Infrared sauna blankets are full body sized blanket wraps which imitate infrared saunas but in a size that fits in any home and for a fraction of the price.
On this page you’ll find an in depth Comparison Table of the 4 Most Popular Sauna Blankets, our 6 Evaluation Criteria for Infrared Sauna Blankets reviewed including Sauna Blanket Safety, Infrared Temperature, Negative Ions, Material Qualities, Return & Warranty Policies, plus Other Considerations Before Purchase, Maintenance, Best Alternatives, FAQs and questions other people asked me in the Ask a Question section.
Quick links,
Comparison Table
Table of Contents
On this page
How We Evaluate & Review Sauna Blankets
Our 6 criteria to help you choose the best infrared sauna blanket for you.
We’re using sauna blankets for the health benefits & feeling good.
Does the sauna blanket block harmful EMF’s & operate only using an auto shut-off?
The most benefits from saunas are always found at the highest temperatures.
What’s the highest temperature setting of the sauna blanket?
Is the sauna blanket constructed with crystals which emit negative ions?
Not all sauna blankets, depending on their materials, will emit beneficial negative ions.
Anything we use long term we want to be sure will last, especially the case with products that heat up and cool down all the time.
Does the sauna blanket use built to last materials?
If it turns out you don’t get the benefits you thought you would from your sauna blanket, what kind of return policy is there?
Will you be out of luck, or do you have time to reconsider your purchase?
A sauna blanket isn’t something you buy to use once or twice, this is a recovery and therapy device for the long term.
If something goes wrong with it, are you covered for the long term?
What is a Sauna Blanket & Who is it For?
Sauna blankets are a wrap-around blanket similar to a sleeping bag with far infrared heating elements built in a layer inside the blanket.
They are a great alternative to a normal sauna for anyone who wants to use a sauna regularly.
You may already know that using a sauna 3 to 4 times a week is when you see the most benefit, and if you don’t have one at home it probably won’t be easy to do this.
In my own city there are no recreation centers nearby with a sauna, and the only gyms that have a sauna nearby charge an arm and a leg either for membership or for sauna usage.
That’s what makes a sauna blanket a great option for you if a home infrared sauna is not an option whether due to the space requirements or budget.
How Sauna Blankets Work
Sauna blankets work by using far infrared heat to heat the body directly like an infrared sauna would.
They do this by specifically including far infrared heating elements in both the top and bottom side of the enveloping blanket.
It’s specifically the infrared heating element, different than a normal heating element, which gives the sauna blanket the ability to heat you from the inside out, which is what’s required to imitate a full sized normal sauna.
Once you’re in the blanket, your body will begin to experience the sauna effect, just like in an infrared sauna, sweating, and eventually increased heart rate, on your way to receiving all the benefits and feel good you get from sauna use.
Sauna Blanket Benefits
The benefits of a sauna blanket session are cardiovascular improvement, body detoxification, stress reduction, pain reduction, and even health-span extension through long term use.
The effects of a sauna blanket on the body are the same as the effects from a regular sauna: sweating, increased heart rate, thermoregulation of the body, and therefore people can see the same benefits with a sauna blanket, as they can from a regular sauna.
From PubMed research we know many of these benefits of sauna use already, including the following:
- Systemic inflammation reduction
- Health-span extension
- Short-term improvement to cardiac function
- Stress reduction
- Body Detoxification
- Arthritis pain management
- Chronic pain treatment
Each of these are linked to the respective research study on Pubmed which confirmed the benefit listed.
None of these studies even mentioned the great feeling of relaxation and feeling good we get after sauna use! Makes me want to have a sauna session right now just writing about it!
Sauna Blankets Compared on Review Criteria
Now let’s look in depth at the 5 main criteria I use to compare the top sauna blankets out there. Let’s see who’s got the better mouse trap!
Listed again the 5 criteria are as follows, and now we will go into the details of each.
- Sauna Blanket Safety
- Infrared Temperature
- Negative Ions
- Material Quality
- Return Policies
- Warranty Policies
After we review these 5 criteria be sure not to miss the next sections on Other Considerations Before Sauna Blanket Purchase, and the Best Alternative to a Sauna Blanket.
Sauna Blanket Safety
EMF Shielding and Auto-Shut Off Controller Comparisons
The safety of sauna blanket use really comes down to two things, auto-shut off and EMF shielding. (But also please remember to keep hydrated people.)
If you accidentally fall asleep in the blanket, it needs to shut itself off, and like any electronic product sauna blankets give off EMF’s (electromagnetic frequencies). These EMFs aren’t natural and for a health and well-being experience we only want to be bathing in infrared heat, not EMFs!
As you’ll see in the EMF category there is in fact a clear winner, let’s take a look!
EMF Shielding
As seen in the screen capture, Heat Healer tested using an EMF meter and verified ZERO EMFs on their sauna blanket. HeatHealer Video
Sauna Blanket Controller
The Heat Healer sauna blanket controller shuts off when the timer runs out. You can set the time and temperature before clicking the start session button.
EMF Shielding
Taken from the HigherDose sauna blanket product page, Higherdose reports their product to have “Low EMF”
Sauna Blanket Controller
The HigherDose sauna blanket controller is different than the others in how you set the timer, when you click the On button, it auto sets for a 1 hour before shut off.
EMF Shielding
Taken from the comments section on the MiHigh sauna page, MiHigh reports 0.3 to 1.5 microteslas of EMFs, which is very low.
Sauna Blanket Controller
The MiHigh sauna blanket controller shuts itself off when the timer runs out. You can set the temperature and time before clicking the start session button.
EMF Shielding
Taken from the BonCharge sauna blanket product page, BonCharge reports their product to have 0.16mG, milliGauss, EMF which is very low.
Sauna Blanket Controller
The BonCharge sauna blanket controller shuts off when the timer runs out and lets you control both temperature and time, it starts as soon as you press the On button.
Sauna Blanket Infrared Temperatures
What are the infrared heating temperature limits for each sauna blanket?
Let’s put this into a bar chart for a little easier viewing, as you can see the Heat Healer and BonCharge have the highest temperature limits at 176 degrees F.
Sauna Blanket Temperature Chart
Sauna Blanket Maximum Temperature Summary Comparison Table
| Product | Maximum Temperature Setting |
| Heat Healer | 176F |
| HigherDose | 158F |
| MiHigh | 167F |
| BonCharge | 176F |
Most sauna blanket manufacturers recommend for beginners to start at a lower temperature, usually 150 F to 160 F at maximum.
If you’re already a sauna user like myself, you may have noticed that your heat tolerance does increase.
Through continued use over time you will be able to use higher temperatures and for longer, provided you keep yourself hydrated.
For this reason the maximum temperature of your sauna blanket is an important consideration.
Once more in an easy to read comparison table here are the maximum temperature settings for all of the sauna blankets.
Does the Sauna Blanket Emit Negative Ions?
Does the sauna blanket use crystals for the additional benefit of producing negative ions?
Creating infrared heat for a sauna blanket is generally done using far infrared heating elements, however there is another way to produce infrared heat which is by indirectly heating certain crystals.
The method is simple, when certain types of crystals are heated, the crystals themselves generate infrared heat and give off negative ions.
Negative ions are prevalent in nature, especially by moving bodies of water like waterfalls, where the extra negative ions of the water evaporated in the air are prevalent.
You’ve probably experienced this when taking a shower also, the extra vapor in the air is incredibly refreshing.
Certain sauna blankets will use crystals in their construction providing this additional negative ion therapy while you’re having a sauna session, below we compare.
Sauna Blanket Negative Ion Producing Crystals Comparison Table
Material Quality
What material is the sauna blanket made of, is it built to really last through your new long term health investment of regular sauna use?
Between the sauna blankets we’re comparing here there are really only 2 types of material they are made from, excepting the crystals and infrared heating elements.
The two materials are heat resistant amide fabric, and heat resistant PU (polyurethane) Leather.
Amide Fabric
An amide fabric is a fabric constructed of polymers connected by amide groups, which is simply a type of molecule formation, see Wikipedia’s info on amides.
There are many types of these fabrics and they are used in a wide variety of applications, such as Nomex, which is used in construction of firefighter suits for its’ heat resistive properties.
Polyurethane Leather
PU, or polyurethane leather, more commonly known as artificial leather, is used in many applications and often for its water resistant and heat resistant properties.
Depending on the construction artificial leather can be made porous and breathable or impermeable and waterproof like for sauna blanket application.
Sauna Blanket Material Comparison Table
| Product | Material |
| Heat Healer | Amide Fabric |
| HigherDose | Polyurethane Leather |
| MiHigh | Polyurethane Leather |
| BonCharge | Polyurethane Leather |
Material Considerations
I’m thinking about two main things when we’re comparing materials used for a sauna blanket:
- Off gassing
- Longevity
People have reported smelling a little off gassing from all of the products in our comparison list today, regardless of which sauna blanket.
This is something that depends on the individual as well, my mom is able to smell if something is off about a mile away, myself not so much.
The PU leather is sometimes held together with a glue, and if it gets a rip you use a PU leather glue to repair it. Sometimes, mainly only on the initial heating up of the sauna blanket you can get some smells from this.
The amide fabric is more akin to a tough fabric, held together with stitching and not glue, but some people have said when they opened their box they got a smell off of it.
Either way, my recommendation: run the blanket through it’s heating cycle to maximum temperature once or twice while leaving it open to air out, with windows open or on the porch, before you use it yourself.
On the longevity aspect, these sauna blankets haven’t been around long enough to really get a multi-year report back on their standing up to regular use; however in my own experience with faux leather, I have sometimes eventually experienced cracking. The amide fabric on the other hand won’t crack.
Return Policies
Does the product work for you?
A strong return policy is especially important to me when I buy something online, whether it’s clothes or anything else.
I’ve gathered all the return policy details of each brand here in a table for you to compare directly to one another.
Return Policy Comparison Table
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There isn’t any super clear winner to me with the return policies based on my summary table above, some seem to be lacking compared to others like the BonCharge.
Most say that the product needs to be in like new condition, the Heat Healer says they don’t resell, but donate and give away return products so they may not be quite as strict as the others for the product to be in pristine condition.
Warranty Policies
Does the warranty back the product up?
Sauna blankets are composed of two main components, the blanket itself, and the controller.
Typically controllers are the component more prone to failure, however the blankets can also have internal wiring issues after too many times folding open and closed if there was a manufacturer defect.
In the following table there is a clear winner which is again the Heat Healer blanket with a 3 year warranty, and a lifetime trade in policy which is nice though it isn’t clear what value they would give you for your trade in after say 5 or 10 years.
Warranty Policy Comparison Table
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Not all of the brands will pay for the return shipping when it comes to a warranty item, so this is something to consider. It may not be a big deal unless you run into a warranty issue after only a few weeks, paying the shipping to return the item then might get frustrating.
Other Considerations Before Purchase
Other things to consider before you buy are the size of the blanket, the weight, and whether it uses a zipper or velcro.
Size is something to consider if you’re on the larger side in any dimension, though most sauna blankets are pretty accommodating. Here are the details.
| Product | Length | Interior Circumference |
| Heat Healer | 75” inches long | 69” inch circumference |
| HigherDose | 71” inches long | 65” inch circumference |
| MiHigh | 71” inches long | Circumference unspecified but 35.5”inches wide |
| BonCharge | 71” inches long | Circumference unspecified but 35.5” inches wide |
Weight of the sauna blanket is only something you need to consider if you have trouble moving things in the range of 15-20 lb around. Not an issue for everyone but something some may need to consider.
| Product | Weight |
| Heat Healer | 24 lbs – (heavier than others because of the crystals) |
| HigherDose | 16.44 lbs |
| MiHigh | 17.6 lbs |
| BonCharge | 19.8 lbs |
The zipper or velcro isn’t a big deal either, but sometimes for me, velcro can get annoying and a zipper you get a little more satisfaction in zipping up.
All of the sauna blankets use a zipper except BonCharge which uses velcro.
Sauna Blanket Maintenance
Sauna blanket maintenance is pretty easy stuff, but we’ll go over it quickly just because you know, who likes to clean up, let’s just know what we’re getting into.
The maintenance is as easy as what to do after each use of your sauna blanket.
- Clean the sauna blanket
- Wait 15 minutes for cool down
- Fold it up to pack away
Cleaning the sauna blanket is pretty simple, easiest is to use a damp towel to wipe it down, and then any kind of gentle cleaning spray followed by another wipe.
My preference is to use a natural based cleaning spray, usually these are vinegar based, but they have less of a scent than harsher chemical cleaners.
If you really want to give it a clean use a little soap and water, but at the end of the day you’re just cleaning away sweat which comes as easily off the sauna blanket as it does with a little water in the shower.
Then before packing away we should let it cool down.
Here is an important factor however, when you fold it away, be sure you ONLY fold it along the pre-fold lines as it was folded up in the box when you received it.
The reason for this is the heating elements inside, we want to fold only where they are flexible and not fold in the middle of an element for example because over time doing this over and over again may eventually create connection issues within the blanket.
Other than that, easy peasy!
Best Alternative to a Sauna Blanket
The best alternative to a sauna blanket is an infrared mat and using it together with a reflective “sauna cover blanket”.
This is something most other websites won’t be talking about, but that’s why you’re here to get the scoop.
A sauna cover blanket is simply a reflective blanket, think those sun tanning reflector panels you can hold in front of you for extra sun, only as a thin blanket.
Most all infrared mats use crystals to provide infrared heat, like the Heat Healer does, only in an infrared mat it’s only one one side, it isn’t a wrap like sauna blankets are.
So you lay with the infrared mat underneath you, feeling the infrared heat on your back, and then the modification is to use a “sauna cover blanket” over top of you which reflects and traps the infrared rays and heat.
The difference is going to be that it wont heat up quite as quickly as a sauna blanket will, but still goes nearly as hot, usually 158 F like the HigherDose does, though you may have more heat escape. It will however, with complete certainty be hot enough for a real sweat session.
The additional option is to go with a PEMF therapy version of an infrared mat, and give yourself an infrared sauna session and PEMF therapy session all at once.
PEMF therapy has its own long list of benefits, many of which overlap with the benefits of sauna use so it is kind of a great combination.
An excellent infrared PEMF mat option and actually the mat that I use at home myself is the Healthy Wave Pro 4 Therapy Infrared PEMF Mat 74″ x28″ and it comes with a free sauna cover blanket and a free sweat & stain protector cover for the top of the mat so it is ready to use as a sauna blanket alternative right out of the box.
If you’d like more reading on infrared mats and the Healthy Wave brand that I use myself, check out our Healthy Wave Mat review at the button I’ll leave here.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Sauna Blanket?
A sauna blanket is an alternative to a normal sauna and uses infrared heating elements in a wrap-around format similar to a sleeping bag which you lay inside to mimic the heat of a normal infrared sauna.
How long should you stay in a Sauna Blanket?
You should stay in a sauna blanket as long as is necessary to complete your sauna session, typically this is 20 minutes like with a regular sauna but you should first wait for the sauna blanket to reach full temperature.
How to use an infrared Sauna Blanket?
To use a sauna blanket is quite simple: plug in, select desired temperature, wait until it reaches temperature set point and then get inside but not forgetting to line the inside with towels or wearing an extra layer of clothing.
How to clean a Sauna Blanket?
Cleaning a sauna blanket is as simple as wiping it down after usage with a damp towel, and again with a gentle cleaning solution.
What to wear in a Sauna Blanket?
In a sauna blanket you should wear a thick enough layer of clothing that the infrared heating elements don’t get too hot on your skin even through the blanket padding, using towels inside the blanket and then your own comfortable clothing is the best set up.
How many calories does a Sauna Blanket burn?
Sauna blankets can burn as much as 300 to 600 calories which is what you can burn in a regular infrared sauna session, however this is highly dependent upon temperatures, duration of sauna use and your own metabolism. As you may know it isn’t alway easy to stay in a sauna past 15 to 20 minutes when it’s a really high temperature.
If you made it this far down the page, then thank you for reading!
It took a lot of time and thought to put this page together so I really do hope its helped you, if it did, please share it with friends or family who would be interested.
Next stop to check out our top rated Sauna Blanket the Heat Healer!
How do you clean it after sweating
Hi Eileen,
good question, actually wrote a quick blurb on how to clean your sauna blanket in our FAQ on this page.
Basically you can just wipe it down with a damp towel, or a light cleaning solution. Best would be to let it cool down if you really want to clean it.
You should use a towel on either side of you or the one that most sauna blanket brands sell on their website, so really afterwards its just a matter of wiping it off with a damp towel 🙂
Thanks for the question!
I am wondering about the tempurature in most ads there ia a reference to level 1 through 7 and the blanket that I have is 35 through 70 is this celsius or???? please explain.
First time user
Hi Sonia, thanks for your question 🙂
If the blanket you have says temperatures 35 through 70, then that is definitely the Celsius temperature settings.
You’re right that every blanket does it differently, some with level settings and others may show fully variable temperatures like it sounds like yours does.
70 degrees Celsius which equals 158 degrees Fahrenheit, is a pretty standard temperature for a normal sauna.
Let me know if that helped or if it piqued another question for you 🙂
This information was very helpful indeed! Thank you for taking the time to put it together.
Hi Suzanna!
glad my article was able to help you sift through all the sauna blankets out there.
Sometimes when you write a review like this on the internet, you never get a sense if it actually ends up helping anyone so thank you so much for leaving a comment 🙂
Greg