Burrito saunas: The 'detox' health trend where clients are cocooned in silver body suits

Clients end the treatment by standing over a bucket to let the sweat drip from their body

Blogger Jessi Smiles tries out a "burrito sauna" (YouTube/ClevverStyle )

A bizarre US health trend dubbed the "burrito sauna" sees people being swaddled in infrared suits, in a bid to "detox" their bodies by sweating out toxins.

The treatment involves being cocooned inside silver, space-like infrared sauna bodysuits and wrapped in a blanket that resembles burrito foil, with only their head poking out of the top.

And because people's arms and legs are tucked inside the heated wraps for up to an hour, they have to rely on salon assistants to pour water into their mouths.

When the process is complete, clients stands over a bucket in order to collect the sweat from their bodies.

Clients are encouraged to hydrate before and after the sessions, and can relax and watch TV while their bodies sweat.

The Kardashian sisters are said to be among the famous names who have visited the Shape House in LA, which calls itself an “urban sweat lodge” and charges around $45 per treatment.

Singer and actress Selena Gomez says she has had the treatment, which has spread from the US West Coast across to New York City.

“I have a sweat bed, which looks like a burrito that I wrap myself up in, and I sweat for about 45 minutes. Just little things to kind of keep me healthy and keep me focused,” she told Elle.

The infrared radiation is said to "sweat out toxins", help with blood pressure and improve skin more effectively than traditional saunas - but health experts are sceptical.

“You have to rely on your own experience,” Dr Brent Bauer, director of the Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program at Mayo Clinic, told the New York Post. “You have to take [the claims] with a grain of salt.”

He added that the treatment won’t counteract a poor diet or sedentary lifestyle.

Evidence suggests that sweating does not remove toxins from the body, and such terms are used for marketing.

However, a recent study by researchers from the University of Finland on 2,300 middle-aged men showed that regular stints in the sauna can help to keep the heart healthy and extend a person’s life.