The History of Saunas
Author: JohnJohnson Total views: 22 Word Count: 546
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.
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. Many bathers continue to practice this today because the vihta stimulates the pores and cells, therefore improving blood circulation. Also, the pleasant birch scent aides in relaxation.
Saunas provide stress relief in two ways. One is the natural relaxation you'd experience when spending time in a dry or wet sauna. The other way in which a sauna relieves stress is by releasing chemicals from the body. When your skin heats up during a bath, large quantities of chemicals that cause stress are expelled from the body. Thus, in addition to reducing the amount of chemicals in the body, the sauna bath also slows the formation of chemicals.
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.
As more and more Finns moved to other countries, their customs moved with them, including the sauna. Cultures all over the world now enjoy the pleasure of the sauna. Today, many modern saunas have been improved further, from electric saunas to infrared saunas. The popularity of the sauna has only increased, and people from all over the globe now recognize and enjoy the benefits of the sauna.
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