How to actually pick the right infrared lamp for your bathroom
Here is a common mistake: people think that buying the highest wattage lamp is the way to go. It feels intuitive—more power equals more heat, right? Not exactly. If you overdo it, you’re just throwing money away on electricity and putting a lot of unnecessary stress on your wiring. It’s all about finding that sweet spot for the size of your room. Small spaces (under 5m²) If you’re dealing with a tiny powder room or a compact wet area, a 250W to 400W short-wave lamp is usually plenty. These rooms trap heat almost instantly. If you try to cram an 800W heater into a shoebox, you’ll hit your target temperature in seconds. The problem? Your thermostat will start clicking on and off every few seconds to keep up. That constant cycling is a killer—it wears out the filament way faster than it should. Medium bathrooms (5m² to 12m²) For a standard-sized bathroom, you’ll want to bump things up to 600W or 800W. You’ve got more air and more wall space for the heat to escape, so you need a bit more muscle to keep that cozy feeling around you without waiting forever for the room to warm up. Large baths or spas (15m² and up) When you get into huge master baths or commercial spaces, don’t just buy one massive heater. That just creates one scorching “hot spot” while the rest of the room stays freezing. Instead, go with a few 800W+ lamps and spread them out. It feels much more natural when the warmth is distributed across the whole floor. A couple of things to watch out for… Higher wattage gets you warm faster, but there’s a catch. Those high-power lamps pull a lot of current. You’ll need thicker wiring and beefier breakers to handle the load. If you’re working with an old house, your existing wires might not be up for a 1000W fixture. It’s worth double-checking before you flip the switch. And a quick tip on your ceilings: remember that infrared heat travels in a straight line. If your ceilings are higher than 3 meters, a low-wattage lamp is going to lose its punch before the heat even hits the floor. In that case, you’ve got two choices: go for a higher wattage or find a way to mount the lamp a bit lower. Either way, it’ll keep you from shivering while you’re getting ready in the morning.