How We Test EMF Levels in Infrared Saunas

Every EMF number currently circulating for infrared saunas — including the "third-party tested" ones — comes from a test commissioned by the brand selling the sauna. Nobody publishes independent, cross-brand EMF data with a stated, replicable methodology. This page explains why that's a problem, and lays out the methodology we're using to fix it.

The problem with every EMF number you've seen

A 65x spread for products all marketed as "low EMF."

Search "infrared sauna EMF levels" and you'll find claims ranging from 0.3 mG to over 20 mG — a roughly 65x spread — for products all marketed as "low EMF." Nearly every specific number traces back to one of two places:

1. The manufacturer's own marketing copy, with no test report attached.
2. A "third-party test report," almost always conducted by one of a small handful of EMF-testing labs (Vitatech Electromagnetics is the name that recurs most often), but commissioned and hosted by the sauna brand itself — Sunlighten, Good Health Saunas, and Vortex Saunas all publish their own brand-specific Vitatech PDF reports directly on their own sites.

A test being conducted by a real lab with real equipment doesn't make it independent if the brand being tested chose when to test, which unit to test, and whether to publish the results. Nobody currently tests across brands, with a consistent protocol, and publishes results regardless of outcome — favorable or not.

What "low EMF" actually means (and doesn't)

It's not a regulated term.

"Low EMF" is not a regulated term. There's no certification body, no legal threshold, no standardized test position that every brand agrees to use. EMF inside a sauna cabin is really three separate physical phenomena:

• Magnetic field — generated by current running through heater wiring, measured in milligauss (mG)
• Electric field — generated around energized conductors, measured in volts per meter (V/m)
• RF (radiofrequency) — from the sauna's controller electronics and any wireless/Bluetooth module

Most of the field a person actually sits in comes from wiring layout and controller design — not from the infrared heating element itself. That means "low EMF" is fundamentally a claim about electrical engineering quality, not about the type of heater installed. A sticker that says "Low EMF Certified" tells you almost nothing without a specific number, a specific measurement position, and a specific meter.

International safety bodies (ICNIRP) set public exposure limits far above what any sauna produces — around 2,000 mG for magnetic fields at 60Hz. Every infrared sauna on the market, even "high EMF" budget models, tests well under that regulatory ceiling. The debate isn't really about regulatory safety; it's about the wide gap between what's regulated as legal and what precautionary, building-biology-oriented guidance recommends (often under 1-3 mG for prolonged seated exposure) — and about whether the number printed in a brand's marketing actually matches what a buyer's unit produces once it arrives.

Our testing methodology

Published in full so it can be checked, criticized, and replicated.

This is the protocol we're using, published in full so it can be checked, criticized, and replicated by anyone — including competitors.

What we found (first testing round)

Data will be populated as testing is completed.

How to read any EMF claim you encounter elsewhere

Four questions to ask before trusting any number.

Until independent, cross-brand data is more widely available, here's how to evaluate any EMF number you see:

• Ask who commissioned the test. If the brand being tested paid for and published the report, treat the number as marketing, not verification — regardless of how credible the testing lab's name sounds.
• Ask where the meter was positioned. A number measured at the panel surface or on the floor is not the number that matters. Ask specifically for seated-position, chest-height readings.
• Ask for the meter model and calibration date. A number with no stated instrument or calibration is not verifiable.
• Be skeptical of round, marketing-friendly numbers ("0.3 mG!") presented with no methodology attached. Real measurements vary by unit, position, and even proximity to other electronics in the room.