At the beginning of 2020 I became interested in building my own near infrared sauna with the goal to  clear heavy metals from my body. I watched you tube videos how to make your own but I felt I did not have the skills to do this.  I debated investing in a professionally built sauna that would cost $1200 to $5000 but I was afraid either that it would not help or worse yet, that I would not sit still long enough to use it.

A friend recommended I study Dr Lawrence Wilson’s website to learn more about saunas.   Dr Wilson writes “I cannot say enough good things about near infrared sauna therapy”. He recommends using the sauna with his “development program”  that includes much rest, alkaline diet with lots of cooked veggies, gentle exercise, meditation, spinal twists, frequent coffee enemas and taking supplements as recommended from having a hair mineral test analysis.

Dr Wilson states adding a near infrared sauna to his program “often speeds up progress on a development program by 10 to 100 times.” His articles about how the near infrared sauna heals and detoxes the body intrigued me so much I bought 2- 250 watt infrared lights from Home Depot and hooked them up to my art easel, pointing towards my air mattress in a small room. I did not expect much from this simple set up.

However at the end of the day when I rested under these infrared lights, I was surprised to find myself starting to fall asleep. I could not remember experiencing anything that so quickly relaxed me mentally and physically with no effort on my part. I felt warmed inside out, a sense of well-being and grounded. The experience is hard to put in words.

Given how my 2 infrared lamps relaxed me so easily and quickly, I looked on Ebay to find a near infrared sauna kit. I found one that included written instructions how to use the 4 lamp kit (cost as of 2-25-22 is $439 free shipping) from seller: Ringo779. The seller is a carpenter who has a passion to help bring people their own home saunas. I used one inch PVC pipes to make a frame and covered the frame with painting canvas to make my own sauna. Later I switched out the PVC pipe near the  infrared light kit to use metal ones (I had left the lights on for 3 hours accidently and the plastic pipes bent under the heat).

I built my sauna kit mid-January 2020. The kit was made to be vertical but the designer helped me build it so I could lay down in it. The dimensions of my sauna is 24 in wide, 36 inches tall and 70 inches long. Some people make their sauna big enough so several people can be in it at the same time.

This sauna even more quickly slows my active mind down to a crawl and induces quality sleep that the 2 infrared lights.  It also greatly reduces or takes away any aches or muscle pain I have. Unequivocally,  it has been one of the best investments I have ever made.

If you can’t afford the sauna kit I bought, I think it is possible to build your own sauna tent by using PVC pipes and the hoods with clamps. If you wanted one so that you can lie down in it, I imagine a design like this: ( I am no expert this is just an idea I have not tested. Build at  your own “risk”) I have heard some people buy grow tents and hand the infrared lights with hoods from the frame.

If you want to sit in it, which is better for detoxing, you could turn the box frame up and use the lamp clamps to make the lamps go horizontal. The cost would be about $170 (2020 prices)  if you have a blanket or quilt you can use to cover it. If not, the cost would be $200.You would have to use a power strip so you could turn on all 4 lamps at the same time. It would be a good idea to buy some metal screen to put over the lamps for safety reasons. Or you could check out this you tube video that tells how to make your own: here

Some people buy grow tents and hook up the infrared lamps in the tent:

Dr Lawrence Wilson’s book Sauna Therapy for Detoxification and Healing is excellent to learn more about saunas. He explains that when stress stimulates the sympathetic nervous system, this activity “breaks down tissue and increases thyroid and adrenal activity…” He states that sauna therapy “inhibits sympathetic activity, helping to balance the autonomic nervous system and enhance the activity of the eliminative organs.”

Dr Wilson has much more information about how helpful the infrared saunas are on his website, found here. The near infrared sauna helps detox from all kinds of toxins, including radiation, chemicals, pesticides, glyphosates, and heavy metals. He explains that toxins are layered within the body at different cellular levels with some toxins being buried more deeply than others. He writes, “Most of the time, one has mercury beneath some lead, which is beneath copper mixed with pesticides and a chronic infection secreting toxins beneath that.” He believes everyone has toxic metals and chemicals that are often in us from birth. He writes, “Most people have six to twelve or more chronic infections affecting their health. The advantage of sauna therapy is its effectiveness with all these toxic conditions.”

When using the near infrared sauna, the toxins are released in the sweat. However most people’s skin is inactive due to wearing synthetic clothes, using skin care product and the toxins in the water we bathe in. Dr Wilson shared in his book that after he used the near infrared sauna 2 times a day for 6 months, he was able to sweat 2 to 3 times as much as when he first started using the sauna. Activating the skin this way allows the liver and kidneys in the body to work less hard.

You tuber The Betty Rocker shared in this video here how using her sauna 2 to 3 times a week for a year brought her mercury level from a 15.65 mcg/L to a 1,44 mcg/L. In this video she also has a couple of other people share their home made near infrared saunas and how helpful they are for them. One woman put several heat lamps above her washer and dryer, and laid under them for her sauna! (she had a very small living space and this was her creative solution).

Dr Wilson writes that another big advantage of sauna therapy is that the heat that raises one’s body temperature helps kill off harmful organisms such as parasites, fungi, bacteria, Lyme’s spirochetes, and cells infected with viruses. The heat increases oxygenation. These bad bugs do not thrive in an oxygen rich environment. Many people with Lyme’s disease have found saunas helped them recover. Wilson states there are a number of studies that demonstrate how well saunas alleviate infections. His patients have reported the infrared sauna cleared chronic infected teeth, as well as infections of the sinuses, bronchial tubes, eyes, ears, throat, lungs, intestines, bladder and many others. I noticed my sinus clear out when I am in my sauna.

Some precautions for using the near infrared sauna: 1) do not let children under the age of 6 use it 2) start with 20 minutes or less 3) do not put the infrared light towards the head until after 5 months regular use 4) take sea salt and kelp to replace electrolytes lost each time you use the sauna 5) drink 1 to 2 cups water before and after using the sauna 6) wear as little clothing as possible so the heat can penetrate the body deeper. 6) no pets allowed in the sauna enclosure as they become too dehydrated  8) pregnant women should not use a sauna longer than 10 minutes 9) if your head hurts when in the sauna put a towel over the brain area to act as a barrier as the heat may be too strong for the brain. If it still hurts, stop using the infrared light, using for shorter periods. People can build their tolerance for the lamps.

Infrared lights can also be used for spot healing. I built a little infrared sauna to use for spot healing. The unit is 36 inches high, 10 inches wide and 17 inches long. I added extensions on the bottom to that the frame is more steady and can be used on a wide couch. A person can lay under the lamps on one’s stomach or back.

The total cost for the above unit  was $85. Some people set up several infrared heat lamps in their bathtub or in a small closet so they do not need the enclosure yet still have an experience of being in a sauna. Here are pictures of the lamp and hood you would need: (make sure you get a hood with a clamp attached)

A friend of mine in her early 70’s started using the one lamp to reduce her coughing when she had covid 19. Later she said she used it to reduce eczema on her face. Here is how she set it up on a chair using a silicone hotpad to keep it from moving around:

I attached an infrared lamp to a small bathroom shelving unit to use in my office that can be aimed towards one’s shoulder, stomach, legs or other areas that may hurt. I did this for one client that has been having intense pain in her legs and arms from fibromyalgia, aiming the light towards her legs. Within minutes she felt relief of the pain. She also had relief from stomach pain.   At the end of her therapy session she remarked, “I could not be anxious if I tried.”

You can be creative with how you use the infrared lamps. Here is one design I used for laying on my couch watching TV.

One of my client’s partner devised an ingenious simple set up using a plastic storage box to clip the infrared sauna lights to, aimed at a mat on the floor:

The carpenter who made my infrared sauna kit has made a 2 light portable infrared sauna that can be used to help soothe body aches, stomach pain, and relaxation:

However it is more expensive, around $200.

Last week my shoulders were aching from pushing my snow blower a few days before. I laid under 2 heat lamps on my couch for 5 minutes. The pain went away completely and only returned partially 3 hours later. Dr Wilson writes how saunas help reduce pain from muscle spasms, whiplash, soft tissue injuries, connective tissue disorders, sciatica, tendonitis, bursitis and arthritis. One of my clients held up her wrist to the infrared lamp to reduce wrist pain. Within a few minutes she said “Boy, this feels good!”

I find being in the near infrared sauna tent for 30 minutes is more deeply relaxing than one hour massage, an hour of hatha yoga or an hour of energy healing. As sauna therapy slows down the sympathetic nervous system, it often helps improve digestion. Dr Wilson writes that studies have shown sauna therapy can improve diarrhea, gastroenteritis, constipation, ulcers, hemorrhoids, pancreatitis, candidia parasite infections, diverticulosis and diverticulitis.

As the infrared sauna helps heal one’s body, it can cause “healing reactions”. As the body releases toxins, one might experience temporarily increase in fatigue, a rash, a head ache, smell of medications used years before or strange foul smells coming from one’s body. Sometimes there is what is known as “retracing” where you have to experience symptoms from an illness you had in the past, such as a sinus infection or asthma, to clear out the remains of the illness. That is why Dr Wilson recommends being able to work with a provider who has experiences in the near infrared sauna to help you get through these healing reactions and not be scared by them.

Of course no one wants to go through healing reactions but I figure it is better to go through them now  to release toxins built up over decades than have them continue to build up in future years and end up with dementia, cancer or heart problems.

Dr Wilson has a podcast that tells of different ways the near infrared sauna has helped himself and people he worked with, found here. I must have listened to it at least 4 times. He is a great teacher with great stories of how helpful this kind of sauna is. It is hard to believe that something so affordable and comforting can help one’s physical, emotional and spiritual health so much. I encourage everyone to try this kind of therapy.

If you would like to have a 15 minute free phone consultation, to see if you would like to schedule an appointment to see me for therapy, please call or text me at 586-799-2399.