A sauna is relaxing and strengthens the immune system
Everything important is ready for the saunaWho invented it? Nope, not the Finns! Sweating enjoyment goes back to the Stone Age. Back then, people filled holes in the ground or caves with hot stones and poured water over them. Researchers believe that this was a cleansing ritual. The Romans took this primeval sauna a step further, improved the heating technology and put tiles in the sauna rooms. Steam baths originated in Islamic regions – a variation of the sauna. The temperature is lower and humidity far higher than as with the widespread Finnish saunas today.
It is said that nomads and merchants brought sauna culture from Asia to Finland. But, in winter, it was difficult to dig holes in the frozen ground. The Finnish solution that continues today: build wooden cabins.
The Finns love their saunas. Nearly every household has its own private “sweat room” – and the Finns are true sauna pioneers: At the Olympic Games in 1936 in Berlin, Finnish athletes requested that a sauna was built, thereby starting a trend in many European countries.
Saunas are especially popular in winter. The perspiration stimulates the immune system, improves circulation, detoxifies the body, and lowers blood pressure. Muscles are relaxed, the skin feels soft as velvet, and one’s spirit and sense of well-being is raised a little more with each session. Sauna temperatures range from about 176 to 212 degrees Fahrenheit. This increases the temperature of the skin to about 104 degrees Fahrenheit and the blood circulates twice as fast. A good workout for the heart because it has to pump faster. To prevent overheating, the body activates its own air conditioning system: sweat forms on the skin, detoxing the body.
For athletes, a sauna session after training is highly recommended: it stimulates muscle metabolism and prevents soreness. The Finnish athletes (7 Gold medals) had good reason to demand their sauna at the Olympic Games.
More about the hotel:
Romantik Hotel Jagdhaus Eiden am See, Bad Zwischenahn (DE)
11 hot sauna tips
Warm up
If you’re frozen stiff, it’s better to warm up a bit first, e.g. in a warm shower.
Short and intense
Better short and hot than lukewarm and long! The first session should last eight to twelve minutes; the second should not be longer than 15 minutes. Three sessions should be the maximum.
Take your position
The best position is to lie on your back. Then the body is in one temperature zone. Sit up about two minutes before the end of the sauna session. This stimulates circulation.
Water on the rocks
When water is poured on the hot rocks at the end of a session, the body receives an additional heat stimulus.
Cool off
Ideal after leaving the sauna: cooling off in fresh air. Then a cold shower.
No soap
Avoid using soap or shower gel after the last sauna session; that would dry out the skin. It’s better to just moisturise.
Relax
Plan to rest 20 minutes between sauna
sessions.
Empty stomach
Don’t eat anything an hour before starting your sauna as you otherwise may experience circulation problems. It’s best not to sauna if you have a cold or a fever.
No jewellery
Metal will get extremely hot in the sauna.
No pressure
If it gets too hot for you, you don’t have to stay. Sit further down or leave the sauna.
Drink plenty
Make sure you drink enough water to replace fluids lost from sweating after your last sauna session.