Choosing an ozone sauna
What does 12 micron far infrared and a 1500 W element mean for me?
On our Standard and Deluxe ozone saunas, '12 micron' is the far infrared rating we quote; it names a band, not the emitter's peak wavelength. A micron is a thousandth of a millimetre, so 12 microns is 12,000 nanometres. Far infrared is absorbed at the skin and warms you directly. The separate 1500 W element generates the steam. Every model in our range carries far infrared.
These studies are listed for reference only. They are not claims about what our saunas do.
The micron rating. Far infrared is the long-wavelength end of the infrared band. A micron (µm), properly a micrometre, is a thousandth of a millimetre — which is also a thousand nanometres (nm), the unit used for light wavelengths. So 12 micron and 12,000 nm are the same number in different units: we quote 12 micron on the Standard and Deluxe and 12,000 nm on the Red Light model — one specification, not two.
The practical difference from a hot-air sauna is the heating mechanism. Convective heating warms you through hot air or steam touching the skin; radiant heating sends infrared across the gap to be absorbed at the skin surface, so you feel heat at a lower ambient temperature. Far infrared is radiant.
The research. Our studies pages list the far infrared research we rely on, with links to the sources.
The element wattage. The element heats water into steam. The Standard and Deluxe use 1500 W; the Red Light rating is on its product page. A higher wattage brings the cabinet up to temperature faster and holds it in a cold room, which matters more in a spa running back-to-back sessions than for one household session a day.
What the wattage does not tell you. It says nothing about ozone output, which comes from the separate generator and its oxygen supply. All our models use the same 500 mg/h generator on a 2 l/min oxygen feed, giving 47 ppm across the sauna’s air volume, regardless of element size. A powerful element on a machine with a poor ozone source is a steam cabinet, not an ozone sauna.
Far infrared is no longer a point of difference within the range: every model we build has it. The choice comes down to size, seat levels, user weight limit and, on the Red Light, the light modalities.
Terms used