Saunas and sauna therapy
Saunas work by creating a hot and dry environment that causes the temperature of the body to rise and the skin to sweat profusely. This process can have a number of health benefits that range from improving the condition of the skin to detoxification and increased circulation. (More health related details further down this page.)
Origin of the sauna
Saunas are generally deemed to have originated in Finland where there is an average of one sauna per household.
In other parts of the world saunas are often included in Spa complexes, hotels, sports centres and health retreats, however home saunas are increasing in popularity.
The original saunas took the form of outdoor cabins and they had wood burners and chimneys. Many of these saunas were kept in continuous use and, because of their sterile nature, they were used for surgical procedures and as recovery rooms for those who were sick.
The heat in the sauna is actually produced by heating rocks on top of the sauna's stove and these rocks then produce the dry heat for which the sauna is famed. Burning different types of wood and adding herbs or scented bark acted to produce what would today be described as an aromatherapy effect.
The traditional Finnish way to take a sauna is to have a sauna session lasting several hours, but where short 20 to 30 minutes spells in the sauna are broken up by periods taking a cold shower, bathing in a cold bath, or rolling in ice cold snow. Naturally the climate determines whether or not the last option is available. High levels of fluid intake are also encouraged to replace the fluids that are lost through sweating.
The other interesting fact about the Finnish sauna experience is that it is one that is shared with friends and family. Saunas are traditionally a very communal activity in the north of Europe.Home saunas
You can obtain information on building a home sauna by following this link Sauna kits for the home. Home saunas come in kit form and they can be quickly and easily adapted to fit into the room of a house, an out building, or a loft a cellar space. These kits can accommodate anything from two to a dozen people and they come in prefabricated and more basic component kit assembly formats.
Modern saunas dispense with the wood burning stove in favour of either an electric (or sometimes a gas) stove, or alternatively a series of infrared heaters. The modern stoves still use hot rocks to produce the heat, but they are clean, easy to maintain and have very low emission levels. Electric stoves require no flue or extractor and they heat up very quickly.
The infrared heater is a recent addition to the sauna heater option list and it used radiated heat to warm up the skin without increasing the air temperature. This kind of heater is very cheap to run and produces no direct heat.
Sauna health benefits
As with all therapies there are many different benefits and claimed benefits to regular sauna use, here are a few.
- Using a sauna promotes and increases body detoxification. This is important and can help expel many different kinds of toxins from metals to nicotine, all of which leave the body through sweat.
- Taking a sauna increases the circulation and the heart rate.
- Sweating helps the skin by opening pores, encouraging the exfoliation of dead skin and improving skin tone.
- Taking a sauna is a relaxing and enjoyable experience and it should have a calming effect on the person taking the sauna.
- Sauna use can remove or reduce muscular aches and pains and there are claims that the effect of the heat can speed up recovery from injury and some surgeries.
- The process of speeding up the heart rate, increasing the circulation and sweating profusely can all lead to weight loss.
- The Fin's believed that the common cold, flu and fevers could all be overcome by taking saunas.
- Similar beneficial effects are claimed for other water, heat and hydrotherapy treatments like steam baths and Jacuzzis.
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