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I really felt that my whole life was going to change the day I got an infrared sauna blanket. I remember opening the box for the first time, all giddy with hope and promise: Made to dupe the effects of a traditional infrared sauna room, this thing would use infrared (IR) energy to boost my heart rate and blood circulation. In turn, that would trigger sweat akin to cardio exercise— all while I laid in a cozy cocoon of warmth. I could take a nap while stoking cardiovascular support! Leisurely scroll TikTok while reducing pain, stress, and fatigue! At least, that’s what studies on the body benefits of infrared energy suggested. What’s more, research also indicated that by penetrating the tissues with IR radiation, muscle relaxation, blood circulation, and metabolism could be boosted as well.
That was three years ago—and I think I’ve used the thing fewer than a dozen times. It turns out that carving out time to laze about in the name of health was just as tricky as making the time to actually exercise. When I did use the infrared sauna blanket, I found it was nearly as successful at making me uncomfortably hot and fidgety as when sitting in a full-blown sauna room. Besides, preparing to use a sauna blanket (dragging the thing out, changing into clothes to sweat through, setting up a headrest, water, etc.)—and wiping the thing down afterward—was more of a chore than I anticipated. So, under the bed, it sat.
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In the meantime, I discovered another way to reap the benefits of infrared heat therapy—and at a fraction of the cost of an IR Sauna Blanket: Enter the Heat Healer Body Belt. Just like the brand’s full-body sauna device, the wearable heat therapy device features the muscle relaxing and pain-addressing power of IR heat, along with a few more energetic therapies: red, 630nm wavelength LED (light-emitting diode, shown to aid in healing) and PEMF (pulsed magnetic energy) that some research indicates may reduce inflammation and promote tissue regeneration and other research ties to pelvic pain relief and treatment of bone, joint, and neurological disorders.
The belt also has 44 individual pockets filled with jade, tourmaline, clear quartz, amber, and amethyst crystals. Generations of energy healers (and my woo-woo sensibility) believe these stones offer benefits all their own, namely, delivering amplified energy to the user, a sense of calm, clarity, and anxiety relief.
It’s tough to find scientific studies to support these claims, but whether you believe in the vibrational power of gemstones or not, these stones (along with negative-ion-producing clay beads) also serve a functional purpose in the belt’s design—to absorb, retain, and disperse consistent heat distribution. It seems to work, too. After hundreds of sessions in which I cranked the settings up to full heat and one-hour durations, I never felt the heating element waver.
As I mentioned above, I’ve used the IR heat helt hundreds of times—not a dozen at most. That’s the real win: my usage of the belt has been consistent and frequent, far more often than with the heavy, oversized sauna blanket stored beneath my bed. It’s certainly nice that the belt offers additional heat treatment modalities to the infrared heat of my sauna blanket. But the thing that causes me to keep reaching for the belt is how easy it is to use. Instead of lugging the sauna blanket out from storage for use, I simply unzip a 10 by 18-inch tote and apply the belt to whatever targeted part of the body needs relief or warmth.
It can be worn as a belt to heat the lower back or stomach, around the shoulders or cross-body to address neck and back tension, or wrapped around the thighs or calves to melt tight muscles. The belt is also bundled with an extender, allowing it to wrap around virtually any configuration imaginable. Lying on the flat, outstretched device offers nearly three feet of coverage to heat the back, bum, and the backs of legs all at once.
To be clear, the body belt isn’t a direct swap for a sauna blanket. It doesn’t raise the heart rate or generate the sauna-like sweat you’d get from a session under the blanket. Instead, it’s geared to deliver targeted heat therapy.
For all its versatility, the infrared heat belt has some limitations, too. Because it must be plugged into a power source when in use, mobility is a no-go. (Before realizing this, I envisioned wearing the belt while puttering around the house.) Still, it’s been a godsend for wiping out period cramps, shin splints, and neck pain—and it has rendered any conventional heating pads in the household obsolete (even a designer version covered in cashmere). Best yet, at $171 right now, the belt is less than the price of a single massage (and far more wallet-friendly than sauna blankets, which can run about $500 or more). It won’t trick your body into thinking it hit the Peloton, but it does offer targeted heat therapy and spa-grade relaxation without having to break a sweat.
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