The Use and History of the Sauna
It is unknown exactly when the first sauna was built, but it can safely be said that saunas of one sort or another were in use by nomadic tribes in what is now Finland more than 1000 years ago. The original saunas were a tent in which a fire would be lit - after the fire went out, people would enter, similar to the sweat lodge of Native Americans.
From these beginnings, the smoke sauna evolved. These were small buildings with a fireplace. Smoke could exit through a small hole made in the roof but again, the fire had to die out before people could enter. These saunas were in use until the 1920s, when the modern style of sauna familiar to us came into use. Smoke saunas have seen a small revival in their country of origin, with many Finns considering these to provide the best sauna experience possible.
By the 1930s, a new type of sauna stove was introduced. This sauna stove allowed the rocks to be heated without being placed directly over the flames of the fire. This meant that the fire could burn while the sauna was being used. The earliest stoves of this type used wood as a fuel but later models used electricity.
Different Types of Saunas
Saunas can be built in many shapes and styles. They can be separate buildings or they can be installed in a house or apartment. Traditional saunas are wooden structures and are as beautiful as they are functional.
The popularity of saunas all over the world has brought about a lot of new designs, including the innovative portable sauna. These are collapsible saunas which can be easily transported and used nearly anywhere. These saunas are big enough for one person to use - your head and hands are outside of the sauna, so you can read or do other things while in the sauna.
The barrel sauna is another style. These saunas are small cabins which are built much like a barrel (i.e staves and hoops) and can seat as many as eight people. A barrel sauna can be built either inside or outside and can use either an electrical heater or a wood burning stove.
The 1960's saw the first infrared sauna with an infrared heater as its source of heat. Infrared heaters work by heating objects and people but not the air, unlike traditional sauna heaters. Infrared saunas use an infrared light and those who use it agree to the superior benefits of health compared with traditional saunas.
Sauna Construction Details
Wood is the main component of nearly every type of sauna. Cedar or hemlocks are some of the types of wood used for the floors, benches, walls and ceilings of a sauna. The stove and the rocks it heats are the only non-wood materials.
Saunas provide dry heat at a temperature between 70 and 100 Celsius. Water can be thrown on the rocks to raise the temperature as desired and to generate steam.
A sauna can use either electric heat or a wood burning stove. While wood stoves are usual in rural settings, urban sauna owners generally opt for electric heat.
It is unknown exactly when the first sauna was built, but it can safely be said that saunas of one sort or another were in use by nomadic tribes in what is now Finland more than 1000 years ago. The original saunas were a tent in which a fire would be lit - after the fire went out, people would enter, similar to the sweat lodge of Native Americans.
From these beginnings, the smoke sauna evolved. These were small buildings with a fireplace. Smoke could exit through a small hole made in the roof but again, the fire had to die out before people could enter. These saunas were in use until the 1920s, when the modern style of sauna familiar to us came into use. Smoke saunas have seen a small revival in their country of origin, with many Finns considering these to provide the best sauna experience possible.
By the 1930s, a new type of sauna stove was introduced. This sauna stove allowed the rocks to be heated without being placed directly over the flames of the fire. This meant that the fire could burn while the sauna was being used. The earliest stoves of this type used wood as a fuel but later models used electricity.
Different Types of Saunas
Saunas can be built in many shapes and styles. They can be separate buildings or they can be installed in a house or apartment. Traditional saunas are wooden structures and are as beautiful as they are functional.
The popularity of saunas all over the world has brought about a lot of new designs, including the innovative portable sauna. These are collapsible saunas which can be easily transported and used nearly anywhere. These saunas are big enough for one person to use - your head and hands are outside of the sauna, so you can read or do other things while in the sauna.
The barrel sauna is another style. These saunas are small cabins which are built much like a barrel (i.e staves and hoops) and can seat as many as eight people. A barrel sauna can be built either inside or outside and can use either an electrical heater or a wood burning stove.
The 1960's saw the first infrared sauna with an infrared heater as its source of heat. Infrared heaters work by heating objects and people but not the air, unlike traditional sauna heaters. Infrared saunas use an infrared light and those who use it agree to the superior benefits of health compared with traditional saunas.
Sauna Construction Details
Wood is the main component of nearly every type of sauna. Cedar or hemlocks are some of the types of wood used for the floors, benches, walls and ceilings of a sauna. The stove and the rocks it heats are the only non-wood materials.
Saunas provide dry heat at a temperature between 70 and 100 Celsius. Water can be thrown on the rocks to raise the temperature as desired and to generate steam.
A sauna can use either electric heat or a wood burning stove. While wood stoves are usual in rural settings, urban sauna owners generally opt for electric heat.
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