Review of The Sunlighten Infrared Solo Sauna
(Image courtesy of Sunlighten)
Original Review – 2017
After listening to several renowned health experts discuss the importance of detoxification, I started looking into saunas as a means of detoxifying from over 30 years of accumulated toxins. Infrared Saunas are more effective for detoxification than regular saunas, as penetrate far more deeply into the cellular level.
For further information on the benefits of infrared saunas, I recommend the following independent articles:
I hired an Infrared Sauna from Sunlighten Sauna in Melbourne for a period of 5 weeks. I did a fair bit of research into the different brands and types, and was particularly concerned about my exposure to electromagnetic radiation, however Sunlighten were able to provide me with extensive information and answer all my questions satisfactorily. I was quite impressed with their customer service too.
I began slow and started at about 20 minutes and worked my way up to 35 minutes per session. As I have a 16 month old daughter, I was only able to have my session in the evening when my husband was able to look after her. I found that I became a bit uncomfortable if I had just eaten dinner and jumped straight into the sauna, so instead I had the sauna right before bed. This actually led me to falling asleep very easily as I was quite relaxed after the session.
Other benefits I experienced over the 5 weeks included:
- increased energy
- increased mental clarity and far less “brain fog”
- improvement in skin texture and decrease of pimples
After reading the benefits of saunas, I was honestly a little disappointed in my results. However, my body is undergoing significant healing following pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding, and I think the benefits for me right now are a little more subtle. I am confident that the sauna allowed my body to begin the detoxification process, as I have accumulated 30+ years of toxins, but perhaps there is still much more to go before I notice a real difference.
Updated Review – 2018
I decided to try the Sunlighten Infrared Sauna again to see whether I could increase the effectiveness, and to try out the new Chromotherapy feature.
This time I hired the sauna for 7 weeks, and used every day (with the except one day when I was interstate). I tried this in combination with intermittent fasting, in which I fasted for 18-20 hours per day and had an eating window of 4-6 hours. This time I used the sauna first thing in the morning, which was in the middle of my fast. I worked my way up to using the sauna for 40 minutes each time.
In terms of relaxation, I found that the first 20-25 minutes were quite relaxing as my body heated up, and usually spent this time meditating. After about 25 minutes my heart rate increased with the heat, and whilst I felt totally safe and calm, I found it hard to meditate and concentrate, as my thoughts seemed to jump around a bit. I was also very sweaty by this point and had to wipe my face with a towel every 5 minutes or so.
Following my sauna session, I would have a shower as soon as possible, as the toxins are in the sweat and you don’t want them to be reabsorbed into your body! I decided that I would have this shower as cold as I could stand, to get some of the benefits of Cold Thermogenesis which is known to increase the production of nitric oxide and stimulate the vagus nerve.
The results I experienced this time were obvious than previously, and included:
- hardcore sweat session – I sweated profusely in my session which is obviously the purpose, but I’m confident that this allowed for a much deeper detoxification
- weightloss, particularly around my midsection (note this is in combination with intermittent fasting)
- bumpy skin on backs of my upper arms completely smoothed out
- increased energy throughout the day – I felt invigorated after a sauna session and cold shower
- accelerated healing – I had a nasty cold that was quite intense for a few days, but subsided surprisingly quickly
Overall, this time around I am very pleased with my body response to the sauna!
Chromotherapy Feature
I became interested in Chromotherapy (colour therapy) after learning about the healing benefits of frequency from the work of Michael Tyrell of Wholetones. Our cells respond to frequency and there is much research on sound healing. It is not that much of a stretch to imagine that our eyes, skin and bodies respond in the same way to light, and light of different wave lengths which is colour. So the added feature of chromotherapy to the sauna was of great interest to me.
I asked Sunlighten for some information on Chromotherapy as the User Manual supplied with the sauna was very limited. It had instructions on how to use, but did not have any information into how this works. Whilst they weren’t able to supply a stack of research, the best summary is an article on their blog: https://www.sunlighten.com/blog/chromotherapy-sauna-benefits-color-therapy-explained/
It is hard for me to say whether this feature added any benefit to my sauna experience, as there is no real way to measure. Perhaps if I had used the one colour in every session, and that colour specifically related to an ailment that I was suffering from, but unfortunately I don’t feel I can give a review of this feature.
Further Info
There are three ways you can experience an infrared sauna:
- Look for a clinic or spa that has one and book in for a session (how I first tried one)
- Rent the sauna for a few weeks and have couriered to your place (this is what I did)
- Purchase one outright (this is what I would do if I had the money!)
Sunlighten in South Melbourne has saunas on location that you can book, they also arrange sauna rental, as well as purchasing outright.
Rental cost – Ranges from AU$200 per week to AU$100 per week depending on the length of rental, plus courier costs.
https://sunlighten.com.au/saunas/residential/solo/solosauna/
Summary
Effectiveness: 9/10 (2018)
Relaxation: 7/10
Affordability: 4/10*
* Detoxing is something I take very seriously and believe it is an essential part of wellness in our modern world. This is why I prioritised and saved to rent the sauna for a couple of weeks, and documented my experience to share with you. However, when raising a family on organic food, and utilising regular preventative health care, such as chiropractic and naturopathy, regular sauna use just isn’t a financially viable option for me. This is why I gave affordability a lower score.
Please note, I am not affiliate or associated with Sunlighten saunas or any associated products. This review has been written by me, an unbiased and independent customer.
I’d previously written about affirmations (which you can read about
here) and have to say that I had struggled for years to incorporate them into my life in a meaningful way. I didn’t really understand how they worked on a neurological level, so I didn’t really commit to them long enough to see any change. But that all changed when I completed a Louise Hay online course back in 2016, and I started to see real change in my patterns of thinking.
What are affirmations?
Affirmations are positive statements that are usually set in the present tense, but describe a particular outcome or desired feeling.
How affirmations work
If you want to change yourself or the way you live your life, you need to change your beliefs about yourself and your life. To do this, you ultimately need to change the way you think.
Your brain loves efficiency, and what is faster – a highway or forging a new path? The thoughts that we think day-in, day-out, are like a highway in our brain. It’s why our thoughts of criticism, judgment and negativity come to mind so quickly and automatically whenever we come across a trigger. These repeated thoughts are so ingrained that they become a part of our belief system.
So in order to change your thoughts, you need to practice your new thoughts or your preferred way of thinking. This is how affirmations can rewire your brain and replace limiting beliefs
with new self-serving beliefs. When you start out using affirmations, you may not feel them to be true, or that you are lying to yourself, which was why I initially struggled to follow through with them. However, the key to the success of affirmations is persistence. It’s a new way of thinking so these neural pathways are uncharted territory, and you need to practice this new way of thinking in order for it to feel comfortable. The more consistently you think this way, the more you start to recognise the truth in the possibilities of your affirmations. And over time, you will start to find evidence in your daily life that supports your affirmations, and it will shift from “an ideal future state”, to “it’s possible”, to “this is true for me”.
Affirmations for Mums
I love the idea of affirmations for motherhood, because they can be something really powerful to create change, but only take a couple of minutes each day. Therefore, they are something that is relatively easy to incorporate into a busy and even chaotic schedule.
Here are some of my favourite affirmations for mums:
Labour and Childbirth
- I trust nature, I trust my baby and I trust my body
- My body is stronger and more capable than my mind can comprehend
- I am safe, supported and loved
- I surrender and birth instinctively
- I allow my mind to move in harmony with my body’s wisdom
- I have everything I need to birth my baby inside of me
Motherhood
- “There’s no way to be a perfect mother and a million ways to be a good one.” – Jill Churchill
- I trust myself and my maternal intuition.
- I am doing the best I can with the tools I have.
- There is peace and love in my home, even in the midst of chaos.
- I let go of how I think today is supposed to go and accept how it imperfectly happens.
Body Image
- My body is always worthy of love and acceptance.
- I appreciate my body.
- I let go of resistance and I am at peace with myself.
- I listen to my body and give my body what it needs on every level.
- My body is wise and clever, and is capable of healing.
Self Love and Compassion
- I am totally adequate at all times and I approve of myself.
- I love, accept and appreciate myself exactly as I am, right here and right now.
- My child sees me as the caring, loving and wonderful woman that I am.
- I am enough.
Sources: Louise Hay, Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth, The Military Wife and Mom
When our skin comes into contact with the Earth’s surface, we are able to “recharge” our energy through a process commonly referred to as “earthing” or “grounding”.
I was given a Shakti Mat for Christmas 2017, so I’ve been using it for about 9 months, and I have found it to be extremely effective.