Sauna blankets are the new sauna craze. I mean, who wouldn’t want a sauna they can just hop into in the comfort of their own home? And one that doesn’t take up huge amounts of space and hugs you like a blanket at that! So let’s talk about what to wear when using a sauna blanket in order to get the best results.
In a sauna blanket, you should wear a lightweight, long-sleeve cotton shirt, lightweight cotton sweatpants, and cotton socks. All of these clothes will completely cover you to avoid getting sweat on your blanket, keeping you from laying in a puddle and ensuring it stays clean. These clothes are also lightweight enough to keep you from overheating.
Read on to learn more about what to wear in a sauna blanket!
Should you wear clothes in a sauna blanket?
It may seem counterintuitive to wear clothing in a sauna blanket – after all, you’re in the comfort of your own home and fully covered (besides your head). It seems especially counterintuitive to be covered in a sauna of any sort. Let’s talk about why it’s important to wear clothes!
You should wear clothes in a sauna blanket to help wick away moisture, keep your blanket sanitary, and make for easier cleanup. The best clothes to wear include a long-sleeve cotton shirt, lightweight cotton sweatpants, and cotton socks.
While many people opt to go naked in at-home saunas (with the exception of a bench towel), sauna blankets are enclosed areas and therefore the sweat would get trapped, be hard to clean, and be uncomfortable on your skin.
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Does infrared heat work through clothing?
You might be worried that the infrared heat from your sauna blanket will be blocked by your clothes. Let’s see what science says!
Infrared heat works through clothing. Studies have proven that infrared transmission varies between different clothing materials, with cotton being most penetrative. In addition, the rays can transmit best when the clothing is wet, so the more you sweat, the more infrared heat gets through!
Near-infrared transmission works through a wide range of clothing materials. The characteristics of the transmission are affected by the weave pattern and kind of fiber used.
Studies have shown that infrared heat transmits better through some materials than others. For example, even though 10 layers of cotton, rays could still be detected. On the other hand, rays couldn’t make it through more than 2-3 layers of denim.
Furthermore, while some colors allowed more transmission than others, the differences were insignificant.
But something really interesting is that rays penetrate clothing more when the clothing is wet. This means that the more you sweat, the more the rays will penetrate your clothing!
The best things to wear in a sauna blanket
While it’s a good idea to wear as little as possible in a lot of saunas – think bathing suits – sauna blankets are a little different.
When you’re in a sauna blanket, you want to cover up a little more than usual in order to avoid getting too much sweat on the blanket. Great things to wear include a lightweight long-sleeved cotton shirt, lightweight cotton sweatpants, and cotton socks.
Here’s a list of what to wear in a sauna blanket:
- Lightweight cotton long-sleeved shirt
- Lightweight cotton sweatpants
- Cotton socks
All of these clothing items will cover your body so that sweat doesn’t get all over your blanket, wick away sweat, and are lightweight enough to avoid overheating you.
What NOT to wear in a sauna blanket
Sauna blankets have some big no-no’s, many of them similar to saunas in general, with a few being specific to sauna blankets.
Some things to avoid wearing in sauna blankets include tight-fitting clothes, heavy clothes, synthetic materials, bathing suits, shoes, metal jewelry, smartwatches that can be damaged, and going naked.
Here’s a list of what not to wear in a sauna blanket:
- Tight-fitting clothes restrict sweating, which is necessary for detoxification.
- Heavy clothes can make you overheat and are very unsafe.
- Synthetic materials tend to be tight-fitting and may also melt in extreme heat.
- Bathing suits don’t cover you up enough and you’ll get sweat all over the sauna blanket. In addition, they are usually made of synthetic materials.
- Shoes will get your sauna blanket dirty and will make your feet overheat.
- Metal jewelry can burn you when it gets too hot.
- Smartwatches can overheat in a sauna blanket and can also burn you.
- Going naked will get your sauna blanket full of sweat which will be hard to clean and uncomfortable to sit in.