A typical sauna session including heating time won’t exceed one hour. The following running costs are based on €0.40/kWh tariff from your electricity supplier:
Frequently Asked Questions
| Power Running | Cost (Per Hour) | |
|---|---|---|
| Evolve Mini | 1390W | €0.56 |
| Evolve 10 | 1750W | €0.70 |
| Evolve 20 | 2080W | €0.83 |
| Evolve 30 | 2255W | €0.90 |
The maximum temperature setting of our Sun Stream Saunas is 65 °c, however it’s important to note that the actual cabin temperature of the sauna is NOT the key factor. Unlike traditional heat & steam saunas which rely on temperature alone, a Far Infrared Sauna heats the body directly, or in other words you absorb the radiant heat through the moisture in your skin which is then drawn in deeper through conduction to the muscles to induce a deep heavy sweat.
Far Infrared heat is most effective at lower temperatures so as to induce an oil sweat and the release of toxins from the body. Our saunas are designed to achieve this result faster than all other brands due the concentration of power into lower high watt density carbon heater panels, superior 360 ° radiant heat and NO fabrics or materials covering the surface of the heater panels and thereby blocking the radiant heat.
A pre-heat time of only 15 minutes is all that is required to bring the heaters up to full temperature prior to commencing your sauna session.
Click here to learn why a Sun Stream Sauna is hotter than all other brands!
All Sun Stream saunas include an Invisible fastening system where the panels simply slot together to create a solid connection. Installation is quick, easy and requires only a screwdriver to fix the handle to the door along with a couple of additional minor tasks. There are no special electrical requirements with the exception of our larger Evolve 30 sauna which requires a dedicated 15 Amp plug. Depending on the model purchased, installation can take anywhere from 30 – 90 minutes.
Please click here to view all installation manuals.
Since all of our saunas are made from untreated timber to ensure they are free of toxins, they are not suitable to be placed outside. Saunas placed outside are not covered by our Lifetime Warranty.
WESTERN RED CEDAR
There is no question about the fact that Canadian Western Red Cedar is a beautiful timber, however when it comes to choosing the best timber for our health and wellness, it’s best to avoid cedar because it ranks as one of the worst timbers for Allergies and Toxicity.
Source material below is from the Wood Data Base.
Allergies/Toxicity: Although severe reactions are quite uncommon, Western Redcedar has been reported as a sensitizer. Usually most common reactions include eye, skin, and respiratory irritation, as well as runny nose, asthma-like symptoms, and nervous system effects. See the articles Wood Allergies and Toxicity for more information.
BASSWOOD
By contrast hardwood Basswood is a hypoallergenic timber making it the perfect choice to aid us in achieving our health goals without any nasty side effects:
Allergies/Toxicity: Besides the standard health risks associated with any type of wood dust, no further health reactions have been associated with Basswood.
To learn more about Basswood, please click here.
A pre-heat time of only 15 minutes is all that is required to bring the heaters up to full temperature prior to commencing your sauna session.
Click here to learn why a Sun Stream Sauna is hotter than all other brands!
This is very unlikely. But please note that an extremely small percentage of the population has a condition known as Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS). While this is not a universally recognized disorder in the medical field, these people have an adverse physical reaction to low levels of many common and even natural chemicals and cannot tolerate any aromatic oils, perfumes shampoo or herbs. In this case the best choice is our Hypoallergenic Basswood Sun Stream saunas.
The main difference is the way the saunas are heated. A traditional sauna uses a sauna stove which heats special stones. Water is then ladled onto the stones creating steam, which in turn heats up the sauna cabin. An infrared sauna uses infrared heating technology to heat the body directly. Since there is no water involved, no plumbing is required, meaning the infrared sauna cabin can be placed in any room of your house.
This greatly depends on the person, the user’s physical health and sauna usage preferences. Typically, a user will stay in the sauna for about 20-30 minutes or until the body indicates you should finish. Please check with your doctor for their personal recommendation on your sauna usage and session duration.
There is no right or wrong answer for this as every person is different. Typically, for a healthy adult it is safe to have a sauna session every day, or even more than once a day. However, if you have any concerns, please check with your doctor for their advice.
If possible, take your sauna in the nude. If you can’t, then wear the absolute minimum, not more than a bathing suit, for example.
Some people think they’ll sweat more if they enter a sauna with clothes on. This is dangerous and a mistake! When you cover your skin with clothes, your sweat can’t help cool you down by evaporating on your skin. You will quickly overheat and also lose the benefits of wiping away your toxin-loaded sweat. When you wipe away the toxin-filled sweat, the toxins don’t sit in contact with your skin and possibly be reabsorbed.
The Ultra Low EMF Nano-Carbon panel heaters in Sun Stream Infrared Saunas emit Far Infrared (FIR) with approximately 70% of the heaters output lying between 5-15 microns (5000nm – 15000nm) and approximately 90% of the output lying between 1-20 microns (1000nm-20,000nm). Thus, our heaters also encompass the Mid Infrared range of 1.4- 3.0 microns.
Sun Stream also has a full line of Evolve Light Therapy LED based products emitting either Red (660nm) or Near Infrared (850nm) which can be used inside or outside of our saunas.
In the market place we currently have three different types of Infrared saunas:
- Far Infrared (FIR)
- So called Near Infrared (NIR) Saunas
- Full Spectrum Saunas (RED, NIR, MIR, FIR)
Far Infrared (FIR) Saunas
FIR is absorbed by the water content in our skin (1- 4mm depth) and generates heat which is then drawn into deeper levels of our muscles and joints. Absorption is the key dynamic to generate heat in your body which, of course, is the primary purpose of a sauna.
All light when it hits an object, such as our body, is either absorbed, reflected or transmitted (passes through). FIR is highly absorbed, has a low reflection rate and a low transmission rate making it the best wavelength for the purposes of heating the human body. All carbon and ceramic based sauna heaters produce most of their energy in the FIR range.
Near Infrared (NIR) Saunas
NIR has a low absorption rate and therefore generates very little heat in our bodies. NIR has a high transmission rate and passes through our tissue where several biochemical reactions occur associated with cellular energy production and healing. There is decades of research and 1000s of studies published on the therapeutic benefits of NIR and Red light which is known as Photobiomodualtion Therapy (PBMT) or Low Level Light Therapy (LLLT) in the medical literature. All of the PBMT research has used either lasers or LED sources of Red and NIR light emitting single frequencies of these wavelengths. 660nm for visible Red light and 850nm for invisible Near Infrared are the specific frequencies often used in the research. The research has discovered that our cells’ chromophores (light receptors) respond to a high intensity of a single frequency in the mid 600s nm and mid 800nm ranges.
Some sauna companies are promoting Near Infrared for the purpose of a sauna who seem to have a poor understanding of the science of NIR. Again, NIR generates very little heat in our body. Some sauna companies are using incandescent heat lamp bulbs or quartz halogen tube heaters which produce only a small amount of NIR and have very very hot filaments. Neither of these incandenscent devices emit their NIR at single frequency as has been done with the LEDs or lasers in all of the PBMT/LLLT medical research.
Light disperses over distance and it is essentially impossible to be close enough to these lamps or tubes, due to their extremely hot surface temperatures, to receive an adequate level of NIR energy.
Lasers and LEDs on the other hand are capable of producing the single frequency wavelengths for therapy and can be comfortably positioned close enough to the body, even pressed right into our skin, to ensure the delivery of therapeutic levels of light energy.
Using Near Infrared in a Far Infrared sauna may help one save some time by combining these 2 different therapies together however it is not the ideal situation for administering light therapy. Near Infrared will transmit through our tissue best when we are at normal temperature rather than when we are heated up in the sauna and when our skin is not covered in a layer sweat.
Therefore a “Near Infrared Sauna” is a contradiction of terms. The primary function of a sauna is to generate heat in your body to raise your core temperature, boost your immune system and induce a heavy sweat. Near Infrared generates very little heat in your body as it passes through our tissue and does not serve the hyperthermic purpose of sauna.
Full Spectrum (RED, NIR, MIR, FIR)
Some companies, are advertising ‘full spectrum’ saunas that incorporate invisible Near Infrared light and Mid Infrared light into their Far Infrared saunas.
Mid Infrared (MIR) is not well studied. Outside of the advertising from certain ‘full spectrum’ sauna companies we have been unable to find any information indicating particular benefits of MIR which makes up a very small portion of the light spectrum (only 1.4- 3.0 microns). Mid Infrared is likely absorbed by the water content in our skin as is Far Infrared and can add to the heating effect of the sauna.
The benefits of NIR and Red light are entirely dependent upon the proximity of the user to the light source to receive an adequate intensity of light energy.
Unfortunately, the full spectrum saunas on the market DO NOT provide adequate levels of NIR in close enough proximity to the user’s body to deliver therapeutic levels of the light.
As mentioned, some sauna companies are recommending the use of common Near Infrared heat lamps (Home Depot etc) for NIR therapy purposes. These heat lamps are extremely hot and it is impossible to place your skin close enough to the bulbs to receive therapeutic levels of NIR.
The same is true of the quartz halogen tube heaters used in some full spectrum saunas. Both of these devices emit over a wide range of frequencies covering visible light, Near, Mid, and Far Infrared. They do not emit a high level of Red or NIR energy at a single frequency as the medical research has determined to be necessary to stimulate our cells’ light receptors
LEDS, on the other hand, DO NOT emit dangerous levels of heat and can be close to or even directly on your skin to ensure that therapeutic levels of the NIR light are transmitted into our tissue.
Some full spectrum sauna designs do mount small panels of LEDs on the wall of the sauna. These designs have very limited effect as it is unlikely that the user will be able to position the desired body part close enough to the wall mounted LEDs to receive adequate light energy.
Carbon fibre panel is the newest infrared technology available and uses large, flexible and flat carbon fibre panels within the sauna. Carbon heaters are superior to Ceramic Heaters for a number of reasons:
Longevity
Carbon Heater Panels will last a lot longer than ceramic heaters. Due to the high temperatures of ceramic tubes, they tend to have a higher failure rate and have an approximate lifetime of 10,000 hours or 10 years while the expected lifetime of carbon fibre heaters is 50 years or more.
More Comfortable
While both carbon and ceramic heaters produce infrared heat, it is generally accepted that the carbon fibre panels will induce a deeper sweat. This is a significant difference to consider, as a proportion of the sweating caused by the ceramic heaters can be attributed to its shear high temperature, which results in more of a surface level detoxification (i.e. It is generally not desirable to have such high heater temperatures as it is the infrared rays more than the increased temperatures that helps to create a deep-tissue detoxification).
The hotter operating temperature of ceramic heaters can result in more breathing difficulties and can cause a burning sensation on the skin and eyes if used for prolonged periods. Typically, the technology employed in carbon fibre heaters relies more heavily on producing the infrared at a lower temperature that will be more comfortable when sitting beside.
Greater, Wider Body Coverage
Studies have shown that the carbon fibre heaters often far surpass the heating surface area of ceramic heaters. A total heating area for a sauna with carbon panel heaters is approximately 6 times larger than a sauna with ceramic heaters. Heat via a large panel as opposed to a thin tube helps provide a much larger surface area for the healing infrared rays. This results in a more even distribution of heat whereas ceramic heaters can lead to uneven heat distribution. The large heating area makes sure that nearly every square inch of your body is heated by the infrared rays.