General Information about using the mats
Our mats are made for U.S. electricity, 110-120V/60Hz, with plugs for a standard U.S. grounded socket.
We have many customers successfully using our products in Europe, UK, Israel, Russia, HK, Korea, and even Australia with 220-250V/50Hz. You HAVE to use special step-down power transformers and units that convert 220-240V to 110-120V.
Remember that the power of the converter should be at least twice the mat’s power consumption.
IF THE MAT IS CONNECTED TO THE 220-250V POWER SOCKET THROUGH A PLAIN ADAPTER, IT WILL BE DAMAGED.
It is essential to listen to the body’s response and adjust time and temperature accordingly.
Our mats have adjustable heat from 86 to 158F (shown as levels 1-7) on the controller.
The temperatures above show the condition of the inner heating elements and do not reflect the surface of the mat condition, which can be 10-20F lower or even more if the mat is not covered with a thick blanket.
Usually, if the ambient temperature is around 70F, it takes around half an hour for the mat to reach the maximum level (158F or 70C) if you cover it with a thick blanket.
NEVER cover the mat with anything but the covers provided with it or towels, sheets, and blankets made from natural materials (like cotton, bamboo). The material has to be permeable to FIR rays. If the material is not permeable (rubber), the FIR heat will be trapped, the mat could overheat and even burn.
Some examples of not allowed objects on top of the mat can be - controllers, thick pillows, books, yoga, and camping mats.
So, for your own safety, please, never keep or put anything on the mat besides permeable covers. Only your body can be on the mat.
The FIR Amethyst Mat does not work like a conventional heating pad. Most parts of the energy in the form of Far Infrared Rays heat from the mat is transferred by radiation, not by conduction, only like by the standard heating pads, which are hotter to touch.
The mat is not as hot to touch as the heating pad or electric blanket; if it is left uncovered, it should be warm to feel on lower levels, warm on medium levels, and very warm on high levels, but really the transferred heating energy is much higher. This warmth is much more penetrative and provides a deep effect.
So the mat should be used at a much lower "sensible" temperature than the standard electric blanket and demands extra care, especially for all-night use.
The heat is activated when you lay on the mat, and it penetrates into tissues. It does not heat the ambient air surrounding the mat, so it will only feel warm even on the highest settings and not too hot to your touch, even though the heat sensor might indicate high. This allows the FIR Amethyst mats to generate deep penetrative heat yet not burn the body as conventional pads might.
But if you want to check the real heating power, cover the mat with a thick blanket and measure the surface temperature in an hour. It may reach 140-160F.
That is how hot stones work, in short. And it is essential to take extra care if sleeping on the mat and, in general, to listen to your body to find the best way to use the FIR heating mat and avoid overheating and buzz feeling, which may occur if mat iris overused.
It is very important that you cover the mat completely while preheating it. If you cover the mat partially, the temperature sensors positioned in the different layers of the mat around all the surfaces will report different and controversial measurements to the main controller. Finally, the controller may lose calibration and start to work incorrectly or malfunction. So, please, always cover the mat completely while it is preheating to set level.
Some customers use the Amethyst mats for all night sleeping in the low heat settings.
Maybe you could add a towel or a blanket on top of your protectors to make it softer for the first time.
Most important is to listen to your body and move forward “LOW and SLOW.” It is easy to overdo if you start too fast.
The max time for each heat level is not announced. It depends on the mat size, temperature level, body size, age, and many other factors.
Really the main rule is to start at low settings and move forward gradually, increasing the intensity, the length, and the frequency of sessions.
In general, the bigger and more powerful the mat is, the more benefits it brings, and a shorter procedure is necessary.
But the Mini Mats have their own advantages. You can use it at a high heat level for local applications. It is more bendable and can be used as a cover when you are on the large mat for the most intensive “sandwiched” sessions.
Midsize Mat is in the middle; it is a cost-effective, quite universal model for both local use and almost the whole body experience.
The most important is to avoid overheating.
Our skin sensors can easily detect the high temperature caused by the standard conduction heat, but we feel the effects of radiant Infrared Heat later. The FIR warmth is much more penetrative and provides a deeper effect, so the mat should be used at a much lower "sensible" temperature than the standard heating pads and demands extra care, especially for long or all-night use.
Especially it refers to bigger size mats which are very powerful. Please, use the mat only on the lowest setting while sleeping.
For relaxation, the standard procedure is to have a short before-bed relaxing session of about half an hour, starting at levels 3-4 and then to decrease to the lowest levels of 1-2. If these levels cause some buzz feeling or overstimulation, the temperature should be set even lower, or even the mat can be used in unpowered mode. Especially in summer when it can absorb some excessive heat.
There is also one more point about using these mats.
The stones make them stiff and hard. It is great for short-term procedures as it gives some benefits but may cause some painful feelings if overused.
If you would like to sleep on your mat, it could be great to do it slowly, adapting your body to crystals pressure. It may demand a step-by-step increase when you lay or sleep on the mat starting from an hour and adding half an hour every second day, for example. If you feel pain, it means that you are overdoing it.
But if you would like to sleep on your mat from the first days, another way to decrease the pressure from the mat ribs with stones is to use some topper, towels, blankets on the top of the included into the set protector cover to make the mat softer. The most useful part of radiant heat will travel through the mat protector cover and the natural materials topper and negative ions. You will have more comfort. Later, when your body gets used to the pressure, you can take away the extra layers one by one.
