In these reviews, we will be going over the top 3 best far infrared mats that we have come across.
We spent over 45 hours of research and have tried these products to see which one comes out on top as the best investment.
In our research, we have found that Healthy Wave 5 Therapy Mat is the top dog for a few different reasons.
The Healthy Wave has the most sizes, crystal selections, and product service of the below-rated mats. It also had the best technology associated with it thanks to its 5 therapy energy healing capabilities.
Read on as I show my below findings and experiences.
Infrared Mat
Healing Properties
Crystals
Warranty
Price
Rating
- PEMF Therapy
- Far Infrared Heat
- Crystal Therapy
- Negative Ion Therapy
- Red Light Therapy
- Amethyst
- Jade
- Obsedian
- Tourmaline
- 90 Day Money back
- 15 Month Warranty
- 5 Year Warranty on Controller
- $1,499 (Pro Mat)
- PEMF Therapy
- Far Infrared Heat
- Crystal Therapy
- Negative Ion Therapy
- Red Light Therapy
- Amethyst
- 30 Day money Back Guarantee
- 1 Year Warranty
- $1,199 (Pro Mat)
- PEMF Therapy
- Far Infrared Heat
- Crystal Therapy
- Negative Ion Therapy
- Amethyst
- Tourmaline
- 14 Day Money Back (Un-Opened)
- 1 Year Limited Warranty
- $995 (Full Mat)
- Far Infrared Heat
- Crystal Therapy
- Negative Ion Therapy
- Amethyst
- TOCA Layer
- 7 Day Full Return Policy
- 3 Year Warranty
- $1,695 (Pro Mat)
The selection of the Best Infrared Heating Mats came down to 5 Criteria. Most of these far infrared heating pads come in a bunch of different sizes but for simplicity’s sake, we reviewed only full sized products. Each category is scored out of Five
Far Infrared therapy is made possible by a combination of two other therapies, Crystal and Negative Ions therapy. These therapies work together with the element of heat to bring about health benefits to your body, circulatory and immune system.
These differ greatly from a regular carbon fiber heating pad because far-infrared rays have the ability to penetrate deep within your tissue where many of the issues usually lie. Instead of just your skin or epidermis layer.
Above we have the best far infrared devices available in the formatted table below.
How to Choose a Far Infrared Crystal Mat
Far Infrared mats are more than just the mat, remote control, and storage bag. There’s a few things you have to dig deep into before selecting the right one..
The First: Healing Properties
As stated in the chart above there are Five Different Healing Properties (Far Infrared Therapy, Crystal, PEMF Therapy, Negative Ions and Photon Therapy).
The more Healing Assets available from the mat the better Healing Frequencies it has and the higher it rates for pain relief.
The ones that we care about in this review are Far-Infrared, Crystal and Negative Ion Therapies that all work together as one. To look into this you have to dive into some of the technical facts of each therapy.
Far-Infrared Therapy: 
FarInfrared therapy is an invisible form of electromagnetic energy that runs at a wave length of 5.6–1000 µm. This waveform gives your body the potential to absorb energy without the need of stimulation or excessive heating at high temperature settings. Through multiple studies Far Infrared Therapy has been able to improve the health of patients with cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disorders.
Far Infrared Therapy has multiple PubMed Studies that see positive results through consistent use. Some of the improved functions studies included:
- Improving the Condition of Patients with Cardiovascular diseases (1)
- Improves cellular functions by stimulating cells and tissue (2)
- Helped Decrease Myofascial pain syndrome (muscle pain) (3)
- Improved the condition of patients with chronic pain (4)
- Significant clinical improvements of lower back pain (5)
- Inhibited the proliferation of cancer cells (6)
To receive these benefits you want the far-infrared therapy to penetrate deep inside of your body to get at your muscles and deep tissues to be able to provide cellular regeneration effectively.
Cellular Regeneration is when your body restores and actively repairs lost or damaged cells with new ones. It is key to any sort of injury or symptom you may be experiencing. Certain tissues regenerate more naturally than others.
Some of the more naturally occurring organs include heart, fingers, toes, kidney and liver.
Far Infrared Heat Therapy is also great at increasing your blood flow to affected areas. This increased blood flow helps increase oxygen, regeneration and circulation through your many different tissues and organs.
This in turn helps accelerate the healing of the above bulleted conditions as well as many others.
When looking for a proper heating mat you must also consider the temperature range. Far Infrared Heat therapy works best when the temperature setting is at a lower range.
Having said that everyone’s body is different as some individuals react better to hotter temperatures than warm or vice versa.
I know in my case my body responds better to cooler temperatures as opposed to hotter.
Another factor is how many healing crystals there are. More crystals equal more regeneration and deep tissue healing of repaired cells. The most common gemstone is amethyst but having more varieties of different gemstones can unlock different healing frequencies. Which brings us to our next point.
"The thermal effect of FIR therapy could increase blood flow and vasodilation by heating the tissue (hyperthermia), similar to ordinary thermal therapy composed of heat pads or hot water.In addition, FIR treatment with low levels of delivered energy (non-thermal effect) also had biological activities. A study of patients receiving HD treatment had shown decreases in stress and fatigue levels by FIR stimulation"
Crystal Therapy:
Most infrared heating pads usually rely on one or two different crystals and just jam-pack it full of that particular gem stone (in many cases amethyst). We believe that the more varieties of crystal the better. Some common stones that give off a good amount of negative ions include
Jade Heating: gives off 700 negative ions per square inch
Amethyst Crystals: gives off 1500 negative ions per square inch
Tourmaline: gives off 1500 negative ions per square inch
Obsidian: Used as a Grounding or Base stone to work together with negative ion generation
which leads to my last point…
Negative Ions:
Negative Ions are the bonus result of the crystal therapy and the infrared heat therapy coming together. These negative ions come together to combat free radicals that cause your cells to clump together. This can be the result of too many positive ions.
When untreated this clumping spreads throughout your body and can lead to more serious conditions such as tumors or even cancers. An access of positive ions over an extended use can lead to symptoms down the road that can affect your respiratory system as well.
In urban and suburban environments we are SURROUNDED by technology. With that technology festers lots of positive ions which down the road can lead to minor to majorirritabilities within your body.
Ever wonder why, after going for a nice hike or walk in nature you feel a lot better? Yes part of that equation is exercise. But the other part is the plethora of negative ions that are in natural settings
In nature and natural settings, there is an abundance of negative ions. They help you feel more energized because they are neutralizing your atoms which help your cells and body functions all to work in harmony with one another.
Below is a table that shows this:
Negative and Positive Ion Levels Measured in Various Locations
| Negative Ions | Positive Ions | |
| Offices | 70 | 1,400 |
| Industrial Areas | 50 | 300 |
| Shopping Arcades | 220 | 280 |
| Residential Areas | 200 | 180 |
| Forests | 2,500 | 800 |
| Kowakidani Hot Spring | 2,500 | 820 |
| Near Minoh Waterfall | 5,000 | 300 |
(These measurements were taken in Japan)
A couple of Clinical studies have shown Negative Ions to do the following:
The Second: Ease of Use
How easy is it to use these mats? Are the instructions clear? This is often an overlooked criteria. But I believe it is supremely important otherwise you get confused customers which can lead to dissatisfaction.
Forms of instruction can include videos, informational pamphlets, written sections on their website. The most important being proper customer support should questions arise.
Imagine buying a $1600 mat and having a problem with it! You go to customer support and *Crickets*. Or you hear them say that it’s not part of the manufacturer’s warranty.
You want someone there that will be able to coach you through the issues step by step. You also want people who have a vast amount of experience in the industry answering your questions.
The Third: Warranty
If the Company stands by their product and it actually works, chances are they will have a good policy associated with their mat. Good warranties mean confidence in their products. Which means that the company philosophy is more centered around the customer as opposed to the company’s own needs. What I consider to be good warranties and guarantees in this space are:
- At least a 30 day Money Back Guarantee
- 15 month warranty on Manufacturing Defects
In my mind a 30 day money back guarantee is enough time for the customer to actually find time to try the product to see what they think. Essentially this should be treated as a trial period where you can properly test the mat and all its features to make sure everything operates as expected.
It’s also a trial in how you feel your body is being acclimatized to the mat.
Everyones body adapts to the mat differently. Some take a few days, some take a few weeks. Having a warranty that can reflect this aspect Crucial.
A solid policy is another way to judge how much trust you can have in a particular manufacturer. When looking at this section you have to pay particularly close attention to hidden costs that may arise.
A respectable policy in this space typically replaces the product for free although in some instances you have to pay for shipping. This can be a bit of a drag due to the mat’s weight and size. Before deciding on a mat check these details out as you could potentially get burned on this.
The Fourth: Price
What are you really paying for? The truth is there are lots of manufacturers who jack up their prices to make a few extra bucks in this space.
They do so because many of them have MLM or referral structures where they have to pay an additional percentage for recruiters.
As a result, the customer becomes the biggest loser in this exchange because they have to pay a higher price for a lower quality product. Often these models have point systems and tiers setup.
To find out what you are really paying for, read distributor agreements. More simplified agreements usually mean that the company is legitimate.
Other Important Factors
The above four criteria are in my mind the most important factors when rating the devices. That does not mean that those are the only factors involved. Here are a few more you should keep in mind before purchasing a far infrared heat mat.
Certifications
I do not believe that far infrared rays can be dangerous unless exposed to high heat settings for an extended period of time. I do think however, that it is important to see what research and development goes into these products.
Most of these should at least have an FDA 510(K) approval. This an essential certification for any company selling health related goods to get approval at least 90 days in advance of the selling date.
Customer Testimonials
This is another thing to keep an eye out on. Customers that are willing to give good testimonials show that the product has actually helped them. The more testimonials the better in this space.
EMF Protection
One thing that you need to make sure of is that if the mat has an emf shielding layer. An EMF shielding layer keeps bad electromagnetic frequencies emitted from the electrical heating elements of the mat. This usually comes as a “shielding layer”. All of the mats on this review have it.
Mat Stats
- 5 Different Therapies ( Far Infrared, Crystal and Negative Ion, Photon Light and PEMF
- 4 Crystals (Amethyst, Obesidian, Jade and Tourmaline)
- Many Different Mat Sizes
- Approximatly 27 Lbs
- 30 – 70 C
The Healthy Wave Mat is by far the best infrared mat of the bunch as it not only relies on Far Infrared Heat, Negative Ions and Amethyst but it also goes way above that.
The Healthy Wave brand is one of the few mats to offer a complete Spectrum of Healing assets which include all Five types from the list above
On Healthy Wave Mat’s Website there is a ton of information that goes into great detail as to how to use the Mat and the kinds of healing it creates with it’s 5 Healing Properties.
Healthy Wave Mat Provides the best Trial Money Back Guarantee in the industry with 90 days of coverage.
Our bodies react in different ways to the mat, some people take longer for their bodies to get acclimatized to it to actually feel the benefits. This trial period gives you more than enough time to see if it is right for you.
The Warranty lasts for 15 months, which is ok but this is the only place where the Healthy Wave Mat lost some points.
This is because other competitors have Warranties of up to 3 years. Healthy Wave does however, offer free repair which includes free shipping that is paid by Healthy Wave themselves. If any of you are familiar with shipping rates you would know that this is not a particularly cheap item to ship due to its weight and size.
In this particular space it is hard to find any manufacturers that offer this as many will actually expect you to pay for shipping.
It also does provide a 5 year digital controller warranty which is not very common in this space. The digital controller is often the most expensive component so other mat manufacturers are hesitant to give out extended warranties on these parts.
The Starting Price is one of the most attractive things with this Mat at $379 US . The Starting price gets you a Natural Jade Stones and Tourmaline. It does not give the same benefits as the mat we reviewed though with PEMF and Photon Light Therapy. The ones that do have all 5 Healing properties start at $849 USD.
What I found particularly attractive about Healthy Wave is that they come in way more varieties than any of the other competing mats. This allows you to be able to pick and choose which type of therapy you need most. Instead of overpaying to get something you find out you may not want later on. This coupled with the 90 day trial period allows you to be able to see which therapies you need.
Personal Experience
I have frequently used this Mat and am very impressed with how it has made me feel laying on it for 20 minutes. I always make sure to use the Healthy Wave Mat frequently throughout my day as I mostly experience back pain and sleep insomnia.
As mentioned in one of my other articles. I frequently need melatonin to get to sleep but after I started using the Healthy Wave Mat. I am able to fall asleep almost instantly which was shocking to the many people that know me.
My favorite time to use this mat is just before bed so that I get into a sleepy state and am ready to wake up refreshed the next day.
To check what the Healthy Wave Mat has to offer click below. (I will say that Healthy Wave sometimes has these Mats go on sale so keep a close eye on the price.)
Pros
- Includes All Five Therapies
- Offers the Most Variety of Stones for More Healing
- Helps With Blood Circulation
- Website is Full of Information
- Best Trial/ Money back Guarantee (90 Days)
- 5 Year Controller Warranty
- Lower Starting Price
- Buy Direct from Site
- More Negative Ions Per Square Inch
- Free Repairs and Shipping Within Warranty Period
Cons
- Only has 15 Month Warranty Included (Option of 5 but you have to pay a bit extra)
- Less Amethyst than Other Mats
Mat Stats
- 5 Different Therapies ( Far Infrared, Crystal and Negative Ion, Photon Light and PEMF
- 1 Crystal (Amethyst)
- 3 Different Mat Sizes
- Approximatly 21 Lbs
- 20 – 70 C
The Ereada Bio Compact Mat features All 5 Healing Properties that the Healthy Wave Mat has and provides ample information on it’s site. So what’s the difference between the two?
While Ereada does use all 5 Healing assets it does not feature the same variety in sizes as the Healthy Wave mat. The compact Pro does actually feature more gemstones but, you cannot pick and choosebetween the crystals like you can with Healthy Wave.
The Healthy Wave mat has a wide range of different combinations of crystals, Photon and PEMF combinations that you can use based on the information they provide. This allows you to choose the best infrared mat for yourself without having to go all in with features that you do not want.
Instead you only get to choose between the Classic Brown FIR Amethyst Mat, Purple Amethyst FIR Biomagnetic Photon PEMF Mat and the Gemstone FIR Bio Magnetic Mat. The Amethyst FIR Biomagnetic Photon PEMF Mat is only about $59 more compared to its other mats that it offers.
They also have a pretty standard 30 day return policy coupled with a 1 year warranty which is pretty standard with Far Infrared Heating Devices.
The Bio Compact Mat does feature a higher price point at $990 US but it is not completely outrageous especially when you compare it to the Biomat.
Ereada features a 1 year limited policy against manufacturer defects which is standard for a deep tissue far infrared heating mat.
They also lost points to certification. It is not 510 K certified by the FDA which is a relatively easy certification to get (they mostly briefly look at the product).
While I don’t think any Far Infrared Healing Mats can be deemed dangerous it is worthy to note when comparing it to other far infrared healing mats.
Ereada’s 5 therapy Price point is actually the best of the bunch. The mat we reviewed, Compact Pro actually had the best price point for all 5 healing therapies. It just did not have the variety that Healthy Wave has in terms of stones and choice as to which gem stones you want in which size mat.
Pros
- Includes All Five Therapies
- Has more Gems
- Helps With Blood Circulation
- Website has inforomative videos
- 30 day Money Back
- Lower Starting Price for 5 Therapy Mats
- Buy Direct from Site
Cons
- Only has 1 Year Warranty Included
- Gemstone Selection within Mats is Limited
- Not 510 (K) Certified
Mat Stats
- 4 Different Therapies ( Far Infrared, Crystal, Negative Ion and PEMF)
- 2 Different Types of Crystals (Amethyst and Tourmaline)
- 2 Different Mat Sizes
- Approximatly 43 Lbs
- 70 C Maximum Temperature
The Higher Dose Infrared mat is a relatively new player in the far infrared niche, but the company does have some experience in this field. Higher Dose has experience with the Infrared Sauna Spa treatments they do in New York and their Sauna blankets that they sell online.
As you can see by the rating Higher Dose scored some decent scores with their Healing properties and Crystal stats.
While Higher Dose does have the best negative ion conducting stones in its mat (tourmaline and amethyst) it lost some points in it’s variety of stones available.
They also did not go into too much detail about their far infrared stats on their website. The only thing we do know is that they have 20 pounds of crystals in their mats and that the maximum temperature goes to 70 C. The controller gives you the option of having a 1, 3 and 12 hour timer setting for the far infrared heat.
If we are nitpicking I would say that the controller is pretty simplistic. There is no temperature reading but instead just a dial. Some people may prefer it this way but I personally like to know the temperature I’m at when I’m on the mat.
Where they lost the majority of their points was their warranty stats.
They only have a 14 day Return Policy and a 1 Year limited Warranty!
The one year limited warranty is pretty standard and fairly on the mark but a 14 day return policy is exceedingly restrictive. It looks like peanuts compared to the Healthy Wave 5 Therapy mats 45 day trial period.
What’s more is that in order to get a full refund the box must be unopened. Which essentially means there is no way to try out the mat and see if you like it!
Here are the terms in full
As Per Higher Dose’s Site:
“We offer a 14-day return policy for unopened PEMF Mats. Return shipping will be at the customer’s expense.
If opened, only defective PEMF Mats will be accepted for exchange.To be eligible for an exchange please contact us at help@higherdose.com with your order information. Please do not send your purchase back without contacting us first or a exchange may not be processed.
Once your exchange is received and inspected, we will send you an email to notify you that we have received your returned item. We will also notify you of the approval or rejection of your exchange.
Depending on where you live and available inventory, the time it may take for your exchanged product to reach you, may vary.”
Where Higher Dose did get some of their points back is their price stats.Higher Dose offers the lowest price of the infrared mats at $995.
For those on a budget this may be a good mat to look into. Just keep in mind it’s a simple controller that won’t show you all the stats and settings like the 5 therapy mat does.
Pros
- Includes Biggest Negative Ion Conducting Crystals
- Has the Cheapest price tag of the Infrared Mats
- Provides 20 lbs of Crystals
- Features 4 Therapies
- Has an Ecommerice Business Structure
Cons
- 14 Day Un-Opened Return Policy is Very Restrictive
- 1 Year Limited Return Policy is not too great
- Does not have the variety of crystals that Healthy Wave has
- Controller is Bulky
- Not a lot of technical information can be found on this mat
- No Temperature Reading on Controller
Mat Stats
- 3 Different Therapies ( Far Infrared, Crystal and Negative Ion
- 2 Different Types of Crystals (Amethyst and Toca Layer)
- 5 Different Mat Sizes
- Approximatly 24 Lbs
- 35 – 70 C
One of the first Original Amethyst Heating Mats, the Richway brand is what started it all. How does this far infrared mat compare to the other infrared heating pads and mats? Not the greatest in terms of the criteria I laid out.
The first thing you may notice is that it is more expensive. This is because Biomat is an MLM company (Multi-Level Marketing) company.
This means that Richway actively recruits people by giving a percentage of their sales to distributors who successfully recruit new people to sell the mat.
They have to jack up their price which only hurts the user. Unfortunately, not many of these people make any money because there is just too much competition. Even if you google Bio Mat you will see countless vendors. We also did a Full Comparison of Healthy Wave Mat vs Biomat.
The Biomat only features 3 Healing assets (Far Infrared Heat, Negative Ions and Crystals) so as a result it’s healing power is a bit limited to what it could be. While there is a fair bit of information on the Bio mat website it does not go into much detail about how it actually heals instead of just what symptoms it treats.
Biomats return policy is not very good and is even more confusing by the fact that it’s tiered. Here it is in full:
RETURN INQUIRY FALLS WITHIN QUALIFIES FOR
0-7 days from date of delivery 100% refund*
8-14 days from date of delivery 70% refund*
15-30 days from date of delivery 50% refund*
31+ days from date of delivery no refund*
In my humble opinion, 7 days for a 100% refund is harsh, especially if it takes some time to start feeling the Mat work.
Compare that to the Healthy Wave Mat’s 90 day full refund trial period and it makes you scratch your head. There is, however, a 3 year warranty on defective materials which is the best offered of the other Far Infrared Healing Mats.
Getting a Mat at $1695.00 with a terrible return policy is just madness in my mind. You could get a 5 therapy mat with a better return policy!
What the Biomat doesn’t deliver in terms of price it does in terms of presentation. It does come with a large control pad and a carrying case that looks like a suitcase. More of this in the review.
Personal Experience:
I tried the Biomat over a year ago after working out, I made sure the conditions of my routine were similar to what I normally do with the Healthy Wave Mat.
I found after the BioMat took longer to relieve my back and joint pain and shortly after I finished using it my back pain would just reoccur a few hours later.
I also found out later that the model I was using is pretty much only stuffed with s an Amethyst bed coupled with a TOCA layer.
The TOCA layer is tourmaline weaved inside the fabric of the Biomat. It does not use any other healing stones such as Natural Jade or Obsidian stones. In my humble opinion more Crystals give you more negative ions which in turn improves blood circulation.
Pros
- One of the First Movers in the Industry
- 3 Year Policy
- Provides decent Far Infrared Therapy readings
Cons
- Not the Greatest Return Policy
- Has only Three Therapies Provided
- Has only Amethyst Crystals inside some Models
- The Most Expensive Mat
- Has an MLM Business Structure
FAQ’s
Below are some common questions about Far Infrared mats.
What’s the Difference between Far Infrared Heating Pads and Far infrared Mats?
Far infrared Mats are classified as full length mats that range from 60″ to 74″ in length. Far Infared Heating pads are usually smaller and only cover a section of the body instead of the full body.
The Mats also feature more layers and are typically more complex in nature.
Do Far infrared Mats Have a Built-in Timer?
Yes all of the mats in this list have a built in timer. Go to each individual review to find out more details on the timer duration.
Is Far Infrared Therapy Safe?
Yes, Far Infrared technology is safe as long as you don’t keep the temperature too hot. All of the units we have reviewed have a remote control that allows you to control its heat settings. The therapy can be as hot or as cool as you would like it.
Far Infrared heat therapy can be an excellent accomplice to staying active and being outside. It can also help with pain management, sleep, detoxification and help aid your metabolism.
Bottom Line
When looking for the right far infrared mat there are a number of things to be aware of. The main ones being how many therapies each mat includes, the ease of use, the policy period and the price.
When judging each mat side by side you can see that Healthy Wave
out to be the Best Far Infrared Mat because it simply checked off all of the boxes. It also came out ahead in terms of user testimonials and proper certification issued.
Having tried this mat I can safely say that it definitely provided relief for my back pain and helped me get into my natural sleep cycle without having to use other paramedical methods. I can safely say Healthy Wave has been an asset to my lifestyle.
