A Beauty Editor's Honest Review of The HigherDOSE Infrared Sauna
Our new favorite hot and steamy escape from the hustle of New York City.
In my humble opinion, one of the best parts of going to the spa is the sauna. The ability to sit and decompress while letting the toxins exit your body through your pores is my kind of relaxation vibe. I’ve tried several kinds of traditional saunas, from Himalayan salt to charcoal to red clay and they’ve all promised various and often much-needed, release and relaxation. I typically opt for a full spa experience that includes massages, pools, saunas and light bites for a full day of pampering. When I found out that HigherDOSE has a sauna experience in the heart of New York City, it sounded like the perfect way to escape, relax and detox from daily life.
While I don’t workout frequently, I try to find other ways to look after my body, like keeping a healthy diet, walking daily and attending dance, cardio and HIIT classes when my schedule allows. I’m always looking for new and innovative takes on wellness that mesh with my lifestyle and HigherDOSE’s infrared options cover all the bases, from at-home sauna blankets to red light face masks to full sauna experiences and more.
Keep reading for a full breakdown of HigherDOSE’s infrared sauna and our honest thoughts on it after two appointments.
What to Know
Price: A 60-minute session is $75 USD and a 30-minute session is $55 USD for one person which are both available to book on the brand’s website.
Rating: 10/10
Best for: Either total wellness girls or those looking for new or different approaches to wellness.
Why the Hype?
HigherDOSE’s mission is to combine self-care and beauty biohacking in a way that’s accessible to everyone through infrared technology, tools and accessories, according to the brand. The brand has several ways to diversify your wellness experience, like the Full Spectrum Infrared Sauna located in Soho and the Infrared Sauna Blanket that can be purchased for an at-home wellness treat.
The infrared sauna touts amazing benefits, such as being a passive workout because it stimulates the same increased heart rate and increased lung capacity as a gym workout would, per the brand. It aids in lifting your mood by helping to increase dopamine production and decrease cortisol. The sauna increases heart rate, boosts metabolism and accelerates internal detoxing, which aids in calorie burning. If you’re looking for a natural way to help promote sleep, a session can help with muscle relaxation and an increase in dopamine release that allows for deep relaxation and better sleep.
Infrared heat is said to penetrate deeper than traditional saunas, providing a deeper full-body detox. The sweat session helps the skin glow by bringing nutrients to the surface of the skin, increasing oxygen levels in the dermis and promoting new cell growth. It can also increase your energy levels by increasing blood flow as you sweat, leading to an improved, more energized mood while the stress melts away. Lastly, the infrared heat soothes sore muscles, making it a great way to get some muscle recovery in between workout days.
The 30 and 60-minute sessions also include everything you need to fully enjoy the experience from start to finish as you escape the day-to-day craze, no matter what your wellness goals are.
How to Use
Upon arriving at the HigherDOSE location in the 11 Howard Hotel, a team member greeted me, escorted me to the sauna room and gave me a quick rundown of everything in the suite that was available to use. The team member also set the timer inside the sauna for my 60-minute session. I opted to wear a bikini, but there are towels available to wrap yourself in if you’d rather go without any clothing. The screen inside the sauna allows you to control the lights inside and out of the sauna, the temperature and the timer.
The private room includes a full ensuite bathroom that you can use throughout your session and for the recommended cold plunge shower after the sweat session. The room also has a bench and hooks to place your belongings, a Bluetooth speaker to play music of your choice, a water fountain to stay hydrated and a fridge with some skincare and wellness beverages.
An Honest Review
I honestly do not like the feel of sweat on my skin, but there is no feeling like the detox sweat that happens when sitting in a sauna. I thoroughly enjoyed the privacy that comes with the private room, from changing before the session to showering after the sauna. There were no chances of awkward encounters, crowded changing or shower areas or any of the issues that may arise in a typical spa locker room. I loved being able to control the temperature in the sauna, choosing how sweltering I wanted the heat to be and adjusting when necessary. I enjoyed being able to learn about the different infrared light colors and being able to personalize my experience to what my body needed in that moment. In the room there’s a booklet that list the benefits of the various infrared colors, for example the blue light is said to help promote healthier sleeping habits.
After my much-needed sweat session and moment to escape the rush of the world, I took a cold shower as recommended by the brand and experienced a post-sauna euphoria I’ve never experienced before. I felt as if I were floating when leaving the suite and immediately noticed a glow to my skin, which felt incredibly soft after the session.
The Final Verdict
If you’re looking for a way to escape the sounds of the city, enjoy a good sauna session and can budget in a wellness treat, we recommend booking at least a 30-minute sweat session to give HigherDOSE a try. For workout aficionados, this is a great way to spend those rest and recovery days while treating your body to a low-impact detox.
For more beauty reviews, check out our coverage of Saie Beauty’s new Slip Tint Radiant All-Over Concealer.
