The Advantages of Saunas and Steam Bathing

There are many myths surrounding the health benefits of saunas and steam baths. However, the heat and steam of both of these bathing methods is very useful for a variety of bodily ailments.
By themselves, they are not an effective weight loss programs and they won’t magically banish all diseases known to man. However, they will do many other wonderful things for your body.

Detoxification is an advantage that can be found in both saunas and steam baths. Raising the temperature of your body helps it to kill nasty organisms such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites. Saunas and steam showers can also reach the smaller nooks and crannies of your body, such as your teeth, bones, and sinuses.

An infrared sauna is even more effective than a regular sauna or steam bath, for the infrared heat delves deeper into the skin to detoxify the body.

In addition, infrared saunas are not as intensely hot as ordinary saunas. Children, elderly, and those who cannot go into an ordinary sauna because they are sensitive to the heat will have a much grater chance of being able to tolerate an infrared sauna.

The heat from saunas and steam baths also help improve the immune system. The body reacts to the sudden increased temperature as it would to a fever. The immune system produces more white blood cells.

Saunas are also beneficial towards blood circulation. Blood circulation is very important in transporting nutrients throughout the body and improving the effectiveness of the heart, liver, and kidney. It helps eliminate toxins as well. This is because as the temperature of your body increases from the sauna, the sweat production must also increase. The heart needs to work harder in order for the body to have enough energy to create the sweat, so it pumps blood faster and in greater quantities. When good blood circulation is maintained for a long amount of time, more nutrients and oxygen is delivered to the surface of the skin, causing it to be brighter and healthier.

Sweating is also very healthy for the skin and body. When the body sweats, it rids itself of unwanted contaminants. It opens its pores, allowing deeply delved grit, grime, and dead cells to be washed out by the sweat. The steam from steam baths is especially effective in this; the higher moisture content in the air helps rinse out dirty pores.

This gives the skin a thorough cleaning and helps treat acne. The higher concentration of steam in a steam bath is much more effective for cleansing the skin than simply sitting in a hot tub. Steam bathing is also extremely effective for stiffness and pain in the muscles and the joints. The steam causes the red blood cells to expand so that more oxygen and nutrients have access to the damaged part of the body. The heat also helps relieve stress by causing the muscles to relax.

The high amount of moisture in steam rooms is also extremely good for respiratory problems such as asthma, bronchitis, and allergies because it helps to flush allergens and mucus from the lungs.

By Allison Ryan

Answering Your Sauna Questions

There is nothing quite like a great workout at the gym. Your muscles feel stretched and aching but you still feel good. You can enhance that experience even further by taking advantage of your gym’s sauna. Saunas are excellent ways to help rid the body of toxins. The steam from the sauna rises up, the air is hot and your body begins to sweat.

These little hot boxes are nothing new. They have been around for quite some time and can be found all around the world. If you have never had the opportunity to spend some time in a sauna, you are definitely missing out. In this article you can find out all you need to know about a sauna and how it can enhance your life.

What are saunas?

A sauna is a small room or building that is used by people to clear their body and minds of toxins that have accumulated. The room can either have wet or dry heat sessions to produce sweat. The person enters the sauna and will take of his or her clothes and rest in the room. The heat and the humidity help relax the muscles and clear the mind.

How have saunas changed over the years?

When you consider how long saunas have been around, it is natural to also make the assumption that the style has changed as well. Originally the sauna was dug into a pit or dug into the side of a hill and then using the dirt, a room was formed. As mankind became more evolved and more materials were available, the sauna changed as well. Many public bathing houses in Western Europe, Greece and Russia installed saunas as a way to help attract more visitors. The styles were more elaborate and were also far more efficient. The new designs would hold heat and steam in longer thus allowing the bather more time in the sauna.

How much does a sauna for my home cost?

The cost for saunas varies depending on how big you want the sauna to be, what type of heating source you select and what type of material the sauna will be constructed out of. You can find a 1-2 person sauna at Wal-mart for around $949.00. You can also find some at specialty stores that cost more than $2000. Before you go and purchase that sauna, you need to first decide what type you want and then you need to decide where you are going to put it. You definitely do not want to purchase a huge sauna if you live on a very small, cramped lot or live in an apartment.
Can I make a sauna myself?

Yes, you can make a sauna yourself provided you have the right tools and the right knowledge. If you can make a building, you can build a sauna. The key to building saunas is to figure out exactly what type of sauna you want as well as the heat source that will be used. You can find many plans on the internet and can even find books on building saunas in your local bookstore. You may not save a lot of money by doing it yourself but at least you will have the satisfaction of building it yourself and being able to custom design the sauna.

By Mike Selvon

Health Benefits of a Traditional Sauna VS Infrared Sauna

The benefits of a traditional sauna compared to an infrared are more or less the same. The difference will be in the degree of benefits that a body can receive from these two having an entirely different system of giving beneficial heat to the body and the risk that a high blood sufferer might encounter in a traditional one.

In a traditional, the method of conveying heat to the body is by heating the air environment to heat the body, while in an infrared sauna, the heat is directed to the body and not the air environment. Thus, in a traditional, to attain a desired heat temperature for a body, the heat temperature of the room has to be higher, which can be very inconvenient for a person to stay long in the room. In an infrared , since the infrared heat rays only heats the body instead of the air surrounding, the person inside an infrared sauna can be comfortable even for a longer period.

These obtaining situations would result to making the person having a sauna inside an infrared room receiving more beneficial heat from the infrared rays because of the longer duration of his stay inside an infrared room. While on the other hand, a person having a sauna in a traditional or steam can only receive beneficial health in a limited time as he will be subjected to uncomfortable heat inside the sauna room. Aside from the time duration, the degree of beneficial heat the body receives in an infrared sauna is more deep penetrating as the infrared rays heat is focused on the body and not in the air around the body. The heat penetration of a body in a traditional sauna will be shallow as the heat is not focused to the body but almost all over the sauna room.

People suffering from high blood pressure likewise are discouraged from using traditional saunas, but are encouraged to use infrared. Although both kinds of saunas would tend to lower blood pressure, the intense room heat of a traditional or steam saunas would tend to aggravate more the high blood pressure of a person the moment he steps out of the sauna room and be subjected to a sudden change of temperature. Unlike a steam or traditional, infrared’s do not heat up the room. The infrared room remains cool and more or less the same as the outside room temperature, thus enabling a person who suffers from high blood pressure to comfortably lowers his or her blood pressure without any threat of a sudden change of temperature the moment he comes out of the infrared sauna therapy room.

By Jon K

The Benefits of A Steam Sauna

Most of us have heard about the health benefits of a sauna and may have been lucky enough to use one at a club or gym. Many of these are dry saunas but the steam sauna is considered to be the most beneficial for those seeking relaxation from stress and health related problems. As a matter of fact, the benefits of sitting in a sauna steam room are almost limitless. Sitting in a sauna steam room is most beneficial if you are stressed out due to your hectic lifestyle. The steam sauna enables you to relax from your daily responsibilities and jobs and forget the worries of the day. This way you are able to avoid of the heart diseases and even insomnia. The sauna’s steam frees you from all the pressures and stress of every day life thereby bringing about relaxation to your already worn out body.

The steam of saunas also makes your body feel clean. In fact, not only does it improve your physical and emotional health but also detoxifies the body from all the unwanted dirt and fats. This further unclogs the pores of your skin. This makes your skin cleaner, acne free and glowing with health. This way you feel even more confident and invigorated about yourself. The steam of a sauna is also extremely beneficial for those who suffer from kidney damage. The steam emitted during a sauna help induce detoxification of the entire body and its internal organs. Those whose kidneys have been damaged are able to filter their bodily wastes better after a session in the sauna. As the steam from the sauna induces sweating, the kidneys are able to filter the toxins more efficiently.

The sauna’s steam also improves your emotional health of the individual by relaxing your. This is because the steam relaxes and soothes the body. As a matter of fact, most people who bathe in a sauna steam room attest that each session of sauna make them feel good. It also helps them alleviate various emotional problems such as anxiety. The warmth and comfort of the sauna steam enables you to temporarily forget all your worries and achieve a healthy state of mind. Sauna steam rooms like the AromaSteam capsule model AS-SR steam sauna are complete relaxing zones. Whether you feel bored with life or are completely stressed out, going to a sauna would definitely lighten your spirits and boost your confidence to give you a pitch that would make you feel wonderful.

Not only would the sauna steam enable you to enhance your physical health and emotional well being, but it also provide various health benefits such as detoxification. You may consider a steam sauna bath an indulgence but the warmth of the sauna steam will energize and refresh the inner person.

By Chang Seward

Sauna Facts and History - Did you Know This

When someone tells us about a sauna experience, what comes to mind is that little wooden room in some health spa where one simply sits to enjoy a great sweat session. There are several sauna facts however that seem quite fascinating. For instance, the first sauna existed a long time before the Roman Empire flourished. The earliest sauna was when men and women sat together and dug several holes to fill them later with wood and stone and some fire. Then, they would gather around these holes and enjoy the warmth until they would start to sweat. Most of the most indigenous tribes believe in sweating as a way of getting rid of “bad spirits” which cause disease. In all probability, the old sweat sure probably did cure and solve some ailments because sweating causes detoxification which is good for the human body.

Another sauna fact is this - having a sauna does help us lose some weight. There is however some disagreement about this because some medical experts reason that the weight lost is simply water lost from the body. Other’s however reason that one sauna session is equivalent to losing about 500 calories. What becomes apparently clear is that whatever the case may be, having a sauna does relax our nerves, opens and cleans body pores and detoxifies the body and takes away toxins as we sweat.
There are different types of sauna treatments. The most popular is the Finnish sauna, which is a wooden room with a temperature that reaches almost 100 degrees Centigrade. That sounds terribly hot but remember that in a Finnish sauna, the heat isn’t uncomfortable because the water splashed on burning stones bring down the humidity. The Finnish sauna session is almost like a “sacred rite”. People inside the sauna room are not allowed to swear, talk too loud or converse about anything controversial. Some even use leaves like birches and batter their backs during the sauna session because this loosens and relaxes their muscles. Usually before and after a sauna, one has a cool bath. Another interesting sauna fact is that during the winter some even jump into ice lakes after a sauna the same is done in some places in the Soviet Union where taking a jump into an icy sea or lake is considered a healthy before and after a relaxing sauna session, particularly during the cold winter.

Sauna sessions have been common even during the Roman Empire. Sauna was accepted then as a cure for body diseases, including mental anxieties. That was also why common hot and cold baths were popular during the Roman Empire. Sauna sessions seem universal and can be found in almost any culture. Even the native American Indians has separate sauna cabins and tents where they would gather the elders of the tribe and fill a main huge hole with stones heated to produce heat. The heat would create a steam that was considered sacred and beneficial for every disease including that of mental anxiety depression. The Indians believed that having a sauna session makes one wiser, healthier and more fit to face the challenges of their rather wild environment.

Last sauna fact : every sauna session affects every part of our body system. Sauna session relaxes our minds, improves our respiratory system, cures arthritis, allergies and improves our body immunity. Perhaps, it’s time to go back to the basics, try the sauna, and get back to real living again!

By Teresa B

The Infrared Sauna Kit

The Infrared sauna kit is easy to assemble. A sauna kit is a package containing all the pieces necessary to put together a sauna yourself. A portable Far-infrared sauna kit is an option that may be right for your particular circumstance. There is also a pre-built sauna which can be even easier to assemble or disassemble than the sauna kit.

The Infrared Sauna kits are completely portable and designed for in home use. The Infrared Sauna is a ‘ dry’ environment at temperatures lower than the traditional sauna. This infrared sauna kit requires a little more handyman skills to put together than the pre-built sauna.

The infrared sauna kit comes with all the components required to build your sauna.

The sauna kit provides all the instructions necessary to get started on its assembly. The sauna kit is very affordable – with a lower installation cost than the traditional sauna, or steam room.

Infrared sauna kits are available in almost any size that you can think of, you can also order custom-made sauna kits. This can be helpful if your particular location is unusual in any way. The advantage of sauna kits over pre-built saunas is that the sauna kit can be installed in a pre-existing space. Pre-built saunas are more commonly used as freestanding saunas.

There are many factors that will help you when deciding the right size for your sauna. Having your room planed out and measured will save you a lot of time and hassle also try different combinations to find the best fit for you. Before buying any sauna, make sure you are physically fit enough to use it. When installing do not alter the electrical components as you will void the warranty.

By Paul Hegarty

How to Build a Finland Sauna Cabin

A Finland sauna cabin would be a nice addition to complement anyone’s house. According to the Finnish Sauna Society, almost every Finn owns such a cabin at one of the tens of thousands of lakes that dot this northernmost European nation. For the Finns, sauna bathing is a way of life and a commitment to a healthy lifestyle.

A traditional Finnish sauna burns wood. The sauna bath house is usually located in a small cabin near a lake or river. In North America, most outdoor saunas are situated in the backyard and the shower has to suffice for the traditional swim in the lake. There are several options for recreating a Finnish outdoor bath house. A builder could build from scratch using plans that are readily available. The second and better option is sauna kits or pre-built sauna rooms that make construction of such a cabin a feasible project even for the novice home renovator.

The Western red cedar cabins from Mr. Sauna make construction of a Finnish sauna a snap. There are several designs to choose from and each bath house can be assembled with a few simple tools. No framing or insulating is required. These are completely self-contained home saunas with red cedar exterior walls. All that is needed for outdoor use is the addition of a roof and a wood burning sauna room heater to recreate the Finland style bathing experience.

Another self-contained cabin is the ThermaSol modular home sauna that comes with an electric heater. The western red cedar wall and ceiling panels are coded for easy assembly. The Finnish style bath house comes with pre-assembled benches, a pre-hung door and accessories such as a bucket and ladle. These cabins come in a variety of sizes and fit perfectly into the corner of a spare room in your house. With the addition of a roof, ThermaSol saunas could be set up on suitable flat surface in the backyard.

By Kevin Urban

How to Install Sauna Room Doors and Benches

Sauna room doors are made to fit standard door openings framed at a rough 26 x 82 inches. One of the most important aspects of a properly installed door is the fact that it should always open to the outside. A wooden handle is a must; you don’t want to accidentally get burned when touching a hot metal handle. Locks should be avoided in home saunas. It’s important to get out as fast as you can when the heat becomes unbearable while sitting on one of the upper benches.

The sauna benches, door and wooden flooring are included in your precut sauna kit. Some assembly is required when you install the door and benches. Most doors for sauna rooms are pre-hung, making the installation easier than hanging one yourself in the frame. Specify whether you want the hinge on the left or on the right side when facing the outside of the door.

Benches that come with prefabricated home saunas or pre-built modular saunas are pre-assembled for easy installation. If you purchase a precut kit, you might have to assemble the bench supports yourself. Just follow the step-by-step instructions that show you how to install the bench, door, window and flooring. If you are building a sauna room from scratch, remember to countersink the screws as they become extremely hot and can cause accidental burns.

Make sure you specify the right type of wood when ordering your sauna kit. The wall and ceiling panels, doors, benches and floorboards of home saunas are all manufactured from wood. Most kits use Western red cedar, but some people are allergic to the smell of cedar wood. If this is the case, order your sauna room bench, door and other accessories in your choice of Redwood, poplar or spruce.

By Kevin Urban

Build a Home Sauna with Pre-Built Sauna Room Packages

Building your own home sauna from scratch can be an overwhelming project even for the experienced do-it-yourselfer. Sauna room packages make construction a snap as all the material for a complete sauna room can be ordered online and delivered to your door. Expect to spend from as little as one hour to 2 – 3 days assembling the sauna. It all depends on what type of package you order. Builders have a choice of pre-built saunas (also called modular sauna rooms) and kits. A kit is cheaper but more complex to assemble.

Modular packages can be assembled in as little as several hours. These are pre-built  sauna rooms  and construction is straightforward. The packaged material will come with detailed assembly instructions. Depending on the manufacturer, assembly sometimes consists of simply locking the cedar wall panels together and sliding the ceiling panels into place. Pre-assembled benches and pre-hung doors complete the sauna room. A licensed electrician should be hired to install the sauna room heater in compliance with the building code. Voila, enjoy! The modular sauna is up and ready for use!

Sauna kits are more complex to assemble than pre-built packages but considerably cheaper than pre-assembled modular saunas. Depending on the manufacturer, these kits can be supplied in red cedar, aspen, fir or poplar. A builder can custom design the entire room by choosing the type of sauna room heater (wood burning, electric, infrared), and accessories. These saunas can be built in any shape or size desired, so let your imagination go wild. It’s important to remember that these material kits are only for the inside of the sauna. The area needs to be properly prepared for the installation of the kit by building an insulated frame with outside paneling in place. The wiring and any plumbing should be installed professionally prior to ordering the custom sauna kit.

Have a look at our buying guide where we have listed a few manufacturers of modular sauna packages and precut kits to build the sauna room of your dreams.

By Kevin Urban

Experience a Great Health Improvement With a 2 Person Infrared Sauna

Once upon a time, the inclusion of a personal sauna room in a residential home was the exclusive domain of the elite of society, as they were the only people who actually had the requisite sums of money and capital that would better enable them to have such a room professionally installed and fitted into their home. As time went on, and the technology involved in these rooms improved, this meant that the costs associated with the installation of the sauna rooms became much less expensive meaning that they have become far more accessible for more of the population.

The 2 person infrared sauna has followed a path that not only echoes but reflects precisely its traditional counterpart in that whilst the technology proved to be too much for most people to comfortably afford, it has slowly but surely became a very real possibility for the general public. However, the sales of 2 person infrared saunas are now quickly overtaking the sales of traditional saunas and this is not merely due to the fact that infrared saunas are the latest new gimmick on the market. The truth of the matter is that they are a significant improvement from their traditional counterparts providing a significant number of health benefits and advantages, providing excellent pain relief for a number of painful and debilitating health conditions.

By far, one of the most dramatic and profound impacts the 2 person infrared sauna have had on the general health is improving the circulation of blood around the body which in turn provides a significant amount of pain relief and alleviation of the symptoms of a myriad of different health complaints such as arthritis, psoriasis, acne. Thanks to the expansion of blood vessels this has meant that the complexion of the person using the infrared sauna therapy is also significantly improved, which is a feature which the cosmetic industry has been quick to capitalize on (and has charged a king’s ransom in the process).

Two person infrared saunas have became so popular and their results so well documented that there has actually been a significant amount of pressure among the public health care system to ensure that such technology is now implemented on a much wider and grander scale than it currently is. Whether or not such a radical reform in health policy will be brought remains to be seen.

By Barry Andrews