CONVERTING A

TRADITIONAL OR FAR
INFRARED SAUNA TO A
RED HEAT LAMP
SAUNA
by Dr. Lawrence Wilson
Updated August 2019

WARNING: Converting a sauna

may require electrical changes that can
easily cause fires and shocks and
should only be done by a licensed
electrician or someone else
knowledgeable in contracting or
construction.
Heat lamps give off a lot of
heat and can easily burn the skin or
start fires. Be sure that heat lamps
have a guard over them and are at
least 8” from any flammable
surface. Also, do not expose the
lamps to moisture, although they are
designed for bathroom use.
We cannot be responsible
for your conversion of your sauna
unit. Use the utmost care with your
sauna, as you would with any electrical
device or heater.

Converting a traditional or
far infrared sauna to a near infrared
lamp sauna is often not difficult. The
most important consideration is to
make sure you can sit about two feet
from the infrared lights. Also, you will
need access to about a standard
electrical outlet to light up three or four
250-watt heat lamps sold at hardware
stores for about $12.-16. Dollars USD.
Two basic situations exist: 1) Your
existing sauna is greater than about 48”
on one side, or 2) your sauna is smaller
on both sides.
If the sauna is greater than about
48” on one side, here is the procedure:

STEP 1. THE BENCH. You will

need to rotate 360 degrees or close to
it, in the near infrared light sauna to
expose all sides of the body to the
infrared light. Most traditional and far
infrared saunas have the bench or
benches on one wall, making complete
rotation difficult.
The best arrangement for the light
sauna is to have a small bench or
rotating stool in the middle of the
sauna, to make it easy to rotate. If
there is room in your sauna for a small
bench and room for your legs to rotate,
you can move to step 2.
If the sauna is too small for this
option, you may want to remove your
existing bench to allow room for a small
stool or bench in the middle of the
sauna.
Otherwise, you can leave your
present bench, but you will not be able
to rotate as easily with this
arrangement.

STEP 2. THE HEAT

LAMPS. Build or purchase an
electrical unit that contains three or four
red infrared heat lamps. Four lamps in
a diamond-shaped pattern are better,
especially if your sauna is large.
A lamp unit is described in
Appendix D of the book, Sauna
Therapy, and a wiring diagram is
available by clicking on Free Sauna
Plans.
Mount the electrical unit
containing the lamps on one of the
walls of your sauna in such a way that
you can sit about two feet from the
lamps and that you can rotate your
body so that the light will strike all sides
of the body.
Mount the lamp unit about three
feet off the ground, so that you can sit
in front of the unit and the lamps will
shine on your chest and abdomen.
Run the electrical cord from the
unit out a vent of the sauna so it can be
plugged into a regular wall electrical
outlet.

STEP 3. THE EXISTING SAUNA

HEATER(S). If your sauna is larger
than about 4’ by 4’, you will need to use
the existing heater(s) to heat up the
sauna, as the infrared lights alone will
not be adequate. If your sauna is less
than about 4’ by 4’, you may remove
your existing heater if you wish, as the
lights should be adequate to heat the
sauna. You can also use your existing
heater to help pre-heat the sauna faster
and then turn it off when the sauna
reaches about 110-120 F. With a heat
lamp sauna, this is plenty hot enough.
We find that far infrared saunas
often give off harmful electromagnetic
frequencies, so it is best to turn off far
infrared heaters when using your heat
lamp sauna.

IF YOUR SAUNA IS LESS THAN

ABOUT 48” ON A SIDE.

If you are short in stature, you

may still be able to mount an electrical
unit on one wall, providing the sauna is
almost 48” long on one side.
If you are larger, over 6 feet tall, for
instance, you will have trouble
converting a very small sauna by the
method described above. Here are
four options:

1. Recess The Infrared Lights

Into One Wall. This is a lot more work
because it involves cutting a large
opening in one wall of your sauna and
placing the light unit described above in
such a way that the lights shine into the
sauna. You must use an electrician, a
carpenter or someone skilled in sauna
modification for this type of
installation. Be very careful about
exposing any flammable material
such as wood or fabric near the
lights.
Remember that you need to be
able to sit about two feet from the
 lights, which are large bulbs that stick
out about 10-12 inches from their
base.

2. A Simpler Option. Depending

on your sauna, you may be able to
leave the sauna door open and sit
partially outside the sauna so that you
are far enough away from the
lamps. You would then need to set up
a heavy curtain that seals the entryway
to keep in the heat.

3. Building Out Your

Sauna. Another idea would be to
"build on" to the end of the sauna
where the door is to make the sauna
about 48" long.

CONVERTING A STEAM CABINET

TO A SAUNA

Converting a steam cabinet

to a lamp sauna or adding lamps to a
steam cabinet is difficult because the
cabinets are usually too small to allow
one to sit about two feet from the
lamps. Also, it is difficult to turn around
in the cabinet.

WARNINGS FOR ALL

CONVERSIONS

 Do not mount lamps on the ceiling

or use ceiling-mounted infrared heat
lamps. Too much infrared to the
head is dangerous.
 Also, we do not recommend lamps
in the corners of a sauna as they
may be too close to the flammable
walls. The lamps must be at least 8”
from any flammable material.
 You must have a wire-mesh guard
over the near infrared heat lamps for
safety.
 Do not allow any water, sweat,
towels or other clothing to touch the
lamps at any time.
 We cannot be responsible for your
sauna conversion. Please use
utmost care and caution as with any
device that uses high voltage and
amperage and high heat.