Infrared Sauna Blankets: My EMF Tests and What I Would Buy Instead

By Matt Justice. Based on hands-on testing of multiple sauna blankets, portable tents and dome saunas. Last updated: October 2026.

Short answer: most infrared sauna blankets are heated wraps that put the heating elements right against your body. In my testing they keep magnetic fields low but do not mitigate electric fields, they trap sweat, and they are hard to clean. If you want portable heat, I would choose a dome or a portable tent sauna first. If you are set on a blanket, Prasanna is the only one I would consider.

What an infrared sauna blanket actually is

A sauna blanket is a body wrap with heaters built into it. You lie down, zip yourself in up to your neck, plug it in and set the heat and timer. It folds up and goes in a closet, which is the main reason people buy one.

The problem is what is inside. Many low-cost blankets, including the vinyl ones sold on Amazon for around $200, are closer to a set of coil heating pads stitched together than to the far infrared heaters in a cabin sauna. They will get you hot, because the heat is in direct contact with you and nothing can breathe, but that is not the same experience as an infrared sauna, and there is no space around your body for heat to build the way it does in a cabin.

My EMF test results

I tested the HigherDose infrared sauna blanket on camera with meters, starting with a room baseline and then measuring the blanket off, plugged in, and running with me inside it.

Measurement	What I found
Room baseline (magnetic)	About 0.3 milligauss, everything under 0.5
Magnetic field, running	Low. A small reading at the power terminal that dissipates within a couple of inches
Electric field, running	Not mitigated. Electric fields are present once it is plugged in
Body voltage, inside and running	Roughly 18 to 31 volts
Body voltage, turned off	Around 80 millivolts
My wooden cabin saunas, for comparison	Under 1 volt

So the blanket was low in magnetic fields but high in electric fields. That matters because many blankets are marketed as “low EMF” when the claim only covers magnetic fields. EMF covers more than one thing, and electric fields are the part most blankets ignore.

This is not unique to one brand. Portable saunas in general put the heaters very close to your body, with no wooden cabinet to separate you from the electronics. Other portables I measured landed in a similar range, roughly 6 to 12 volts of body voltage, while the wooden cabins stay under 1 volt.

After ordering and testing multiple sauna blankets, my conclusion was that none of the ones I tried accounted for electric fields or for the components being in almost direct contact with the body. If a low EMF sauna is your priority, a blanket is probably not your best choice.

Do sauna blankets actually work?

They make you sweat, but I think many people get a false sense of security from them. You get a lot of surface sweat and it feels like your core temperature is climbing, but the volume of sweat and the overall session do not compare to a cabin, a portable tent or a dome. Those deliver more heat and more sweat in less time.

I am not saying never use a sauna blanket. I am saying do not rely on one to replace a real sauna session.

The practical problems

• You lie in your own sweat. There is no breathability, and the sweat has nowhere to go.
• Cleaning is a nightmare. The inside of a closed wrap is hard to clean and dry properly.
• Materials and off-gassing. Many are vinyl and use adhesives in the backing. If anything off-gasses and you are zipped in tight, you are breathing it.
• No room for heat to accumulate. The heat comes from direct contact, not from a heated space around you.

Sauna blanket vs portable tent vs dome sauna

	Sauna blanket	Portable tent sauna	Dome sauna
How you use it	Lie down, zipped in	Sit in a chair, zipped to the neck	Lie under an arch of heaters
Sweat and heat	Lowest of the three	Good	Best of the three
Ease of use	Easy to store, hard to clean	Easiest to use day to day	More setup and cleanup
Electric fields	High in the ones I tested	Generally high, heaters close to you	Varies by model
My ranking	3rd	2nd	1st for results

If results are what you want, the dome is my first choice for heat and sweat. The portable tent is a close second and is easier to use every day, which matters, because the sauna you actually use is the one that works.

The dome I recommend is the 1Love dome sauna, reviewed in the video above.

If you still want a sauna blanket, what to look for

Prasanna, made by Gabriel, is the only blanket I have seen that matches its marketing: low electric fields, and stitching instead of adhesives to hold the layers together. It costs a little more than most blankets on the market, and in this category that difference is worth it.

Whatever you look at, check these before you buy:

• Electric fields, not just magnetic. Ask for body voltage results, not only a milligauss number.
• How it is built. Stitched layers instead of glued ones, and materials you are comfortable sealing yourself inside.
• The heater type. Coil heating pads are not the same as far infrared heaters.
• How you will clean it. If it cannot be cleaned and dried easily, you will stop using it.

You can see my posts on Prasanna and other blankets by searching for them in the Infrared Sauna Community on Facebook.

Are infrared sauna blankets safe?

Any heat therapy carries basic risks: dehydration, overheating, dizziness and burns from too much heat for too long. Start with short sessions at a lower setting, drink water before and after, and stop if you feel dizzy or unwell. If you are pregnant, have a medical condition or take medication, talk to your doctor first. Beyond those basics, the bigger issues with blankets are the electric fields and the materials you are sealing yourself inside, covered above.

Frequently asked questions

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