We’re just over a month away from launching XtraClubs’ first location in Bondi Junction. If you haven’t been seeing our updates on the construction, our Instagram @xtraclubs gives a great recap of the club coming together – in the lead up to doors opening in the middle of March. During the planning and construction of this location, myself and the team have been receiving a lot of questions about our hot sauna, ice and steam facilities.
Q: Are the ice baths set to regulated temperatures?
A: Yes.
Q: Does sitting in the steam room feel like you’re in a mini rainforest?
A: Yeah, you could say that.
But one of the questions we continuously see is:
Q: What’s the difference between Traditional and Infrared Sauna? Is one hot sauna better than the other?
A: There’s a number of differences, from how they heat up, to how they impact the body. To say one hot sauna is better than the other however is… subjective. It’s really dependent on someone’s wellness goals. So to end the confusion, here’s the most important bits you need to know on what separates these hot saunas from one another.
One Raises Steam Up, The Other Points Light Down
Traditional saunas are often referred to as steam saunas, as that’s the most literal description of what they are. In most cases, they rely on water being poured onto heated rocks to generate hot steam, in-turn elevating the hot sauna’s temperature. At XtraClubs, our traditional saunas reach around 80 degrees Celsius, which breaks a sweat for anyone who stays longer than a few minutes. Another important thing to note is that our traditional sauna at Bondi Junction is massive. No seriously, it’s big. It can seat up to a 35 person capacity. That’s where you could say that the first difference lies between the hot saunas, as the infrared saunas at XtraClubs are much more intimate, seating only 4 persons at a time. The second difference, as the name suggests, is that the infrared hot saunas utilise far-infrared lights to heat. Interestingly, this heat doesn’t permeate throughout the room, rather it penetrates bodies at around 55 to 65 degrees Celsius.
That’s the basics on what the hot saunas at XtraClubs look and feel like, but what about the health benefits? Which will help me live a better and longer life I hear you say?
Both Have Great Health Benefits, So Choose Which Better Serves Your Wellness Goals
I have to confess. There isn’t a definitive answer to which hot sauna is better than the other. They both have their own value. That’s why we offer both hot saunas at XtraClubs! But to make things a bit simpler, and to help you pick a reason to visit either of the hot saunas at XtraClubs, I’ve listed below some of my favourite health benefits.
Here’s what the researchers say are the best benefits of starting a traditional sauna routine:
- Your overall mental health will have a positive swing.
- The quality of your sleep will be better.
- The likelihood of certain diseases will reduce, including:
- Alzheimer’s
- Pneumonia
- Dementia
- The stiffening of your arterial walls will improve.
What Traditional Saunas Do Best: Opening airways (thanks to the steam), leading to reduced asthma and bronchitis symptoms.
Meanwhile, the big benefits of an infrared sauna routine are:
- Nicotine, cholesterol and heavy metals such as the following will be sweated from your skin:
- Mercury
- Aluminium
- Arsenic
- It’s an effective method of increasing blood flow and reducing pain.
What Infrared Saunas Do Best: The infrared light promotes collagen production, leading to visible signs of improved skin – reduced wrinkles and fine lines.
Can you believe all those facts just scratch the surface on the benefit of including hot saunas into your health and wellness routine? If you’re interested to learn more, or to give these hot sauna facilities a try yourself, then please reach out to me anytime – I’d love to show you around the club!
