Is a $699 Infrared Sauna Actually Worth It? We Tested It.
A first hand look at the portable infrared sauna with red light built in, and whether something that folds into a cupboard can do the job of a cabin that costs four times as much.
The SaunaBox Pulse PRO. Full spectrum infrared with 660nm and 850nm red light built in, tested in a converted garage gym over 30 days.
Ultra low EMF1 Year Limited
At $699 there is no panel to buy separately and no install cost hiding behind the sticker.
Full spectrum infrared heats you rather than the air, so you sweat at a lower room temperature.
Medical grade 660nm and 850nm red light is integrated, not an add on.
It folds into a carrying case, so nothing is bolted to the house.
Up in minutes with no tools, on a standard 110V outlet.
Most people who want a sauna at home decide they cannot have one in about ninety seconds. There is no room for it. There is no budget for it. And there is no way it is coming out of the wall when they move.
The Pulse PRO is the answer to all three, and that is the only reason it is interesting. It is not a compromise version of a cabin. It is a different answer to the same question.
We spent 30 days with it. Here is what we found.
What twenty minutes in it actually gives you
Owners talk about three things, in this order. Sleep that lands earlier and holds. Legs that are less sore the day after a hard session. And a twenty minute stretch at the end of the day where nothing is being asked of you.
None of that is exotic and none of it is instant. It is the reason people keep using one, and it is worth saying before a single number appears on the page.
Five reasons it earns the $699
It is $699, and that is the whole sauna
There is no panel to buy separately, no upgrade to unlock the red light, and no install cost waiting behind the sticker. What arrives is what you use.
For most people the real comparison is not a cabin, it is a gym membership with a sauna attached. Two years of that, and you have paid for this twice.
Full spectrum infrared, not a hot box
It runs near, mid and far infrared, which means it heats you rather than heating the air in the room. The heat goes three to four centimetres into the muscle.
That is the difference people feel and cannot explain. You sweat at a lower air temperature because the energy is going somewhere useful.
Medical grade red light is already in it
660nm and 850nm, integrated, running at the same time as the heat. It helps support recovery and collagen production while you are simply sitting there.
Bought separately, a panel of that spec is its own purchase and its own piece of furniture. Here it is part of the thing you already switched on.
Twenty minutes in. The light runs while the heat does.
It folds away when you are done
It packs into a carrying case and lives in a cupboard between sessions. Nothing is bolted to the house and nothing has to be undone when you move.
This is the reason people keep using it. A sauna you have to justify the space for is a sauna you eventually resent.
Between sessions it lives in a cupboard. That is the whole argument.
Minutes, no tools, a normal outlet
It goes up without a screwdriver and plugs into a regular 110V outlet. No electrician, no permit, nothing rewired.
The stool and the mat are in the box, so there is no second order two days later.
No electrician, no permit. The outlet that was already in the room.
Specification
“The question is not whether it is as good as a cabin. It is whether you will actually use it. This one you use.”
The Pulse PRO is $699 right now
Full spectrum infrared with the red light already inside, and it folds into a cupboard when you are done. Sale ends September 13.
Shop the Pulse PRO at $699The month, week by week
The novelty is the heat. Sessions ran 20 minutes and the first surprise was sweating properly at a temperature that did not feel punishing.
It moved to after training. Post workout soreness seemed to clear faster, and the sessions got easier to sustain.
The folding stopped being a feature and became the habit. Out, used, away, no negotiation with the room.
It had become the evening full stop. Not a workout, not a chore, just the line between the day and the night.
Ultra low EMF heating. Independently tested. Always speak with a healthcare professional before adding sauna use to your routine, especially with an underlying condition. This is not a medical device and is not intended to be used as one.
4.6 out of 5, from 155 reviews
Set it up in the spare room in about ten minutes and have used it four times a week since. The red light being built in was what sold me over the cheaper tents.
I live in a one bedroom and it goes back in the case after every session. Sleep has been noticeably better on the nights I use it.
Sweat properly at a temperature that does not feel like punishment. Legs are less sore the day after leg day.
Works exactly as described. The zip takes a bit of getting used to and the first couple of sessions I could not find my temperature. Fine now.
Cheaper than a year of the gym I only went to for the sauna. No regrets.
Heat and light are great. I wish the case was slightly easier to repack, it takes me a couple of minutes rather than the thirty seconds I imagined.
Questions we had too
Do I need an electrician?
No. It runs off a standard 110V household outlet. Nothing is rewired and nothing is bolted to the house.
How long does it take to set up?
Minutes, with no tools. The stool and the floor mat are in the box.
Is the red light really included?
Yes. Medical grade 660nm and 850nm are integrated and run at the same time as the heat. There is no panel to buy separately.
Where does it go between sessions?
It folds flat into its own carrying case, so a cupboard or under a bed is enough.
What is the warranty?
1 Year Limited, with US based support.
How does it compare to the Solara cabin?
The Solara is a wood cabin that stays up. The Pulse PRO folds away. If space or moving is the constraint, this is the one.
Sauna at home, for $699
Full spectrum infrared, medical grade red light built in, up in minutes on a normal outlet, and away in a cupboard when you are finished. Sale ends September 13.
Shop the Pulse PRO at $699
Advertisement. This page is published by SaunaBox in partnership with Men’s Magazine. SaunaBox is the manufacturer of the products reviewed here and is affiliated with this content.
