All About Saunas
The sauna has been cherished by man since ancient times, and is still loved today. What is it that makes the sauna such a timeless pleasure?
A sauna is a small room or dwelling specially designed for bathers to experience wet or dry heat sessions. A typical sauna session may be a social gathering in which bathers undress and sit or lie down in temperatures greater than 80 C. A sauna bath is not only relaxing but also generates profuse sweating. 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.
Sauna is an ancient Finnish word that describes the traditional Finnish bath. The first known saunas were essentially the lowest points dug in a slope in the ground mainly used as dwellings during winters. At the time the sauna included a fireside where stones were heated to very high temperatures. Afterwards, water was thrown on to the hot stones thus producing steam and heat. The temperature would increase so dramatically that people removed their clothing.
Over time the sauna evolved to include a metal woodstove with a 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. Similar to the earlier style sauna, a steam vapor was generated by dousing heated rocks with water. The combination of heat and steam produced extreme perspiration.
In order to take full advantage of the sauna, the Finns gathered a bundle of bird branches containing tiny, fresh leaves. This was called a vihta. The vihta was used by bathers to gently swipe the skin in order to stimulate the pores, enhance cell production and improve blood circulation. Another benefit of the vihta was that it gave off a very pleasant scent that stimulated relaxation in the same manner that many of today’s aromatherapy products work. In fact, the vihta is still used by some individuals in the sauna.
As previously noted, a sauna is a wonderful and effective way to relieve stress. It accomplishes this in two basic ways. One obvious way is psychological; the heat and steam have a highly relaxing effect. 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.
Furthermore, your body releases much of the toxins through the pores of your skin while you perspire. As mentioned earlier, the sauna induces sweating that ultimately cleanses the body.
Finns utilize saunas on a regular basis, and saunas are lauded throughout 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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