Being caught red-faced is the latest health trend to hit the high street and we are here for it. We are of course talking about infrared saunas!
We tried one out at Glow bar, a beautiful space in Fitzrovia that combines adaptogenic drinks and treats upstairs and infrared sauna pods downstairs. You can find it on Mortimer Street right next door to Pscyle and it’s the hottest (literally) thing on Instagram right now. Everyone from Victoria’s Secret angels to Gweneth Paltrow has jumped on the infrared sauna bandwagon and we urge you to too.
With it's pink and green aesthetic, it’s a millennial blogger's dream space. Every inch of it is thoughtfully curated and naturally, I want it all. From the ‘Glow baby Glow’ lighters to the rose quartz crystal hair combs, Glow Bar seems to of sold me a whole host of things that I never knew I needed but now can’t live without. They sell a beautiful range of products, crystals, supplements, and trinkets that would be great for gifts too. I somehow came away with a shell and a sage stick…
Infrared saunas are similar to the traditional dry sauna but with infrared bulbs to penetrate your body deeper and with better results. The benefits of infrared saunas are incredible for skin, mood, detoxification, and sleep. They are also perfect on a juice cleanse when you are prone to feeling the cold and it supports the cleansing process too as you sweat out your toxins! Here at Glow Bar they also have a light menu where you can supplement your session with an additional targeted benefit. I went for the yellow light for digestion and skin.
I can’t lie, it was surprisingly hard. I personally struggle to sweat, I can do a full HIIT class and I won’t even muster a sheen so this was a game-changer for me. I was dripping after 20mins in. I was in sweat pod 4 which was a relief as it's larger than the others so I had the space to lie down. Each session is 45mins long and my booth averaged at around 62 degrees celsius. I was warned that the last 10 mins where the hardest and they were right, I was clock watching every last second but it’s worth it, apparently this is normal for a beginner to get quite restless at the end of your session.
It was such a relief when the knock on the door came and I tumbled out and back into the gorgeous pink changing room for my well-deserved shower. Unsurprisingly they supply the most beautiful products and are equipped with hairdryers and straighteners so the shower was actually one of the highlights of my visit.
To bring my body down to normal temperatures I ordered a post-sweat smoothie. Their new smoothie menu is impressive, each one laced with an incredible adaptogen. It was a big decision, the jury was out for a long time but after must deliberation, I went for the A B & J (almond butter and jam) and it was delicious!
The benefits of my sauna continued as the day went on and I felt amazing and slept like a baby! Thank you Glow Bar for making mushrooms cool, selling me beautiful things and give us such a gorgeous space to come and warm up and chill out. Oh, and did I mention there’s a dog?