There is no shortage of cheap infrared sauna blankets online however their quality is questionable and the materials they use can be toxic when heated.
In this article, we will point you to a handful of the best infrared sauna blankets we recommend from our personal research and testing and, based on sauna blanket reviews, we’ll show you how we choose the right infrared sauna blanket and break down a comparison of a handful of infrared sauna blankets worth sweating it out in based on price, warranty, design, temperature, controls and quality.
Infrared sauna blankets differ on their maximum heating temperature, the material they are made from, the control module to adjust the settings, the quality of their infrared heating technology and EMF rating. We have dropped some serious sweat to pull apart the majority of the infrared sauna blankets for sale in the US, UK, Australia, NZ and Europe to give you this review and buyers guide to bring the healing benefits of infrared sauna to your home.
If you are new to the recovery game, we will also educate you on some of the benefits of infrared sauna blankets, how sauna blankets work and whether or not an infrared sauna blanket is safe for you to use. While many other sites advertise various sauna blankets from Amazon, be wary of their quality and don’t fall for the bargain option.
Best Infrared Sauna Blanket – Our Top Picks
Best Overall: Mihigh Sauna Blanket
Unlike the majority of the other sauna blankets Australia, Mihigh sauna blanket offers a handy 30 day risk free trial allowing you to test out the benefits at home and return if it’s not for you as well as the standard 12 month warranty and free delivery Australia wide. The Mihigh can reach 75 degrees celsius and can be set to session lengths of up to 60 minutes on the control unit. The Mihigh infrared sauna blanket is the overall best sauna blanket Australia and costs $525AUD from Mihigh using our code.
Use discount code GURU for $75 off at checkout
Best in Australia: Heat Healer Sauna Blanket
As far as heat goes, the Heat Healer Infrared sauna blanket gives the highest temperature setting (80C) out of all of the infrared sauna blankets we’ve tested giving you the greatest sweat potential with Low EMF technology and designed to fit someone up to 6’6” tall. It is a slightly more quality material than all of the other infrared sauna blankets and makes for a more comfortable sauna blanket session. This is another fantastic sauna blanket born in Australia with a slightly higher price point but features a 2 year warranty.
Use code GURU for 15% off at checkout
Best for Women: Sun Home Sauna Infrared Blanket
The Sun Home Sauna Infrared Sauna Blanket is one of the most reasonable prices infrared sauna blankets and includes free shipping. The Sun Home Sauna blanket is unique as it comes in three different colour choices including Purple and Red, Blue Zebra and Classic Black. They offer a 1 year warranty and 30 day returns on the blanket that can reach 75 degrees C and up to 60 minute timer.
Use code GURU for $100 discount at checkout
Read full Sun Home Sauna Blanket review
Best Budget: FuLove Sauna Blanket
The FuLove infrared sauna blanket is the most cost effective sauna blanket Australia at $390 AUD at the time of writing this. This budget sauna blanket gives most of the same functionality as the other sauna blankets on our top picks but just lacks the design and quality materials that the others have. Suitable for those looking for a cheap sauna alternative to use at home occasionally.
Best in USA: HigherDOSE Sauna Blanket
The HigherDOSE sauna blanket is one of the original infrared sauna blanket brands to hit the market and popularise home sauna blankets so they know what they are doing. The HigherDOSE sauna blanket is the only of its kind that features Amethyst, Tourmaline and Charcoal layers for added benefits as well as being Low EMF with premium non-toxic leather which is super easy to clean. Please note: to use the HigherDOSE sauna blanket in Australia requires an adapter and transformer. The price of the HigherDOSE blanket is $685AUD using our discount.
Use code GURU for 15% discount site wide
Best Design: Hydragun HeatPod
The Hydragun HeatPod sauna blanket features conscious vegan leather material to be animal friendly, can be purchased with or without the 100% cotton insert and includes a 1.5 year warranty with free returns and exchanges. The Hydragun blanket is $549 with free delivery in the US.
Read full Hydragun HeatPod review
Best on Amazon: Steady State Sauna Blanket
The Steady State sauna blanket has recently made an entrance into the infrared sauna blanket market in 2022 and has become the go-to sauna blanket from Amazon at a really good price of $499. It uses far-infrared rays, has heat settings from 30-80 degrees, a hand held controller and comes in either black or the green (which we love). Steady state offers a 30 day blanket trial period with a 1 year warranty on your purchase with free worldwide shipping.
Best For Athletes: Recovery Project Sauna Blanket
Recovery Project strongly believes in smart and periodised recovery achieved in unison with periodised training. Recovery Project sauna blankets are born in Australia which we love and are well designed and come with a 12 month warranty and free standard shipping at $745AUD online. Recovery Project also offer some better deals when you purchase a recovery bundle with two or more bits of recovery gear.
Read Also: 5 Best Ice Bath Tubs For Cold Therapy At Home
The Benefits Of Using Infrared Sauna Blankets
benefits of a sauna blanket
The benefits of infrared sauna has been explored in depth in many of our other articles. We are avid users of the scientifically proven heat therapy from infrared sauna, traditional sauna and infrared sauna blankets.
To be honest, the benefits do not change between using a full sized infrared sauna to using a quality infrared sauna blanket. Some of the benefits of sauna blankets include:
Endurance exercise recovery
Numerous studies have proven that using heat therapy in the form of sauna like that which is emitted from a sauna blanket post exercise increases run time to exhaustion by over 30%
Heat shock proteins
Dr. Rhonda Patrick who is featured many times on the Joe Rogan Experience Podcast and is a huge advocate for using saunas for health and recovery says sauna use is also beneficial for helping to increase muscle size. This makes sauna blanket ideal for use following strength training or hypertrophy type exercise. In animals, hyperthermia from sauna use elevated heat shock protein expression and increased muscle regrowth in injured muscle tissue. This is a huge benefit particularly for athletes recovering from exercise as fast as possible.
Read Also: Using Sunlight, Red light and Blue Light For Optimal Health
Growth hormone increase
Because we love to reference the experts in their field, on her website FoundMyFitness, Dr. Rhonda Patrick explains the growth hormone relationship with sauna use. She says that sauna use promotes growth hormone release, which varies according to time, temperature, and frequency. This means that to increase growth hormone release to bolster recovery efforts it would be ideal to spend at least 20 minutes in a sauna or sauna blanket immediately following exercise.
Nitric oxide bioavailability
Nitric oxide is important for all sorts of things. Post exercise, as the body works to repair itself from the intense training, more blood flow will be sent to the damaged areas, and oxygen will be replenished to repair and recover. Nitric oxide can be increased before exercise through breathing or supplementation, but post exercise it can be increased using heat therapy from sauna blanket use. This research confirms the benefits of sauna on nitric oxide.
Rhonda Patrick talking about the benefits of sauna
Heat acclimation
The ability to withstand heat and good thermoregulation is an important factor for athletic performance. A small study had nine female athletes sit in sauna suit in a hot environment (to replicate a sauna) for 5 days in a row for 20 mins a day, showed that the women experienced improvements in thermoregulatory, cardiovascular, and perceived strain compared to a control group.
Weight loss
We are hesitant to include weight loss as one of the sauna blanket benefits but it can be a bonus of using a sauna blanket with an intelligent approach, definitely not as a a sole means of trying to lose weight. Sauna blankets can help with weight loss goals through the burning of calories from the thermoregulation efforts mentioned in the previous point.
Burning calories is an inevitable effect of the thermogenic (heating) properties associated with sauna blanket use. Many people use sauna blanket to lose weight and help to manage body composition as part of a balanced weight loss effort along side, calorie restriction, regular movement and exercise, proper hydration and active recovery.
Put simply, when we sweat, we are attempting to cool the body of the excess heat exposure in the sauna and churning through calories to do so. A single 45-minute sauna blanket session can burn up to 800 calories. We have independently tested and confirmed this calorie burning potential using both a Whoop and Biostrap. If weight loss if your key goal, we recommend taking a smart approach to using sauna blanket for weight loss and always remaining hydrated and not over using heat therapy which can have negative effects.
Detoxification
Sweating is one way that the body removes unwanted dead cells and waste products from the body including heavy metals and toxins. The skin, being the largest organ, has multiple roles for the day-to-day running of our miracle machines. One of these is to assist in detox through sweat. 20 minutes using an infrared sauna blanket has the ability to produce loads of sweat and releases loads of unwanted toxins through the skin that can be built up from using chemicals day-to-day, heavy metals accumulated through food consumption and occupational toxins and chemicals.
Infrared Sauna Blanket Vs Sauna?
Sauna blanket vs sauna – which is better?
You might be wondering why you would even consider using an infrared sauna blanket over a full sized infrared or traditional sauna. Is a sauna blanket as good as a normal infrared sauna? There are a few main reasons why we would opt for the more budget option for getting your heated therapy at home based on price, size/space, cleaning and travel. Here they are:
Price
Sauna Blanket comparison table
The obvious difference between a full sized infrared sauna and an infrared sauna blanket is price. Of course, if we had the option and the budget we would always choose a large infrared sauna that you can stretch and move around in, but for infrared sauna on a budget the sauna blankets are a bit of a no-brainer for recovery at home.
On our list of best sauna blanket Australia the price of the infrared sauna blankets ranges from $390AUD – $720AUD which is a fraction of the cost of a full sized sauna. From our testing and research of full sized infrared saunas you are looking at a price of anywhere between $1,600AUD – $12,000AUD for a 2 person sauna. We cover some of these full sized sauna options in another article – 5 Best Home Saunas.
When comparing the price and energy cost of using these two different products, it is obvious that if you have somewhat of a lower budget for using infrared sauna in your recovery routine then a sauna blanket is the best option for you.
See also: 5 Best Red Light Therapy Panels
Size
Size and space is a limiting factor for just about anyone considering setting up some sort of recovery space at home or in the gym. With a lot of the population living in smaller living arrangements like apartments and units, the sauna blankets offer a good space saving alternative to a full sized sauna which takes up the majority of a medium sized bedroom.
Most of the infrared sauna blankets that we have come across are roughly 180cm long (and 165cm circumference) that allows you to roll out the sauna blanket on a lounge, on a bed, on some floor space or even in a seated position (although this isn’t recommended for comfort) and packed away to a size that fits into a cupboard, laundry space or shelving unit. When comparing this to the space that a full sized infrared sauna takes up, the convenience of an infrared sauna blanket for those with limited space requirements becomes obvious.
Cleaning
Your clothes will indeed be absolutely covered in sweat after using an infrared sauna blanket. This is a difference between a sauna blanket and a normal sauna, we would recommend keeping clothes when using a sauna blanket for comfort and ease of cleaning. A full sized sauna usually contains some type of timber that allows you to sweat on it without damaging the timber, although we still place a towel down to absorb most of our sweat inside a normal sauna.
With a sauna blanket, all of our top picks from the best sauna blanket Australia list are made from leather material that is extremely easy to spray with disinfectant and wipe down with a rag. We sometimes use a natural, chlorine free disinfectant baby wipe or scented wipe to remove any sweat odours which were required after some of the ‘stinkier’ team members used the sauna blanket.
Travel
The best sauna blankets are all suitable for travel which adds to their useability and convenience when comparing a full sized sauna vs sauna blanket. All of the sauna blankets on our list of best sauna blanket Australia generally pack away to a size of about 50cm x 50cm and weigh about 10kg which allow you to easily place it in your car to travel with.
How Does An Infrared Sauna Blanket Work?
How a sauna blanket works
Much like many normal infrared saunas, all infrared sauna blankets work by using Far Infrared (FIR) technology to heat the inside of the sauna blanket which resembles a slightly stiffer sleeping bag. Infrared sauna blankets do not emit any visible light but instead rely on these internal infrared panels or tubing to heat up the blanket and penetrate the layers of the skin (safely) to a cellular level which is where all of the benefits of infrared sauna blankets come from.
Generally the best sauna blankets are made of a carbon fibre heating element that is safely tucked away inside the fabric/leather walls of the sauna blanket and radiates that far infrared heat when powered on. The best sauna blankets will also contain a layer of EMF blocking material which could be made up of something like a really thin layer of silver sewn inside cotton fabric. The heating elements are usually snaked or woven through the sauna blanket to provide full heating coverage to the body.
Heat Healer control panel
All of the heated sauna blankets we have come across are simply plugged into a wall socket and operated by a dial or remote attached to the sauna blanket heating elements with a few different settings to control the temperature and timing of the sauna blanket session. Large velcro patches are used to open and enclose your body inside the blanket to climb in and out.
Should You Buy An Infrared Sauna Blanket?
Is a sauna blanket worth it?
The truth is, if you’re not a big fan of heat and tight spaces, then an infrared sauna blanket should be a pass for you. But, you also never know unless you try it. On the other hand, if you are a sucker for some self induced heat stress all in the name of recovery, better sleep, better skin and many other benefits then you should consider one of the options we breakdown in our list of best sauna blanket Australia. Despite our confidence, proceed with caution and make sure a sauna blanket is safe for your needs.
When we choose the best sauna blankets to review, we generally look for infrared sauna blankets that are designed with a low electromagnetic field (EMF) rating. The reality is that all electronic devices emit some level of EMF which can cause harm at the cellular level at high doses, it is essential that these EMF’s are minimised by the design of the sauna blanket.
Related Article: Sauna Vs Ice Baths: Which Is Better For Recovery?
If the risk of using a sauna blanket is a big issue for you, the main groups of people who should avoid infrared sauna blankets are pregnant women, those with heart issues, those with high fever or heat sensitivity, elderly or children (due to lesser ability for core body temperature regulation, those on certain medications, alcohol or drug abusers. To stay on the safe side, always consult your doctor.
If budget is an issue for you, you most likely haven’t clicked on the Instagram or Tiktok product ads in your feed to purchase a sauna blanket for a Christmas or birthday present.
Although there are some more expensive options like the Bondi born Heat Healer Infrared sauna blanket for about $699AUD, there are also some more affordable sauna blankets like the Mihigh, Steady State and Zoe Tech sauna blanket in the middle price range and other more budget options like Fulove sauna blanket on Amazon that will only set you back about $390AUD.
You should buy an infrared sauna blanket if you:
Are looking for a cheaper alternative to a full sized infrared sauna;
Want a compact form of heated therapy you can use at home;
Want to mimic exercise and sweat without weight bearing or strain due to injury;
Train 3-4 times per week and need a solid recovery protocol;
Are looking for a way to get better sleep and fall asleep faster;
Are trying to lose weight.
The Best Infrared Sauna Blankets 2022 – Buyers Guide and Reviews
Best Infrared Sauna Blankets
Infrared sauna blankets have become a popular way access exercise recovery and weight loss goals with heated sweat therapy at home, particularly during covid lockdown times.
For the most part, every infrared sauna blanket is somewhat of a heated sleeping bag style blanket that can be plugged into the wall with a handheld controller that features heat dial and timer. Infrared sauna blankets are heated by a series of infrared panels inside the blanket that pump out the benficial Some infrared sauna blankets are low EMF, some include healing stones and others a budget options. In our eyes, a sauna blanket is the perfect recovery tool for people who don’t have access to a full sized infrared sauna or those who want to get the benefits of infrared sauna from home on a small budget.
This list compares and reviews infrared sauna blankets for sale online based on their unique features plus how they stack up on price, warranty, design, material quality and overall customer experience.
Best Overall: Mihigh Sauna Blanket
Price: $$
Size: 180cm x 196cm
Warranty: 12 months and 30 day trial period
Heat zones: 1
Electrical Field: Low EMF
Heat settings: 12 levels (25-80 degrees celsius)
Use code discount GURU for $75 off at checkout
Buy Mihigh Infrared Sauna Blanket on Mihigh
At a fraction of the price of a full sized sauna but with all of the same benefits, the Mihigh Infrared Sauna Blanket Australia can be set up anywhere in the house including the bed or lounge, easily wiped down and stored in the cupboard.
Read our full Mihigh Sauna Blanket review here
When we came across the Mihigh Infrared Sauna Blanket in Australia we were sceptical at first but decided to buy it and try it out. This is by far the best infrared sauna blanket Australia. By now, there are a fair share of Mihigh Infrared Sauna Blanket reviews. The idea of having the option to continue to do our daily sauna routine for all of the amazing benefits of infrared sauna at home was a no-brainer really.
In short, what we found with the Mihigh Infrared Sauna Blanket was that it is economical in price, super easy to set up in small spaces, very easy to clean, highly effective at building heat and made from quality material.
What is most attractive about the Mihigh Infrared Sauna Blanket is the price. As we mentioned, the Mihigh Sauna Blanket costs $525 online and using our discount code GURU for $75 off at checkout. If we compare the price to the money spent on a regular weekly sauna visit at a wellness centre which averages around $45-$70 per session, we can see that the Mihigh infrared sauna blanket is quite obviously a very cost effective way to do infrared sauna at home.
The size and design of the Mihigh Infrared Sauna Blanket makes it very easy to set up at home. We keep ours in the linen cupboard and usually just set it up on top of a yoga mat on the floor of the bedroom or living room. For added cushion, it is also possible to set it up on top of the couch or bed. The power cord plugs straight into the wall socket and you can set the temperature and time on the remote. Crawl inside and sweat it out!
Mihigh sauna blanket technology
The Mihigh Infrared Sauna Blanket Australia is also super easy to clean and can be just wiped down with a warm soapy towel or hand towel. Mihigh uses a high-quality leather exterior and a waterproof interior which makes it easy to wipe the sweat off and ensures the sweat doesn’t soak through onto whatever surface you have set the sauna blanket up on. We like to spray the inside of our sauna blanket with tea tree spray for some extra antibacterial and antifungal benefits particularly because we have multiple people using the sauna blanket.
Price: $
Size: 180cm x 196cm
Warranty: 12 months and 30 day trial period
Heat zones: 1
Electrical Field: Low EMF
Heat settings: 9 Heat levels (35-75 degrees celsius)
Use code discount GURU for $100 off at checkout
Buy the Sun Home Sauna Blanket online
The Sun Home Sauna Blanket is one of the newer infrared sauna blanket for sale online. The Sun Home Sauna Blanket is very similar to the Mihigh Sauna Blanket but comes in slightly cheaper in price. The difference with the Sun Home Sauna Blanket is that it is not available for shipping globally, meaning if you are buying from somewhere like Australia, the Mihigh or Heat Healer are more suited. If you are buying a sauna in the USA, UK or Europe, the Sun Home Sauna is about $100USD cheaper than some of the other alternatives like the Mihigh and Heat Healer.
Read our full Sun Home Sauna Blanket Review here
We found with the Sun Home Sauna blanket to be competitive on price, and just as comfortable as the higher priced sauna blankets. The Sun Home Sauna blanket operates between 35C-75C and allows a session time of between 30 – 60 minutes long. Most sauna blankets operate in a similar range although we noticed the Sun Home Sauna blanket was able to heat up a fraction faster than all of the other sauna blankets, reaching maximum temperature in about 5 minutes.
The Sun Home Sauna blanket controls allow you to easily adjust the temperature throughout the entirety of your session and can be adjusted to the degree, which a lot of other sauna blankets do not offer. If you are new to saunas and heat therapy, I would highly recommend starting your first sauna blanket session at 50 degrees for 15-20 minutes to figure out your baseline tolerance of infrared saunas and then adjust your heat levels as desired.
To be honest, 60 minutes at the maximum temperature of the Sun Home Sauna Blanket (75C) with arms tucked inside the sauna blanket will produce a lot of heat stress and a large amount of sweat. You can scale back the temperature if you need or you can also place your arms outside the blanket to make it more bearable, keeping in mind that we have some crucial thermostats located on the palms of our hands that will mean you will definitely sweat less with arms out.
Best Australia: Heat Healer Sauna Blanket
Price: $$$
Warranty: 2 years (best on the market!)
Heat zones: 1
Heat Levels: Up to 80 degrees C
Electrical Field: ZERO EMF (best on the market)
Use code GURU for 15% off at checkout
Buy Heat Healer Sauna Blanket online
A few key standouts make the Heat Healer, which was born in Bondi Australia, a strong performer on our best sauna blanket Australia list despite its higher price comparison. Unlike other sauna blankets that use PU leather (fake/vegan leather made from polyurethane), the Heat Healer has a premium amide fabric, independently tested against over 100 common toxic substances.
Credit: Heat Healer
Heat Healer says that “the problem with PU leather is that it is made from solvents and glues, which leave it prone to off-gassing when heated up. As well, PU leather deteriorates quickly over time.” And this is what sets Heat Healer apart from HigherDose, Mihigh, Zoe Tech and FuLove is that they have opted for Amide fabric which is a premium material that is durable, heat resistant and non-toxic which is far superior, possibly explaining the higher price. It is the same material that gets used by NASA in an astronaut’s spacesuit, for firefighters uniforms and in military applications.
As for the control unit, the Heat Healer sauna blanket has modified their original control unit, which was a larger white panel, to a small black streamline controller. The Heat Healer allows you to select the temperature to the degree unlike Mihigh or HigherDOSE which lets you just select out of 9 heat levels.
Heat Healer sauna blanket carry bag and controller
We found the Heat Healer to be a slightly less aggressive Heat than that of the Mihigh which has a habit of really intense Heat at the feet which is where the elements are heated first. Heat healer provides a more even and constant heating over the whole body. We found that the Tourmaline and Jade stones were also really effective at radiating the heat throughout the blanket which is a treat for lower back pain relief. We would use the Heat Healer for this element alone!
Get the Heat Healer Sauna Blanket online
As we have mentioned, when choosing the best infrared sauna blanket we look for as low as possible EMF. Electromagnetic fields (EMFs) are unnatural, artificial fields, and it is recommend people limit exposure in daily life. The philosophy at Heat Healer is that “natural is always best” which is why they developed the Heat Healer with EMF blocking technology. Heat Healer boasts being not just low EMF but ZERO EMF across the blanket, allowing for the most natural heat therapy experience possible. Heat Healer also offers a YouTube video showing a live EMF test against another generic sauna blanket.
Another design difference between HigherDOSE vs Heat Healer sauna blanket is the control panel. The control panel on the Heat Healer is much much larger than the HigherDOSE control panel which make the Heat Healer a little less space effective and easy to travel with but we would see the Heat Healer as a more sturdy setup for a sauna blanket in a commercial gym or wellness space. As for price, you can score a Heat Healer sauna blanket Australia for $678AUD with our discount code GURU making it pretty closely priced to the Mihigh and HigherDOSE Blankets.
Best USA: HigherDOSE Sauna Blanket
Price: $$
Warranty: 12 months limited
Heat zones: 1
Electrical Field: Low EMF
Heat settings: 1-8 levels
Use code GURU for 15% discount at checkout
Buy HigherDOSE Sauna Blanket online
What some users have reported loving about the HigherDOSE sauna blanket is that it includes some layers of charcoal, amethyst and tourmaline which are alternative therapy for some things and also encourage heat conduction to improve the heating ability of the infrared elements to give it an extra boost. We prefer a scientific approach but do not discount the placebo affect!
The trust in the HigherDOSE brand and sauna blanket is very high among buyers. HigherDOSE reviews are very positive at 5 stars based on 1830 reviews so the common theme is quality and customer satisfaction which should give you confidence to buy one online. HigherDOSE also have other extremely popular Red Light skin care products like the LED Face Mask and they also do a PEMF Mat.
Let’s consider how this at-home infrared sauna blanket solution stacks up against our other options. If we consider the average monthly cost of a gym we are looking at anywhere from $100-$300/month. That is a huge ongoing cost. Then there’s the option of visiting a wellness centre specifically for sauna. Here you are looking at about $45-$75 per visit! If we break that down, if you do that 10 times at the lower end of the scale you could have bought your very own HigherDOSE sauna blanket for the same price!
The next option is installing a full sized sauna in your home which could cost anywhere from $1500-$10,000. If you love saunas that much and can afford it, fill your boots. Being able to attain high temperatures puts more stress on the body and makes you sweat more (thereby increasing detox, heating up quicker also gives you more control over the temperature of each session.
It is important to note that when using the HigherDOSE infrared sauna blanket in Australia we had to use a power converter as the HigherDOSE is 120V while Australian appliances need to be 240V which creates issues without a converter. Avoid the HigherDOSE sauna blanket in Australia and opt for one of the others sauna blankets like the Heat Healer or Mihigh which offer Australian compatible plugs.
Nonetheless, if you are a US shopper, HigherDOSE infrared sauna blanket V3 plugs into the wall and it’s a matter of kitting up in some training gear that you are happy to have drenched in sweat, climbing in and wrapping yourself up like a baby joey in its mothers pouch.
If you have any sort of space in your living room, it can be rolled out there or used on a bed or couch. The sweating is seriously real. Not only was it super relaxing and not overbearing in heat, after 45 minutes in this thing we were all dripping with sweat as we would have hoped.
HigherDOSE sauna blanket technology
In terms of regularity, most of us use the HigherDOSE infrared sauna blanket a few times a week and it continues to produce some amazing results for quality sleep, skin clarity, mental clarity and muscle recovery. Considering you are going to be dropping some serious sweat levels in this infrared blanket, it is worth doing a bit of after use care and paying attention to mopping up the sweat, while using some sort of spray cleaner to disinfect after each use particularly if multiple people are having a go.
Why we are so sold on the HigherDOSE Infrared Blanket V3 as one of the best alternatives to full sized saunas is that it stacks up so well in price and function. The fact that this bit of gear can be used by athletes of all skill levels or someone who is just looking to improve sleep and relaxation levels shows its accessibility and value.
There are over 1300 five star reviews for the HigherDOSE Infrared Sauna Blanket V4 so there is no questioning whether users are happy with it. We recommend reading the disclaimers on their website before purchasing but as far as we are concerned you are silly to deny yourself this home recovery game changer.
Best on Amazon: Steady State Sauna Blanket
Price: $
Warranty: 24 month warranty
Heat zones: 1
Heat Levels: Remote (Low-High 30-80 degrees celsius)
Electric Field: Low EMF
Buy the Steady State Sauna Blanket on Amazon
The Steady State sauna blanket Amazon has thrust itself onto the wellness market in the heat (pardon the pun) of COVID. With free worldwide shipping and a super competitive price of $499AUD the mission of Steady State to “use light therapy and technology to evolve wellness into a positive, personalised movement” is one you can get around.
Steady State is a family owned Australian business and their sauna blankets are available for purchase online at Amazon or directly through their website. To be honest, the Steady State infrared sauna blanket is the best option for someone who wants a simple, low cost sauna for home that makes you sweat with eco-friendly materials and a 2 year warranty.
How does the Steady State sauna blanket review compared to the other well established sauna blankets already dominating the market? Not too bad, but we wouldn’t put the same amount of trust in the long term performance of the Steady State as we would for the major brands like Mihigh and HigherDOSE who have proven their quality standards for years.
The Steady State infrared sauna blanket also has a max temperature of 80 degrees celsius, is made from PU leather material, operates on a FIR heating source, and is 180cmx180cm sizing and a two year warranty.
Price wise, Steady State sauna blanket has a pretty competitive price point at almost $300 cheaper than some of the other competitors for something that will still make you sweat which is the goal at the end of the day. You can buy the Steady State infrared sauna blanket on Amazon for $499 or it is also available directly through the Steady State website where they also sell some other exercise recovery gear.
Overall, we would still opt for the Mihigh, Heat Healer or HigherDOSE sauna blanket over the Steady State despite the price difference.
Best For Athletes: Recovery Project Sauna Blanket
Price: $$$
Warranty: 12 month warranty
Heat zones: 1
Heat Levels: Remote (Low-High 80 degrees celsius)
Electric Field: Unknown
Buy Recovery Project Sauna Blanket online
When you look at the Recovery Project sauna blanket compared to the HigherDOSE or Mihigh sauna blanket it is actually difficult to spot any major differences aside from design and controller settings. The Recovery Project sauna blanket does not include any stones in their IR sauna blanket design like the Higherdose V4 sauna blanket has but is slightly more expensive in price.
The truth is, all of the sauna blankets mentioned on our top picks list come in the form of a velcro opening heated blanket designed to heat up the body using far infrared waves and are plugged into a wall socket. We love the Recovery Project ethos which is smart recovery for optimal human performance and a higher state of wellness that focusses on periodised recovery techniques looking at what you are recovering from and what you are recovering for ie. when do you next need to perform?
The Recovery Project sauna blankets are available online in Australia and in fact offer free standard shipping on all orders which makes them a reasonably cost effective sauna blanket with a quality design and aesthetic. When considering Recovery Project vs HigherDOSE sauna blanket and you are buying your sauna blanket for use in Australia, it is very important to note, as we have mentioned a few times in this article, that the HigherDOSE V4 Sauna Blanket is still not suited to Australian wall sockets which would make the Recovery Project sauna blanket a smarter option for Australian users.
The thing we don’t like about the Recovery Project infrared sauna blanket is that they offer no information on whether their sauna blankets are low EMF and include any protective fabric to combat the radiation emitted by the electrical device. This is important to ensure using a sauna blanket is as safe as possible because although the sauna blanket would only produce small amounts of EMF’s it is the prolonged or accumulated exposure to EMF that becomes a health concern. The price of the Recovery Project sauna blanket sits slightly higher than the majority of other similar sauna blankets like the Mihigh which makes it slightly less desirable on a budget.
Aside from that, the design and quality of the Recovery Project sauna blanket is on point featuring super strong leather water-proof casing to avoid any sweat leaking when using the sauna on a couch or bed and we noticed that all of the material stitching is super high quality which is important for longevity of the blanket. Like some of the other sauna blankets Australia, the Recovery Project offers a 30 day money back guarantee to send the products back if you are not happy with it.
Best Budget: FuLove Sauna Blanket
Price: $
Warranty: 12 months
Size: 180cm x 210cm
Heat zones: 1
Heat Levels: 35-75 degrees celsius
Electrical Field: Unknown
Buy FuLove Sauna Blanket on Amazon
Everyone has a different budget and usage requirements for infrared sauna blankets for recovery. FuLove Sauna Blanket is one of about a dozen infrared sauna blankets that are available for a discounted price on Amazon when compared to Higherdose vs Mihigh vs Heat Healer prices. While we do love a cheaper price, when purchasing a less reputable brand like FuLove you should not expect the same after purchase care, although you still are entitled to the industry standard 12 month warranty on your purchase.
At first glance, the FuLove sauna blanket is definitely a cheaper design and build, however it still does what it is designed to do – heat the body and make you sweat! A few points to note before purchasing the FuLove sauna blanket on Amazon, we do notice that a number of the reviews for the FuLove sauna blanket are disappointing with some mentioning inability to heat up.
We had no issues with the overall use and function of the FuLove when we used it for a 30 day period however it is worth taking note of what other customers have to say about a product to make an informed choice if there is a pattern. Another concern is that although the FuLove budget sauna blanket advertises that their product is low EMF on the Amazon product description, after seeing the product we are a little sceptical whether this is the case. If you are not as concerned about EMF’s when using sauna then this might be just fine for you.
Infrared Sauna Blanket FAQs
Is it safe to use a sauna blanket during pregnancy?
It is recommended that you should avoid using infrared sauna blankets during pregnancy as the sauna blankets produce high amounts of heat in the body that may be damaging for nursing mothers and their babies. Always consult your doctor is you are in this category and considering infrared sauna blanket use.
Should I wear clothes during my sauna blanket session?
We always wear natural cotton clothing including pants, shirt and also a towel around the neck during our infrared sauna blanket sessions. This does two things for your infrared sauna blanket session: it helps to absorb a lot of the sweat that you produce during your session and also increases the comfort levels during the session.
Being able to just place the clothes worn during the sauna blanket session into the wash along with the majority of the sweat is far easier than having to mop up litres of sweat post session. We have found that some of the materials inside the sauna blankets can be a little uncomfortable to have pressing against the bare skin so wearing clothes improves the feel of the sauna blanket and makes it more bearable to stay in longer.
Is an infrared sauna blanket safe for children?
As far as the research we have looked into goes, it is widely accepted that both young children and the elderly have a lesser ability to regulate their core body temperature. It is for this reason that it is not recommended that children use an infrared sauna blanket. If you feel that it would be of benefit for your child we would definitely recommend consulting a doctor.
How long should I spend inside a sauna blanket?
Most infrared sauna blanket sessions are set at a 1 hour timer limit. That being said, it is not essential that you spend a whole hour inside a sauna blanket to achieve the full benefits. We generally set most of our sessions to a 45 minute limit at the highest heat setting which is quite intense and definitely enough to get a satisfying sweat up.
You could spend as little as 20 minutes inside the sauna blanket and still get a good result but it does take a little while for the body to actually heat up and start producing the desired effects from the infrared waves so we wouldn’t suggest any shorter than that time period to get results.
When is the best time to use an Infrared sauna blanket?
when to use a sauna blanket
The research into the best time to use an infrared sauna blanket suggest that you should opt for heat therapy from a sauna or sauna blanket following strength based training and heavy lifting. The reason for this is that heat speeds up the muscle recovery process by increasing blood circulation and carrying oxygen-rich blood to oxygen-depleted muscle. The infrared light also penetrates into the muscles and allows the muscles to relax and relieves pain and tension following strength training. One of our favourite and most recommended times to use an infrared sauna blanket is directly after a heavy lifting session, boosting growth hormone levels further and promoting circulation and vasodilation to heal faster.
How long does it take for a sauna blanket to heat up?
Most infrared sauna blankets that we have come across take between 10-20 minutes to reach their maximum temperature range on the highest heat setting with sauna blankets like the Heat Healer taking 10 minutes to reach 80 degrees C.
We have found that the Mihigh Sauna Blanket heats up the fastest and maintains the heat the best out of all the sauna blankets we tried.
How often should I use an infrared sauna blanket?
As far as sessions per week goes, we have tested out a few different programs for the best infrared sauna blanket results. For improving sleep, we found huge results with improving sleep latency and sleep quality by doing a 30 minute sauna blanket session before bed every second night followed by a 10 minute cool shower to assist in cooling the body down. We used a few different sleep trackers to measure the results of this, some of which we cover in our best sleep tracker article.
For exercise recovery, using a sauna blanket within 30 minutes of each endurance or resistance training activity has been proven to reduce recovery time, produce important heat shock proteins, nitric oxide, pain reduction qualities that all result in a more rapid recovery. In short, if we train daily, we use a sauna blanket daily.
How do you clean a sauna blanket?
Cleaning your sauna blanket
As we mentioned earlier on in the article, cleaning a sauna blanket is super easy but also essential to maintaining the cleanliness of the sauna blanket particularly if multiple people are using the same blanket.
We use either a natural tea tree spray, a chlorine free baby wipe to wipe down the entire inside of the sauna blanket after wiping the bulk of the sweat away with a standard cotton bath towel. It may sound like common sense, but we always wash the towel and clothes used in the sauna blanket session every time and wipe down every single time to avoid any infection, bacteria, and issues that can cause rashes and skin irritations.
Can using a sauna blanket help me sleep better?
Using the Mihigh sauna blanket before sleep
Yes, infrared heat can help trigger the release of important feel good hormones and hormones that actively encourage sleep including dopamine, oxytocin and endorphins that help calm the mind and body promoting quality sleep. This makes the sauna blanket fantastic to use just before bed as part of a bulletproof sleep hygiene routine. We have even tracked our sleep data with the latest Whoop 4.0 sleep tracker following sauna blanket session prior to bed time and the sleep score and readiness to train improved by about 10% compared to when not using sauna therapy.
What are the benefits of Far Infrared rays?
FAR Infrared says have many benefits and have been scientifically proven to help the body sweat out toxins and heavy metals, increasing the heart rate, increase blood flow, speed up recovery time from strength training exercise, improve mood, clear up skin, help with weight loss and body composition and improve sleep.
Is a sauna blanket good for weight loss?
While using a sauna blanket will cause a loss of water weight as a result of sweat from the process of thermoregulation (attempting to maintain the bodies ideal temperature), it is more beneficial to look at calories burnt during an infrared sauna blanket session. If your wondering if an infrared sauna blanket can help you lose weight, according to research, a single 45 minute sauna blanket session can burn up to 800 calories.
Using an infrared sauna blanket for the primary goal of weight loss is ok if it is used in conjunction with a healthy hydration level, smart nutrition, adequate sleep, exercise and other forms of movement. Sauna blankets for weight loss don’t necessarily go hand in hand but a look at many of the sauna blanket reviews across all of the popular brands shows positive feedback for body composition goals.
Should you put your arms inside the sauna blanket?
Putting your arms inside the sauna blanket is really personal preference, however, to get the most benefit from the infrared waves inside the sauna blanket we recommend leaving your hands and arms inside the blanket for the majority of the session. If you enjoy the sweat producing benefits of doing a sauna blanket session, leaving your arms inside the blanket will give a load more sweat potential and heat production with your whole body wrapped inside. Your hands (among other areas like the feet and face) act as a thermostat to your body temperature so leaving them inside the blanket will trigger way more sweat which we personally love.
Final Word on Infrared Sauna Blankets
If you have made it to the end of this article, we are excited for you to be a step closer to buying a sauna blanket online. Having tested every good sauna blanket, we are confident that we have narrowed down your decision making to find the right infrared sauna blanket for incorporating some heated therapy at home into your recovery regime.
Although we have rated the Mihigh Sauna Blanket the overall best sauna blanket, it is important to also look at the customer reviews that are visible across all different sauna blanket brands to spot common faults and pros and cons for each sauna blanket brand to make an informed choice.
The best sauna blanket Australia is the Heat Healer sauna blanket, which differentiates itself from other sauna blankets with its unique inset tourmaline and jade stones. A sauna blanket offers the perfect alternative to full sized sauna that can be folded up and stored in a cupboard and cost very little each use.
If you have any questions about how we chose the best sauna blankets please comment and feel free to share this article to anyone who might be considering hacking their recovery with the health benefits of a sauna blanket.
Smarter recovery for humans…
Serious about recovery?
[forminator_form id="2259"]
We respect your privacy. We don’t do annoying emails, promise.
Jayce Love
Jayce has spent the last decade in the military as an elite Royal Australian Navy Clearance Diver and has an ever growing passion for biohacking and recovery for peak performance. Jayce has accreditations in fitness and nutrition, cold water immersion, and regularly adopts human Guinea pig status to test out the latest tools, techniques, practices, gear and gadgets in the name of optimal fitness, recovery and wellness.