Infrared vs steam sauna: which should you buy?
Choose steam if you want classic sauna heat; choose infrared if you want gentler, dry heat with no damp. Steam feels hotter and makes you sweat faster, while infrared is cheaper to run and leaves nothing to air out.
Steam
Choose it if
- You want a proper sweat, fast
- You like it humid
- You can air the room afterwards
Infrared
Choose it if
- You find steam too intense
- Damp is a worry at home
- You want the lowest running cost
Side by side
| Steam | Infrared | |
|---|---|---|
| How it heats | A steamer fills the tent with hot, humid air | Panels warm your body directly; the air stays dry |
| Typical heat | About 45–50°C, humid | Up to 65°C in a tent, 80°C blanket setting |
| Warm-up | About 10–15 minutes | Blankets: a few minutes. Tents: 15–20 |
| Cost per 30-min session | About 14p | About 9p |
| Moisture in the room | Like a long shower: open a window | None |
| Feels like | A steam room | Warm sunshine, gentler |
| Prices from | £154.99 | £199 |
Based on the 3 steam and 7 infrared saunas we compare, using the brands’ own figures. Winner on each line highlighted.
Our pick of each
How they heat you
A steam sauna is a tent or cabin with a small steamer outside it. The steamer boils water and pipes the steam in, so the air gets hot and humid. That humidity is why steam feels hotter than the thermometer says.
An infrared sauna uses heated panels inside the tent. They warm your skin and body directly rather than the air, so the air temperature stays lower and nothing condenses on your walls.
Heat and warm-up
Steam feels hotter. Steam tents usually sit at 45 to 50°C, but the humid air makes that feel intense, and most people sweat within ten minutes. Infrared feels gentler: the air stays cooler, but the panels warm you directly, so you still sweat, just more slowly.
Damp, noise and space
Steam is the one to think about in a small flat or a room prone to condensation. Infrared is silent and dry. Both fold away, though infrared tents are usually bulkier and heavier.
Related guides
Questions
Is infrared or steam better for you?
Both raise your body temperature and make you sweat, which is where most of the research on sauna use comes from. There is no strong evidence that one type is healthier than the other. Pick the heat you will actually use.
Which is cheaper to run?
Infrared blankets are cheapest, at a few pence a session. Across the saunas that publish their power, steam tents average about 14p for 30 minutes and infrared about 9p, at 26.32p per kWh.
Can I use a steam sauna in a flat?
Yes, but a session puts out roughly as much moisture as a long shower. Open a window or run an extractor fan for 20 minutes afterwards.
Why does infrared feel cooler?
The panels heat your skin rather than the air, so a thermometer reads lower even though you still sweat.