The sauna comes in two types. The First type of sauna is the 100+ years old traditional Sauna. This type of sauna will use the soft rock heater for it's heating source. The traditional sauna uses more energy, and normally requires custom electric work to be done at the house, office or health club. You can get special items added in higher end units, like TV, Radio/CD players, DVD/CD players. The traditional sauna is also not very portable. The far infrared sauna has many advantages like portability, easy to build, controls inside and out, less expensive to ship and a deeper body penetration for more health benefits. The far infrared sauna cost much less to use on a day to day basis. The infrared energy released by Our Infrared Sauna can penetrate up to 1.5" deep into muscle tissue. 93% of this energy is absorbed through our skin. By heating these tissues, we experience a vasodilatation of peripheral blood vessels which can be beneficial in reducing muscle spasms, joint stiffness and achiness, as well as general aches and pains due to conditions such as Fibromyalgia, Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis. There is also evidence that when used 24-48 hours post injury, far infrared energy can reduce the time it takes for your body to heal sprains and strains. May help to reduce pain and swelling in the body. Our Saunas’ revolutionary technology provides the most beneficial Far Infrared heat available. At up to 6200 in², our Carbon Wave 360 panels offer a broad heat distribution, which leads to a greater amount of absorption. The heater’s total surface area far exceeds our competitors. What is infrared you may ask? Answer is that Infrared radiation (IR) is electromagnetic radiation of a wavelength longer than that of visible light, but shorter than that of radio waves. This radiating energy penetrates the body and heats it directly and more efficiently through a process called conversion. What is the difference in Far infrared heating units? Answer is there is a significant difference between our Sauna technology and the others. Our exclusive Carbon Wave 360 organic, carbon Far infrared fiber panels are the latest cutting edge technology. They provide an unprecedented 576 in² of surface area heat, compared to ceramic tubes which only provide 25-50 in². This is important, because our carbon fiber panels offer a broad heat distribution leading to a greater amount of absorption. Some ceramic heaters can make it difficult for an individual to lean against, as opposed to West Coast Saunas' carbon based panels, which have a lower surface temperature. Infrared saunas allow for better overall health benefits. There are two types of wood used for saunas, one is high quality Hemlock. Our classic Canadian Red Cedar is an optional upgrade. Our Far Infrared Saunas prides itself on providing a superior handcrafted infrared sauna. We never use toxic glues or plastics in our saunas. The Malibu Infrared Sauna is designed to plug into a standard household outlet rated at 15 amps. The Newport Infrared Sauna requires a dedicated 20 amp outlet. The Hollywood Infrared Sauna requires a 220V outlet. We recommend that you hire a licensed electrician to install a dedicated outlet for the Infrared Newport and Infrared Hollywood. Beware of companies that advertise larger saunas that plug into standard 15 amp outlets. These saunas have reduced effectiveness due to the lack of power being supplied. This may increase your warm up time and peak temperature ability. In conclusion the infrared sauna is the better of the two offer. Call us anytime you need help at 843-636-3833.