How to pick the right infrared lamp for your bathroom
Here is the secret: you don’t actually want the most powerful lamp on the shelf. If you just go for the highest wattage, you’re likely just throwing money away—or worse, turning your bathroom into a sauna. The goal is to match the heat to the actual size of the room. Since these lamps use radiant heat, they warm you and the surfaces around you directly, rather than trying to heat up all the air in the room. It’s a much faster way to get warm. Picking your wattage Think about your square footage and how high your ceilings are. If you’ve got a tiny powder room (under 4 square meters), a 250W to 400W lamp is plenty. In a space that small, anything bigger will just overheat the room in seconds. For a medium-sized bathroom (4 to 8 square meters), you’ll want to bump that up to 600W or 800W. If you’re dealing with a massive master bath or those fancy vaulted ceilings, go for 1000W+ or just spread a few smaller lamps around the room. Just a heads up: putting a 1000W beast in a tiny stall is a recipe for tripped breakers and an uncomfortable “heat pocket” that feels way too intense. Where to put it (and why it matters) Infrared heat works on a line-of-sight basis. If something is blocking the lamp, you aren’t getting the heat. Simple as that. Mount the lamp in the ceiling, right above where you’ll actually be standing. We use short-wave infrared because it hits faster and feels deeper. But keep in mind, more wattage means the lamp casing gets hotter. Just make sure your ceiling materials can handle the heat, or throw in a heat-resistant shield so you don’t scorch your ceiling. The power trade-off Higher wattage gets you warm faster. That’s the win. The downside? The electrical load. If you’re wiring up a bunch of these in a commercial bathroom, double-check your total amperage. You don’t want to overload the circuit. And a pro tip: use a timer or a thermostat. Once the room feels right, kill the power. Otherwise, you’re just burning electricity for no reason.