The larger size of our True Wave™ Far Infrared heaters mean more surface area, resulting in lower surface temperature. The result of this low temperature is that our heaters produce more FAR or LONG wave infrared heat which is more therapeutic. This means better performance within the optimal wavelength range of 6 to 12 microns with a large portion of wavelengths at 9.4 microns. The human body absorbs more infrared at 9.4 microns.
With the high far infrared output (emissivity) of our heaters, you not only get the highest quality infrared heat, but you get a lot of it, and right where you want it – your body core. We position our heaters so that they surround your body concentrating the heat on your body core. The key to infrared therapy is heating your body directly so you want heat on the front of your body and on the back of your body. Every Clearlight Sauna® model has heaters on the front wall, back wall, side walls, underneath the bench, next to your calves and in the floor. Surround Yourself In Wellness® with CLEARLIGHT® infrared saunas.
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All Clearlight Infrared Sauna® models have been shown to raise core body temperature. The data above from the Arcadia Cancer Clinic in Germany shows an average of a 3% core body temperature increase in a 40 minute Clearlight Infrared Sauna session.
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All Clearlight Infrared Sauna® models have been show to increase your heart rate during a sauna session. The data above from the Arcadia Cancer Clinic in Germany shows an average of a 68% increase in heart rate in a 40 minute Clearlight Infrared Sauna session.
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1) What is the surface temperature of the heater?
The is one of the most important questions as it determines the size the of the infrared wavelength and the overall effectiveness of the heater. The two scientific principals that govern infrared emissions are called Planks Law and Weins Law. Both of these scientific laws have an equation with several constants and the only variable is the surface temperature of the heater. They both say that the lower the surface temperature of the heater, the longer the infrared wave will be and the more effective the infrared heat will be for you. 2) Does the sauna have front and back heaters? One of the keys to sweating and effective detoxification in an infrared sauna is increasing the thermal energy in your body. You want to find a sauna that heats both the back and front of your body. You will not get as much benefit without increasing the thermal energy in your body. Many saunas on the market today leave the front heaters out or have very small front heaters for aesthetic reasons – a huge mistake in our opinion. Our Clearlight True Wave™ heaters are positioned so that they cover your full back area and the front heaters are positioned so that they are aimed at your front core. They do an exception job of warming your body core and increasing thermal energy. 3) Is the far infrared heat directed where it’s most needed? We have found that the problem with traditional carbon heaters is that, while they produce high quality infrared heat, they don’t produce a lot of it and it is not concentrated on your body. These heaters work well when they are within a few inches of your body as in some of the lay down infrared units, but not when they are in a large sauna cabin. The heaters go all the way up over your head and are really just heating the sauna cabin air. Because infrared heat travels in a straight line, you want to make sure that the heater directs the heat toward your body core, not just into the air around you. 4) Radiant heat vs. reflected heat: You will see many heaters on the market that are a thin, single rod with a metal reflector behind it. Generally, these heaters produce low quality far infrared heat when compared to a large flat panel far infrared heater. First, a single rod heater must run at a much higher surface temperature than a large flat radiant heater to produce sufficient infrared heat. As mentioned above, the higher the surface temperature the less effective the far infrared heat will be. |
The human body sends and receives far infrared waves. The range of far infrared waves generated by the human body is 6 to 20 microns. The optimal micron output range of an infrared heater is between 6 and 12 microns which is very close to the resonant frequency of a water molecule and the optimum infrared absorption rate of the human body. This similarity makes sense since our bodies are almost 70% water. This range, sometimes called the “Vital Rays”, appears to have specific wellness benefits.
When far infrared waves are applied to water molecules, these molecules begin to vibrate. This vibration reduces the ion bonds and the eventual breakdown of the water molecules causes encapsulated gasses and other toxic materials to be released. The result of Clearlight True Wave™ patent pending heater designs allows for better performance well within this vital wave range of 6 to 12 microns with a good portion of wavelengths at the frequency at which a water molecule resonates or vibrates. This optimal micron output also allows for greater heat generation from far infrared, which as part of a healthy lifestyle may temporarily improve pain relief, detoxification, circulation, and increased peripheral blood flow. |
Don’t be fooled by marketing hype and supposed studies stating only one material is better for producing far infrared heat – know the facts. When evaluating a material for it’s properties to give off far infrared heat we evaluate its “emissivity”. Emissivity is the measure of an object’s ability to emit far infrared energy. Emissivity can have a value from 0 (shiny mirror) to 1.0 (blackbody).
Raytek, one of the leading infrared instrument manufactures has the following emissivity tables on their website. When reading the table, please note the values in 5-14 micron ranges – the “vital” range for healing the human body (the symbol μm stands for “micron”). You will see ceramic has an emissivity of .95 – the closest to a perfect black body at 1.0. That is why the patented ceramic compound that we add to our True Wave™ heaters is so important. Please note the highlighted entry’s in the table: > Emissivity Table for Non-Metals (Cermaic vs. Carbon) > Table for Metals (Cermaic vs. Steel and Incoloy Rods) Most infrared heaters used in our competitors’ saunas were designed for industrial use. These infrared heaters are used to cure the paint on cars because it heats the paint from the inside out or as room heaters. Clearlight Infrared True Wave II heaters were designed by us, specifically for use in our saunas and they were designed to heat the human body. |