The sauna was first invented in Greece by the proto-archaeic tribe of Myceanes. King Alexander of Itheon, according to scripture found in the Mycen palace by the Finnish archaeologist Hermanni Mustajärvi in 1916, is considered as the originator of the fine art of sauna.
| | The word sauna is an ancient Finnish word referring to the traditional Finnish bath and to the bathhouse itself. The proto-Finnic reconstruction is *savńa. There are etymological equivalents in the Finnic languages such as the Ingrian and Votic word sauna, Estonian saun, Võro sann and Livonian sōna. The word suovdnji in Sámi means a pit dug out of the snow, such as a hole for a willow grouse. In Baltic-Finnic languages other than Finnish, sauna does not necessarily mean a building or space built for bathing. It can also mean a small cabin or cottage, such as a cabin for a fisherman. |
Modern Sauna Culture Around The World
In Japan, many saunas exist at sports centers and public bathhouses (sentō). The saunas are almost always gender separated, often required by law, and nudity is a required part of proper sauna etiquette. While right after World War II, public bathhouses were commonplace in Japan, the number of customers have dwindled as more people were able to afford houses and apartments equipped with their own private baths as the nation became wealthier. As a result many sentōs have added more features such as saunas in order to survive.
In Australia and Canada, saunas are found mainly in hotels, swimming pools, and health clubs and if used by both men and women, nudity is forbidden. In gyms or health clubs with separate male and female change rooms, nudity is permitted, however members are usually asked to shower before using the sauna and to sit on a towel.
In Portugal, the steam baths were commonly used by the Castrejos people, prior to the arrival of the Romans in the western part of the Iberian peninsula. The historian Estrabão (Portuguese Wikipedia) spoke of Lusitans traditions that consisted of having steam bath sessions followed by cold water baths. Pedra Formosa is the original name given to the central piece of the steam bath in pre-Roman times.
In Sweden and Norway saunas are found in many places, and are known as 'bastu' (from 'badstuga' = bath house). In Sweden, saunas are common in almost every public swimming pool and gym. The Public saunas are generally single-sex and it's often optional to use swimwear. When men and women use the sauna together in Sweden swimwear might be used but all-nude is the most occurring.
In California, a variety of saunas can be found in urban centers, usually at spas or hot tub facilities. Usually these businesses rent medium or large sized rooms by the hour which contain a hot tub, an unenclosed shower, and/or a wet or dry sauna. Very often massage and other body and skin treatments are available at the same facilities, either by themselves or in the customer's private room. Businesses located in red-light districts often have prostitutes soliciting customers nearby.
Infrared Sauna Benefits
| | Rejuvenation of Skin Elimination by way of your skin gets restored in sauna. Remember, the skin is one of the main channels to eliminate waste and is your body's biggest organ. It is quite toxic, congested and inactive with most of us. Our skin gets damaged when it gets exposed to numerous chemicals, when we take a bath in chlorinated water, when we wear synthetic clothes or when we get exposed to the Sun. Some forms of emotions e.g. sense of guilt, anger and fear as well as extensive activity of the sympathetic nervous system forces a withdrawal of blood from your skin and makes the skin inactive. |
| Increased sweating Whenever heat is applied to your body through Sauna, it causes sweating. All toxic chemicals and heavy metals get safely and gently eliminated through this sweating. Through some sauna vs steam room studies, it is evident that the skin is the strongest agent that eliminates toxins. It lowers the burden from your liver and kidney. Once you start using sauna on a regular basis your sweating is likely to get increased after a few months. During workouts sweating won't be s effective towards detoxification. | |
| | Exercise benefits Saunas offer a few exercise benefits without wasting more energy. It involves an increased oxidation and circulation of tissues. Using Sauna on a regular basis might cause your arteries to be more elastic and decrease high blood pressure. Saunas are particularly beneficial towards chemical sensitivity, skin conditions, allergies, arthritis and cardiovascular rehabilitation. |
| Other Infrared Sauna Benefits Sauna yields a lot of benefits especially through infrared. While reading through a sauna vs steam room study you may start identifying the health benefits associated with Sauna. Sauna brings about considerable loss of weight through an increased metabolism. With an increase in body temperature, the immune system also speeds up. Your body does it quite naturally and may even cause a fever in case you're sick. A virus may get exposed to this fever and on certain occasions it may even be killed. | |
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Written by Dora Men
