Clearlight vs Sunlighten: the premium infrared head-to-head
If you're spending $6,000-$12,000 on an infrared sauna, you'll end up comparing these two. They're the oldest premium brands, they're priced alike, and they make different bets. Here's how they differ and who should pick which.
Side by side
| Clearlight | Sunlighten | |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1997 (Sauna Works) | 1999 |
| Headquarters | Berkeley, CA | Overland Park, KS |
| Flagship line | Sanctuary (full spectrum) | mPulse (full spectrum, programmable) |
| Entry line | Premier (far infrared) | Signature (far infrared) |
| Two-person price | About $6,800 on sale (Sanctuary 2) | About $7,000+ (mPulse Aspire); Signature from ~$2,500 |
| Heaters | Combination carbon/ceramic 'True Wave' plus halogen NIR | SoloCarbon panels; mPulse adds NIR and MIR emitters with per-program mix |
| EMF testing | Published in detail; the most transparent in the category | Third-party tested; published summary figures |
| Wood options | Cedar, basswood (and mahogany on some) | Basswood, eucalyptus, cedar on select models |
| Warranty | Limited lifetime residential (indoor), heaters and controls included; 5 years outdoor shell | Lifetime on heaters; 7 years wood and electrical; 5 years controls |
| Where to try one | Online and dealers | Showrooms and dealer network in many cities |
| Controls | Touchscreen, app, red light and chromotherapy options | Android touchscreen, app, programs by goal |
| Affiliate program | Awin (wellness products; saunas excluded) | Awin (saunas included) |
Where Clearlight wins
- The warranty. Lifetime residential on the whole indoor cabin, heaters and controls included, is the clearest warranty in the category. Sunlighten's lifetime applies to heaters but wood and electrical are seven years.
- EMF documentation. Clearlight publishes its testing method and both magnetic and electric field results in more detail than anyone. If low EMF is a priority, this is the paper trail.
- Basswood as a standard option. The go-to for scent- and chemical-sensitive buyers.
Where Sunlighten wins
- You can sit in one first. Sunlighten has showrooms and dealers across the US; for a $7,000 purchase, that matters.
- Programmable spectrum. The mPulse lets you pick a program (cardio, detox, relaxation and so on) that shifts the near/mid/far mix. Whether the mix matters medically is debatable (here's our take), but the control is real and nobody else offers it quite this way.
- A cheaper way in. The Signature far-infrared line starts around $2,500, so you can get a Sunlighten without paying the full-spectrum premium. Clearlight's Premier line is less of a step down in price.
- Track record and volume. Sunlighten is the biggest premium infrared brand in the US, with the review count to match.
What they share
Both are full-spectrum at the top end, both run on 120V in two-person sizes and 240V above, both include app control, both have strong review scores, and both cost about the same for a comparable cabin. Neither is a mistake; you're choosing between a warranty-and-documentation story and a showroom-and-programs story.
Our call
Clearlight for the buyer who wants the strongest warranty and the most transparent EMF testing, and is comfortable buying unseen. Sunlighten for the buyer who wants to sit in it first, likes the programmable spectrum, or wants a less expensive far-infrared model from a premium brand. On our scoring Clearlight edges it on warranty and Sunlighten on history and review volume, which is why they sit together at the top of the rankings.