Infrared vs Traditional Sauna: What Is the Difference and Which Is Right for You?

Infrared saunas heat your body more directly rather than relying mainly on very hot surrounding air.

That can make the experience feel more comfortable if you enjoy warmth but do not particularly like sitting in intense heat.

You might use it after exercise, before bed or at the end of the working day, particularly if you want sauna time to become a regular part of your week.

All Weather Leisure's Jacuzzi® indoor infrared sauna range includes different sizes to suit the space you have available.

If you are thinking about adding a sauna at home, one of the first decisions is whether to choose infrared or traditional heat.

They can both give you somewhere warm to switch off, recover after exercise or simply build a better evening routine around. But they do not feel the same to use.

An infrared sauna usually works at a lower air temperature and uses infrared heat to warm your body more directly.

A traditional sauna heats the air around you, creating the hotter environment most people associate with the classic sauna experience.

The right choice usually comes down to the kind of heat you enjoy, where you want the sauna to go and how often you can realistically see yourself using it.

If most sessions will be yours alone, the Hekla Infrared 100 is a good place to start.

Its compact footprint makes it well suited to a personal indoor wellness space without taking over a room.

If you and your partner are more likely to enjoy sauna sessions together, the Jacuzzi® Infrared Sauna JS2 offers a comfortable two-person setup, with infrared heating and additional features designed to make each session more enjoyable.

That makes the choice quite practical: do you want something that feels like your own dedicated space, or somewhere you can both relax and unwind together?

A traditional sauna heats the air inside the cabin, creating the hotter environment you might already know from a gym, spa or hotel.

If that is the experience you already enjoy, it is likely to feel more familiar.

With a traditional sauna, that stronger heat is part of what you are choosing it for.

You are stepping into the sauna specifically to enjoy that hotter environment, which can make the experience feel more distinct from the rest of your day.

Our Hekla indoor sauna range includes traditional models for the home, while the outdoor Cube saunas offer another option if you would prefer to enjoy your sauna in the garden.

If this sounds like you...	Infrared could suit you	Traditional could suit you
I prefer warmth without an extremely hot room	✓
I want the classic sauna experience		✓
I want something for regular after-work use	✓	✓
I mainly expect to use it alone or as a couple	✓	✓
I want a sauna inside my home	✓	✓
I want an outdoor sauna from AWL's current range		✓
I want enough room to share the sauna	✓	✓
I really enjoy strong, intense heat		✓

Where the sauna goes matters because convenience affects how often you use it.

An indoor infrared sauna can work well if you want it close to the rest of your daily routine.

That could mean using it after a workout, in the evening or whenever you have a spare half hour without needing to head outside.

The traditional Hekla range gives you both indoor and outdoor options, while its current infrared ranges are designed for indoor home wellness spaces.

If you are planning a wider wellness area with a hot tub, cold tub or sheltered seating, the Hekla outdoor sauna range gives you Cube and Barrel options that can become part of that whole setup.

Capacity numbers can be useful, but they do not tell the whole story.

A one-person sauna may be perfect if most sessions will be yours alone.

If you and your partner plan to use it together, it is worth looking carefully at the actual seating space and cabin dimensions.

Larger models make more sense if you regularly expect to share the sauna or simply want more room inside.

The best size is usually the one that fits your normal routine comfortably, rather than the largest model you can fit into the space.

If you prefer a gentler temperature and want something that can slot easily into regular home use, infrared is likely to be the better fit.

If you already enjoy hotter sauna sessions and want to recreate that familiar experience at home, traditional heat is likely to suit you better.

From there, look at:

Where the sauna will go
Who will use it most
How much space you want inside
Whether you prefer indoor convenience or an outdoor wellness setup
Which models actually feel right once you see them in person

Together, those points should give you a much clearer idea of which type will suit your home and routine.

Photos and dimensions are useful, but they cannot tell you how spacious a sauna feels once you are inside it.

With more than 20 years of experience helping homeowners choose home leisure and wellness products, the All Weather Leisure team knows that the model that looks right online is not always the one that feels right once you see the space properly.

At the Cannock and Shrewsbury showrooms, you can step inside different sauna sizes, look at the seating and finishes properly and get a much better sense of what you would actually enjoy using at home.

You can talk through whether you are picturing solo evening sessions, something to share with your partner or an outdoor wellness space built around a traditional sauna.

By the time you leave, you should have a much clearer idea of which sauna fits the way you actually want to use it.

Book a showroom visit and compare the sauna options that suit the way you want to use them.

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