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What Is The SaunaBox Solara?
The SaunaBox Solara is SaunaBox's newest design: a 1-person, full-spectrum infrared sauna with built-in red light therapy. It’s designed to bring a real infrared sauna experience into smaller homes, apartments, or home gyms without requiring special wiring or a permanent install.
With a low-EMF build, fast heat-up time, and a relatively small footprint, it’s positioned as an accessible entry point for anyone looking to add consistent heat therapy and red light into their routine without committing to a large, expensive sauna build.
What Are Infrared Saunas?
An infrared sauna is a type of sauna that uses light, specifically infrared wavelengths, to heat your body directly rather than heating the air around you. Instead of relying on intense, ambient heat like a traditional sauna, infrared panels emit a gentle, penetrating warmth that raises your core temperature from the inside out.
This allows you to sweat more deeply at lower temperatures, making the experience more comfortable while still delivering powerful benefits like detoxification, improved circulation, muscle recovery, and relaxation.
What Are The Benefits of Infrared Saunas?
Infrared saunas offer a range of benefits for both physical and mental well-being:
- Detoxification - Infrared saunas heat the body from the inside out, helping you sweat at a lower temperature than traditional saunas. This deep, penetrating heat supports the release of stored toxins from the body through the skin pores, promoting detoxification and cleansing. Because infrared works more gently, you can often sweat more efficiently and comfortably, which makes detox sessions easier on the nervous system.
- Relaxation and Stress Relief - Infrared light stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, helping the body shift out of a stressed state. The gentle warmth relaxes muscles, releases tension, and promotes a deep sense of relaxation.
- Improved Circulation - Infrared wavelengths penetrate deep into tissues, warming muscles and dilating blood vessels. This leads to increased circulation and can help to improve cardiovascular health, reduce blood pressure, and enhance blood flow to muscles and organs.
- Skin Health - Steam saunas open up pores and increase blood flow to the skin, which can improve skin tone, texture, and elasticity and collagen production. Sweating may also help to clear out pores and reduce breakouts. Many people notice brighter, clearner skin with consistent infrared sauna use.
- Respiratory Friendly - Unlike steam saunas, infrared saunas don’t add humidity to the air. This makes them ideal for people who struggle with: Asthma, sesonal allergies, respiratory sensitivity and mold-related breathing issues.
- Pain Relief: Infrared heat penetrates deeper than traditional saunas, reaching muscles, joints, and connective tissues. This deeper heat can reduce muscle soreness, ease joint stiffness, speed up reovery after workouts and support chronic pain conditions like arthirits.
- Mental Clarity: Infrared sauna sessions often feel grounding and meditative. The combination of warmth, quiet and increased circulation can help promote mental clarity, reduce anxiety and improve mood.
Setup
Setup is surprisingly simple. The panels latch together almost like LEGO pieces and it simply plugs into a standard household outlet, so you’re not dealing with complicated wiring or construction. You can build it yourself, hire a task rabbit, or use their white-glove option for an additional $500. I hired a task rabbit and the entire set up process took between 30-45 minutes.
The sauna arrives in an impressive 3-5 days in a compact box, pre-assembled into four main panels: the front, back, and two side walls. These panels have pre-installed locking clips that allow you to easily snap everything into place so no drills, screws, or special tools required.
Build Quality
The Solara is made from 100% Canadian hemlock wood with a black finish, which gives it a more modern aesthetic than most light-wood saunas and has a reflective glass door for privacy. It’s not ultra-luxury like a $8k sauna, but for the price, the build quality is solid and supports a 6'6ft person up to 300 lbs.
It’s surprisingly compact, ideal for smaller homes or apartments and is easy to break down and relocate if needed. Powered by a 1600W system that runs on a standard 110V outlet, the Solara delivers full-spectrum heating for a much lower energy cost than fixed at home saunas.
Dimensions:
- Width: 35 inches
- Depth: 37 inches
- Height: 63 inches
Features
Inside the sauna, you'll find the red light therpay device positioned on the glass with a button for red light and near infrared. And a simple, intuitive control panel on the side of the sauna with the essentials:
- Adjustable temperature from 77-150°F
- Adjustable session timer up to 90mins
- Red light Therapy (Medical-Grade 660nm + 850nm LEDs)
- Ultra-Low EMF Infrared Panels
- Full-Spectrum Infrared: Near, Mid & Far Infrared (NIR, MIR, FIR)
- Built-in Bluetooth speakers mounted to the ceiling
- A wooden vent for optional air flow on the ceiling
Ease of Use & Experience
Before stepping inside, I grabbed my Trifield EMF meter to test SaunaBox’s low-EMF claim. A generally accepted “safe” range for continuous exposure is around 3-5 mG, and the Solara performed well within that. A few inches away from the red light therapy panel read about 1.7 mG, while the center of the sauna was closer to 0.5 mG. Pressed directly against the panels, readings hovered around 5 mG, which is expected especially near electrical hotspots.
As for performance, the experience was great. Because the sauna is compact, it heats up quickly and runs efficiently. I started sweating within about 10 minutes, and by the 20-minute mark I was fully cooked. It feels comfortable inside and doesn’t come across as claustrophobic.
One small note: the wooden slats behind the back aren’t very thick, so if you lean too far back you’ll feel the panels warming your back more directly. That said, the overall heat distribution feels even and gradual. Infrared heat builds smoothly, so you get a deep sweat without the sharp, stinging heat you sometimes feel in traditional dry saunas.
Maintenance, Pricing and Warranty
Because the wood on the inside is light, you’ll want to lay a towel on the floor to prevent dirt stains, especially if you walk around barefoot like me. A towel also protects the wood from sweat, moisture buildup, and potential mold issues. Other than that, maintenance is minimal.
The Solara costs $3,000 at retail, which for a full-blown infrared sauna that's low EMF, has a red light therapy device and can be broken down is pretty insane. It's not as cheap as SaunaBox's other popup models but does offer an insane amount of value for the price. SaunaBox does only offer a 1 year warranty, which I think should definitely be longer.
Who Is It For (and Not For)?
✅ People in very small apartments or studios
✅ Anyone who wants a full spectrum infrared sauna with red light therapy
✅ People who need a compact sauna that fits indoors
✅ Renters or movers who may relocate the sauna in the future
❌ Budget-conscious buyers as this isn't a cheaper model
❌ Those wanting a 2 person or a large social sauna
❌ People sensitive to toxins, VOCs, chemicals, or EMFs (check out Heavenly Heat)
❌ Larger or taller people over 6'6
❌ People who want a permanent install or more premium model
Final Thoughts
The SaunaBox Solara is designed to make infrared sauna use more accessible, portable, and practical for real homes. It's not the most high end or luxury sauna but offers an insane amount of value for the price: low EMF, fast heat up, red light and full specture near infrared, good build quality, easy set up, fast shipping time, plug and play.
If you want to commit to a more premium option than the smart steam or the pulse or want something compact and effective, the Solara is a very strong option. The SaunaBox Solara is Wellness Daddy Certified, and I’d feel confident recommending it to my own family. Use code link here to save yourself $50 if you decide to purchase.
To watch my full review, set up process and to hear about my first-hand experience, watch the video here.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s):
Can the SaunaBox Solara fit multiple people?
The Solara is designed as a 1-person sauna. You can technically squeeze two smaller people inside, but it’s not intended for regular multi-person use. For comfort and proper heat distribution, it’s best as a single-person setup.
How do you clean the SaunaBox?
After each session, leave the door open to air it out and wipe down any sweat with a towel. Placing a towel on the bench and floor during use helps keep the wood clean. Periodically wiping down the interior panels and bench with a gentle, non-toxic cleaner is usually all that’s needed.
Is the SaunaBox easy to dismantle and move?
Yes. One of the biggest advantages of this unit is that it can be broken down and relocated fairly easily. The panels latch together and can be disassembled if you move homes or want to reposition it in another room.
Can the Solara be used outdoors?
The Solara is designed exclusively for indoor use and should not be used outdoors. It is constructed from Canadian Hemlock wood and features electrical components intended for dry, indoor environments such as bedrooms, gyms, or garages.
Does the SaunaBox Solaraget hot enough?
Yes, the Solara is designed to reach temperatures as high as 150°F, which is more than enough to produce a deep sweat. Because the interior is compact, it heats up quickly and feels hotter faster than larger infrared cabins.
Does it include red light therapy?
Yes. The Solara has a built-in red + near-infrared light panel in the door, allowing you to stack red light therapy and sauna sessions at the same time.
What power source does the SaunaBox require?
The Solara runs off a standard 110v power source, typically found in US outlets and uses about 1600W, so no special wiring or electrical installation is required.
Disclaimer: The content provided in this article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Consult with a qualified healthcare professional for personalized recommendations.
This post contains affiliate links. Read the Wellness Daddy affiliate policy here.
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