Infrared Saunas Come to Austin at Perspire Sauna Studio

Austin is a sweaty place. If you’ve experienced the apex of Texas heat in August, then you may find that the sweat that follows can feel draining. Along those lines, it’s been said that Texans don’t need to sit in a sauna because we sweat plenty. That sounds true, but is it?

Perspire Sauna Studio, which opened its first Texas location in Westlake, uses infrared saunas with chromotherapy to induce “a different kind of sweat.”

Samantha Tucker, regional manager for Perspire, explains what that means. “Different than a traditional sauna that heats the external environment around you, infrared light will penetrate three to four inches beneath the skin’s surface to start the healing process from within the body,” Tucker says. “That means easing the mind, relaxing muscles, relieving joint pain, and purifying the skin at a deeper level.”

What does heating your body at a deeper level accomplish for your health, and does that mean the experience is uncomfortable? “Dry saunas tend to be much hotter, almost 200 degrees, and you can only stay in them for a short session, roughly 15 minutes,” Tucker explains. “IR saunas operate at a lower temp, around 120 to 160, with a session length of 30 to 40 minutes.”

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Most research on saunas is conclusive. Unless you’re pregnant or your doctor has advised you not to, it’s a safe way to boost your wellness. Toxins and stress, two common nemeses to our well-being, wreak havoc on our sympathetic systems. While our liver and kidneys are our primary detoxifiers, sweat is another way to release excess salts and pollutants that we unknowingly absorb.

“The power of IR sauna is in its ability to bring you into a parasympathetic state, or your healing and relaxed state,” Tucker says. “Most people experience this in a massage, that feeling of total relaxation, mind at ease, body feeling less tension, and an overall sense of calm and peace.”

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If you like the idea of sitting in a sauna, but sharing a small room with strangers and nothing to distract you makes you recoil, then Perspire could be your answer. Each private room has a TV with services like Hulu and Netflix, so you can simultaneously stream and sweat.

“Come in, be greeted by a friendly staff, sit in your private suite, with your own personal entertainment setup, and let the infrared panels do the work for you, all while you sit still and fall into deep relaxation,” Tucker says.

Perspire’s Westlake Hills studio (at 3300 Bee Caves Road, #100) is just its first location in Austin, with two more opening in the Triangle and Northwest Hills coming soon.