Infrared sauna in St Heliers: 45 minutes of slow, deep heat

A traditional sauna heats the air until the air heats you. An infrared sauna skips a step: the panels emit radiant heat that warms your body directly, so the room itself stays far more bearable while you still sweat properly. That single difference is why people who have always found saunas oppressive tend to like this one. (Our guide to infrared versus traditional saunas goes through the rest of the differences.)

Our infrared sauna is at the St Heliers spa on Tamaki Drive — it is not available at the Viaduct. A session is 45 minutes, with a shower: $60 for one person, $90 for two.

First, an honest word about "detox"

You will see the word everywhere in sauna marketing, so here is where we stand on it. A sauna makes you sweat, and a good sweat followed by a warm shower feels genuinely cleansing — muscles feel looser, skin feels fresh, and most people leave calmer than they arrived. That sweat-and-shower feeling is the only kind of detox we will promise you. Clearing waste from your body is the job of your liver and kidneys, and a sauna does not do it for them.

So: book it because forty-five minutes of deep warmth is restorative and because you will feel wrung-out in the best way afterwards. Not because of a claim on a poster.

Why infrared suits Auckland

Auckland is not cold in the way that makes people crave saunas — it is damp. A wet July here gets into your joints and stays there. Radiant heat suits that particular complaint: it warms you through without the airless, gasping quality of a very hot traditional sauna, and you can hold a conversation the entire time.

It also pairs beautifully with the location. Sauna, shower, then a slow walk along the St Heliers beach and waterfront towards Kohimarama with your ears still warm is close to the perfect St Heliers hour.

"People come out of the infrared surprised at how much they sweated for how comfortable it felt. That is the whole trick of it."

Siri therapist team

How to actually use the 45 minutes

1. Hydrate before, not just after. A glass of water in the twenty minutes beforehand makes a real difference to how you feel at the end.
2. Do not eat a large meal first. Light and at least an hour before is ideal.
3. Sit for the first ten minutes and be patient. Infrared builds slowly, so the sweat can take a while to arrive.
4. Take a break if you need one. Stepping out for two minutes and going back in is completely normal, not a failure.
5. Finish with the shower. Warm, then cool at the end if you like it. Cool water at the finish leaves you alert; warm leaves you sleepy. Choose according to what happens next in your day.
6. Rehydrate properly afterwards. More than you think.

How hot does an infrared sauna get?

Cooler than most people expect. Cleveland Clinic puts infrared saunas at around 43 to 57°C, compared with 66 to 91°C for a traditional sauna. Because the panels warm your body rather than the air, the room feels easy to breathe in, while your skin and muscles heat up steadily underneath.

That gentleness is a reason to respect it, not to ignore it. You are still losing fluid, and you can be warmer than you feel. The same Cleveland Clinic guidance suggests keeping each stint in the heat to around 20 to 30 minutes, bringing water in with you, avoiding alcohol, and getting out straight away if you feel dizzy or sick.

In practice, that means using your 45 minutes rather than enduring them. Sit in for a stretch, step out, cool down, sip some water, and go back in if you want to — then leave enough time for the shower at the end. Nobody is timing you, and there is no prize for staying in longest. On a first visit, err on the side of less; once you know how your body handles the heat, you can stay in longer next time.

Sauna plus massage — the combination worth booking

Heat first, hands second, is the order we recommend. Twenty minutes of infrared before a massage means your therapist starts with muscle that has already softened, and the whole treatment can go deeper without needing more pressure — our guide to massage before or after a sauna explains why. That is exactly what Package B at St Heliers is built around — a 20-minute infrared sauna, full body scrub and an aromatherapy massage across two and a half hours for $280.

If you would rather keep it simple: sauna on its own for $60, then book a 60-minute aromatherapy massage for $105 on another day.

Who should not use the sauna

Please skip it, or check with your doctor first, if you are pregnant, have a heart condition, high, low or unstable blood pressure, are prone to fainting, have a fever or infection, have been drinking alcohol, or take medication that affects heat regulation or sweating. If you have recently had surgery or have an open wound or inflamed skin, wait until you have healed. When in doubt, phone us on 027 654 6642 and ask before you book.

And the honest limitation: the sauna is warmth and rest, not a treatment. It will not work a knot out of your shoulder on its own. If tight muscles are the reason you are booking, pair it with a massage — on the same day through Package B, or on its own another time.

The details

• Where — St Heliers only, 417A Tamaki Drive, St Heliers, Auckland 1071
• How long — 45 minutes, with a shower
• Price — $60 for one person, $90 for two
• Hours — open 7 days, 10.00am to 8.00pm (15% surcharge on public holidays)

Making a day of it? Our guide to a seaside spa day in St Heliers maps out how to put the sauna, a treatment and the waterfront into one very slow afternoon.

Common questions