If you’re new to saunas than its essential to learn the proper sauna 101 to maximize your efforts. Saunas have been used for centuries and have been proven to dramatically improve your health. In addition they are very therapeutic, which is good for your mental and emotional well-being.

Since saunas can be so beneficial we had to write an article on sauna 101. Down below we inform you on the most basic sauna questions and inform you on everything sauna related. We recommend reading all the below information and to visit our links. By doing so you will learn the most of everything sauna related.

Sauna 101

What is a sauna?

In the most basic form saunas are rooms that get extremely hot with the purpose of making you sweat. Saunas come in a variety of types, but the most common two are traditional saunas and infrared saunas. These two types of saunas use different heating methods, but ultimately have the same goal of increasing your body’s internal temperature and making you sweat.

How Saunas Work

Traditional saunas are the type of sauna most people are used to as they’re often used in gyms, spas, and hotels. Traditional saunas work by using heating elements that heat up sauna rocks within the sauna.  These sauna rocks, through convection, then promote enough warmth to heat the whole sauna.

Most traditional electric saunas take 30-45 minutes to fully heat up and can reach a maximum temperature of 194°F. This intense heat can be very harsh to newbie sauna bathers, but provides one of the best heating types possible. You only need 5-10 minutes in these types of saunas to start sweating profusely.

Infrared saunas on the other hand use a much different heating method. Instead of using heating elements and rocks, infrared saunas use heating panels to produce radiant heat. These panels do this by generating infrared light that is absorbed by the surface of the skin. This light penetrates deep into your skin, and allows you to sweat profusely while running at a much lower temperature.

Most infrared saunas run anywhere from 120 to 150°F. This much lower temperature is ideal for newbie sauna bathers or young children as they are not used to the sauna. This lower temperature also means you can use more electronic features in the sauna such as speakers, CD player, and chromotherapy lighting.

One disadvantage to infrared saunas is that you cannot create steam since there is no heating elements or rocks. This isn’t a huge issue, but means they don’t provide the same respiratory benefits that traditional saunas do.

Health Benefits of Saunas

Saunas have been around for centuries and for good reason, they are simply amazing for your health. Saunas have been proven to have many physical, mental, and spiritual benefits. Making them one of the best tools to enhance your overall well-being. With that being said here are the top health benefits of saunas.

• Mentally Relaxing (They allow you a moment to just sit in relax. You can add meditation to enhance your efforts.)
• Relax Your Muscles (The warm that saunas promote increase blood flow and relax your muscles.)
• Increase Muscle Growth (Multiple studies conducted show saunas can literally increase muscle growth after a workout.)
• Strengthen Your Heart (Saunas have a great effect on your cardiovascular system.)
• Lower Your Blood Pressure (The heat from the saunas relaxes your blood vessels which increase blood flow.)
• Help Your Respiratory System ( The steam from the sauna can aid asthma symptoms and bronchitis.)
• Boost Your Immune System (With increased white blood cells and other health effects, saunas help boost your immune system.)
• Promote Weight Loss (Your body burns more calories while in the sauna, which can enhance weight loss. In addition they increase muscle mass, which helps you burn more calories over time.)
• Cleanse Your Skin (Saunas help get rid of excess minerals, dead skin cells,  and toxins within your skin.)
• Promote Better Sleep (Saunas put your body in sleep mode by relaxing your muscles and improving chronic pain.)
• etc.

As you can see there are a ton of health benefits that saunas promote. For this reason we highly recommend using them in your daily health routine to maximize your efforts. They are simply amazing and can take your health to the next level.

How to Use A Sauna

Learning how to use a sauna properly is essential to maximizing your health and ensuring you don’t harm yourself. While saunas have a ton of health benefits, they can also kill you if not used properly. For this reason you should follow the below steps when sauna bathing.

• Turn On The Sauna Heater (Set temperature to 194ºF if in the United States.)
• Let Sauna Warm Up (Anywhere from 30-45 minutes.)
• Enter Sauna With Proper Clothing & Supplies (In light breathable clothing, water bottle, and towels.)
• Sit On Towel (To absorb your sweat.)
• Enjoy Sauna For 15-30 minutes (Take a break in between if you get too hot.)
• Shut Off Sauna
• Exit Sauna To Cool Down (Cool down for 5-15 minutes.)
• Take a Shower 

Sauna Safety Tips

While sauna bathing on a regular basis can be great for your health, they can still be detrimental if not used properly. To help you understand more the following are some sauna safety tips to consider when sauna bathing. Be sure to read each tip as you might be doing something you shouldn’t.

• Consult Your Doctor (Make sure you’re physically capable of using the sauna.)
• Stay Hydrated (Drink lots of water to stay hydrated over your sauna session.)
• Stay In Sauna For Maximum 30 Minutes (You should never sauna for over 30 minutes as this can overheat your body.)
• Don’t Fall Asleep While In The Sauna (The very rare deaths associated with saunas are due to people falling asleep while sauna bathing.)
• Give Yourself a Cool Down Period (Give your self a cool down period of 5-15 minutes between and after your sauna sessions.)
• Use Essential Oils (Essential oils have been proven to enhance your mood while also cleansing the sauna. Ask others before use.)
• Never Wear Metal Accessories (Metal earnings, necklaces, or bracelets can get very hot and burn your skin while in the sauna.)
• Never Sauna Bath While Intoxicated (You can become dehydrated or fall on the heater and burn yourself.)

Sauna Etiquette

Another important thing to learn is proper sauna etiquette. There is nothing more frustrating than people who are loud, smelly, or annoying because they don’t know proper sauna etiquette. Since this is such an important topic we recommend following each of the below steps and to simply just respect other fellow sauna bathers.

• Shower Before You Enter (Wether you just went for a run or just took a dip in the pool, you should always shower before you enter the sauna. This eliminates your bad B.O. and any chlorine you may have on your body)
• Close The Door Quickly (There is nothing worst then when someone exits the sauna and forgets to shut the door. In addition, don’t ever open the door to release heat because you’re too hot.)
• Sit On A Towel (Since saunas promote a very hot extreme environment you tend to sweat a lot. While this is the purpose of the sauna you should do you best to reduce the sweat you leave in the sauna. So sit on a towel and wipe up any excess sweat when you leave.)
• Try To Be Silent (While its okay to use your electronic devices in the sauna, you should never listen to music on a speaker. This is extremely distracting and takes the peace out of sauna bathing. In addition don’t make phone calls in the sauna and instead take them outside.)
• Eyes Low & Hands To Yourself (While not all facilities allow for nudity, the fact is many people use the sauna naked. For this reason you should keep your head down and eyes away from others. You don’t want to make someone uncomfortable just because you couldn’t stop looking at them.)
• Ask Before You Do Things (While we are a big believer in using sauna essential oils, the truth is some people are allergic to these compounds. For this reason you should always ask others before spraying essential oils in the sauna. In addition you should always ask for permission if you’re doing things that will affect other people in the sauna.)

Conclusion

In the end we hope this post helped informed you a little more on what saunas are, how they work, and how to use them. If you want to read more sauna information then please feel free to check out our blog. We write about everything sauna related and give out great sauna tips.