This Infrared Sauna Blanket Is the Only Thing That Helps Me to Relax
Welcome to The MH Wish List, where Men's Health editors highlight the coolest gear they’ve tested this year that make for the perfect gift this holiday season. If you’re looking for the latest and greatest tech, home, and fitness goods, we’ve got you covered for everyone on your list. This week, Contributing Editor Garrett Munce sweats it out in the Higher Dose Infrared Sauna Blanket V3.
What makes this a great gift: This top tech gadget for 2020 will help anyone to reset and recharge for 2021.
Gift this to: Your fit friend who can use some muscle relief and a good night's rest.
In my life pre-COVID, I never turned down the opportunity to sweat it out in an infrared sauna. These futuristic saunas, to the uninitiated, are different from their traditional counterparts because instead of hot air, they use infrared rays to heat your body from the inside, allowing them to offer a “deeper” sweat without getting as hot. And there are myriad benefits like increased heart rate which can help burn calories and promote cardiovascular health, increased energy and more stable mood, as well as purported immunity boosting benefits, muscle recovery, and glowing skin. But once stay-at-home orders started and continued, my opportunity to visit an infrared sauna became nonexistent. Then I discovered the next best thing: the Higher Dose Infrared Sauna Blanket V3. And it truly changed my life.
The High Dose Infrared Sauna blanket is an at-home sauna, but it looks more like a rubber electric blanket. Plug it in, wrap yourself up like a swaddled baby (fully clothed), and within minutes you are sweating your face off. It’s designed to be used on a bed or a couch, though I use mine on the floor (the brand recommends against using it on a foam mattress.) The sweating is no joke, but the blanket never gets so hot that it feels uncomfortable. That’s the beauty of infrared—you get the benefits of a deep sweat, without feeling like you’re in an oven.
Truthfully, even though I am a sauna enthusiast, I was skeptical about whether the blanket experience would be comparable. I shouldn’t have been. With just the first use, I emerged 45 minutes later completely drenched, my heart rate high and my skin flushed. Once I cooled down, I felt energized and my muscles felt looser than they had in weeks. Best of all, that night I had the best night’s sleep in recent memory. Now I use the sauna blanket a few times a week and those effects don’t diminish with more use. I use it on my rest days between at-home workouts and the muscle recovery benefits help me feel less sore and work out harder the next day. The energizing effects are real—I get a burst of energy and then gradually wind down in time for bed.
Unless someone is very deep into the wellness game, the Higher Dose Infrared Sauna Blanket is probably not something they would buy themselves, but everyone can benefit from. Athletes of all skill levels will love the muscle recovery aspects of an infrared sweat session. Someone who needs a little extra relaxation, say, or someone who could use a better sleep, the blanket is a great option. Just read the disclaimers before purchasing, since people with conditions like heart disease and other illnesses should consult their doctor before using it.
As for me, do I miss visiting a fancy sauna? Sure. But now that I can get the same benefits at home, I’m not in a rush to go back.
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