Infrared Is Hot, Not the Way You Think

Popularly called "passive cardio", a new kind of sauna is creating a buzz in Indian metros

- By RISHABH THAKUR

The first time Delhi girl Sonali Verma stepped into an infrared sauna, she was expecting steam. Maybe even that wet slap of heat you get from a traditional sauna. Instead, she got silence, red lights, and a room so dry, it felt like a waiting lounge for Mars.

Ten minutes in? Nothing. Fifteen minutes? A slow, sneaky sweat—behind her knees, the back of her hands, her elbows. "I didn't even know elbows could sweat," she laughs.

She was in a sleek little studio in Vasant Vihar, Delhi, parked between a cold plunge tub and a café that sells quinoa wraps and oat milk everything. The staff handed her a towel, gave her two options—20 or 30 minutes—and said, "Start with 20. You don't want to get cooked."

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