Why Infrared Light Therapy is So Powerful: The Founders of HigherDose
What are the benefits of infrared therapy on the mind and body and how do we get them from home? These are some of the questions we asked Lauren Berlingeri and Katie Kaps, the founders of cult-favorite infrared therapy company, HigherDOSE for this edition of Highly Qualified. Eternal students in biohacking and economics, these two women don’t only walk the walk, but they talk the talk. Berlingeri studied at The Institute of Integrative Nutrition and is a certified holistic nutritionist while Kaps holds degrees in International Economics from Georgetown University and the London School of Economics. With their range of experiences and interest in natural healing modalities, these two have championed the immune-building and skin-snatching benefits of infrared light therapy since 2017. HigherDOSE (dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, endorphins) further exploded during the pandemic because of this clutch sauna blanket. You basically just sit and chill and reap the benefits of a calorie burn, sweat detox, skin glow up, and muscle soreness relief. For real.
Use Discount Code THEDANDY75 for $75 off blanket purchases.
Read on to learn about light therapy’s affects on mood, why infrared saunas are more powerful at boosting immune health than dry saunas, and what you can expect after just one infrared session. Any HigherDOSE schvitz we’ve ever had leaves us feeling renewed and energized—and since we can’t visit their on-site saunas in person, this at-home sauna blanket is a welcome detox from this crazy world.
When did you first discover the benefits of infrared saunas and what led you to starting HigherDOSE?
Lauren: I used to work at a health & wellness startup, where I was working in Product Development. It was my job to meet with influential people in the wellness industry—from naturopaths and herbalists to functional medicine doctors—to see what products we could create for the wellness space. One of the natural wellness modalities I stumbled on was infrared and in true Virgo fashion, I became obsessed. I slept better, felt calmer, my skin glowed to the high heavens, and I just connected to my body in a really positive way. I didn’t understand why it wasn’t everywhere and how everyone 1) didn’t have access to it and 2) why it wasn’t mainstream knowledge.
Katie: I came from a finance background with years of experience working for investment banks and VC firms. I started to expand my experience into more health & wellness focused companies like Tough Mudder. After going through my own wellness journey, I started transitioning my career towards my interests in holistic wellness and ended up meeting Lauren at a detox center in NYC. We both bonded over our shared love of infrared and our passion to get out the word about getting high naturally. The rest is history!
Lauren: Everything we create and provide is based around the idea that you can live “the high life” by just optimizing your health. Four years later, we’re doing what we love! HigherDOSE is genuinely tailored to people on all ends of the biohacking spectrum. Whether you just want to dabble in it, find out more, or it’s just a part of your daily routine, we wanted to create a space for everyone to explore what makes them feel good. At the end of the day, there isn’t anything we offer that we don’t somehow include in our own everyday lives.
We love saunas of all kinds. But what are the main differences between a dry heat sauna and an infrared sauna?
Lauren: No shade to dry saunas, but they just don’t pack the same healing punch as infrared. A quick 101: The reason why sweating is such a powerful detox mechanism is because it requires your body’s core temperature to increase in order to activate immune-boosting cells and proteins in the body. Dry saunas rely on convection heat to elevate the body’s core temperature—heating enclosed spaces up to 200 degrees. While there are many benefits to reap from sweating in a dry sauna, it takes a lot more to induce your body’s natural cooling process. It also can potentially tax the skin and breakdown collagen and elastin because of such intense heat exposure.
Infrared is all about healing from the inside out. Infrared uses radiant heat from infrared light to deeply penetrate the body and increase the body’s core temperature with less heat. As a result, the body is able to absorb all of that amazing healing benefits of the light spectrum on a cellular level. That means better long-term muscle recovery, juicy skin, and deeper relaxation, which helps protect your immune system.
HigherDOSE infrared saunas also feature light therapy. How did you become aware of the benefits of light therapy on mood?
Lauren: When we started diving into infrared, we realized that you can’t just focus on one element of the light spectrum without understanding all of the different elements that go alongside it.
Katie: The light spectrum is pretty amazing. What most people don’t realize is that you’re engaging with the light spectrum every day just by being in the sun. The sun has green, red, yellow, blue, and infrared light that all work together throughout the day to send different signals and messages to our body to help it function properly. However, we all spend so much time—especially with the pandemic—exposed to artificial blue light because of our computers and phones. Blue light ends up throwing our entire body out of whack because we’re just overproducing cortisol (which stresses us out) and not getting enough melatonin (which helps us repair and restore).
Lauren: Because we’re focused on wellness, balance, and naturally upping your bodies happy chemicals (aka your DOSE: dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, endorphins), we found that healing lights help combat blue light stressors. Red, infrared, and chromo light therapy are highly suggested when it comes to enhancing mood and supporting alignment within the body.
What benefits do infrared saunas have for your skin texture and appearance?
Katie: Infrared makes your skin—in a word—snatched. As the largest organ in your body, I always look at skin as the ultimate mood ring for what’s going on internally. If you have digestive issues, chronic inflammation, stress, or are exposed to free radicals in your environment you’ll see acne, premature aging, scarring, and other skin impurities. Infrared is basically the antithesis to all of those things.
Lauren: Infrared helps calm the body which in turn helps calm the skin. Not only does infrared help to detoxify the body (which makes the skin POP), but it also increases blood flow and circulation at the surface level of the skin while stimulating collagen production at the deepest cellular level. Win-win!
Obviously the pandemic has affected people's abilities to visit HigherDOSE, but we know you have that awesome sauna blanket. Can you tell us a bit about it and how to incorporate it into your routine?
Lauren: When we came out with our blanket a year ago, we could have never anticipated that now, with COVID, at-home sauna experiences would become 90% of our business. Whether for 30 minutes or 50 minutes, our HD blankets rejuvenate the skin, relieve stress, and restore the muscles. Don’t forget the release of your essential DOSE chemicals! Tucking in is the perfect, meditative pause whenever your body needs it. What sets HD apart from all the rest are our blanket materials. We only use premium, EMF-free, non-toxic materials as well as Far Infrared Therapy, Medical-Grade Magnetic Therapy, Negative Ion Therapy, and Crystal Therapy.
AMETHYST LAYER
Provides a deeper penetration of therapeutic infrared. A natural tranquilizer known to relieve stress/anxiety and balance mood swings.
TOURMALINE LAYER
Provides a deeper penetration of therapeutic infrared. Known to increase mental alertness, improves circulation and strengthens the immune system.
CHARCOAL LAYER
Amplifies the detoxification process.
CLAY LAYER
Emits negative ions and is balancing for the heat.
Katie: The best part about our blankets is that they let you get a workout-worthy sweat without having to move a muscle. If you’re feeling low energy, want an extra boost, or just need a moment to relax, you can bring it out on your own time. Lauren and I both love doing our own sweat hacks to up our DOSE. I really like to dry brush before I get into my blanket to help energize my lymphatic system while Lauren loves to take a ginger-lemon tonic shot to up her internal heat and get her blood flowing.