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UPDATE FROM JESSICA, Summer 2023: It’s been many years since I wrote this post, yet it still remains one of the most popular posts on my site. And for good reason! People want to heal their bodies and they are learning about the power of infrared saunas. In the years since publishing these posts, I have actually purchased two different professionally made saunas. My favorite one is from Therasage and it is by far the most affordable of all of the infrared saunas on the market. I will be publishing a new post about them soon, but in the interim, you can check out Therasage here. You can save 10% off your order (including the saunas) with coupon code DELICIOUS at checkout.
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A big part of my mineral balancing protocol has been focusing on gentle detox through methods like coffee enemas and near infrared sauna therapy, in addition to certain herbs and lots of stress management.
When you hear the word “detox” it can conjure up some pretty scary visuals. Whenever I mention “detox” on this site, I am not talking about crazy cleansing plans or wacky programs that you have to follow for X number of days.
I am talking about doing things daily that helps support your detox pathways in your body, ESPECIALLY your liver. Things like:
- Coffee enemas (read this post if you’re not familiar with why coffee enemas are beneficial)
- Near infrared therapy (read this post for information on the benefits AND precautions of NIT)
- Skin brushing (read this post about the benefits of skin brushing)
- Rebounding / lymphatic massage
- Herbs and supplements that helps digestive and liver function (lots of articles on herbs here)
- And other activities that support the body as a whole.
Near Infrared Sauna Therapy
I wrote a really detailed post about the benefits and the precautions of near infrared therapy, so if you have not read that post, please read that here.
It’s important to understand that near infrared therapy (NIT) is NOT suitable for everyone, so you need to do your research and consult with your doctor before starting.
It is also really important to be working on a mineral balancing protocol to go along with your near infrared therapy, as they truly go hand-in-hand. When you sweat, you are detoxing things like chemicals, parabens, heavy metals, etc. BUT, you are also losing good stuff like minerals, so you have to be cautious when doing NIT.
If you’re not familiar with mineral balancing (I also refer to it as HTMA or hair tissue mineral analysis), I have written about it extensively on my site. I have been using this form of testing for close to a year now and am very pleased with the results. Here are a few of my health journey posts where I talk about the results I am getting:
- How Mineral Balancing Has Improved My Painful Monthly Cycles
- How Mineral Balancing Has Changed My Life (for the better!)
- How Mineral Balancing is Helping Me Manage Stress
- Archive of lots of HTMA and Mineral articles
Building My Own Sauna
There are some pretty amazing near infrared saunas on the market that are well-constructed and look beautiful.
The problem is that they can cost anywhere from $500 to $3,000+. Some day, I hope to have a gorgeous sauna in my home, but for now, the price is too high and we don’t have the extra space.
So, I set out to make my own. I had already been using a single near infrared lamp every day, but after I got my amalgams removed my health crashed a little (read about that here), so I wanted to get more intense sauna time to help with heavy metal detox.
My husband and I reviewed the plans that Dr. Wilson has on his site. His plans require some basic knowledge of electrical wiring and while it seemed easy enough, we figured out an even easier way to build one (with some help from my amazing mom), based on the instructions he provided. Our method does not require any electrical wiring.
In this video, I walk you through all of the materials you need and how to construct your own portable infrared sauna for under $100. While it may not be the most beautiful piece to look at, it gets the job done and it’s honestly not that shabby. 🙂 If you’re more crafty than us, I bet you could construct something that would be eye-catching and pretty!
I get a lot of questions regarding which brooder lamp and which light bulb I am using. Here are the ones that I recommend:
DISCLAIMER: I am NOT a medical doctor or licensed practitioner. Infrared therapy is not for everyone, so PLEASE consult your doctor or practitioner before starting.
I’d love to hear from you! Have you used an infrared sauna before? Tried making your own? Leave a comment below!
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Have you measured how hot it gets when running the sauna?
Hi Mary – If I remember correctly, you want the room temp to get to 110 degrees (for ideal sauna therapy). I do it in my small bathroom and these lamps alone are not enough to heat the space to 110. The hottest I’ve gotten it has been about 92-94 degrees and that was in the height of summer. To help heat up the room more, you can also run a small space heater at the same time. I personally have not tried that yet, as I sweat A LOT just with the room in the low 90s. Hope that helps!
How do you use your portable sauna? You mentioned sitting in front of it to get the lamps just right, so is that how you sauna? Sitting on the floor in front of it? Do you also use this unit with you CE’s and if so how does that work? I’m thrilled to see your plans here for a DIY portable unit!
Hi Debra! Thanks for stopping by! So, I use this one in our bathroom, which is very small. I prop it up against the bathroom door once it’s closed. I then sit on my Squatty Potty and face the lamps. I rotate every 5 minutes or so in an effort to get my whole torso exposed. I sweat quite a bit just this way, but if I really want to sweat, I will also plug in a space heater and heat the bathroom up more so I can get more sweating in. I also do infrared with my CEs, but I use my single lamp unit and clamp it on the drawer next to the sink and lay underneath it: https://www.deliciousobsessions.com/2015/05/how-to-make-a-near-infrared-sauna-lamp/. Hope that helps! LMK if you have any other questions! 🙂
What is the size.of your bathroom? Mine is about 5’x 5′ — I’m wondering if the space will heat up enough for sweat. Also you didn’t show how the lamps are plugged in together.
Hi Felicia – My bathroom is about that same size. If I am running the sauna in the summer it is hot enough that I sweat really well (we don’t have any cooling system in our home). If it’s during the winter, I often run a small space heater along with it. The lamps plug directly into the 4 outlet box that is shown at minute 5:51 in the video. At minute 12:26 you will see that all three cords have their own plug that is then plugged into the outlet box. Hope that helps! 🙂
Hi and thanks for the great post. Am intrigued and going to try it out.
Im concerned about safety for my eyes – do you use anything to protect your eyes from the infrared?
Hi Jill! I usually just keep my eyes closed. Just recently I got a pair of goggles that I now use. I was always just really careful not to look at the light and never have the bulbs shining directly at my face or head. These are the ones I got: https://www.gohealthynext.com/near-infrared-saunas/stay-safe-near-infrared-sauna-glasses/ (I’m currently testing out the Sauna Fix sauna and they came with the bundle I got).
Sounds like we are on a similar path. Looking forward to reading more of your articles. I will definitely be building this. I have a FAR Infrared sauna that I sit inside of with my head exposed. But I l know I will enjoy this one more and with less electromagnetic radiation for sure. Thanks.
Hi Shonda! Nice to meet you! Thanks for stopping by! I am so glad the post was helpful! Best wishes on your healing journey! 🙂
I’m going to try this for Gilbert’s Disease. Gilbert’s is a congenital birth defect of not having UGT1A1, 6, 7, or 8, in my case I’m missing UGT1A6, and it means I can’t break down bilirubin at the same efficiency. I think this may help, so I’m hoping it makes a difference so I can still lead a life of prayer and quiet but feel well at the same time! I appreciate that your method keeps costs down. With six kids, we need the cost down and the health benefits up! in Jesus, margaret
Hi Margaret! I so hope you are able to find the healing you need! I’m glad the post was helpful! 🙂
Thanks for the post. This seem like an interesting fun rewarding project. I was wondering if you have any DIY tricks for a portable tent to use for the sauna. Thanks
Hi Kavodel! Thanks for stopping by! I hope you have fun with this project. I don’t have any DIY tent ideas as I never really explored that. I’m sure with a little creativity you could come up with something though!
Thank you for the information. I am thinking of using this inside a good sized (5.5 feet wide and 30 inches deep) walk in shower There is a bit of an open space at the top (to let out steam) that I would close temporarily for the sauna. I would get goggles.
The doors are glass.
Hi Patience! I think that would work quite well! Let me know how it goes! 🙂
Can you send me a Word print out of directions?
Hi Thomas – Thanks for stopping by. I don’t have a written set of directions for this though if I ever create one I will update this post with it. Dr. Wilson is who I based my own build off of and he does have written instructions for his version here: http://drlwilson.com/SAUNAS/SAUNA%20PLANS.htm. Hope that helps!
Hello! Is this good enough, using it in your bathroom, or do you also suggest building a little tent to place it in?
There’s no risk of the shower curtain starting on fire?
Where do you store it when you are just done with it? (can’t put it away, as it could catch something on fire if it’s too hot)
I’m debating just making one of these and using it in my bathroom, or making a tent for it.
Is it portable (as in, when I move, can I take it with me?)
Thanks in advance!!
Hi Amanda! Thanks for stopping by. If your bathroom is small then that might be perfect for getting the air temp warm enough for you to start sweating. That is primarily where I used mine because ours is pretty tiny. I always propped it against the back of the door and I made sure to keep anything flammable far away from it. I know some people who have used these types of setups in their shower so they can pull the curtain closed to trap the heat, but that makes me SUPER nervous to have electrical stuff that close to where water could accidentally be turned on. I personally wouldn’t advise placing this anywhere that water or fabric could touch it.
If you use my tutorial above, the wood does not get hot at all. So when I was done, I’d set it out in the hall while I showered and then by the time I got out of the shower it would be cool enough to go in my closet where it lived. Yes, it is totally portable and you could even disassemble it pretty easy for even easier transport. Hope that all helps!
Great video; thank you for the instructions! Can you tell us where you mounted the 4-outlet box?
Hi Chris! Thanks for stopping by! So glad it was helpful. I didn’t mount the 4-outlet box. I kept it separate so I could use it for other things if I needed it. I’m sure there is a creative way that you could mount it to the wooden frame though. If you give it a go, let me know how it works! 🙂