My sauna-blanket obsession started out as a joke. It’s hard to explain without eliciting confusion or eye rolls — which I admit is how I used to think about it. I first heard about the sauna blanket when a friend of mine tried one belonging to a friend of hers. “It was so relaxing I fell asleep,” she told me. “They had to wake me up to make sure I got out of it.”
The benefits of saunas are undeniable. They’re staples in Nordic countries and are touted for their ability to help the body not only relax, but detox. But as someone who’s always belonged to the most affordable gym in the neighborhood, the chance to use saunas are far and few between. So when I heard that HigherDose had created an at-home, travel-size version, I began to obsess over it — yet with a price tag of over $600, to say it was a splurge is an understatement. I stalked Labor Day sales and Black Friday offers, and added and removed it from my shopping cart time and time again. It seemed completely out of reach — until I realized that I had an FSA account I needed to drain within 72 hours. As I began adding a year’s worth of Zyrtec to my cart, grumbling, my husband teased, “Too bad your sauna blanket isn’t eligible.”
On what felt like a lark, I popped over to the HigherDose website, where, just above the “Add to Cart” button, I saw the words that would cause me to instantly ditch my Zyrtec: “HSA/FSA-eligible.” A few days of cross-country shipping later, and there she was, my sauna blanket. She was bigger than I imagined — probably about the width and length of a twin bed — but it can be used on the floor, on your bed, or even on your couch. The setup is easy. Just a simple plug at the bottom into an outlet, and then you leave as the blanket warms up for about ten minutes. You can increase or lower the temperature as desired at any point. After the blanket has reached your pre-chosen temperature, it dings pleasantly to signify it’s ready for use.
My blanket came with a “towel insert” — essentially, a luxe terry-cloth sack that would be excellent for a potato-sack race — if you’d like to lie naked in the sweaty sleeping bag, but you can also enter fully clothed. I opt regularly for the latter, as I find that my body sweats more effectively when wearing sweatpants, a long-sleeve tee, and socks. But the effect is undeniable.
HigherDose lists the sauna blanket’s benefits online — “sweat out impurities and burn calories,” “reduces stress and boost mood,” “increases blood flow and circulation,” “promotes glowing skin” — and after using the blanket for months, I have to say all of these seem to be true. Here’s how it works: Far-infrared light is used to create heat, increasing the body’s thermal energy and temporarily increasing blood flow, which causes the body to sweat. According to HigherDose, this also causes the brain to release endorphins, as well as helps flush out toxins. Basically, your body feels like you’re working out, but without having to ever step foot in the gym.
Days I’ve used my sauna blanket have led to nights I’ve slept more deeply than ever. My mood is stabilized or instantly improved, and my skin has a radiance to it that I can’t attribute to anything else. I wax poetic about my sauna blanket to anyone who listens, and sometimes I just use it during colder nights as a way to warm up, not even for a full sweat. But perhaps the cherry on top of all of it: It’s portable. HigherDose offers a backpack specially designed for rolling it up and transporting it wherever you need a moment of rest and relaxation and an instant mood boost.
Is it worth the price tag? Probably. Was it worth more than my year’s worth of Zyrtec? My seasonal allergies would beg to differ, but 100 percent. Would I buy it again? Absolutely.
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