CYL Sauna Studio: Good, Clean Sweat

CYL Sauna Studio offers infrared heat, improved wellness in private sauna suites.

By Kate Jonuska

You have not experienced sweat until you’ve sweat in an infrared sauna, says Crystal Callipari, owner and head sweat tech with CYL Sauna Studio—a boutique operation thus named because their infrared saunas can “Change Your Life.”

“Traditional saunas bring up the heat around you, and you sweat topically from the skin. That sweat is about ninety percent water and three percent toxins,” says Callipari, who opened CYL Sauna in Boulder in 2019, followed by a location in Cherry Creek in 2020. “With infrared heat, we’re bringing up your core temperature from the inside out, and that sweat is eighty percent water and twenty percent toxins—almost seven times more detoxification.”

Due to that composition, the sweat produced will not leave you sticky, stinky or exhausted as a workout would. Most clients simply wipe off and go about their day feeling energized and focused—and having passively burned 400 to 600 calories. After seeing dramatic results in herself and her family with regular infrared sweats, including weight loss, reduced blood pressure and fewer allergy symptoms, Callipari couldn’t wait to bring this win-win technology to the Boulder community.

“Colorado has a very active, outdoor lifestyle, and people are always looking for new wellness therapies and ways to recover from all their amazing adventures,” she says, explaining that in addition to detoxification, the many benefits of infrared therapy at CYL include stress reduction, pain relief, decreased inflammation, improved circulation, improved immune function, rejuvenated skin and more.

Until now, few opportunities have existed to try infrared saunas solo, as most options are found at gyms or physical-therapy offices where the saunas are likely to be communal. Not ideal for relaxation, such group settings are particularly problematic during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Our system is very different in the sense that you are lying down and you’re in a private suite,” Callipari says. “We’ve always had the highest level of cleanliness possible because of preconceived notions about sweat, but even more so now. It’s bright and airy and smells wonderful. People find they really enjoy the spa-like ambiance.”

CYL’s private saunas are also less claustrophobic than other sauna options. The heat surrounds your body, but your head remains free, enabling you to breathe fresh, room-temperature air and perhaps relax more than you could in a traditional sauna. Clients also report they’ve never slept better than after an infrared session, which helps the central nervous system relax and reduces stress.

In addition to infrared saunas improving her whole family’s health, Callipari is proud that her CYL Sauna Studios are a family enterprise. Her adult children manage both locations, and the family intends to open a third location in south Denver this year. “It’s great to be able to work together as a family and teach them how to grow a small business,” she says.

CYL Sauna Studio 1850 29th St., Suite 1012 Boulder 720-550-4052 cylsaunastudio.com/boulder

Go Infrared

• A typical sweat lasts 30 minutes and CYL recommends 1–3 sweats per week, with one sweat per day maximum.
• There are no significant risks associated with sweating for those with average health. However, check with your doctor first if you have a chronic condition, are pregnant, take certain medications or have recently had an injury or surgery.
• Infrared saunas do not cause skin damage and contain none of the UVA or UVB rays that cause sunburn.
• Afterward, clients are advised to hydrate and wait 30 minutes for the pores to close before showering and/or applying lotion.