Sauna Guide

Sauna bathing is an ancient past time although the activity is quite popular in the modern world as well. What is it that makes the sauna such a timeless pleasure?

Saunas are designed to provide either moist or dry heat.A typical sauna session may be a social gathering in which bathers undress and sit or lie down in temperatures greater than 80 °C. Saunas are very relaxing, and tend to make users sweat. In fact, the sauna’s popularity can be attributed to its many health benefits such as stress reduction, detoxification of the body, an improved immune system and other positive changes.

The word sauna simply means a traditional Finnish bath. In ancient times, saunas were small dwellings dug in the bottom of hills and slopes to keep people warm in winter. Stones were heated to very high temperatures and water was poured over them in order to create heat and moisture in the form of steam.The heat would be so strong that often people would undress when this was done.

Eventually the sauna was improved with the addition of a metal woodstove and chimney. Although the temperature was generally set somewhere between 70 and 80 °C, a traditional Finnish sauna could sometimes get as hot as 90 °C. Steam vapor was also generated by spraying water onto the heated stones. The steam vapor and high heat caused bathers to sweat a great deal.

Historically, the Finns used a vihta, a bundle of birch branches with small fresh leaves. They would bind the branches together and use it to gently swat themselves and other bathers. This practice not only aids in blood circulation, but adds a pleasant birch scent to the sauna.

Saunas provide stress relief in two ways. Not only do they help you relax from simply spending time relaxing within, but they also help your body relax physically. .The other way in which a sauna relieves stress is physiological. More potentially harmful chemicals are able to leave the body with the aid of the hot steam. In addition, the formation of new chemicals that are known to cause stress is greatly reduced.

The opening of the pores also makes it easier to remove toxins from the body. Toxins travel through your sweat glands and are released with your perspiration. As noted earlier, a sauna creates a high amount of perspiration and therefore is excellent for detoxification

Finns utilize saunas on a regular basis, and saunas are lauded thoughout Finland as the best, most natural way to cleanse oneself both in body and mind. Then and now, the sauna remains a key component to healthy living in Finland. Families often bathed together in home saunas, and in the past Finnish women often gave birth in saunas.
Finnish migration to other parts of the world aided in the dissemination of information about saunas, how they were made and used and their many benefits. This enabled individuals from other cultures to learn about saunas and use them, and it paved the way for future advancements such as electric sauna stoves and far infrared saunas, which became very popular. Today, the sauna is recognized and enjoyed globally, and continues to be enhanced both aesthetically and functionally.

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