Personal Modern Sauna

Personal Sauna

Few things feel as relaxing as time spent in your own personal sauna. More and more homeowners are adding the luxury of a home sauna which have become more affordable to buy and less expensive to operate thanks to improvements in materials and design. Modern personal saunas can be purchased as a single unit and many come in easy to assemble kit form. Also popular are small, portable saunas that can be moved to another location with little effort.

The sauna has been a stable in Scandinavia for many years based on the concept of using hot rocks to heat an enclosed space. Water would be applied to the stones thereby raising the relative humidity in the space enhancing the heat produced by the hot stones. Early saunas were not used for personal care but rather as a warm space to get out of the Scandinavian cold. In Finland, the sauna evolved as place to relax and cleanse impurities from the body and spirit. For over a thousand years, the Finns have made time spent in the humid warmth of the sauna as a chance to relax, meditate and even give birth to children. The use of sweat therapy and steam baths is also popular among other modern cultures including the Turks and Russians. Native Americans were known to use sweat lodges as part of cleansing and spiritual rituals.

The period after World War Two saw the development of sauna stoves that were electrically powered, replacing the wood burning stoves of previous designs. The principle of heating stones was retained and combined with the convenience of electricity. The electric heating systems again evolved this time taking advantage of infrared heating technology. Soldiers who saw service in Norway and Finland returned home touting the benefits of the sauna bath as the sauna was often referred to. The popularity of this healthy and relaxing pastime spread to North America and the rest of Europe.

Modern saunas have steadily gained in popularity and were once thought of as available only in health clubs, resorts and spas. Manufacturers have responded to the growing demand for home sauna units by developing personal saunas large enough for one to two people. Making use of electricity to supply heat, home saunas are clean to operate and modern insulating materials have increased energy efficiency. Many personal saunas feature a range of unique options like piped in music, aromatherapy dispensers and digital control systems.

modern sauna

A revolution in the personal home sauna is portable models that can be quickly and easily disassembled and reassembled in a new location with a minimum of effort. Consisting primarily of four wall sections, heater and control panel, these innovative units have an advantage over built in saunas not only because of their portability but the easy of installation. Modern digital controls help to hold very precise heat settings and some models offer off timers that automatically shut the unit off within a safe period of time. Many models are available that operate on normal 110 volt household electrical service and do not require any sort of special wiring, though some manufacturers recommend having a dedicated electrical circuit.

Sauna aficionados point to a variety of health benefits that can be had from regular use of a sauna. It is estimated that the body can burn up to one thousand calories an hour while in the sauna, though it recommended that no more than twenty to twenty five minutes should be spent in the sauna. It is said that exposure to the warm, moist air helps to detoxify the skin.

Modern Sauna

The use of the bath is, as might be anticipated, an exceedingly old custom. The fullest details we have with respect to the bathing habits of the ancients apply to its development under the Romans. Their bathing establishments consisted of four main sections, the undressing room, with an adjoining room in which the bathers were anointed; a cold room with provisions for a cold bath; a room heated to a moderate temperature that serves as preparation for the highest and lowest temperatures the bather might experience. Finally a sweating room which was a combination of a steam bath on one end and a hot water bath on the other. Scrapers of metal or animal horn were often used to scrape perspiration and impurities from the skin.

Over four thousand years ago the ancient Egyptians and Persians built grandiose bath houses out of fine marble and made a ritual out of daily bath. Hot water was provided and the bathing had less to do with washing and more to do with relaxation, reflection and socializing. The Greeks also made use of the natural hot springs found near the city state of Athens.

ancient bath

In Russia, at the turn of the twentieth century, a structure was commonly built that consisted of a single hall, built of wood, with a powerful metal oven in the middle. The large oven would be covered with stones and benches would be placed around the stones. Bathers would pour cold water on to the heated stones and thick cloud of steam would rise which caused the whole body to perspire. The bathers would be gently whipped with wet birch rods, rubbed with soap and washed with lukewarm and cold water. Bathers might even jump into a nearby pond or river or even roll in the snow.

The Turks, by religious belief, are obliged to make repeated daily ablutions or washings of the body. Public bath houses became common and customary and a favorite was a modification of the hot-air bath of the ancient Romans and Greeks and began to be referred to as a Turkish bath. The so-called Turkish bath became popular in other Muslim countries. A regular feature of the Turkish bath is the practice of kneading which is generally performed at the end of the seat bath. Kneading would involve as systematic pressing and squeezing of the entire body, the stretching of the joints as well as the fleshy and muscular parts of the body.

At the turn of twentieth century in America and other parts of the world, hot springs and medicinal springs were established and became popular places to treat people with various medical maladies, especially arthritis and rheumatism. There were several hundred of these hot springs resorts both in America and Europe and many still exist today as people seek the peace and relaxation of a steam or hot water bath. In the mid twentieth century, modern saunas and hot tubs allowed people to enjoy all the benefits of these ancient practices with more energy efficient designs and precise temperature controls.

Modern personal saunas and hot tubs have evolved once again as more and more people have discovered a way to enjoy what has for many centuries become a standard in many parts of the world. The benefit of owning a personal sauna or hot tub, is knowing that you can enjoy all the relaxing benefits without leaving home. Easy to assemble, install and maintain, these modern and improved versions of the ancient standard are affordable and oh so relaxing.