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Notice the emitters on this diagram:
It is of utmost importance
for infrared to be focused
to all parts of the body.
Heat Therapy Products, Inc.
was the first manufacturer
to recognize the characteristics
of infrared and begin designing
truly effective saunas
incorporating layouts
that maximize the actual infrared
benefit you receive!

 

Everything You Need to Know About Far Infrared Emitters

Key Note: The far infrared emitter, combined with it is placement,
is the most important element of an infrared sauna.
The wrong emitter or improper placement will make a tremendous difference
in the actual infrared benefit the user receives.

1) Types of infrared emitters
There are tube, carbon, and ceramic convex infrared emitters.

Keep in mind a sauna is not the sun with unlimited far infrared. Each emitter has a certain amount of infrared to give out. The sauna design should not waste that amount of far infrared on the  structure. When the infrared is absorbed by the walls, ceiling & floor that infrared is lost and you end up with just the heat radiating from the walls, etc.  The infrared sauna uses about the same amount of electricity as a hair dryer. It is important to be efficient with that energy.

The important question to ask is: how much of the body is actually getting the direct infrared and at what micron level? You may appreciate the warmth, but you could be under the illusion of actual infrared benefit.

Tube emitters are used in many of the China built portable saunas.  They are inexpensive, high heat, and warm up the structure pretty quickly, but, again waste a signifiant portion of the infrared on the structure.  Because of their high heat fewer are used, reducing cost - you loose infrared benefit. These heaters give an emitting pattern which waters down the infrared it radiates to the body from each emitter. Even with the claim of high output and reflectors, units using tube emitters are wasting most of the far infrared on the walls, ceiling and floor. Their high heat is not anywhere near the best for infrared therapy, body absorption, and detoxification, and can be very uncomfortable when close to the body.

Carbon emitters: Carbon emitter saunas can be extremely beautiful saunas. Their designs, however, have some huge flaws. These large infrared fabric sheets, one of the most inexpensive to manufacture, give a very low temperature/micron output. They are used in automobile seat heaters. Carbon heaters produce long wave infrared heat; the problem is they do not produce a lot of it -heat, yes, but weak production of infrared.  The micron output varies throughout the session so you don't get the ideal range of 9.4 microns for but a small percentage of your session. The wall to wall, ceiling to floor sheeting still results in very little actual infrared reaching the body where it could do good. Many web sites are showing you inaccurate illustrations of far infrared body coverage and giving you misleading statements.   More and more Doctors are realizing the trumpeted carbon saunas are not what they were cracked up to be. Carbon saunas produce a lot of heat but are lean on the amount of far infrared they produce. Some carbon sheet manufacturers have even tried including some ceramic in their sheets, attempting to increase the amount of actual infrared produced, but with very little success.

Along with the above issues there are other problems with the carbon emitter panels, let me mention a couple important ones.
1) Most of the small amount of infrared the carbon panels produce is absorbed by the wood slats that structurally cover the emitters, this means that a very high percentage of the infrared produced does not even reach the body.
2) Front body infrared coverage is key to effective therapy, yet the most neglected with carbon saunas which usually have large front windows.

Another major concern with the carbon sheet emitter type is that they also produce a high level of dangerous EMF emissions!

The ceramic concave type sauna emitter is known throughout the industry as the prefered type. 
The configuration gives a cone shaped infrared pattern that is most easily focused, by the housing/reflector design, directly to the sauna user. When combined with proper placement, and quantity, this is the most effective emitter type.
Heat Therapy Products, Inc. 's top of the line solid ceramic concave emitter produces an amazing amount of far infrared and is the choice of detoxing clinics around the world.

Some infrared emitter housing manufacturers put stainless steel sheet metal covers, with little slits for the infrared to travel through, or construct numerous wood slats which cover their emitters.
These designs exhibit a lack of understanding of the basic characteristics of infrared.

Two basic Infrared characteristics to keep in mind as you study their designs and ours:
1) Infrared reflects off metal and is absorbed by wood.   
2) Infrared travels in straight lines.

a) Theirs: Only a small amount of the infrared produced by the emitters can escape through the little slits in the emitter covers; the rest is just bouncing around in the housing trying to escape or absorbed by the wood slats.
b) Theirs: No reflector to form a focused infrared pattern, just a wide 180 degree pattern that wastes that precious infrared on walls.
c) Theirs: use of one size emitter housing which fits all - usually two emitters in one housing - which should only be used for back spinal area. The front of the body as well as the sides and back of the legs are neglected to save money for bigger profits.

It is easy to see the difference: Look at our cover screen, reflector, and emitter housing; you will see for yourself the huge difference.
a) Ours: The stainless steel cover screen does not obstruct the free flow of infrared- giving maximum infrared benefit from each emitter. 
b) Ours: Heat Therapy Products Inc. stainless steel  emitter reflector positions the condensed infrared into a narrower 120 degrees pattern which targets more of the infrared directly to the body, not wasting this precious infrared on the walls, ceiling, and floor like the wider 180 degree pattern reflectors used by others.
c) Ours: We design and manufacture three different emitter housings to cover the body properly.  All our emitter layouts are designed to target, specifically, each area of the body.

Why waste your money, and receive less health benefit?

Detoxification experts today site the newest findings for infrared saunas:
Infrared saunas are being used by doctors to effectively stimulate the release of toxins from the bodies of their patients.
They have found that a lower emitter temperature sauna session, taken for a longer duration, is the safest, most beneficial for detoxification. These low emitter temperatures stimulate a fat sweat, which eliminates toxins, especially those stored in fat, as opposed to the high emitter temperature sauna, which encourages mostly water sweat.

Heat Therapy Products Inc. recognizes all the factors needed to have the most effective sauna experience possible. Our emitters produce infrared at the ideal 9.4 microns for detoxification and therapy. We use 163 watt emitters and twice the number of emitters used in most other brands.  This, combined with our pin point emitter layout designs for full body coverage, gives you the very best design for unparalleled detoxification and infrared therapy.

Heat Therapy Products Inc.'s revolutionary micron controllers are a true breakthrough, especially for the elderly and ill that need detoxification, but cannot take the higher temperature of a typical infrared sauna session. By setting specific micron ranges for lower emitter surface and sauna temperatures, they, for the first time ever, are able to comfortably experience the ultimate in detoxification sessions.  For those with conditions which have been determined to respond better to higher heat, the micron controllers can be set to accomodate that type of session.  And, all ranges in between can be set.  User comfort, conditional specifics: We cover all the bases!

2) Number of Emitters  (heaters) There needs to be a minimum of 7 emitters at 163watts for a one person unit. 10 emitters minimum for a two person unit. Why? These lower wattage emitters produce infrared at a level best absorbed by our bodies. (So much better than the hotter, higher wattage, 200 watts+ emitters. Also, the proper number of heaters gives more body coverage which maximizes body cleansing, detoxification and general therapy.

Other Manufacturers save a great deal of money by reducing the number of emitters, and raising the wattage of the ones they do install in order to meet the industry standards of wattage per cubic foot of space. Most use 350 watt emitters, this is done to reduce the cost of the sauna for making easier sales.

A common statement many manufacturers make: "the far infrared bounces off the ceiling, floor and walls filling the sauna with wonderful far infrared benefit." This sounds great. However, just a little research into the characteristics of infrared tells us that infrared does not bounce off wood well; the wood absorbs the most of the far infrared energy. You will feel the heat from the walls, but there is an illusion of actual infrared benefit.

3) Emitter Housings  Heat Therapy Products, Inc. offers three different emitter housing sizes. Let us explain what a difference this unique detail can make. As an example: when used as part of our 12 emitter sauna package for two users.  (We provide component packages for all size sauna structures)
   1) Two or three emitters in one housing:  Installed above the bench in the back wall. These cover the entire lumbar to neck area for each sitting person. The two/three in one set up is also very effective when mounted on the side walls above bench for excellent infrared coverage on the sides of the body. (In a two person sauna switch sides with your partner every 10 minutes or so.)
  2) One single emitter housing: Installed under the bench, lining up perfectly, one for each person sitting at the bench. These are to be angled so that their focus is to the calf-buttocks.
  3) Three emitters in one housing: designed for the front and sides of the body, lower emitter covers the feet to the knees, middle emitter covers the mid-body area and the top emitter gives coverage to the upper body.  We recommend 2 three emitter housings, one on the left front angled facing the bench and the other on the right side also angled to the sitting positions. 
By the way, our two and three emitter housings are easier and faster to install than ever before - come to you with pre-wired housings, with high temp wire, and easy incoming wire connectors: at no additional cost. 

4) The back emitter/s   Some brands put only one emitter in the back. You sit too close to the emitter to receive complete back area benefit. Most of the energy is aimed at the center of your back. Heat Therapy Products, Inc.'s two and three emitter housings ensure the coverage you need.

5) Front exposure  There should always be emitters aimed at the front of your body. For detoxification sessions you absolutely want this coverage. Our bodies store toxins all over. Since the infrared works where it is absorbed, doesn't it make sense to expose as much of our body to that precious infrared?  This is an area that the infrared sauna industry has pretty much ignored over the years, and it is key to full body coverage and true effectiveness of the sauna!

Look out for saunas that have no emitters at all in the front. These are usually designed with wonderful large windows across the front of the sauna. These sauna designs are basically the old hot rock saunas of the past, and are not specifically designed for infrared use. They look great, but this layout gives little or no front body infrared exposure. When there are front emitters the industry standard places one emitter flat in the front wall near each of the corners -they are almost always aimed at the back wall, not where you are sitting. Again your body receives only a fraction of the far infrared available.

6) Size of unit  Beware of larger far infrared saunas  3 to 4 person or larger that use benches facing across from each other. These are generally designed with one back emitter for each person:  simply poor heater placement. Picture it, with everyone seated, they block the far infrared front body exposure from each other. Basically, the larger saunas units will always give reduced actual infrared benefit compared to the a well designed 1 or 2 person sauna.

If you currently have a large sauna, traditional hot rock or infrared, and would like to improve the function, please send us your info and we would be happy to assist you in creating a better plan.

Remember, heat alone does not equal far infrared benefit.

 

Check out the newest innovation for saunas:
"ComboSaunas"

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Heat Therapy Products Inc. is a manufacturer and supplier of:

DIY infrared sauna component packages
Infrared emitters
housings
reflectors
cover screens
sauna electronics
digital touch pads
infrared sauna wall/floor/ceiling packages
hot rock heaters
heating cables for ceramic flooring for saunas
and more

We supply our products and services to home owners, massage & physical therapists, chiropractors, detoxing centers, builders, contractors, architects & designers.

Our specialty is designing layout plans for specific spaces and
planning for special needs (wheelchair access, sitting difficulties, etc.).

"All our products are designed & quality made in the USA"

Contact us anytime with any questions or comments or to order:
(we do not sell or share email addresses) 

saunadesign@mac.com
or call toll free:  1-877-624-1249
Local in Michigan 1-517-552-1249

go to: Purchasing Page

go to: all you need to know about infrared

go to: about us to read a some of Heat Therapy Products, Inc.'s history

go to: what you need to know before purchasing an infrared sauna

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