How often a week should you use an infrared blanket?
In short
There is no prescribed number of sessions per week, but there is a way of building up that works in practice. Start with 1 session of 20 minutes at 45 °C and build up gradually over eight weeks. With a weekly plan for beginners and guidelines per goal for experienced users.
- Build up plan from week 1 to week 8
- Frequency, duration and temperature per goal
- How much time a routine costs you each week
- When it is better to skip a session
How often a week should you use an infrared blanket? It is one of the first questions after buying one, and the honest answer is that there is no prescribed number. What does exist is a way of building up that works in practice: start with 1 session a week of 20 minutes at 45 °C, and only add more if it stays pleasant.
This guide gives you a concrete plan. For the first eight weeks, for people who have been at it for months, and per goal. With session length in minutes, a target temperature in °C and the moments when you are better off skipping.
The manual for your own model always comes first. If it gives a maximum session length or a lower temperature, that is the limit.
Why there is no fixed number
One person lies in the blanket three times a week, another once a month on a quiet Sunday. Both are fine. A sauna blanket is not a course you have to finish, but a moment of rest you plan in. That does not mean every choice works out the same.
If you start straight away with four evenings of 55 minutes at 75 °C, you rarely keep it up for more than two weeks. Not because it is not allowed, but because a session including unrolling, warming up, lying in it, cooling down, showering and tidying up easily takes 75 to 90 minutes of your evening. Four times a week is then well over 5 hours. That fits almost nobody's life alongside work and family.
The other way round does not work well either: once a month, every session feels like the first time again, because you are still working out which setting you like. Your rhythm lies somewhere in between. The plans below help you get there faster.
Build up plan for beginners: the first eight weeks
This plan assumes a sauna blanket with a setting range of roughly 30 to 80 °C and a timer up to 60 minutes. Each step changes just one thing: either the time, or the temperature, or the number of times per week. That way you always know where a pleasant or less pleasant feeling comes from.
| Week | Sessions per week | Length per session | Target temperature | What you change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | 1 | 20 min | 40 to 45 °C | Nothing, just getting to know it |
| Week 2 | 1 | 25 min | 45 °C | 5 minutes longer |
| Week 3 | 2 | 25 min | 45 °C | A second set moment |
| Week 4 | 2 | 30 min | 50 °C | A bit warmer, a bit longer |
| Week 5 | 2 | 30 min | 55 °C | Only the temperature |
| Week 6 | 2 | 35 min | 55 °C | Only the time |
| Week 7 | 2 or 3 | 35 min | 55 to 60 °C | Possibly a third moment |
| Week 8 | 2 or 3 | 35 to 40 min | 55 to 65 °C | Lock in what turned out to feel good |
Notice that the numbers stay low? That is on purpose. Almost everyone who stops after a month started too big. You do not have to reach week 7 and 8 either: feel free to stay at 2 sessions of 30 minutes if that is going well.
How to choose that temperature exactly, and what each step on the controller means in practice, is covered in the complete temperature guide for your infrared blanket.
How to build it up in seven steps
The table gives you the numbers, these steps give you the order. Allow about two months before you know which rhythm suits you.
- Pick a set evening and put it in your diaryA fixed moment is easier to keep up than odd sessions here and there. Tuesday or Sunday works best for most people, because there is little else planned.
- Get everything ready in advanceInner liner, towel and a glass of water of at least 300 ml. The biggest hurdle is not the session itself, but searching for things beforehand and tidying up afterwards.
- Start at 40 to 45 °C and set the timer to 20 minutesThat may feel mild the first time. That is exactly the idea. You can always go up.
- Take 10 to 15 minutes afterwards to cool downStay lying or sitting for a while, have a drink and get up slowly. Rushing straight on to the next task takes all the calm right back out of it.
- Write down a score from 1 to 5How did you feel an hour later? Two lines on your phone is enough. After four sessions you will see a pattern you would miss going by feel alone.
- Change only one thing per weekEither 5 minutes longer, or 5 degrees warmer, or one extra session. Never two at once, otherwise you will not know what made the difference.
- Lock in what works and stop tinkeringAs soon as you have had the same pleasant feeling two weeks in a row, that is your rhythm. After that you no longer need to think about it.
Two set moments you keep up for years give you more than five moments you drop after a month. Regularity beats intensity, and that is just as true for warmth as it is for exercise.
Plan for experienced users
If you have been at it for a few months, the question is no longer how to start but how to keep it going. This table shows, per goal, what people who have been doing it longer stick to in practice. These are guidelines, not rules.
| Why you lie down | Frequency | Length | Target temperature | What to look out for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moment of rest after a working day | 2 to 3 times a week | 30 to 40 min | 50 to 60 °C | Always on the same evenings, otherwise it slips away |
| Relaxing after exercise | After your regular training days, 1 to 3 times | 25 to 35 min | 45 to 55 °C | Cool down and drink for 20 minutes first, do not get in sweaty |
| Warming up when your hands and feet are cold | As often as it stays pleasant | 30 to 45 min | 45 to 55 °C | Lower and longer feels nicer than high and short |
| Extended weekend moment | 1 to 2 times a week | 40 to 50 min | 55 to 65 °C | Put your phone away and really take your time |
| Winding down before sleep | 2 to 3 times a week | 25 to 35 min | 45 to 55 °C | Stop at least 60 minutes before bedtime and cool down |
| Winter rhythm in the cold months | 3 times a week | 35 to 45 min | 55 to 65 °C | In summer you naturally drop back to once a week |
| Maintenance rhythm when life is busy | Once a week | 20 to 30 min | 50 °C | A short session is better than skipping it altogether |
The highest frequency in this table is 3 times a week. That is deliberate. Above three sessions, what trips people up in practice is time, not how it feels. If you still want to go more often, make the sessions shorter: four times 20 minutes takes up less of your evenings than twice 45 minutes.
The balance between often and long
You do not choose frequency and length separately. They share the same limited amount of evening. This table shows how much time a rhythm really costs, including the 20 to 30 minutes that warming up, cooling down and tidying up add to it.
| Rhythm | Time in the blanket per week | Total time per week | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 x 20 min | 20 min | approx. 45 min | Beginners and busy weeks |
| 1 x 45 min | 45 min | approx. 70 min | People who prefer one longer moment |
| 2 x 30 min | 60 min | approx. 110 min | The most popular rhythm |
| 3 x 30 min | 90 min | approx. 165 min | Winter rhythm or a fixed routine |
| 3 x 45 min | 135 min | approx. 210 min | Only if your evenings really have room |
| 5 x 45 min | 225 min | approx. 350 min | Hardly anyone keeps this up |
Look especially at the third row. Two sessions of 30 minutes cost you almost two hours a week. That is manageable. Five times 45 minutes is almost six hours, and then it is no longer a moment of rest but a second job.
More on how to choose the length of a single session is in the piece on how long a session in an infrared blanket lasts.
The best rhythm is not the highest number, but the number you keep up without thinking about it.
What it costs in electricity
Frequency also has a practical side that rarely comes up. A Deluxe 310 has a power rating of 560 W and uses approx. 0.28 kWh per 30 minutes. That makes it easy to work out the consumption for each rhythm.
| Rhythm | Consumption per week | Consumption per month |
|---|---|---|
| 1 x 30 min | approx. 0.28 kWh | approx. 1.2 kWh |
| 2 x 30 min | approx. 0.56 kWh | approx. 2.4 kWh |
| 3 x 30 min | approx. 0.84 kWh | approx. 3.6 kWh |
| 3 x 45 min | approx. 1.26 kWh | approx. 5.4 kWh |
Even with three sessions a week, that is a small number next to a washing machine or an oven. So electricity use is rarely the reason to limit how often you go. Your diary usually is.
When to skip a session
There are moments when a session does not make sense, however well your rhythm is going otherwise.
| Situation | What you do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Fever or feeling ill | Skip it | Your body is already busy regulating heat |
| After alcohol | Skip it | Heat and alcohol do not mix well when it comes to regulating your blood pressure |
| Within 60 minutes of a heavy meal | Wait | Lying still on a full stomach does not feel pleasant for most people |
| Not much to drink that day | First 300 to 500 ml of water | You lose fluid during a session |
| Dizzy or lightheaded | Stop and sit up slowly | Carrying on makes it worse |
| Open wound, fresh tattoo or burnt skin | Wait until it has healed | Heat and sweat on damaged skin feel unpleasant |
| Pregnancy, heart problems or medication that affects how your body regulates heat | Talk to your doctor first | Your doctor knows your situation |
| It feels like a chore | Skip a week | A habit that has had a short rest is easier to pick up again |
More situations in which a blanket is not the best choice are on the page about when an infrared sauna blanket is less suitable.
Signs that you should take a step back
Pay particular attention to what you notice in the hours after a session. If you feel calm and relaxed, you are doing fine. If you notice one of these things, change the temperature first and only then the frequency.
- Limp or drained instead of relaxed. Go 5 to 10 degrees lower and keep the length the same.
- Headache afterwards. Often you have not had enough to drink. Have 300 to 500 ml of water before and after the session.
- Restless sleep after an evening session. Stop at least 60 minutes before bedtime and take time to cool down.
- Your skin feels tight or stays red for a long time. Skip a day and go one setting lower.
- You keep putting it off. Go back to 1 session a week of 20 to 25 minutes. It is almost always the rhythm that is too ambitious, not the blanket.
The basics of safe use are set out in the complete safety guide for infrared sauna blankets.
What research does and does not say about this
Online you come across confident advice: so many times a week, so many minutes, and then you would supposedly notice something specific. That confidence is not justified.
Research on heat and saunas does exist, but it often looks at other forms than a blanket, at cabins of 70 to 90 °C and at groups of people who are not necessarily like you. A frequency from a study like that is therefore not a guideline for your living room. What users themselves widely report is simpler: it feels good, it is a moment of rest, and it works better when you keep it small.
That is a more honest starting point than a number that pretends to work the same for everyone. How frequency and length relate to each other is worked out further in the article on how often and how long to use a sauna blanket.
- Adjustable from roughly 30 to 80 °C, in steps that are easy to find again
- Timer up to 60 minutes with automatic shutoff
- Size 180 x 80 cm, comfortable to lie in at full length
- 60 days to change your mind and 2 year warranty
In closing
How often a week you use an infrared blanket is up to you, but you do not have to start from scratch. Start with 1 session of 20 minutes at 40 to 45 °C. Over eight weeks, build up gradually to 2 or 3 sessions of 30 to 40 minutes at 50 to 60 °C. Change only one thing per week.
Once you are further along, 2 to 3 times a week is the rhythm most people settle on, with sessions of 30 to 45 minutes. In winter that can go up a little, in summer it naturally comes down. Skip a session if you have a fever, after alcohol or when it starts to feel like a chore.
And as always: the manual for your own model takes priority over every plan here. Want to see which models have which settings? Take a look at the Luxyor infrared sauna blankets.
Frequently asked questions
How often a week can I use a sauna blanket?
There's no set number. Many people choose one or a few fixed moments a week. Check the manual for your model and otherwise stick to what keeps feeling pleasant.
Can I use it every day?
That varies by person and by model. Consult the manual and mainly pay attention to how you feel afterwards. If it feels like an obligation, do it less often.
How long is a session?
Short and comfortable works better for most people than long and just too warm. Use the timer if your blanket has one and keep to the recommended duration in the manual.
What's a good moment in the day?
Whatever fits your rhythm. Many people choose the evening, because there's time then to lie still calmly. A morning person can just as well do it early.
I keep skipping it. What can I do?
Lower the hurdle: keep the blanket in an accessible place, put your towel ready and link your session to something you already do, such as after tidying the kitchen.
