Chines and Japanese saunas have a totally different feel which with my eyes closed I can always tell by the feel the heaters give off weather it is a Chinese heater with the first gen wires all around it or the newer Low Emf heaters. I mean by low EMF is 2 mligauss or lower which doesn't barely show up on a meter. If someone wants truly EMF Free then 100% rod saunas are the way to go.
The Japanese heaters don't have the wires going through the carbon panels like the Chinese versions did. The wires is where the EMF comes from until now where they either crisscross them or where some companies but two heaters back to back to transmute the EMF that way.
Most of the first and 2nd gen Chinese saunas zig zagged their wires to power their heaters but does not do anything to reduce the EMF but with the dual back to back type, that gives the least amount of EMF.
Some of the cheaper, more porous carbon heaters can absorb odors from the sauna, just like carbon absorbs odors in an air purifier. It is not a pleasant smell once they have soaked up so many odors over the years and getting in the sauna even though if I washed the whole thing down, the smell is still stuck in the micro pores of the carbon.
Its kinda strange when I hear that the original Japanese heaters didn't have any wires going through them. Only a few saunas use the old Japanese technology and are also the most expensive saunas. The Smarty for the dome and just a few wooden sauna brand use the Japanese heaters. The majority of people want to lose weight and burn calories more than detox so it's kinda hard for me to sell a Japanese sauna unless someone only wants to detox.
The Chinese saunas usually gave the wires going through the panels but I won't say its a bad thing. It just gives it a different session experience. t/here is definitely a difference in the feeling I get out of a Japanese and a Chinese sauna. If someone is really toxic, they should know the right fluence if they are planning to use it for a year time on a detox plan. If too many toxins are mobilized in a high fluence sauna. This is why most of the saunas I have been in are not the highest fluence. Many people get headaches that are very toxic. I won't sell a high fluence sauna to someone if I think they are toxic and are not educated. The skin sweats out the toxins but the gut 2nd. A probiotic is a must with a high fluence sauna.
The wireless carbon heaters last much longer in that the far infrared output doesn't diminish as much over the years.The wireless have a more even coverage. The japanese heaters are more expensive to make and is patented by some Japanese company who knows where so no one has tried to copy it yet. The wired heaters are what others sell. They are good but different. Some Chinese based companies have now added the rods to their heaters while others make bigger panels to give it more fluence.
I will say that about 85 of 100 saunas that I know about are Chinese saunas. Each type is good but based on differences. If you want a super hot session with high fluence you can still get it out of both.
Note: I have nothing against certain brands but there are only a few brands that I trust that come from China. Clearlight and Vital saunas are the 2 that I trust the most. Saunacore comes out of Canada and is the most expensive line due to export fees and shipping costs. (I urge people to find a chiropractor or doctor to buy under their reseller license. I have a discounted tier pricing for this.
Many people don't know which is better for them. Japanese or Chinese heater technology. Take my infrared sauna quiz and I will make a recommendation based on your answers.
