When is an infrared sauna blanket less suitable?
An honest overview of the situations in which a sauna blanket is not the obvious choice, and of the moments when you are better off asking your own doctor.
This page gives general information and is not personal advice. Only your GP, specialist or healthcare provider knows your situation.
In short
- This page is also here to send you elsewhere. Not everyone gets something out of a sauna blanket, and that is fine.
- If you have doubts about your health, the first step is your GP, specialist or healthcare provider. That is a question we cannot answer for you.
- Pregnancy, heat intolerance, reduced feeling in the skin, implants and certain medication are all reasons to discuss it first.
- Children and people who cannot say for themselves how they are doing should not use a sauna blanket on their own.
- Even without a medical reason it may simply not suit you: if you find enclosed spaces stuffy, if your schedule is full or if you prefer to relax together.
How to read this page
Most pages about sauna blankets explain who the product is meant for. This page does the opposite. It is about the situations in which an infrared blanket is not the obvious choice, or in which the question belongs somewhere other than with a webshop.
We sell sauna blankets. That does not make us the right party to judge whether heat is sensible in your situation. That judgement belongs with someone who knows your medical history, knows which medication you take and can examine you. That is why this page keeps giving the same advice: discuss it with your GP, your specialist or your healthcare provider.
What you will not find here
You will not find a list of conditions for which a sauna blanket is or is not allowed. Such a list would give the impression that we can decide that, and we cannot. What you will find is an overview of situations in which people rightly ask that question, with for each situation the reason why talking it through makes sense and who is best to ask.
Want to know first what actually happens during a session? Read what an infrared sauna blanket does to your body. Looking for the general safety explanation? Have a look at are infrared sauna blankets safe.
Everything below is general. It is not a diagnosis, not a permission and not a ban. If you recognise yourself in one of the situations, the next step is a conversation with your own doctor or healthcare provider, not a decision based on this text.
Doubts about your health: start with your doctor
Heat does something to your body. The blood vessels in your skin widen, your heart rate goes up, you start sweating and you lose fluid. In healthy people that is a normal reaction to any heat source, from a warm bath to a summer's day. Whether that reaction is sensible in your case depends on things we cannot see.
That is why the order is simple. If you have a medical condition, are under medical care or have recently had an operation, ask the person who looks after you first. Feel free to explain what a session involves: half an hour lying in a cover that warms your body until you sweat, at a temperature you set yourself. That is enough information for someone with a medical background to say something about it.
Who the question belongs with
| Situation | Why the question belongs elsewhere | Who is best to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Heart, blood vessels or blood pressure | Heat changes your heart rate and the blood flow in your skin | GP or cardiologist |
| Recent operation or a wound that is still healing | The condition of the tissue can only be judged in person | Your doctor or wound care nurse |
| Kidney or liver under medical care | Sweating changes your fluid balance | Your specialist |
| Neurological condition | Heat may feel different from what you are used to | Neurologist or GP |
| Chronic symptoms with good and bad days | What is fine on a good day is different on a bad day | GP or your therapist |
| Fever, flu or an acute infection | Your body is already busy regulating its temperature | GP, or wait until you have recovered |
This table says nothing about what is or is not possible. It only says who the question belongs with.
If you see a physiotherapist, rehabilitation doctor or occupational therapist, that is often the easiest starting point. They see you regularly, know how much you can handle and can think along about how heat would fit into your week. If you specifically have a chronic pain condition, we cover that separately in fibromyalgia and infrared sauna blankets.
If your doctor or healthcare provider does not give you a clear yes, do not turn it into a yes yourself. An unclear answer is a reason to ask further, not to guess.
Pregnancy and the period after
During pregnancy, a lot changes in your body at the same time. Your blood volume, heart rate, blood pressure and the way you lose heat are different from what you are used to. For that reason, midwives and gynaecologists are cautious about prolonged exposure to high temperatures, and that applies to saunas, hot baths and heat at home.
We do not take our own position on this. What we do say: if you are pregnant or trying to get pregnant, a sauna blanket is not a product to start using without talking it through. Discuss it with your midwife or gynaecologist before you buy anything, not after.
In the period after giving birth
Right after giving birth the question is different too. Tissue recovery, any stitches, breastfeeding and a disrupted sleep pattern all play a part. Here too, your midwife or GP can take a look so you do not have to guess. Often the answer is simply that there is no rush.
A sauna blanket is nothing to rush. If you are unsure whether it suits you in this phase, wait to order until you have discussed it. Putting it off costs you nothing and takes away the pressure to use it while you are not sure.
If you feel or tolerate heat differently
A session in a sauna blanket asks two things of your body. You need to notice when it gets too hot, and you need to be able to get rid of that heat again. For most people that happens by itself. If one of those two works less well for you, the situation changes.
Reduced feeling in the skin
If there are places on your body where you feel less or nothing, for example due to nerve damage, a neurological condition, diabetes or scar tissue, your own alarm system does not work there as it should. You notice heat in that spot later, or not at all. That is exactly why this question belongs with your doctor and not with us. Only someone who knows where that feeling is reduced and by how much can say something meaningful about it.
Heat intolerance
Some people quickly become dizzy, nauseous or unusually tired from heat. That can be part of a medical condition, medication, hormonal changes, or simply how someone is made. If you know you tend to keel over in a warm room or on a hot day, a product that deliberately warms you up is not an obvious choice. That is not a medical judgement, it is a practical consideration you have long known yourself.
If that poor tolerance of heat is linked to something you are under medical care for, still mention it. Sometimes there is an explanation you were not aware of.
If you become dizzy, nauseous or short of breath during a session, get heart palpitations or feel unusually weak, switch the blanket off, get out and cool down calmly. Drink water and sit or lie down. If it continues or keeps coming back, contact your GP.
Implants and electronics in the body
If you have a pacemaker, an ICD, a neurostimulator, an insulin pump or another device that works in or on your body, heat is a topic for the specialist who sets up and checks that device. The same applies to implants, joint replacements, plates and pins.
We deliberately say nothing about the outcome of that conversation. The manufacturer of your implant and the clinic that placed it have their own guidelines, and those carry more weight than what a webshop thinks. Ask about it at your next check up, or call the clinic that looks after you. It costs you a phone call and saves you months of doubt.
What to bring to that conversation
| Question | Why it helps |
|---|---|
| Which implant or device is it exactly | The guideline differs per type and per manufacturer |
| How warm does it get and how long does it last | A session lasts about half an hour at an adjustable temperature |
| Where on your body is it | The location determines whether this topic applies to you |
| Do you use the device continuously or only at certain moments | That makes a difference to the advice you get |
| Is there a patient card or instruction booklet | It often already says something about heat |
With these points, a specialist can usually give an answer in a few minutes.
If you do not get a clear answer, that is information in itself. A product you would only use with an uneasy feeling is not worth it.
Medication, alcohol and being ill
Medication can affect your blood pressure, heart rate, sweating and how alert you are. That does not mean heat and medication do not go together, and it does not mean the opposite either. It means your pharmacist or doctor should take a look, because they know what you take and in which combination.
Topics to raise at the pharmacy
| Topic | Why it comes up |
|---|---|
| Medicines that affect your blood pressure | Heat changes the blood flow in your skin |
| Medicines that affect your fluid balance | You lose fluid through sweating |
| Medicines that make you sleepy or drowsy | You lie still for half an hour in an enclosed cover |
| Medicines that make your skin more sensitive to light or heat | The leaflet sometimes mentions this for sun or heat |
| Medicines that reduce or increase sweating | Sweating is how you get rid of heat |
| Patches or gels you apply to the skin | Absorption through the skin can work differently with heat |
The pharmacy can usually check this at the counter or by phone, based on your own medication record.
Alcohol is a separate point. Under the influence of alcohol you judge heat less well and lose fluid faster. The same applies to a session straight after a heavy meal or after intense exercise without drinking enough. These are not medical issues but common sense, and that is why they are also in the safety explanation for infrared sauna blankets.
If you are ill, have a fever or are recovering from an infection, your body is already busy with temperature. That is a moment to wait, not to add to it.
Children and people who cannot say for themselves how they are doing
A sauna blanket is made for adults who set the temperature themselves, feel for themselves when it is enough and can open the zip themselves. That sounds like a detail, but it is exactly what keeps a session under control. If one of those three falls away, the situation changes.
With children, usually more than one falls away. A child signals heat differently, loses fluid faster relative to body weight and will not always say it is getting too hot. We therefore advise against children using it on their own. If you are still considering it for an older child, put the question to your GP or paediatrician and not to us.
The same reasoning applies more broadly. If someone cannot make clear how they are doing because of dementia, an intellectual disability, confusion or a language barrier, the feedback the whole session relies on is missing. Supervision by someone else only partly solves that, because from the outside you cannot see what someone feels. If that person lives in a care setting, their carers or healthcare provider are the right point of contact.
If you live alone and there is nobody else in the house, agree with yourself to use the timer and keep your phone within reach. If that idea already makes you feel uncomfortable, that is a signal worth taking seriously.
Practical reasons why a blanket does not suit you
Not every reason to decide against a sauna blanket is medical. In fact, most of the disappointments we hear about have nothing to do with health. They are about the place the product was supposed to take in someone's week and never ended up getting.
Situations in which something else makes more sense
| What is going on | Why a blanket does not fit | What often suits better |
|---|---|---|
| You find small or enclosed spaces stifling | You lie wrapped up and cannot get out in one movement | An infrared lamp or panel you simply sit in front of |
| You rarely have half an hour in one go | Preheating, lying and cooling down easily take an hour | Shorter forms of relaxation you can keep up |
| You want to relax together | A blanket is for one person at a time | Visiting a sauna or spa together |
| You are looking for the ritual of pouring water on the stones and cooling down | That belongs to a cabin, not a blanket | A traditional sauna |
| You have no space to leave it open after use | It has to dry unfolded before you put it away | A product without drying time |
| You are mainly looking for something for your skin | Heat is something different from visible red light | Red light therapy, a different kind of product |
In practice these points come up more often than all medical reasons put together.
If you recognise yourself in the first row, it is good to know that the enclosed feeling becomes familiar for some people and not for others. You can leave the zip partly open and keep your arms outside, but if the very idea feels uncomfortable, this is not a product you should force yourself into.
Want to see the choice between a blanket and a cabin calmly side by side? That comparison is written out in infrared sauna blanket and traditional sauna compared. If none of this suits you, that is a perfectly fine outcome of this page.
It does us no good if you buy something you put away after using it twice. If this page mainly leaves you feeling that this product does not suit you, it has done its job. The rest of the knowledge base on infrared sauna blankets will still be there if you want to read more about it later.
Questions about suitability and doubts
Can I use an infrared sauna blanket if I take medication?
We cannot judge that. Your pharmacy can: they see your full medication record and can check whether heat and fluid loss are a point of attention with your medicines. Ask at the counter or by phone, it usually takes a few minutes.
I am pregnant. Can I use a sauna blanket?
Put that question to your midwife or gynaecologist. Healthcare professionals are generally cautious about prolonged exposure to high temperatures during pregnancy. We do not take our own position on this and recommend putting off the purchase until you have discussed it.
I have a pacemaker or another implant. What now?
Discuss it with the clinic or specialist who checks the device and look at the manufacturer's information. They know the guideline for your type. Mention that a session lasts about half an hour at a temperature you set yourself.
Can my child use the sauna blanket too?
We advise against children using it on their own. A child does not always say it is getting too hot and loses fluid faster relative to its size. If you are considering it for an older child, discuss it with your GP or paediatrician first.
Heat quickly makes me dizzy. Is this not for me then?
That may well be the case. If you know you quickly feel unwell in a warm room, a product that deliberately warms you up is not an obvious choice. If that is linked to a medical condition or your medication, discuss it with your GP before you buy anything.
I already have one and now I am not sure it suits me.
Do not put it away feeling guilty. First check with your GP or healthcare provider whether there is anything you should know. If it still does not suit you after that, you have 60 days to change your mind with us and a 2 year warranty on our sauna blankets. Feel free to get in touch, even if you just have a question.
