Two Powerful Experiences, One Walk-In Visit
Evolve Social Wellness provides both traditional dry sauna and infrared sauna to support recovery, relaxation, and overall wellness. With a walk-in model and no appointments required, visitors can choose the sauna type that fits their needs or combine both for enhanced results like improved circulation, reduced stress, and better recovery.
Infrared saunas use infrared light characteristics to heat the body directly rather than just heating the air that surrounds the body. The experience of an infrared sauna is similar to sunbathing, which gives you a radiant heat that is all your own. As a result, your core temperature rises.
Dry saunas heat the air with steam and cause the body to sweat. The temperature is near 200 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s a little less comfortable but an amazing compliment to our Cold Water Immersion (CWI). Norwegian saunas are often built with local wood and feature panoramic windows for nature views.
An infrared sauna uses infrared heaters to emit infrared light experienced as radiant heat, which is absorbed by the surface of the skin. Far infrared light, which is emitted in an infrared sauna at a wavelength of around 10 μm (micrometers), is felt directly by the body in the form of radiated heat without the need to heat the air around the body first. This results in a lower ambient air temperature, which allows for longer, more comfortable stays in the sauna. Infrared light also penetrates the body deeply, resulting in the production of a fast and vigorous sweat.
In contrast, dry saunas operate at high temperatures (160-200°F) and low humidity (5-10%), focusing on muscle relaxation and cardiovascular health.
Regular use of saunas is key to maximizing their wide range of health benefits. Infrared saunas increase the body’s core temperature, resulting in a much deeper, more detoxifying sweat from the cellular level of the skin, where many toxins are housed. This intense sweating helps eliminate trace amounts of heavy metals and environmental pollutants, supporting the body's natural detoxification process.
The dry sauna heats up the room and helps you to sweat out toxins. Sauna heat also relaxes muscles, aids in muscle recovery, and improves the range of motion in joints, making it beneficial after physical activity or injury. Both infrared heat therapy and traditional saunas have been shown to assist with detoxification, increased metabolism, immune system support, heart health, weight loss, pain relief, improved circulation, and skin rejuvenation.
Detox
Increase Metabolism
Immune Support
Heart Health
Weight Loss
A dry sauna heats the air around you using steam at temperatures near 200 degrees Fahrenheit, creating an intense, immersive sweating experience. Norwegian saunas focus on cardiovascular conditioning, detoxification, and stress relief. An infrared sauna uses infrared light to heat your body directly rather than the surrounding air, operating at lower ambient temperatures for a longer, more comfortable session. Both support recovery, circulation, and stress relief but feel distinctly different — dry is intense and traditional, infrared is deeper and more therapeutic at the cellular level.
Infrared sauna is generally the better starting point for beginners because the lower ambient temperature feels more approachable and comfortable for first-time users. Dry sauna is more intense and better suited to those who enjoy high heat or want to maximize the contrast therapy effect when paired with cold plunge. At Evolve both options are available in the same visit so members can experience both and find what works best for their goals.
Regular sauna use has been shown to support detoxification at the cellular level, improve circulation, assist with muscle recovery and pain relief, boost immune system function, support heart health, aid metabolism, and promote skin rejuvenation. Infrared sauna penetrates the body more deeply than traditional heat, producing a more vigorous sweat at lower temperatures. Consistency is key — members who visit multiple times per week experience the strongest cumulative benefits.
Infrared saunas emit infrared light at a wavelength of around 10 micrometers which is absorbed directly by the surface of the skin rather than heating the surrounding air first. This allows infrared heat to penetrate deeply into the body, raising core temperature and producing a detoxifying sweat from the cellular level where many toxins are stored. The result is a more therapeutic experience at a lower ambient temperature than a traditional Dry sauna.
Most sauna sessions at Evolve run between 10 and 20 minutes depending on your experience level and comfort. Beginners should start with shorter sessions of around 10 minutes and gradually increase duration over time. If you are combining sauna with cold plunge as part of a contrast therapy routine, multiple shorter sauna rounds of 10 to 15 minutes alternating with cold plunge immersions tend to produce the best recovery results.
Yes — and many Evolve members do exactly that. Using both sauna types in one visit lets you experience the deeper cellular heat of infrared alongside the intense traditional heat of Dry sauna. This combination pairs especially well with cold plunge as part of a contrast therapy routine, cycling between heat and cold to maximize circulation, recovery, and nervous system response. Contrast therapy is a wellness practice that has been used for centuries to promote health and recovery, and alternating between hot and cold phases can induce cold shock, which is the initial physiological reaction when transitioning from a hot to a cold environment. Controlled breathing is important to manage cold shock and can help reduce inflammation and boost circulation.
Sauna pairs most powerfully with cold plunge as contrast therapy — alternating between heat and cold improves circulation, reduces inflammation, and accelerates recovery more effectively than either modality alone. The cold phase can include an ice bath as a cold immersion method following heat exposure, which is especially effective for reducing inflammation, promoting circulation, and aiding muscle recovery. Red light therapy before or after sauna also enhances skin health and cellular recovery benefits. Members typically build a stacked routine of sauna, cold plunge, and one additional modality as the foundation of their Evolve visits.
Yes. Both Dry and infrared sauna are available at Evolve’s San Antonio, Dallas, and Round Rock locations with no appointment required. Walk in during business hours and access both sauna types as part of your membership or day pass. Visit the locations page for hours and address details for your nearest Evolve.
Saunas are safe for healthy and active individuals when used responsibly. If you have any hesitation about the safety of using a sauna due to health conditions you should consult your doctor first. It is also important to consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical clearance or if you have specific health concerns before using a norwegian sauna. Saunas are not recommended for Pregnant persons. Children under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult and children under the age of 14 are not allowed in traditional saunas. Elderly individuals taking prescription medications should consult a doctor or those with cardiovascular disease, hypertension/ hypotension, or chronic diseases under the care of a physician should discuss this treatment prior to scheduling. Individuals with metal pins, rods, or artificial joints should check with their physician prior to scheduling. Use of alcohol is prohibited prior to using either type of sauna. Acute joint injury, fever, or prone to bleeding should not use saunas.