Infrared Sauna Therapy Comes to Simi Valley

Private room at luxurious Sweat Haven, 2311 Tapo Street, Suite c, Simi Valley CAPhoto byTracy Carbone

Article is compiled from several sources. All are attributed via links within the article.

Most people have heard of a sauna and many have used one. Generally, you’re in a small wooden room big enough for several people. It’s very hot and you sweat a lot, though it dries just as quickly because it’s dry heat. There are several benefits to using a sauna so when Sweat Haven opened 2311 Tapo Street Suite C in Simi Valley in mid-September I was eager to try it.

I discovered that the “full spectrum infrared sauna therapy” is quite different from a tradition sauna, in a good way.

My experience was wonderful, and as an added bonus it was inexpensive compared to massage therapy, which is my go-to self-care treat. The new customer special is only $15 for 40 minutes and ongoing visits are $35 per session, with several packages that can lower the price even more.

The location was clean and quiet with a small area in the front with products for sale like handmade soaps and t-shirts. I was greeted by a worker who spoke softly to maintain the peaceful vibe. He led me to a table filled with bottles of essential oils and asked if I wanted one for the sauna. I chose lemongrass.

We walked down a hallway with curtained rooms. I was pleasantly surprised to find a lovely set up in my room. There was a wooden bench with towels and a place for my things. Across from the bench was my own personal sauna with a glass door. It was big enough for one person, or two if you sit up, but because of the glass door it didn’t feel at all claustrophobic. He asked which heat setting I wanted, low, medium, or high but showed me how to change the digital thermometer myself. There were pretty lights around me, calming music piped above me, plus the lemongress scent surrounding me.

Interior room at Sweat Haven, 211 Tapo Street, Suite C, Simi Valley CAPhoto byTracy Carbone

Though I expected 40 minutes, it was set for 48 which was nice. At any time I could walk out into the anteroom, sit on the bench, or cool off by the fan, but I stayed in the whole time and was very comfortable at the medium setting. When the time was up the machine shut off so I gathered my things, got dressed and headed out. The man at the front spoke quietly again so as not to disturb the others, and asked about my experience. I was relaxed, rejuvenated, and felt very healthy.

This is definitely a place I’ll visit again, and will likely buy the package deal. Note, I’m not an affiliate and am not getting paid for this review. It’s just worth sharing this very good experience at a brand-new local business.

Not convinced? Read below for the medical benefits.

Per the Mayo Clinic, an infrared sauna “describes where the infrared waves fall on the light spectrum…A regular sauna uses heat to warm the air, which in turn warms your body. An infrared sauna heats your body directly without warming the air around you.”

Sweat Haven’s site lists benefits as detoxing, heart health, and weight loss, among other things.

“It is one of the body's safest and most natural ways to heal and maintain good health. Sunlighten's high-quality infrared promotes effortless, deep, productive sweat which removes toxins from the body.”

Because the infrared rays and heat act as a passive cardio workout, “this helps your heart by improving circulation and even helping blood pressure.” This also stimulates your metabolism and improves fat burning and can assist in weight loss.

Another aspect of this therapy is Chromotherapy. This “casts color into the sauna, creating an artful atmosphere with balancing effects on the body. The sun's visible light spectrum is believed to align with different body energy points controlling energy flow.”

Dr. Brent A. Bauer, M. D. wrote in the Mayo Clinic site that though larger and more exact studies are needed to prove the results conclusively, many studies have reviewed infrared saunas “in the treatment of long-lasting health problems and found some proof that saunas may help. Conditions studied include high blood pressure, heart failure, dementia and Alzheimer's disease, headache, type 2 diabetes, and arthritis.”