Sweating it out during an infrared sauna detox session is a craze sweeping the wellness world from LA to New York. I, for one, am totally in. My hour spent inside a glass and cedar cube at HigherDOSE in Manhattan was like a day at the beach: hot, relaxing and euphoria-inducing.
Unlike in a traditional sauna where the air around you is heated, infrared heaters warm up just your body. This allows you to stay in the hot zone longer, sweating out your toxins and raising your heart rate in a zen kind of way. Benefits include burning upwards of 600 calories in a mere hour-long session ($65). The experience is reputed to soothe chronic pain and skin issues; increase cellular repair; improve your mood—and even makes some people feel high.
HigherDOSE, named for the “dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin and endorphins” released by the brain during sessions, also incorporates chromo therapy, or two light-infused healing modalities at once. Clients control the different-hued LED lighting in the ceiling of the spa unit, each color correlating to one of the seven chakras, stimulating those energy meridians — for instance, red for grounding, green for love and stability, blue for communication, and so on.
My take as I sauntered out of my private sauna room one hour later? It is an incredible mood booster. I also felt thinner and energized. Light me up anytime.
—Kimberly Cihlar
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