DIY Near Infrared Sauna Lamp

Make your own Near-Infrared Sauna Lamp for around $25! No tools required.

By now you may have heard of the amazing benefits of near infrared heat therapy:

Doctors including Joseph Mercola and Josh Axe all speak highly of the wonders of red light therapy. From easing joint pain, to reducing inflammation and boosting immunity, it really is an amazing tool to have in your “healing journey kit.”

There are many near-infrared lamp brands available on the market. Anything from a personal, hand-held unit, to a desktop setup, all the way up to a full-body personal sauna room that you can set up in your home. I had the pleasure of sampling the wares from Sauna Space at PaleoFX 2017, and was really impressed by the quality and craftsmanship of their products. If you’re looking for something a bit more hardwearing and medium- to larger-scale, I highly recommend their personal sauna offerings!

For a fundamental and small-scale (let’s not forget frugal) near-infrared solution, I turned to my Dad: The builder of fabulous contraptions and The solver of puzzles. His solution was so simple, easy and inexpensive! I was even able to put it together myself without even reading the instructions. Go Dad!

He realized that all he needed for a beginner’s kit was:

An infrared bulb.

Something to power and hold the bulb that was free-standing.

All you need is a bulb like this 250-Watt R40 Bulb (around $10) and a lamp clamp like this Wire Cage Clamp Lamp (about $15) and presto! Follow the easy instructions included in the housing clamp kit, then screw in the bulb. You’ll be sauna-ing away in no time, my dear.

The bulb itself gets hot to the touch, so you don’t want to paw at it while its on or even shortly after use as it cools off. So far I haven’t noticed the clamp housing getting unsafely hot, and have been able to adjust it easily during use, even after the bulb has been on for several minutes. I still recommend using extra caution around fabrics or flammable materials, and be sure not to leave the bulb on after use. As a safety precaution, it should be turned off immediately after use and stored out of reach of children or your drunken roommate.

My pets also love this little near-infrared lamp! It’s fun to see them get warm and snuggly underneath it’s red glow. Just be sure that they do not touch the bulb…you don’t want Fido or Fluffy to get burned.

I clamp it on the edge of my coffee table and point it towards my torso while relaxing on the couch. I rotate my body 90 degrees every couple of minutes so that the heat can penetrate my entire torso. Its best to start with a shorter time at first, somewhere between 5 to 20 minutes per session, as it can be a powerful detoxifier. You don’t want to go too long too soon (like with detox supplements or protocols).

Detoxification effects I’ve noticed range in intensity; from a couple of briefly irritated patches of skin thanks to the toxins escaping my pores…all the way to a mild Herxheimer reaction where I’ve been a bit lethargic afterwards due to the trapped beasties making their final curtsy.

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I personally enjoy my own near-infrared heat lamp in the comfort of my home. It contributes to my healing protocol and promotes my sense of well-being. It makes me feel like a happy little lizard basking in a red glow of warmth.

It’s easy to set up and take down, and small enough to leave up without being an eyesore. In my opinion, it’s cute and kinda looks like one of those geometric lamps that are all the mid-century-modern rage right now. And when a device is both functional AND fabulous, we’ve got ourselves a gem there!

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Really into simple DIY stuff? Check out my Homemade Uncured Bacon and also my homemade sports-drink upgrade, Flower Ade!