We tried Higher Dose’s infrared sauna blanket – and it’s safe to say we’re converts

Making your home a bit more cosy on the most part used to involve a few gratuitous fancy pillows and maybe a scented candle. Not so anymore: with many spending more time at home than ever before, and wanting to supercharge health and relaxation while at it, it’s easy to get your hands on anything from purifiers for keeping your lungs healthy to scented diffusers to bring a spa vibe to your house.

Even the humble candle has had a make-over, with plenty hitting the market which don’t only smell good, but can also be used as a body moisturiser after blowing out. Clever, no?

Infrared sauna blankets in particular had a real moment last year, and are continuing to grow in popularity for their ease of use, myriad benefits, and portable nature (they’re ideal if space is tight for this reason). And in our round-up of the best this model from Higher Dose topped the lot.

Its tagline, “get high naturally”, was instantly promising and precisely the sort of fringe benefit we were after while testing during a particularly cold and drizzly week.

But the pros extend beyond a feeling, in our experience. First, it’s a really good way to switch off, and if you’re working from home, provides a break between work and relaxing time to shift your mindset as your body releases tension. Second, if you’ve got stiff or sore muscles, or the feeling of stagnant circulation, we found it increased blood flow and diminished tightness.

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We took the Higher Dose infrared sauna blanket for a test run, taking note of how simple it was to set up and control, whether it had the desired effect, and how it impacted us over the trial period. So, without further ado, here’s our in-depth look at the lauded Higher Dose infrared sauna blanket.

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Rating: 9/10

To set the mat up, all you have to do is unwrap it, lie it flat, then plug it in. You’ve got options of how warm you’d like it to be, ranging from 1-8 on a dial, eight being the hottest. The blanket takes around ten minutes to heat up and on your first go we recommend you try a four or five, then work your way up to a hotter setting (if you can tolerate it).

The primary difference between using a sauna blanket and a traditional sauna is that in the case of a sauna blanket, you are effectively lying in a hot bag and therefore need to wear cotton clothes (even on your feet) to protect your skin. Otherwise, the brief is pretty similar: clamber in, relax, and don’t overdo it (the advice is to go for 20-40 minutes – we found around 30 to be a sweet spot).

It’s a good idea to put your sauna blanket on a yoga mat or rug for comfort, and remember to pop a pillow under your head and a glass of water nearby – we got quite thirsty at around the 15 minute mark, every time.

Read more: 8 best massage guns for relieving aches and pains

After you’ve used the blanket, you need to wipe it down with a damp cloth or towel, and it’s a good idea to have a shower or at the very least a quick change of clothes. If you find you’re sweating a lot, Higher Dose suggests lining the blanket with towels.

Unequivocally a sense of enhanced wellbeing that comes from upped circulation and being warm, but Higher Dose cite all sorts of ancillary boosts from pain relief and upped immunity to burning calories.

Yes and no. Yes, it’s warm and your muscles start to relax once inside and, yes, if you opt for a higher heat (we could only manage a six) it does make you sweat, but it’s a different experience overall, much more like being wrapped in a really warm bed and swaddled versus the sensation of ambient heat in a sauna room.

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The feeling post, though, is really quite similar and includes feeling relaxed and warm from within, with rosy cheeks and the sense of a body that’s had a treat.

If you’re after an easy and quick way to switch off and give your body a boosted sense of wellbeing while hopefully reaping some other holistic benefits, this sauna blanket might be a good investment. We use that word consciously – the version we trialled carries an RRP of £839.

We are prone to cold fingers and toes during the winter, and found this a really lovely way to ward off that sense of chill, and emerged each time feeling less achy, so overall, we were won over.