Soak Box Part 1: Fire

After a 4 month (ongoing) journey with a shoulder issue, I was recently diagnosed with a rotator cuff tear. Fortunately, this has not affected my ability to run, but it has definitely put a damper on my active lifestyle. With the threat of the S-word (surgery) lingering over my head I began researching options to help with healing. A trainer friend of mine swears by infrared sauna as something that helped her shoulder heal.

Infrared heaters warm the body in the same manner as natural sunlight. . . Instead of heating the air within the enclosure, [as traditional saunas do,] infrared saunas heat the body directly. The result is deeper tissue penetration. In an infrared sauna, the body perspires and receives all of the healthy benefits but avoids the harmful and extremely hot air of a traditional steam sauna.

My search led me to Soak Box in Wilsonville. The infrared saunas at Soak Box include a red light therapy option. Research suggests that red light therapy “stimulates healing, relieves pain, and reduces inflammation in addition to having a positive impact on tissue and organs.” This in conjunction with the many benefits of infrared sauna encouraged me not to waste time in getting a sauna session – AKA “Fire” – scheduled.

I was greeted warmly when I arrived for my session and given a pair of slides to wear, as outside shoes are not worn in the spa. The entry area was cozy and inviting. Sally – one of Soak Box’s owners – gave me a tour of the facility, which includes float therapy and cold plunge in addition to the infrared saunas.

While Soak Box has been open for 2 years, it looked brand new.  Everything was clean and neat, showing the owners really care. After the tour, Sally got me settled in my private “Fire” room. This room housed an infrared sauna and was stocked with towels, a robe, a make-up remover wipe, and a wipe for sweat removal afterwards. I was ready for my first experience.

I’ll admit, I’m not great at relaxing and doing nothing. As I got settled in the spa and turned on the infrared light, I was suddenly overwhelmed with the thought of What am I going to do for an entire 45 minutes? There was a little box to put my phone in, so I started a podcast thinking that would distract me. Then I tried to sit and chill, keeping my left shoulder facing the red light at all times for the most benefit. Wow. I’m really bad at sitting still.

The warmth felt wonderful and I was pleasantly surprised that it was a dry heat, not the traditional pour water on the hot rocks steamy sauna. Maybe I should have brought a book. I could not decide the best way to sit. I sat sideways, I sat straight up, I stood. For awhile I even laid on my side on the bench in a fetal position. Did I mention I’m really bad at sitting still?

Despite my body’s inability to chill, at some point I felt like the podcast wasn’t allowing me to think, so I turned it off. Then I realized, Hey – my brain must be relaxing if I want quiet so I can think. I guess that’s progress. At 30 minutes the infrared light turned off (30 minutes is the maximum time the light stays on.) Suddenly it was super quiet in the sauna. After a little quiet time, I went back to listening to the podcast. Hmmm . . . maybe I’m not as chill as I thought. 

As I was nearing the later minutes of my sauna time I realized I wasn’t sweating anymore. I checked the temperature and it had dropped significantly. Ooops! I guess I wasn’t paying attention. I really wasn’t sure what the ideal sauna temperature for me was, but I turned it up and the sweat returned.

I know it may sound like I was a hot mess…well, I was hot and maybe I was a bit of a mess… but I did enjoy the feel of the sauna’s warmth. I was honestly quite skeptical about whether or not this would do anything for my shoulder, though. I assumed I wouldn’t notice anything and that it may take a few sessions if I were to eventually notice any changes.

I decided to end my session about 5 minutes early, as I was starting to feel like I was at my limit and didn’t want to dehydrate myself (I did have my water bottle outside the sauna door and took a few sips here and there). I toweled off and then opened provided wipe. That thing was huge! I was surprised at how effective it was in wiping off the sweat. I was actually drier than I expected when getting dressed. I grabbed my towels and took them to the hamper and headed out to trade in my spa slides for my own flip flops.

As I walked out to my car it suddenly hit me. My shoulder felt relaxed. I certainly wasn’t expecting that! It seems the heat allowed my muscles to relax, giving my shoulder dramatic relief for a good 12 hours. And, even after the relaxed muscles wore off, the achiness in my shoulder was less for quite awhile. Oh. My. Gosh! I must do that again – and often! I can’t say this was the magic pill or anything, but something so easy that alleviates the muscle tightness and achiness in my shoulder is a definite win. Oh – and I slept really hard that night. Another win!

Intrigued by infrared sauna or any other experiences at Soak Box? Here’s an incentive to check it out soon: Right now Soak Box in Wilsonville is offering Run Oregon readers a discount code for 50% off your first service! Just type in “run” when you book your first session online.

Stay tuned. Next I’ll be experiencing Fire and Ice. This combines heat and cold therapy, alternating the infrared sauna with the cold plunge. I’m looking forward to sharing this experience with you soon.