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Sauna
When you think of a sauna, you generally think of them being included in a health club or spa. However, it is possible to obtain the benefits of a sauna at home. Read on to learn more.
What is a Sauna?
A sauna is a small room that is designed to be heated to high temperatures with well controlled humidity. Saunas can be wet or dry.
What are the Benefits of Saunas?
Saunas have both health and relaxation benefits. The sweating that is caused by a sauna causes toxins to be expelled from the body. These toxins can otherwise build up and potentially cause a range of conditions or symptoms. The skin is also re-toned and refreshed.
Saunas can be helpful for a range of health conditions such as weight control, high blood pressure, pain reduction, increased immune system response, stress reduction, decreased fatigue, better sleep, and relaxation. You can obtain these benefits from all types of saunas.
Far infrared saunas operate at lower temperature than traditional saunas, and this is helpful to people that have certain diseases such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, and some types of cancer. The direct heat from infrared saunas helps to loosen the fat cells and more toxins escape from the body. Far infrared saunas speed up the natural processes that cleanse and detoxify the body.
Types of Saunas
There are two main types of sauna on the marketplace today – the far infrared sauna and the traditional Finnish sauna. The far infrared sauna uses ceramic heaters to convert energy into infrared thermal heat waves. This is a natural type of heat wave, similar to the heat that we receive from the sun. The radiant heat warms objects without heating the air around the objects.
The traditional Finnish sauna is what most people think of when they think of a sauna. These steam and heat saunas have been used for centuries by many cultures, most notably the Finnish culture. A small room is used and water is splashed over highly heated rocks in order to produce steam. The rocks are heated by heaters. The steam distributes the heat evenly throughout the room. These remain dry. Traditional Finnish saunas and far infrared saunas are the most common saunas in the home.
Steam baths, also known as wet saunas or Russian saunas, are essentially a shower unit that uses a steam generator and steam jets to produce 100 percent humidity. In a steam sauna, you and the surrounding room are completely wet.
Locating the Sauna
Saunas can be located inside or outside the home, depending on the amount of space that you have and the size of sauna that you choose. You can have the sauna built for you, or you can buy a sauna that is ready to go – simply installing it yourself.
Traditional Finnish saunas generally need a larger area to place the room, with enough room to provide for benches. Ensure that the room that holds the sauna is waterproof and has enough electrical connections so that it can operate safely.
Some far infrared saunas are portable and require little time to set up. They can fold into small packages that are easily stored away when not in use.
What to Consider
When purchasing a sauna, there are some things that you need to consider. Firstly, how many people will be using the sauna? Small, two person saunas can fit inside most homes, while larger saunas are best located outside. Will you ever want to move the sauna? If the answer is yes, you are best to buy a pre-built or portable sauna that simply plugs into the wall. Consider your budget as well. Outdoor saunas cost more to build than indoor saunas.
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