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If you are searching for heat therapy across Myrtle Beach, studios often use these terms interchangeably. In reality, steam rooms, traditional saunas, infrared saunas, and infrared pods deliver fundamentally different physical experiences.
Here is how they compare at a glance:
- Steam Room: Wet heat with near 100 percent humidity that warms you from the outside in, making it ideal for opening airways and sinus relief.
- Traditional Sauna: Dry, intense ambient heat that warms the room to between 150 and 195 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
- Infrared Sauna: Targeted light waves that warm your body directly instead of the room, keeping the air at a gentler 110 to 135 degrees.
- Infrared Pod: A personal, enclosed lounger where you lie down with your head in cool air while far infrared warmth works over your body, designed for effortless rest without sitting upright.
Below, we break down how each environment affects your recovery, who each one suits best, and plainly outline what we actually offer at Body Lab.
Infrared Sauna vs Steam Room vs Infrared Pod: The Quick Comparison
Steam Room | Traditional Sauna | Infrared Sauna | Infrared Pod | |
Heat type | Wet heat, steam | Dry heat, hot air | Infrared light, body direct | Far infrared light, body direct |
Typical temperature | Lower, high humidity | 150 to 195°F | 110 to 135°F | Similar to infrared sauna range |
Humidity | Close to 100% | Low, under 20% | Low | Low |
Position | Sitting | Sitting | Sitting | Lying down, head outside |
Session length | Usually shorter | 10 to 20 minutes | 20 to 45 minutes | Around 30 to 45 minutes |
Best for | Congestion, humidity lovers | The classic hot room ritual | Lower air temp, longer sessions | Passive recovery while lying down |
Want to try our infrared pod and recover faster?
Book a free consultationThree Heat Experiences: Steam, Traditional Sauna, and Infrared
Steam Room: Wet Heat
A steam room saturates an enclosed space with thick vapor, pushing humidity levels close to 100 percent. That wet heat warms the body from the outside in, which is why the atmosphere can feel much heavier and more intense than a dry room, even at lower temperatures. People typically turn to steam rooms for targeted sinus relief, respiratory ease, and surface level hydration, rather than the deep internal warmth produced by light therapy.
Traditional Sauna: Dry Heat and Hot Air
A traditional sauna relies on dry, superheated ambient air to raise your core temperature. According to the Cleveland Clinic, classic electric or wood burning saunas typically run between 150 and 195 degrees Fahrenheit, with humidity kept well below 20 percent.
While this is the quintessential high heat experience most people picture, Body Lab intentionally specializes in infrared technology instead. Direct light delivery offers a gentler, more therapeutic session without the heavy, stifling atmosphere of superheated air. To understand how these two environments contrast, take a look at our comparison of infrared versus traditional saunas.
Infrared Sauna: Light That Warms the Body Directly
Infrared saunas bypass heating the surrounding air and warm your body directly using radiant light waves. Operating at a gentler 110 to 135 degrees Fahrenheit, they allow you to breathe easily and remain comfortable, making it effortless to sustain longer, deeper recovery sessions.
To explore the mechanics behind this technology:
- Learn the fundamentals with our complete guide to infrared
- Discover how different depths target specific wellness goals in our breakdown of near, mid, and far infrared
- Review the clinical evidence linking thermal therapies to heart health in our analysis of infrared therapy and the Finnish sauna study
The Infrared Pod: Experience Most People Miss
At Body Lab, the infrared pod is our core experience, yet it is often the one new visitors know the least about.
An infrared pod is a personal, enclosed lounger rather than a walk-in room. You lie down inside while your head stays outside in the ambient air, allowing far-infrared warmth to soothe your body while you rest.
Reclining changes the entire dynamic, pairing total physical ease with personal space no shared sauna can offer.
Here’s why it is different from our other offerings:
- Infrared Pod: Focuses on passive recovery, wrapping the body in gentle far-infrared heat while you lie completely still.
- Infrared Fitness: Combines active movement with near-infrared light while you walk.
- POLY Red Light: Uses targeted, visible light spectrums with no heat involved at all.
A pod session works best for anyone who wants:
- Muscular recovery and stress relief without physical exertion
- Circulation benefits without having to breathe heavy, humid air
- A clean, quiet space without the distraction of a shared facility
When you are ready to book, review our infrared pod session options and availability. If you want a better sense of what the experience actually feels like first, read about how to relax and recharge during pod therapy, or take a closer look at the restorative environment inside wellness cocoon pods.
Curious what lying down in a pod actually feels like?
It's a genuinely different experience from sitting in a hot room, and the easiest way to know is to try it for yourself.
See The Infrared PodWhich One is Better for You?
We would rather point you in the right direction than push the wrong session. Match your immediate goal to the environment:
- Choose a Steam Room if you feel congested and want dense, humid air to open up your airways.
- Choose a Traditional or Infrared Sauna if you want the classic seated sweat ritual to unplug and decompress.
- Choose an Infrared Pod if you want to lie completely flat, zone out, and let passive recovery happen without sitting up.
- Choose Infrared (Sauna or Pod) if you want a longer, milder session without the stifling air temperature of traditional heat.
Listen to what your body is asking for today, every one of these has its own benefit.
What Body Lab Actually Has in Myrtle Beach
At Body Lab Studio, we specialize in private far infrared pods rather than traditional saunas or steam rooms. We also offer active sessions that combine gentle walking with near infrared light, giving you a movement-focused alternative to our restful pods. We always believe in being transparent upfront so there are no surprises when you walk through our doors.
If deep personal relaxation or low-impact movement is what you are looking for, you can explore how more about our infrared fitness sessions here.
Safety: Who Should Check First?
Whichever heat therapy you choose, doing a quick personal health check before your first visit is always the right call.
Thermal therapies are gentle and restorative, but they still place a mild, temporary demand on your circulation. You should speak with your physician before using a sauna, steam room, or infrared pod if you:
- Are pregnant
- Have a heart condition or cardiovascular concerns
- Take medications that affect blood pressure or heart rate
- Experience heightened heat sensitivity or reduced sensation
- Have recently consumed alcohol
If you want a deeper look at temperature ranges, session durations, and contraindications specific to our loungers, explore our complete breakdown on whether infrared therapy is safe for you.
Ready to try the real thing?
Now that you know exactly what we offer, come lie down and feel it for yourself.
Book Your First SessionQuick Recap
If you want… | Choose… |
Humidity and sinus relief | A steam room |
The classic hot room ritual | |
Longer sessions, gentler air temperature | An infrared sauna |
To lie down and recover passively | An infrared pod |
What Body Lab actually offers |
The Bottom Line
None of these three things are interchangeable, and that is really the whole point of this page. A steam room wraps you in humidity, a sauna heats the room around you, and an infrared pod skips the room altogether and lets you lie down while far infrared works on you directly.
Body Lab centers on that last one, along with infrared fitness for anyone who wants movement in the mix.
If a pod sounds like your kind of recovery, we would love to have you in. If you were actually hoping for a steam room, now you know exactly where to look instead, and we would rather you find the right fit than book the wrong one with us.
Frequently Asked Questions
References
- Cleveland Clinic. Get Your Sweat On, The Benefits of a Sauna. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/sauna-benefits
- Laukkanen T, Khan H, Zaccardi F, Laukkanen JA. Association Between Sauna Bathing and Fatal Cardiovascular and All Cause Mortality Events. JAMA Internal Medicine, 2015. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2130724
