10 saunas. 10 participants. 10 weeks. A year ago, Radiant Health's infrared health journey began. Today, the sauna is described as a "game changer" and a fantastic tool for optimizing recovery, relieving pain, and improving sleep quality.
Did we mention amazing skin, stress reduction, me-time, increased well-being, and improved mobility?
There are many reasons to use an infrared sauna. Here's a look back at the participants, who share positive experiences from the past year and how they've integrated the sauna into their daily lives.
Natalia Sadowski
Chief Physician, Internal Medicine and Geriatrics
Sought for
After-effects of COVID
Experiences after 10 weeks of health journey
Long-term symptoms after COVID-19 disappeared, clearer mind, calmer body, weight reduction, more radiant skin, better recovery. A tool that promotes health.
Update after one year
For Natalia, the IR SaunaPod was a true "game changer" when it comes to health.
– The brain fog after COVID was heavy. It was like my thoughts were in a box and couldn't get out. After the first sauna session, I felt it getting lighter, and in the weeks that followed, I was much more myself.
She has continued to take a sauna three times a week, for 30-50 minutes, usually in the evening after the house settles down. She describes infrared sauna as a key in her own health journey.
– I had no expectations but ended up with many benefits. Faster recovery, better sleep, almost no colds, time set aside for self-care, and clarity after COVID brain fog.
Sauna has proven to be fantastic for improving recovery. – Soreness after tough workouts? Not after sauna, she smiles, and further explains that she can't remember the last time she was sick.
– I'm a doctor at a hospital and I'm with sick people day and night. If I notice I'm brewing something, I take the footplate in the sauna and place it on my stomach/chest for 5-10 minutes. I haven't had a runny nose once this winter, not even during the virus season.
Both friends and her husband have become sauna enthusiasts. – My colleagues hear about sauna and its health benefits again and again. And I present experience, as well as research, to patients who I think could benefit from it.
Finally, Natalia says that she is actively planning research projects to measure the health benefits of sauna, especially for older people, those with chronic diseases, and those diagnosed with cancer.
Read Natalia's health journey HERE.
Ellen Søhol Lie
Elite Athlete, Cross-Country Skiing
Sought for
Optimizing daily training.
Experiences after 10 weeks
Faster recovery, better sleep, softer skin, more energy, mental relaxation, and increased blood circulation. An important aid in daily training.
Update after one year
Ellen sends an update from Planica, where she is competing in the Ski World Championships for Australia. She brought her IR Sauna Blanket Breeze with her.
– I'll be here for two weeks, so it's nice to have a little home spa. They have a very nice spa area here, but I avoid it due to the risk of illness.
She answers yessss to the question of whether she continued to use the IR SaunaPod after completing her health journey.
– The health benefits are one thing, but oh my god, how wonderful it is to sit in a 60-degree warm sauna when I come home from a wet roller ski trip or an ice-cold ski trip and get truly warm! I take sauna a little variably depending on the amount of training and competitions, but this year I have mostly taken it every time I've had several competitions in a row, and a bit otherwise.
– The first and most important thing is recovery, and I've also become addicted to sauna when I'm competing, especially when there are several competitions in a row. I feel that my body recovers much faster after a tough competition and I can start again the next day with fresh legs.
– I usually take a sauna and a cold shower. After that, I'm a new person. I also think the sauna has helped with injury prevention. It's speculative, but I find that regular sauna softens my muscles.
The sauna definitely helps optimize daily training, but perhaps even more so competitions. – And that's what we train for. Optimizing recovery is absolutely the best thing about the sauna for me.
Read Ellen's health journey HERE.
Peter Jürgensen
Retired, randonee enthusiast
Sought for
Faster recovery, mild psoriatic arthritis
Experiences after 10 weeks
Faster recovery, pain relief, softens stiff joints, and better sleep. A tool for well-being in everyday life.
Update after one year
IR SaunaPod Active has become a constant companion for Peter and is used with a podcast in his ears. It is always set up in the bedroom. He uses it two to three times a week, followed by an ice-cold shower for a real rush in the body.
– Mainly, it is used for recreation and well-being. Often after ski trips or mountain hikes. And sometimes just for relaxation before the evening begins.
The best thing about a portable infrared sauna is that it is so simple and easily accessible. It requires no preparation other than turning it on, and it's warm in a short time.
– The well-being and feeling after time in the sauna are hard to beat.
Read Peter's health journey HERE.
Mats Hauge
Elite Athlete, Runner
Sought for
Better recovery and performance.
Experiences after 10 weeks
Improved sleep quality, faster recovery, less stiffness in the legs, more energy, and softer skin. A useful recovery tool.
Update after one year
Mats says he MUST take a sauna at least once a week. He has moved to Oslo since last time and now alternates between using the IR SaunaPod Maxi, IR Sauna Blanket Basic, and traditional Finnish sauna at the gym – there with friends. One of the things he wanted during his health journey was more energy for friends. The solution has, among other things, been to bring friends into the sauna.
– Taking a sauna has also become a social thing, which makes it extra enjoyable. I have some friends I train with, and after training, we take a traditional sauna for 20 minutes three times, with an ice-cold shower in between.
Mats highlights good and deep sleep as the biggest advantage from a health perspective.
– I also feel that my body recovers faster, which I especially notice after tough sessions. My muscles are less sore, and I feel lighter in my legs for the next training session. In addition, I mentally unwind in the sauna, which is good.
One of the best things about taking a sauna is that his skin has become so soft. – I think that's fantastic. My masseuse doesn't understand what has happened to my skin, he laughs.
Due to injuries, it is difficult to assess performance, but sauna has become a big part of Mats's daily life and a useful tool for both training and well-being.
Read Mats's health journey HERE.
Lisa Kvamme
Cyber Engineer
Sought for
Fatigue and depression.
Experiences after 10 weeks
More energy, pain relief, calmer sleep, better recovery, softer skin, and lighter spirits. A tool for well-being and stress reduction in everyday life.
Update after one year
Lisa says she loves her IR SaunaPod. It has become a "commuter sauna" that she uses approximately every other day. Some weeks less, other weeks more. She primarily uses it for better sleep and stress reduction, which in turn has a positive impact on energy levels and mood.
– The effect is best when I use it regularly.
The greatest health benefit is improved sleep quality. What has surprised her most is how soft her skin has become.
– I love how soft and lovely my skin becomes. It's also very nice how my body calms down when I take a sauna.
– A portable sauna is GOLD for me, as I'm often on the go and don't have enough hours in the day, she smiles, adding that she recently purchased the IR Sauna Blanket Breeze.
Lisa is doing better, physically and mentally. She is busy with work in Northern Norway, a partner in Lillehammer, building a new house, and will soon be getting married.
Read Lisa's health journey HERE.
Anne-Lise Andersen
School employee, PT, nutritional therapist
Sought for
Help for Raynaud's syndrome
Experiences after 10 weeks
Weight reduction, lighter legs, increased heat tolerance, softer skin, more energy, increased blood circulation and metabolism, pain relief, softer muscles and tissues. A tool for better health.
Update after one year
– Things are going very well, says Anne-Lise when we chat. The white fingers, "dead fingers" (Raynaud's syndrome), that she suffered from, she gets much less often than before. She describes it as almost too good to be true.
She actively uses her IR SaunaPod Active, mostly weekly, and notices a huge effect on recovery.
– I have increased my training volume quite a bit and get increased lactic acid build-up. Before, it took me a long time to recover, but now I don't need as much time between training sessions. It's perfectly fine for me to have two heavy leg sessions and then run if I use the sauna in between.
When she ran before, she couldn't run very far before she had to stop due to lactic acid and heavy legs.
– Suddenly I can run much further. It has never happened before that I can run long distances without having to stop and walk, and it's fun. My legs feel much lighter.
Anne-Lise suffered from fluid retention in her legs, especially in her calves, something she feels the sauna helps her with when she uses it regularly.
– The fact that I lost so much water at the beginning made it easier to move. Gaining more mobility and being able to be more physically active has meant absolutely the most to me.
– I think it's very exciting! A year ago, I thought my life couldn't be like this! There must be solutions. The sauna has become a solution for better health. You have to live while you live, she smiles, and adds that she is very grateful that portable infrared saunas exist, and that there are people like Siw (Radiant Health) who have developed such a brilliant product.
– In addition, it is comfortable to take a sauna. It's my "time-out" from busy everyday life. Absolutely golden.
Read Anne-Lise's health journey HERE.
Jørgen Gundersen
Elite Athlete, Triathlon
Sought for
Better recovery.
Experiences after 10 weeks
Effective recovery, increased blood flow and circulation, and stress reduction. A good recovery tool.
Update after one year
Triathlete Jørgen is currently in Miami to participate in Clash Endurance 2023. He still uses the IR SaunaPod Maxi and the IR Sauna Blanket Basic, mainly for recovery and mental relaxation from training and studies.
– I think it's a good combination, he says, adding that he doesn't have fixed routines. The IR sauna has become a tool he uses as needed. For example, for acclimatization to warmer climates before competitions.
– For the last two weeks, I've been running at max heat every day, for 20-40 minutes, to prepare for the heat.
The biggest advantage he experiences with using the sauna and sauna blanket, he feels, lies in increased blood circulation which helps with stiffness and pain in the legs.
– IR sauna has lived up to expectations. Solid quality and super easy to use.
Read Jørgen's health journey HERE.
Aina Beathe Øberg Framnes
Works with children
Sought for
Fibromyalgia and women's diseases.
Experiences after 10 weeks
Pain relief, better sleep, detox, increased metabolism, better recovery, and less brain fog. A tool for better health.
Update after one year
Aina Beathe's infrared health journey was a positive experience, and she has continued to use the IR SaunaPod Maxi regularly, except on the hottest summer days. She primarily uses it for pain relief, both in terms of fibromyalgia and women's diseases, especially endometriosis.
– With fibromyalgia, where the pain is unpredictable, I use it once or twice a week. For endometriosis, I use it more often in the week before and during my period.
She explains that although endometriosis is painful, the pain is less when she has her period if she also increases sauna use in the week before.
– Menstruation is a natural detoxification of waste products for us women. I therefore also take the sauna for increased detoxification. But, sauna helps a lot with back and abdominal pain during menstruation.
When asked if pain relief in relation to endometriosis is the greatest health benefit, she replies that there are several things. Relief of fibromyalgia pain, increased metabolism, and detox are also high on the list.
– I feel cleaner and lighter in my body, and notice that my body works faster with everything. I have to go to the bathroom more often, she laughs, and asks: – Can I say that? But, it's true. The sauna kick-starts processes. I sweat more and things need to come out.
Having her own portable infrared sauna has absolutely lived up to expectations.
– It's very nice, and I still think it's a bit of a luxury to have my own home spa.
Read Aina Beathe's health journey HERE.
Ann Mari Sørløkken
Senior Advisor
Sought for
Hypothyroidism
Experiences after 10 weeks
Increased metabolism and circulation, helps with water retention in the body, improved mobility, energy, vitality, rash disappeared, better fitness, and detoxification. "A good aid for those of us with hypothyroidism."
Update after one year
Ann Mari says that her portable IR SaunaPod Active is still a "piece of furniture" in the living room. It's always out, ready for use.
– I take an infrared sauna on average twice a week, but I notice that the effect is best when I use it four to five times a week. The goal is to get back to that.
The rash that disappeared at the beginning of her health journey has not returned. Its disappearance was a bonus, but she has continued to take saunas because it helps with the ailments related to hypothyroidism. Less water retention in the body, increased metabolism, and better detoxification, to name a few. The best part is that she has gained better mobility.
– The sauna helps me keep my body supple.
What has surprised Ann Mari the most is how the sauna sessions feel like a workout – that it's possible to improve fitness by doing nothing.
– It's very pleasant, she smiles.
Read Ann Mari's health journey HERE.
Marius Aga
In vocational training
Sought for
Lyme disease after tick bite.
Experiences after 10 weeks
Pain relief, better sleep, weight reduction, detoxification, and more energy. A useful tool for complementary treatment (in consultation with a doctor).
Update after one year
Marius has continued to use the IR SaunaPod Active. The biggest health benefit he experiences is better sleep.
– After I got Lyme disease, I woke up several times during the night to go to the bathroom. When I take a sauna, I sleep through the entire night. The sauna also helps with pain.
He has become a father since we last spoke, which has resulted in new sleep routines and a break from using the sauna, as he needs to use the sauna at a specific time before taking his evening medication. He is still undergoing treatment for chronic Lyme disease in Germany but is in better shape today and looks forward to hopefully concluding his medical treatment in a few months.
Until his son was born, he used the sauna about twice a week.
– I feel more positive. I have less pain and more energy. Everything I've done over the past year with medication and using the sauna as a complementary treatment seems to be helping.
He’s not spending as much time on the couch as he was a year ago. Marius is in occupational training, which is a big step in the right direction towards returning to work.
– There’s still a long way to go, but hope is there, he says happily.
Read Marius’ health journey HERE.
Text: Trine Dahlman
