SaunaScape

It is winter, and if you are like me, your skin now is as white as the snow. I have no problem with my white skin that comes with my northern European heritage. Many people, though, would rather have more color on their skin, especially when you are planning to bare most of it on a spa day.  Dozens of bottles of sunless tanning lotions  are waiting for you at your local drugstore that promise to make you look like you just returned from the beaches of Aruba. If you’re willing to spend more, you might opt for a session in a spray-tan booth or an airbrush tan from your local salon.

But what happens when you go in the sauna with a new sunless tan? Will it end up streaked? Will it wash off in one large oil slick when you get into the hot tub? Will it change to an odd shade of orange, making you look more like a Muppet? Let’s take a look at sunless tans and what happens to them in the sauna.

Types suntans

Before you can guess what will happen to your tan, you have to figure out what you are using to make your skin look tanned. There are two major types of product available today, sunless tanners and bronzers. Manufacturers can put any name they want on their bottle, so unless you read the instructions and ingredients, you may not know what you are really getting.

A true suntan

The look that sunless tanners try to simulate is that of a real suntan. When you lay in the sun or on a tanning bed, you are exposing your skin to ultra-violet (UV) rays. Inside your skin is a chemical called melanin. When the UV rays hit melanin molecules in your skin, they immediately turn brown. This process stimulates your body to produce more melanin, which darkens your skin in the areas exposed to the sun.

A true suntan affects all the layers of your skin. In most areas of your you have about five layers of skin cells. Approximately every week your skin makes a new layer of skin cells inside your body, which push the older layers to the surface. The oldest layer, which is on the outside of your skin is about a month old. To protect your body from dirt and disease, these skin cells eventually wear off as you exfoliate. Since a real suntan occurs through all the layers in your skin, it can last for about a month after you’ve last seen the sun. Sunless tanners try to simulate this look, but cannot penetrate deep inside your skin.

A sauna or steam room will not affect a regular suntan. Saunas and steam rooms do not give off any UV radiation. So using a sauna or steam room will not give you a suntan or increase the body’s production of melanin. A sauna will help promote exfoliation, so if you haven’t seen the sun in a while, a sauna or steam bath can speed up the loss of your bronzed color by a few days as that outer layer of tanned skin cells goes away. However, that loss of color was going to happen anyway.

Bronzers

Bronzers are the quickest way to get a tanned look. These are usually just a skin lotion with some dye in them. You can tell you have a bottle of bronzer when the instructions tell you not to wear clothing over your tanned skin. Many “airbrush” tans done at salons and spas are also done with bronzers. Here are some examples of bronzers on Amazon.

Many bronzers are nothing more than makeup. If you wash the area where you’ve used them, the color will come off. Others have a more permanent dye in them to change the color of your skin’s surface. As this outside layer of skin comes off, so does all the color. These can give your fake tan a blotchy appearance as the outside layer of your skin comes off unevenly.

You definitely don’t want to  use a bronzer if your plans include a sauna. If your bronzer is the makeup type, your sweat from the sauna can cause it to run like mascara, leaving you with unattractive streaks in your tan and causing you to leave strange brown stains on everything you touch. Strange brown stains are definitely not welcome on the towel you wrap around your body.  If you jump into the hot tub after your sauna bath, you could end up leaving your whole “tan” behind as an oily slick on top of the water. All of these options are much less attractive than pasty white skin.

If your bottle of bronzer is the dye type, it might not embarrass you, but as you go through the exfoliating process of the sauna, your “tan” will come off unevenly. You’ll have a patchy look as your “tan” goes away in some places, but stays dark in others.

Sunless tanning products

A true sunless tanning product usually has a chemical called dihydroxyacetone or DHA, though a few other compounds are used.  Chemicals like DHA react with the outer layers of your skin and causes a chemical reaction that makes it change color over the course of a few hours. The reaction is similar to what happens to the flesh of a cut apple when you leave it exposed to the air. Here are some examples of sunless tanning lotions on Amazon.

You don’t have to worry about a sunless tanner washing off once it sets. The change to your skin color is permanent. However, some sunless tanning lotions also include a bronzer. This serves two purposes. The bronzer gives you an instant “tan” so you don’t have to wait for the reaction to take place. It also helps you see what parts of your skin you’ve covered and which ones you haven’t. All sunless tanning products take several hours for the reaction to take place. You definitely want to stay out of the sauna until the reaction is complete and wash away all the remaining bronzer on your skin to avoid leaving mysterious brown stains on everything you touch.

As we discussed above, the outside layers of your skin only stay on your body for about a week. Most sunless tanning products recommend you fully exfoliate the areas where you plan to use them before applying. This ensures you get the longest and most even “tan” possible. Since the outside skin layer will be “tanned” the most, when you lose this layer of your skin, you’ll also lose most of your “tan.”

Getting a good sweat going in the sauna or steam room, then rubbing your body with a loofah, brush, or getting a Korean body scrub are great ways to get a full body exfoliation in preparation for a sunless tanner. Of course, it is also a great way to quickly remove a sunless tan. Again, since these products affect just the outside layers of your skin, using a sauna or steam room can make a fresh sunless tan appear blotchy as different areas of your skin, like those that are regularly in contact with waistbands, bra straps and other clothing, are thicker and exfoliate more quickly than other areas.

Another problem with sunless tanning lotions is they do not work equally well on all areas of your body. The skin on your face, hands, feet, elbows, knees and pubic area is different from the skin on the rest of your body. These areas do not respond well to the sunless tanning lotion, leaving you with unnatural “tan lines” or they discolor your skin in those areas unevenly making it look dirty instead of tanned. Sunless tanning products also do not work well on stretch marks and other areas of scar tissue, so they can highlight these problem areas. Keep this in mind if you want an all-over “tan” before you go naked in your sauna.

So if you really feel you need to darken your skin and you can’t lay out or get to a tanning bed, a sunless tanner is a better option than a bronzer. Make sure you exfoliate very well before you use it, or else your sauna or steam room will make it go away quickly. Better still is to use your sunless tanning product right after a good exfoliating session in the sauna or steam room. Your “tan” will last the longest and should have the most even appearance as it ages.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Sunless tans are great, but how will they react to the sauna or steam room? Image via Flickr."][/caption] It is winter, and if you are like me, your skin now is as white as the snow. I have no problem with my white skin that comes with my northern European heritage. Many people, though, would rather have more color on their skin, especially when you are planning to bare most of it on a spa day.  Dozens of bottles of sunless tanning lotions  are waiting for you at your local drugstore that promise to make you look like you just returned from the beaches of Aruba. If you're willing to spend more, you might opt for a session in a spray-tan booth or an airbrush tan from your local salon. But what happens when you go in the sauna with a new sunless tan? Will it end up streaked? Will it wash off in one large oil slick when you get into the hot tub? Will it change to an odd shade of orange, making you look more like a Muppet? Let's take a look at sunless tans and what happens to them in the sauna. Types suntans Before you can guess what will happen to your tan, you have to figure out what you are using to make your skin look tanned. There are two major types of product available today, sunless tanners and bronzers. Manufacturers can put any name they want on their bottle, so unless you read the instructions and ingredients, you may not know what you are really getting. A true suntan The look that sunless tanners try to simulate is that of a real suntan. When you lay in the sun or on a tanning bed, you are exposing your skin to ultra-violet (UV) rays. Inside your skin is a chemical called melanin. When the UV rays hit melanin molecules in your skin, they immediately turn brown. This process stimulates your body to produce more melanin, which darkens your skin in the areas exposed to the sun. A true suntan affects all the layers of your skin. In most areas of your you have about five layers of skin cells. Approximately every week your skin makes a new layer of skin cells inside your body, which push the older layers to the surface. The oldest layer, which is on the outside of your skin is about a month old. To protect your body from dirt and disease, these skin cells eventually wear off as you exfoliate. Since a real suntan occurs through all the layers in your skin, it can last for about a month after you've last seen the sun. Sunless tanners try to simulate this look, but cannot penetrate deep inside your skin. A sauna or steam room will not affect a regular suntan. Saunas and steam rooms do not give off any UV radiation. So using a sauna or steam room will not give you a suntan or increase the body's production of melanin. A sauna will help promote exfoliation, so if you haven't seen the sun in a while, a sauna or steam bath can speed up the loss of your bronzed color by a few days as that outer layer of tanned skin cells goes away. However, that loss of color was going to happen anyway. Bronzers Bronzers are the quickest way to get a tanned look. These are usually just a skin lotion with some dye in them. You can tell you have a bottle of bronzer when the instructions tell you not to wear clothing over your tanned skin. Many "airbrush" tans done at salons and spas are also done with bronzers. Here are some examples of bronzers on Amazon. Many bronzers are nothing more than makeup. If you wash the area where you've used them, the color will come off. Others have a more permanent dye in them to change the color of your skin's surface. As this outside layer of skin comes off, so does all the color. These can give your fake tan a blotchy appearance as the outside layer of your skin comes off unevenly. You definitely don't want to  use a bronzer if your plans include a sauna. If your bronzer is the makeup type, your sweat from the sauna can cause it to run like mascara, leaving you with unattractive streaks in your tan and causing you to leave strange brown stains on everything you touch. Strange brown stains are definitely not welcome on the towel you wrap around your body.  If you jump into the hot tub after your sauna bath, you could end up leaving your whole "tan" behind as an oily slick on top of the water. All of these options are much less attractive than pasty white skin. If your bottle of bronzer is the dye type, it might not embarrass you, but as you go through the exfoliating process of the sauna, your "tan" will come off unevenly. You'll have a patchy look as your "tan" goes away in some places, but stays dark in others. Sunless tanning products A true sunless tanning product usually has a chemical called dihydroxyacetone or DHA, though a few other compounds are used.  Chemicals like DHA react with the outer layers of your skin and causes a chemical reaction that makes it change color over the course of a few hours. The reaction is similar to what happens to the flesh of a cut apple when you leave it exposed to the air. Here are some examples of sunless tanning lotions on Amazon. You don't have to worry about a sunless tanner washing off once it sets. The change to your skin color is permanent. However, some sunless tanning lotions also include a bronzer. This serves two purposes. The bronzer gives you an instant "tan" so you don't have to wait for the reaction to take place. It also helps you see what parts of your skin you've covered and which ones you haven't. All sunless tanning products take several hours for the reaction to take place. You definitely want to stay out of the sauna until the reaction is complete and wash away all the remaining bronzer on your skin to avoid leaving mysterious brown stains on everything you touch. As we discussed above, the outside layers of your skin only stay on your body for about a week. Most sunless tanning products recommend you fully exfoliate the areas where you plan to use them before applying. This ensures you get the longest and most even "tan" possible. Since the outside skin layer will be "tanned" the most, when you lose this layer of your skin, you'll also lose most of your "tan." Getting a good sweat going in the sauna or steam room, then rubbing your body with a loofah, brush, or getting a Korean body scrub are great ways to get a full body exfoliation in preparation for a sunless tanner. Of course, it is also a great way to quickly remove a sunless tan. Again, since these products affect just the outside layers of your skin, using a sauna or steam room can make a fresh sunless tan appear blotchy as different areas of your skin, like those that are regularly in contact with waistbands, bra straps and other clothing, are thicker and exfoliate more quickly than other areas. Another problem with sunless tanning lotions is they do not work equally well on all areas of your body. The skin on your face, hands, feet, elbows, knees and pubic area is different from the skin on the rest of your body. These areas do not respond well to the sunless tanning lotion, leaving you with unnatural "tan lines" or they discolor your skin in those areas unevenly making it look dirty instead of tanned. Sunless tanning products also do not work well on stretch marks and other areas of scar tissue, so they can highlight these problem areas. Keep this in mind if you want an all-over "tan" before you go naked in your sauna. So if you really feel you need to darken your skin and you can't lay out or get to a tanning bed, a sunless tanner is a better option than a bronzer. Make sure you exfoliate very well before you use it, or else your sauna or steam room will make it go away quickly. Better still is to use your sunless tanning product right after a good exfoliating session in the sauna or steam room. Your "tan" will last the longest and should have the most even appearance as it ages.

A reader wrote us this question:

Dear SaunaScape:

I’m going to a resort with some friends this weekend. In the spa area, they have a sauna. I’ve never used one before. There is one in my gym locker room and I don’t use it because it intimidates me. I don’t want to make a sauna faux-pas.

What is the etiquette for using a public sauna or a steam room like this?

Thank you,

Jordan

Jordan:

You shouldn’t get anxious about the sauna. It is a place to relax and do what is comfortable. Yes, it is a new experience for a lot of people, but as long as you remember the golden rule – Do unto others as you would have them do unto you – you’ll be just fine.

If you are looking for some more specific rules, here is our top ten list of the most important etiquette rules consider when using a public sauna or steam bath:

10. Close the door.

Nothing upsets me more than when I am getting a good sweat on and someone else gets up to leave and does not close the door behind them. Nearly as bad is when someone is on their way in, and stops to chat with someone else while holding the door open.

When the sauna door is open, it does not take long for the heat to spill out of the sauna. It’s even worse in a steam room. If your gym or resort was stingy while sizing their sauna heater, it may take ten minutes or more for the sauna to recover from the door being open for just a minute.

If you are going in or out, please do it quickly, and make sure the door closes firmly behind you.

9. Sit on a towel.

Nothing is worse than walking into a sauna and having to find a spot to sit among the sweaty body prints others have left on the sauna bench. Saunas are not hot enough to kill germs, and in a high-use area like a public sauna, there may be a sealant or a protective barrier of gunk that neutralizes the disinfecting properties of wood.

Bring a towel in the sauna or steam room that is large enough to make a barrier between your body and the benches. If you’re sitting upright, a hand towel is big enough. If you’re going to lay down, you probably need a beach towel. It will protect you from what others have left behind, and keep you from leaving things behind.

Make sure you have a second towel that you leave outside the sauna to dry off with afterwards. You won’t want to use a sauna towel, and you can’t use a steam room towel to dry off after you’re done.

8. The sauna is not a clothes dryer.

There is a person at my gym who believes that the sauna is his personal clothes dryer. He does cardio, then goes for a swim. He brings in his sweaty clothes, wet bathing suit and towel and hangs them on the railing around the sauna stove to dry while he showers. Please, whatever you do, don’t do this.

7. Silence is golden.

I use the sauna as my place for relaxation and introspection. If you are going to talk, please do it quietly. Of course, if it is your own sauna, or you have the sauna to yourself, you can yak it up if you want. Just respect that in a public place, other people may want quiet.

6. If it’s in a locker room, it’s OK to got naked.

It seems like  Tobias Fünke wrote most sauna etiquette guides. Most begin with a rant against seeing other people’s naked bodies in locker rooms. I’m going to rant the other way: It’s a locker room. You’re supposed to change clothes in there, which means you need to get naked in there. Until the early 1970′s, many high school and YMCA swimming pools throughout the US and Canada expected men to swim naked. Now, proper decorum says we aren’t supposed to show our bodies to anyone.  This ad  is indecent (but not this one).

They call it a sauna bath for a reason. You wouldn’t complain about people being naked in the shower, would you? So if the sauna is in an area where you can be naked, then go naked in the sauna! It’s more hygienic and better for you too.

By the way, a sweat suit or a sauna suit is never appropriate attire for the sauna. If you don’t want to get naked, see our post on what to wear in the sauna.

5. Keep your hands and eyes to yourself.

I may sauna naked, or with very little clothing. That does not mean that I amshowing off for anyone else. The Finns have a saying, “behave in a sauna like you would in church.” I’ve been in a number of saunas and seen some things that definitely aren’t church-like.

My attitude is, that if someone is coming on to someone else in the sauna, it isn’t hot enough. I go looking for the thermostat to turn up the heat. In a proper sauna, you can’t think about anything except “can I stay in here another minute?”

4. Leave your electronics outside.

The sauna isn’t good for your electronics, but electronics also aren’t good for the sauna. The heat and humidity (yes, even if it’s a dry sauna) in the sauna will damage your phone, iPod or other gizmo. The etiquette problem is nearly every device has a camera these days. I don’t know if you are just browsing through your music collection or if you’re taking photos of me. I’d rather not have to ask. The other problem is your music. Yes, you’re listening to it on earphones, but if it is quiet in the sauna, I’m probably going to hear most of it. And really, if that phone call is so important, why are you taking it in the sauna?

Use your gizmo while you’re working out, but leave it in your locker when you take a sauna.

3. No spitting on the rocks.

I’ve seen this happen before. I shouldn’t have to write it. Just don’t do it.

2. Shower before you sauna.

Reading through other sauna etiquette posts on the internet, it is amazing how many people see nudity as dirty, but don’t see dirt as dirty. I’ve seen it at my gym too: people remove their sweaty workout clothes to reveal a sweaty swimsuit underneath and head straight for the sauna. Or someone comes right out of the pool and heads straight into the sauna.

If you’ve been swimming, there is chlorine on your body that will volatilize in the sauna and can irritate everyone’s eyes and lungs who shares the sauna with you. If you have been out in public, your perfume or some other smell you picked up throughout your day will become stronger and more pungent in the sauna.

Be considerate to the others who use the sauna with you: Take a shower first. If you’re wearing a swimsuit or some other clothing in the sauna, take it off while you shower.

Don’t forget to take at least a quick rinse off after you sauna before you get into the pool.

1. Remember to ask first before you do anything that affects me.

This is a public sauna, and I’m going to share it with you. I may like what you want to do, like splashing water on the rocks, or using that secret trick that sends the heater into overdrive. I may not care about others, like if you prepare some secret skin rub that you’re going to use or if you’re going to exercise in the sauna. Or, I may not want to stay, and may ask you to wait until I leave before you start.

This is a public place. I have as much right to enjoy the sauna the way I want to as you do. If they conflict, let’s talk about it and find a way we both can live with. Everyone will be better off that way.

Keep in mind, these are the general rules for a public sauna. If you are lucky enough to have your own, you can make your own rules. If you are a guest in someone else’s sauna, then you should ask them what their rules are before making assumptions.

Good Luck!

What is your opinion of sauna etiquette in your gym’s locker room? Take our poll and let us know!

 

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="240" caption="Photo of the Kotiharju Public Sauna in Helsinki. Image by Sami Oinonen via Flickr"][/caption] A reader wrote us this question: Dear SaunaScape: I'm going to a resort with some friends this weekend. In the spa area, they have a sauna. I've never used one before. There is one in my gym locker room and I don't use it because it intimidates me. I don't want to make a sauna faux-pas. What is the etiquette for using a public sauna or a steam room like this? Thank you, Jordan Jordan: You shouldn't get anxious about the sauna. It is a place to relax and do what is comfortable. Yes, it is a new experience for a lot of people, but as long as you remember the golden rule – Do unto others as you would have them do unto you – you'll be just fine. If you are looking for some more specific rules, here is our top ten list of the most important etiquette rules consider when using a public sauna or steam bath: 10. Close the door. Nothing upsets me more than when I am getting a good sweat on and someone else gets up to leave and does not close the door behind them. Nearly as bad is when someone is on their way in, and stops to chat with someone else while holding the door open. When the sauna door is open, it does not take long for the heat to spill out of the sauna. It's even worse in a steam room. If your gym or resort was stingy while sizing their sauna heater, it may take ten minutes or more for the sauna to recover from the door being open for just a minute. If you are going in or out, please do it quickly, and make sure the door closes firmly behind you. 9. Sit on a towel. Nothing is worse than walking into a sauna and having to find a spot to sit among the sweaty body prints others have left on the sauna bench. Saunas are not hot enough to kill germs, and in a high-use area like a public sauna, there may be a sealant or a protective barrier of gunk that neutralizes the disinfecting properties of wood. Bring a towel in the sauna or steam room that is large enough to make a barrier between your body and the benches. If you're sitting upright, a hand towel is big enough. If you're going to lay down, you probably need a beach towel. It will protect you from what others have left behind, and keep you from leaving things behind. Make sure you have a second towel that you leave outside the sauna to dry off with afterwards. You won't want to use a sauna towel, and you can't use a steam room towel to dry off after you're done. 8. The sauna is not a clothes dryer. There is a person at my gym who believes that the sauna is his personal clothes dryer. He does cardio, then goes for a swim. He brings in his sweaty clothes, wet bathing suit and towel and hangs them on the railing around the sauna stove to dry while he showers. Please, whatever you do, don't do this. 7. Silence is golden. I use the sauna as my place for relaxation and introspection. If you are going to talk, please do it quietly. Of course, if it is your own sauna, or you have the sauna to yourself, you can yak it up if you want. Just respect that in a public place, other people may want quiet. 6. If it's in a locker room, it's OK to got naked. It seems like  Tobias Fünke wrote most sauna etiquette guides. Most begin with a rant against seeing other people's naked bodies in locker rooms. I'm going to rant the other way: It's a locker room. You're supposed to change clothes in there, which means you need to get naked in there. Until the early 1970's, many high school and YMCA swimming pools throughout the US and Canada expected men to swim naked. Now, proper decorum says we aren't supposed to show our bodies to anyone.  This ad  is indecent (but not this one). They call it a sauna bath for a reason. You wouldn't complain about people being naked in the shower, would you? So if the sauna is in an area where you can be naked, then go naked in the sauna! It's more hygienic and better for you too. By the way, a sweat suit or a sauna suit is never appropriate attire for the sauna. If you don't want to get naked, see our post on what to wear in the sauna. 5. Keep your hands and eyes to yourself. I may sauna naked, or with very little clothing. That does not mean that I amshowing off for anyone else. The Finns have a saying, "behave in a sauna like you would in church." I've been in a number of saunas and seen some things that definitely aren't church-like. My attitude is, that if someone is coming on to someone else in the sauna, it isn't hot enough. I go looking for the thermostat to turn up the heat. In a proper sauna, you can't think about anything except "can I stay in here another minute?" 4. Leave your electronics outside. The sauna isn't good for your electronics, but electronics also aren't good for the sauna. The heat and humidity (yes, even if it's a dry sauna) in the sauna will damage your phone, iPod or other gizmo. The etiquette problem is nearly every device has a camera these days. I don't know if you are just browsing through your music collection or if you're taking photos of me. I'd rather not have to ask. The other problem is your music. Yes, you're listening to it on earphones, but if it is quiet in the sauna, I'm probably going to hear most of it. And really, if that phone call is so important, why are you taking it in the sauna? Use your gizmo while you're working out, but leave it in your locker when you take a sauna. 3. No spitting on the rocks. I've seen this happen before. I shouldn't have to write it. Just don't do it. 2. Shower before you sauna. Reading through other sauna etiquette posts on the internet, it is amazing how many people see nudity as dirty, but don't see dirt as dirty. I've seen it at my gym too: people remove their sweaty workout clothes to reveal a sweaty swimsuit underneath and head straight for the sauna. Or someone comes right out of the pool and heads straight into the sauna. If you've been swimming, there is chlorine on your body that will volatilize in the sauna and can irritate everyone's eyes and lungs who shares the sauna with you. If you have been out in public, your perfume or some other smell you picked up throughout your day will become stronger and more pungent in the sauna. Be considerate to the others who use the sauna with you: Take a shower first. If you're wearing a swimsuit or some other clothing in the sauna, take it off while you shower. Don't forget to take at least a quick rinse off after you sauna before you get into the pool. 1. Remember to ask first before you do anything that affects me. This is a public sauna, and I'm going to share it with you. I may like what you want to do, like splashing water on the rocks, or using that secret trick that sends the heater into overdrive. I may not care about others, like if you prepare some secret skin rub that you're going to use or if you're going to exercise in the sauna. Or, I may not want to stay, and may ask you to wait until I leave before you start. This is a public place. I have as much right to enjoy the sauna the way I want to as you do. If they conflict, let's talk about it and find a way we both can live with. Everyone will be better off that way. Keep in mind, these are the general rules for a public sauna. If you are lucky enough to have your own, you can make your own rules. If you are a guest in someone else's sauna, then you should ask them what their rules are before making assumptions. Good Luck! What is your opinion of sauna etiquette in your gym's locker room? Take our poll and let us know! What would you wear in a locker room sauna? Public OpinionView Results  

I was in a hotel a few weeks ago, and they had one of those magnifying mirrors in the bathroom. As I was brushing my teeth, I got a glimpse of a close-up view of my nose. Gross! I’m not typically a vain person, but I changed my morning plans and headed out to the nearest drugstore to buy a box of nose strips so I wouldn’t offend the client I was about to visit.

Once your eyes open to what your nose looks like at 10x magnification, you can’t ignore it anymore. I noticed that the strips would clean the blackheads out of my nose for a couple of days, but pretty soon, it would be back to its same yucky appearance. Sure the nose strips worked, but they are expensive, and leave a glue-like residue on your nose. There has to be a better way I thought.

There is. The sauna is the best exercise for your skin. If you use it correctly, you can sauna away your blackheads, pimples and other skin blemishes.

Using a sauna to clear your acne

To get started, you need a sauna. If you don’t have one at your gym or spa, you can find a public one in our database, or search for a hotel sauna if you’ll be traveling. Any type of sauna will work for this: A conventional Finnish-style sauna, an infrared sauna, or even a steam room or steam sauna all work well. It just needs to get your body hot enough to sweat.

To do this, you need:

• A bathing suit (or less if you’re comfortable), because you’re going to get wet;
• Two towels: one to sit on in the sauna, and one to dry off with;
• A brush, loofah, or rough cloth to exfoliate your skin; and
• Your preferred soap or facial cleanser.

To begin, take a hot shower and wash your acne problem area with your soap or cleanser. Make sure to rinse all the soap off well when you finish. Many cleansers can leave a residue that can promote acne. After your shower, dry yourself off.

Now head into the sauna. Lay your towel on the bench and relax. If you want, splash some water on the rocks to increase the sensation of heat. Wait until your body starts sweating.

If you’ve never used the sauna before, you may feel a some of moisture on your forehead just after you enter. This is most likely condensation and not sweat. Depending on the heat of the sauna, it may take 5-10 minutes before your body starts really sweating. You will know when, because sweat will be pouring out of every square inch of your skin.

Now that your sweat is flowing, take your exfoliating device of choice, and gently rub at the surface skin of all your problem areas. All that sweat will mobilize your sebum and mobilize all the dirt, dead skin and other contaminants that might be in your skin. When you are done exfoliating, stay in the sauna for another minute or two and let your sweat continue to do its magic.

Once you finish in the sauna, or if the heat gets to be too much for you, head back to the showers. Start with a warm shower and rinse your skin clean. When you have done that, turn the shower to as cold as is comfortable, and stand under it until you feel like the deluge of sweating has stopped. Don’t use soap or other cleansers.

When you are done, towel dry again and take a break until you have stopped sweating. Take a drink, go for a walk, just sit and relax or even go for a swim if there is a pool available. Your body needs to recover from your first sauna round.

Once you feel like you are back to normal, head back into the sauna again. You should start sweating more quickly this time. Again, once your whole body sweat starts, exfoliate that problem area another time, sweat it out and shower off to cool down. When you are showering, resist the temptation to use soap. If you typically put on lotion after a shower, resist that temptation too. You will find that after a sauna, all of your skin’s natural oils have done the job for you.

When you look at your problem area in the mirror, you will find that your skin is more clear than ever before. A sauna session like this at least twice a week will keep your skin clear for a lot less money than some of those fancy cleansers will.

Your skin: close up

To understand how a sauna removes acne, it helps to take a closer look at your skin. There are two major types of glands in your skin that secrete substances to help it: Sweat glands and sebaceous glands.

Sebaceous glands surround your hair follicles and secrete a waxy substance, called sebum, onto the surface of your skin. Sebum is unlike any other substance your body secretes, and all of its purposes are still not well understood by the medical community. Sebum helps protect your skin by moisturizing it and providing nutrients directly to the surface skin cells. It also helps repel water from your skin when you are cold, but also keeps your sweat from rolling off when you are hot. Some even believe it has antibacterial properties that protect your skin from disease.

The problems come when your sebaceous glands get blocked. There are many things that can block them: dead skin, cosmetics, bacteria, even a poor diet. If the blockage is at the surface of your skin, you get a blackhead. If the blockage is underneath, you get a whitehead, pimple or a boil.

The Sauna and Sebum

When you heat up your skin with a sauna, it does several things for you that can help get rid of your acne. Raising the temperature makes sebum more fluid causing it to flow. Also, when you start sweating, the sweat released softens your skin and mixes with the sebum to make it more fluid.

When you exfoliate your skin in the sauna, the sebum helps lubricate whatever device you are using, making it easier to get rid off all that stuff your skin doesn’t want on it, while your sweat mobilizes it and carries it away.

Some risks:

A few words of warning before you try this treatment:

If you are on a prescription medication, talk to your doctor before you go in the sauna. The heat of the sauna can cause your medicine to be absorbed more quickly than normal, potentially giving you a short-term overdose. Some medications affect your body’s response to heat, putting you at risk of overheating while in the sauna.

While you are in the sauna, listen to your body. If you feel lightheaded or nauseous, leave at once and get yourself into a cool shower to lower your body temperature. When you do go to leave the sauna, stand up slowly to reduce the risk of fainting.

Some types of acne do not respond well to a sauna treatment. For instance, if your acne is cystic, this regimen can complicate things. Keep an open mind, and if things don’t work the way you expect them to, speak to a medical professional.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="240" caption="Image by RachelHermosillo via Flickr"][/caption] I was in a hotel a few weeks ago, and they had one of those magnifying mirrors in the bathroom. As I was brushing my teeth, I got a glimpse of a close-up view of my nose. Gross! I'm not typically a vain person, but I changed my morning plans and headed out to the nearest drugstore to buy a box of nose strips so I wouldn't offend the client I was about to visit. Once your eyes open to what your nose looks like at 10x magnification, you can't ignore it anymore. I noticed that the strips would clean the blackheads out of my nose for a couple of days, but pretty soon, it would be back to its same yucky appearance. Sure the nose strips worked, but they are expensive, and leave a glue-like residue on your nose. There has to be a better way I thought. There is. The sauna is the best exercise for your skin. If you use it correctly, you can sauna away your blackheads, pimples and other skin blemishes. Using a sauna to clear your acne To get started, you need a sauna. If you don't have one at your gym or spa, you can find a public one in our database, or search for a hotel sauna if you'll be traveling. Any type of sauna will work for this: A conventional Finnish-style sauna, an infrared sauna, or even a steam room or steam sauna all work well. It just needs to get your body hot enough to sweat. To do this, you need: A bathing suit (or less if you're comfortable), because you're going to get wet; Two towels: one to sit on in the sauna, and one to dry off with; A brush, loofah, or rough cloth to exfoliate your skin; and Your preferred soap or facial cleanser. To begin, take a hot shower and wash your acne problem area with your soap or cleanser. Make sure to rinse all the soap off well when you finish. Many cleansers can leave a residue that can promote acne. After your shower, dry yourself off. Now head into the sauna. Lay your towel on the bench and relax. If you want, splash some water on the rocks to increase the sensation of heat. Wait until your body starts sweating. If you've never used the sauna before, you may feel a some of moisture on your forehead just after you enter. This is most likely condensation and not sweat. Depending on the heat of the sauna, it may take 5-10 minutes before your body starts really sweating. You will know when, because sweat will be pouring out of every square inch of your skin. Now that your sweat is flowing, take your exfoliating device of choice, and gently rub at the surface skin of all your problem areas. All that sweat will mobilize your sebum and mobilize all the dirt, dead skin and other contaminants that might be in your skin. When you are done exfoliating, stay in the sauna for another minute or two and let your sweat continue to do its magic. Once you finish in the sauna, or if the heat gets to be too much for you, head back to the showers. Start with a warm shower and rinse your skin clean. When you have done that, turn the shower to as cold as is comfortable, and stand under it until you feel like the deluge of sweating has stopped. Don't use soap or other cleansers. When you are done, towel dry again and take a break until you have stopped sweating. Take a drink, go for a walk, just sit and relax or even go for a swim if there is a pool available. Your body needs to recover from your first sauna round. Once you feel like you are back to normal, head back into the sauna again. You should start sweating more quickly this time. Again, once your whole body sweat starts, exfoliate that problem area another time, sweat it out and shower off to cool down. When you are showering, resist the temptation to use soap. If you typically put on lotion after a shower, resist that temptation too. You will find that after a sauna, all of your skin's natural oils have done the job for you. When you look at your problem area in the mirror, you will find that your skin is more clear than ever before. A sauna session like this at least twice a week will keep your skin clear for a lot less money than some of those fancy cleansers will. Your skin: close up To understand how a sauna removes acne, it helps to take a closer look at your skin. There are two major types of glands in your skin that secrete substances to help it: Sweat glands and sebaceous glands. Sebaceous glands surround your hair follicles and secrete a waxy substance, called sebum, onto the surface of your skin. Sebum is unlike any other substance your body secretes, and all of its purposes are still not well understood by the medical community. Sebum helps protect your skin by moisturizing it and providing nutrients directly to the surface skin cells. It also helps repel water from your skin when you are cold, but also keeps your sweat from rolling off when you are hot. Some even believe it has antibacterial properties that protect your skin from disease. The problems come when your sebaceous glands get blocked. There are many things that can block them: dead skin, cosmetics, bacteria, even a poor diet. If the blockage is at the surface of your skin, you get a blackhead. If the blockage is underneath, you get a whitehead, pimple or a boil. The Sauna and Sebum When you heat up your skin with a sauna, it does several things for you that can help get rid of your acne. Raising the temperature makes sebum more fluid causing it to flow. Also, when you start sweating, the sweat released softens your skin and mixes with the sebum to make it more fluid. When you exfoliate your skin in the sauna, the sebum helps lubricate whatever device you are using, making it easier to get rid off all that stuff your skin doesn't want on it, while your sweat mobilizes it and carries it away. Some risks: A few words of warning before you try this treatment: If you are on a prescription medication, talk to your doctor before you go in the sauna. The heat of the sauna can cause your medicine to be absorbed more quickly than normal, potentially giving you a short-term overdose. Some medications affect your body's response to heat, putting you at risk of overheating while in the sauna. While you are in the sauna, listen to your body. If you feel lightheaded or nauseous, leave at once and get yourself into a cool shower to lower your body temperature. When you do go to leave the sauna, stand up slowly to reduce the risk of fainting. Some types of acne do not respond well to a sauna treatment. For instance, if your acne is cystic, this regimen can complicate things. Keep an open mind, and if things don't work the way you expect them to, speak to a medical professional.

Today is Halloween. With the world focused on ghouls, ghosts and goblins, what better a time than to think about scary scenes in the sauna. It’s amazing that the sauna isn’t used as a vehicle in more movies: The intense heat, the glowing rocks of the stove, and the unnatural sounds that you sometimes hear from your fellow sauna-goers, can conjure up ideas that Satan himself is tending the fires of the stove.

#5. The War of the Roses

This classic black comedy from 1989 features Michael Douglass and Kathleen Turner as a once happily married couple that now loves their house more than each other. Both want out of their marriage, but neither wants to leave their trophy house. They divide the house into regions, so each can go on living there separately, while going to great lengths to force the other to leave. One night, as Douglass is enjoying an after-work sauna, Turner blocks the door, trapping him inside.

You can watch the War of the Roses on Amazon or iTunes.

#4 Spirited Away

You’re a preteen Japanese girl, and your father has just transferred to a new job, forcing you and your family to move to a new to a new town. That sounds pretty scary to begin with, but what if on the drive there, you made a wrong turn which ended at a mysterious tunnel into a spirit world. Your father, ever the adventurer, urges the family through, and he and your mother are transformed into pigs. Your only chance to save them is to work at the local witch queen’s bath house while you attempt to find a way to rescue your parents.

You can buy Spirited Away on DVD from Amazon

#3 247°F

This one is making the film festival circuit in late 2011, with wide release expected in 2012. Three buff young movie stars blah-blah. Where they are locked in a sauna run amok. Now they have to figure out how to escape before the obviously possessed electronic thermostat outside the sauna causes the wood-fired sauna stove to heat faster! (Obviously, since it is a horror film, some suspension of disbelief is required.) We think this film could have been made better if the actors were dressed more appropriately.

You can find out more information at the film’s homepage or IMDB.

#2 The Chaos Experiment

Val Kilmer is a former professor who cares about global warming and the environment. To show how much he cares, he traps six unsuspecting people in a Turkish bath. He uses the threat of cooking them alive to demand that his local paper publish his global warming diatribe on their front page.

You can watch The Chaos Experiment on Amazon or iTunes

 

#1 Sauna

After 25 years of war with Russia, two brothers are set out to map the new border. The year is the late 1500′s. The setting is what will become Finland. As they walk the border, they must cross a strange swamp. In the swamp they discover a strange village with an even stranger sauna inside. This film, made in 2008 by a Finnish director is lauded for its haunting cinematography and beautiful score. The movie itself is truly scary, not in the slasher horror film style, but on a more deep psychological level.

You can buy Sauna on DVD from Amazon or electronically on iTunes.

Today is Halloween. With the world focused on ghouls, ghosts and goblins, what better a time than to think about scary scenes in the sauna. It's amazing that the sauna isn't used as a vehicle in more movies: The intense heat, the glowing rocks of the stove, and the unnatural sounds that you sometimes hear from your fellow sauna-goers, can conjure up ideas that Satan himself is tending the fires of the stove. #5. The War of the Roses This classic black comedy from 1989 features Michael Douglass and Kathleen Turner as a once happily married couple that now loves their house more than each other. Both want out of their marriage, but neither wants to leave their trophy house. They divide the house into regions, so each can go on living there separately, while going to great lengths to force the other to leave. One night, as Douglass is enjoying an after-work sauna, Turner blocks the door, trapping him inside. You can watch the War of the Roses on Amazon or iTunes. #4 Spirited Away You're a preteen Japanese girl, and your father has just transferred to a new job, forcing you and your family to move to a new to a new town. That sounds pretty scary to begin with, but what if on the drive there, you made a wrong turn which ended at a mysterious tunnel into a spirit world. Your father, ever the adventurer, urges the family through, and he and your mother are transformed into pigs. Your only chance to save them is to work at the local witch queen's bath house while you attempt to find a way to rescue your parents. You can buy Spirited Away on DVD from Amazon #3 247°F This one is making the film festival circuit in late 2011, with wide release expected in 2012. Three buff young movie stars blah-blah. Where they are locked in a sauna run amok. Now they have to figure out how to escape before the obviously possessed electronic thermostat outside the sauna causes the wood-fired sauna stove to heat faster! (Obviously, since it is a horror film, some suspension of disbelief is required.) We think this film could have been made better if the actors were dressed more appropriately. You can find out more information at the film's homepage or IMDB. #2 The Chaos Experiment Val Kilmer is a former professor who cares about global warming and the environment. To show how much he cares, he traps six unsuspecting people in a Turkish bath. He uses the threat of cooking them alive to demand that his local paper publish his global warming diatribe on their front page. You can watch The Chaos Experiment on Amazon or iTunes   #1 Sauna After 25 years of war with Russia, two brothers are set out to map the new border. The year is the late 1500's. The setting is what will become Finland. As they walk the border, they must cross a strange swamp. In the swamp they discover a strange village with an even stranger sauna inside. This film, made in 2008 by a Finnish director is lauded for its haunting cinematography and beautiful score. The movie itself is truly scary, not in the slasher horror film style, but on a more deep psychological level. You can buy Sauna on DVD from Amazon or electronically on iTunes.

When we search the internet for “sauna” (and trust us, we search it a lot), most of the results and nearly all of the ads are for infrared saunas or their many synonyms: IR saunas, FIR saunas, far infrared saunas, or portable saunas. They are featured on TV, many spas have them – in fact, you can now even buy into an infrared sauna spa franchise.

Like any new thing, there are proponents and detractors of this new type of sauna. But what is it, and how does it work?

Some History

Saunas have been around for nearly as long as modern man. Getting a good sweat in the sauna felt good to our early ancestors. Many people still believe it feels good today. It more than feels good, there are proven health benefits for regular sauna users.

An open fire heated the original sauna. As technology improved, saunas became dedicated rooms or buildings that people would use. The fire was contained to keep the smoke out of the sauna: First by using rocks to store the heat, then by enclosing the fire in a stove. With the invention of electricity, fire was eliminated in most stoves and replaced with electric heating elements.

Some of these electric stoves heat rocks like the original saunas of old, while others capitalized on the instant-on properties of electricity and sought to improve on the age-old design.

The Corn Flakes Connection

In the late 1890′s, electricity and electric light bulbs had started to become popular. So much so that health researcher and Corn Flakes inventor, John Harvey Kellogg, installed a newly developed technology, the electric light bath, in his Battle Creek Sanarium. Thus, the infrared sauna was born.

Infrared technology did not change much from the 1900′s until the 1990′s when light bulbs could be replaced with lightweight radiant heating panels.  Now a person could use the sauna without risking permanent blindness from all the light bulbs. Since these heaters emit nearly pure infrared rays instead of light, a sauna could be built that ran on normal household current.

Some compare an infrared sauna to a microwave oven: It is inexpensive, compact, and can give a similar result to a larger piece of hardware in much less time. It is the perfect mass-market appliance.

What is Infrared?

Infrared rays are the secret to an infrared sauna. Infrared is a type of light, and it is a way of transferring heat.

Let’s go back to high school physics for a minute. If you take sunlight, and pass it through a prism, your eye can see a rainbow of colors. However, there is more light there that your eyes can’t see. Where the red light ends, infrared begins. Infrared created by things that aren’t very hot is called near infrared, because it is close to red light on the rainbow. Infrared created by things that are very hot is called far infrared, because it is further away from visible red light.

If you spend any time studying heat transfer, what you find is that if there are two things close to one another, and they are at two different temperatures, one will radiate infrared energy to the other. So, when you are in an infrared sauna, the heating panels radiate infrared energy to you. If you left the sauna and walked into a freezer, you would radiate infrared energy to the freezer walls.

Finally, since infrared is a type of light, all the rules that affect light affect infrared. Like light, it can travel through space and some solid objects that act as infrared “windows.” Also like light, the further away you get, the less you feel its effects. It also travels pretty much in a straight line, so if there is an obstruction, you’ll get an infrared shadow and you won’t feel the heat there.

Is infrared radiation dangerous?

Radiation! The word radiation brings up images of nuclear power gone awry and the “duck and cover” drills from the cold war. The truth is all light is radiation, and for the most part, infrared radiation is as dangerous as sunlight: If you limit your exposure and listen to your body, nothing bad will happen. If you don’t you will get burned (Infrared is heat, remember?).

How does an infrared sauna work?

The current crop of infrared saunas have heat-emitting panels that surround your body. Since these are essentially a type of light bulb, you can plug your sauna in, and turn it on and by the time you are undressed, it will be ready to use.

A good infrared sauna will have large panels on a bunch of different surfaces so that you can sit, stand or lie as you prefer inside of the sauna cabin. Less expensive models have smaller panels, so you may only use these units in their manufacturer’s preferred position. This may not be your preferred position.

To make the interior of the sauna cabin more comfortable, some manufacturers add an electric heater and fan to heat the air to a more comfortable temperature. Others add a small humidification device to make it easier to breathe the air inside. Still others go back to the old electric light bath design, and have a tent that encloses your body, while your head and hands are kept outside.

When you are inside, the heating panels transfer heat directly to your skin, without heating the air inside of the sauna. Since your skin is partly transparent to infrared, the heating takes place in your skin, giving your body a pleasant warming experience. Since the air is still cool, many people, especially those with respiratory or heat sensitivity issues, find these more comfortable than a traditional sauna.

So that’s the infrared sauna. Many sauna purists disparage these as toaster ovens. Of course, the infrared sauna industry brings some of this on themselves by making truly false claims. We’ll take a look at some of these claims in a future post.

Are infrared saunas the best new thing, or just a marketing gimmick? Let us know in the comments.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="162" caption="A slightly older version of an infrared sauna that uses infrared elements that emit visible light. Image by Alesa Dam via Flickr"][/caption] When we search the internet for "sauna" (and trust us, we search it a lot), most of the results and nearly all of the ads are for infrared saunas or their many synonyms: IR saunas, FIR saunas, far infrared saunas, or portable saunas. They are featured on TV, many spas have them - in fact, you can now even buy into an infrared sauna spa franchise. Like any new thing, there are proponents and detractors of this new type of sauna. But what is it, and how does it work? Some History Saunas have been around for nearly as long as modern man. Getting a good sweat in the sauna felt good to our early ancestors. Many people still believe it feels good today. It more than feels good, there are proven health benefits for regular sauna users. An open fire heated the original sauna. As technology improved, saunas became dedicated rooms or buildings that people would use. The fire was contained to keep the smoke out of the sauna: First by using rocks to store the heat, then by enclosing the fire in a stove. With the invention of electricity, fire was eliminated in most stoves and replaced with electric heating elements. Some of these electric stoves heat rocks like the original saunas of old, while others capitalized on the instant-on properties of electricity and sought to improve on the age-old design. [caption id="" align="alignright" width="126" caption="Image via Wikipedia"][/caption] The Corn Flakes Connection In the late 1890's, electricity and electric light bulbs had started to become popular. So much so that health researcher and Corn Flakes inventor, John Harvey Kellogg, installed a newly developed technology, the electric light bath, in his Battle Creek Sanarium. Thus, the infrared sauna was born. Infrared technology did not change much from the 1900's until the 1990's when light bulbs could be replaced with lightweight radiant heating panels.  Now a person could use the sauna without risking permanent blindness from all the light bulbs. Since these heaters emit nearly pure infrared rays instead of light, a sauna could be built that ran on normal household current. Some compare an infrared sauna to a microwave oven: It is inexpensive, compact, and can give a similar result to a larger piece of hardware in much less time. It is the perfect mass-market appliance. What is Infrared? [caption id="" align="alignright" width="180" caption="An infrared photo of two people. Image via Wikipedia"][/caption] Infrared rays are the secret to an infrared sauna. Infrared is a type of light, and it is a way of transferring heat. Let's go back to high school physics for a minute. If you take sunlight, and pass it through a prism, your eye can see a rainbow of colors. However, there is more light there that your eyes can't see. Where the red light ends, infrared begins. Infrared created by things that aren't very hot is called near infrared, because it is close to red light on the rainbow. Infrared created by things that are very hot is called far infrared, because it is further away from visible red light. If you spend any time studying heat transfer, what you find is that if there are two things close to one another, and they are at two different temperatures, one will radiate infrared energy to the other. So, when you are in an infrared sauna, the heating panels radiate infrared energy to you. If you left the sauna and walked into a freezer, you would radiate infrared energy to the freezer walls. Finally, since infrared is a type of light, all the rules that affect light affect infrared. Like light, it can travel through space and some solid objects that act as infrared "windows." Also like light, the further away you get, the less you feel its effects. It also travels pretty much in a straight line, so if there is an obstruction, you'll get an infrared shadow and you won't feel the heat there. Is infrared radiation dangerous? Radiation! The word radiation brings up images of nuclear power gone awry and the "duck and cover" drills from the cold war. The truth is all light is radiation, and for the most part, infrared radiation is as dangerous as sunlight: If you limit your exposure and listen to your body, nothing bad will happen. If you don't you will get burned (Infrared is heat, remember?). How does an infrared sauna work? The current crop of infrared saunas have heat-emitting panels that surround your body. Since these are essentially a type of light bulb, you can plug your sauna in, and turn it on and by the time you are undressed, it will be ready to use. A good infrared sauna will have large panels on a bunch of different surfaces so that you can sit, stand or lie as you prefer inside of the sauna cabin. Less expensive models have smaller panels, so you may only use these units in their manufacturer's preferred position. This may not be your preferred position. To make the interior of the sauna cabin more comfortable, some manufacturers add an electric heater and fan to heat the air to a more comfortable temperature. Others add a small humidification device to make it easier to breathe the air inside. Still others go back to the old electric light bath design, and have a tent that encloses your body, while your head and hands are kept outside. When you are inside, the heating panels transfer heat directly to your skin, without heating the air inside of the sauna. Since your skin is partly transparent to infrared, the heating takes place in your skin, giving your body a pleasant warming experience. Since the air is still cool, many people, especially those with respiratory or heat sensitivity issues, find these more comfortable than a traditional sauna. So that's the infrared sauna. Many sauna purists disparage these as toaster ovens. Of course, the infrared sauna industry brings some of this on themselves by making truly false claims. We'll take a look at some of these claims in a future post. Are infrared saunas the best new thing, or just a marketing gimmick? Let us know in the comments.

A sauna, at its simplest, is a hot air bath. The word sauna has its origins in Finnish, but in English it has become a generalization that describes a number of different ways to take in the heat that were developed by cultures throughout the world, including the Finnish sauna, Russian banya, Japanese mushi-buro, North American sweat lodge, South American temezcal, Korean jjim jil bang, Roman caldarium, and the Arabic hammam.

All of these have a rich history dating back thousands of years. Today, most fitness centers, many hotels, and several public sauna businesses all have saunas available for their patrons to use. What is a sauna and why has it been so popular?

What is a sauna?

A sauna is a hot air bath or sweat bath. You take a sauna in a special, insulated room that keeps the air still and heat in. There is a heat source in the room to transfer heat to your body: The heat in a sauna comes from rocks heated in a fire, stove, or an infrared radiator. The heat source may only heat the air, or it may also produce steam which makes it feel hotter.

In the sauna your skin gets heated well above its normal temperature. In response, your body begins sweating profusely to keep yourself cool. To get the feeling of heat all over your body and to prevent clothes from being soaked with sweat, the sauna is typically used nude, or with as little clothing as practical.

It is a type of bath. Many cultures, notably the Finns and the Russians, will have a tank of heated water inside of their sauna which they will use to wash themselves while in the heat. The Russian platza and Arabic hammam are elaborate cleansing rituals that take place while in the hot room. Other cultures wash outside of the sauna room, but use the sauna’s heat to release dirt and toxins from deep in their skin.

Why sauna?

When you look at all the different people throughout the world who came up with the idea of a sauna, there must be a common thread. There is: We humans have several features which makes us unique from any other creature on Earth.

First of all, we are naked. Unlike other mammals, we have very little hair on our bodies that protects us from the elements. When it gets cold or wet outside, we need to wrap ourselves in clothing of some kind to protect us from the cold, wind and rain. When it gets really cold, we need an external heat source, like a fire to keep us warm.

It does not take much imagination to think about our ancestors, covered in wet clothes from a day of surviving, returning home to their hut, burrow or cave and stoking their fire to create a lot of heat, then shedding those wet clothes to feel warm again. As their clothes dried next to them, the steam released, made the warmth of the fire much more pleasant.

The ancient Greek, Roman, and Arabic cultures also had sauna baths. These were typically enjoyed in the middle of the day, when it was hottest. In the summertime, many of these places are close to the temperature in a sauna. Why would these cultures enjoy bathing in the heat?

Sauna as a sweat bath:

We humans have another unique feature: We sweat to cool our bodies. As you can remember from your teenage years, there are lots of problems that can develop with your sweat glands if they aren’t kept clean.

Without modern soaps, one of the few ways to clean your personal cooling system was to get really sweaty, then rinse off your body. The Romans have a well described history of the process at their baths. Like a modern fitness center of today, they began by exercising in the courtyard of the baths to work up a sweat. Then they covered their bodies with oil and dust, then scraped them off. With the oil and dust came all of the other dirt and grime they had picked up on their bodies since their last bath. After that, they entered the baths proper, where they alternated between hot and cold rooms and pools to finish the cleansing process.

So what is the modern sauna?

The modern sauna that is in your gym locker room, or if you’re really lucky, your backyard is a combination of all these historical baths. The room is typically lined with wood. The open fire is gone, replaced with a sealed stove that is safe to use indoors. Some sauna stoves are still filled with stones. They help keep the temperature even inside the sauna, and allow you to splash water on them to make steam. Others do away with the stones, and use infrared panels to heat your body directly.

Modern medicine is coming to discover that the sauna can help with a number of ailments like heart problems and high blood pressure. Regular sauna baths help improve your endurance and heat tolerance and can help remove metabolic wastes post-workout. It also has psychological benefits: Regular sauna users have more energy, are happier, sleep better, and can maintain a healthy weight. It is also one of the few exercises for your skin — your body’s largest organ.

What is the sauna to you? Is it a sacred space? A place to recover from your last workout? Part of your beauty regimen? Or is it just a place to get away from your clothes and the modern world for a while? Let us know in the comments.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Image via Wikipedia"][/caption] A sauna, at its simplest, is a hot air bath. The word sauna has its origins in Finnish, but in English it has become a generalization that describes a number of different ways to take in the heat that were developed by cultures throughout the world, including the Finnish sauna, Russian banya, Japanese mushi-buro, North American sweat lodge, South American temezcal, Korean jjim jil bang, Roman caldarium, and the Arabic hammam. All of these have a rich history dating back thousands of years. Today, most fitness centers, many hotels, and several public sauna businesses all have saunas available for their patrons to use. What is a sauna and why has it been so popular? What is a sauna? A sauna is a hot air bath or sweat bath. You take a sauna in a special, insulated room that keeps the air still and heat in. There is a heat source in the room to transfer heat to your body: The heat in a sauna comes from rocks heated in a fire, stove, or an infrared radiator. The heat source may only heat the air, or it may also produce steam which makes it feel hotter. In the sauna your skin gets heated well above its normal temperature. In response, your body begins sweating profusely to keep yourself cool. To get the feeling of heat all over your body and to prevent clothes from being soaked with sweat, the sauna is typically used nude, or with as little clothing as practical. It is a type of bath. Many cultures, notably the Finns and the Russians, will have a tank of heated water inside of their sauna which they will use to wash themselves while in the heat. The Russian platza and Arabic hammam are elaborate cleansing rituals that take place while in the hot room. Other cultures wash outside of the sauna room, but use the sauna's heat to release dirt and toxins from deep in their skin. Why sauna? When you look at all the different people throughout the world who came up with the idea of a sauna, there must be a common thread. There is: We humans have several features which makes us unique from any other creature on Earth. First of all, we are naked. Unlike other mammals, we have very little hair on our bodies that protects us from the elements. When it gets cold or wet outside, we need to wrap ourselves in clothing of some kind to protect us from the cold, wind and rain. When it gets really cold, we need an external heat source, like a fire to keep us warm. It does not take much imagination to think about our ancestors, covered in wet clothes from a day of surviving, returning home to their hut, burrow or cave and stoking their fire to create a lot of heat, then shedding those wet clothes to feel warm again. As their clothes dried next to them, the steam released, made the warmth of the fire much more pleasant. The ancient Greek, Roman, and Arabic cultures also had sauna baths. These were typically enjoyed in the middle of the day, when it was hottest. In the summertime, many of these places are close to the temperature in a sauna. Why would these cultures enjoy bathing in the heat? Sauna as a sweat bath: We humans have another unique feature: We sweat to cool our bodies. As you can remember from your teenage years, there are lots of problems that can develop with your sweat glands if they aren't kept clean. Without modern soaps, one of the few ways to clean your personal cooling system was to get really sweaty, then rinse off your body. The Romans have a well described history of the process at their baths. Like a modern fitness center of today, they began by exercising in the courtyard of the baths to work up a sweat. Then they covered their bodies with oil and dust, then scraped them off. With the oil and dust came all of the other dirt and grime they had picked up on their bodies since their last bath. After that, they entered the baths proper, where they alternated between hot and cold rooms and pools to finish the cleansing process. So what is the modern sauna? The modern sauna that is in your gym locker room, or if you're really lucky, your backyard is a combination of all these historical baths. The room is typically lined with wood. The open fire is gone, replaced with a sealed stove that is safe to use indoors. Some sauna stoves are still filled with stones. They help keep the temperature even inside the sauna, and allow you to splash water on them to make steam. Others do away with the stones, and use infrared panels to heat your body directly. Modern medicine is coming to discover that the sauna can help with a number of ailments like heart problems and high blood pressure. Regular sauna baths help improve your endurance and heat tolerance and can help remove metabolic wastes post-workout. It also has psychological benefits: Regular sauna users have more energy, are happier, sleep better, and can maintain a healthy weight. It is also one of the few exercises for your skin — your body's largest organ. What is the sauna to you? Is it a sacred space? A place to recover from your last workout? Part of your beauty regimen? Or is it just a place to get away from your clothes and the modern world for a while? Let us know in the comments.

Korean-style public saunas, also known as  jjimjjilbangs, have become the mega-stores of public bathing. New construction is taking place the world over, as Koreans emigrate from their homeland and want to take a piece of home with them. Each new jjimjilbang is built larger than the last.

Several companies have established themselves as name brands in the budding Korean bath house industry. One of the leaders is the King Sauna brand. At the moment, they have jjimjjilbang locations outside New York, Dallas and Chicago.  All are large facilities. Each one has a gender-segregated bathing area, where clothing is forbidden. When you have washed yourself clean in showers, rested in the hot tubs, and enjoyed the steam room and sauna, you can don a simple, unflattering uniform and enter the co-ed facility. In the co-ed area you can enjoy traditional Korean sauna domes built from rocks, minerals, even gold; each gives a unique benefit. Among the saunas is a Korean restaurant and several different styles of comfortable chairs. All three are open 24 hours.

So, after a marathon business trip a few weeks ago put me at Newark airport at 5pm on a weeknight with a morning appointment in Massachusetts. There was bad weather in New York. 1010 WINS had little time for other news because the traffic was so snarled, I headed the short distance up the New Jersey Turnpike to the Pallisades Park and King Sauna to relax while I waited out the rush hour.

After spending the first hour soaking and steaming away the stresses of the trip so far in the naked area, I grabbed a uniform and headed down to one of the TV rooms to catch a traffic report. The chairs in there are huge overstuffed recliners. I settled in, listening to whatever celebrity gossip was the breathless headline of the day, and leaned back in the chair.

I woke up, and the news wasn’t on anymore. It was now a baseball game — In the bottom of the 7th inning. I found a clock. It was nearly 9. I napped for about 3 hours! It was at that point that I realized just how worn out I was from my trip so far, and I shouldn’t be driving anywhere that night.

I walked over to the restaurant and ordered a bowl of Korean noodles with a variety of toppings. After that I cooked myself in the Bulhanjeungmok for a little while. The Bulhanjeungmok is a wood-heated dome sauna in the style of the traditional Korean charcoal kiln. Outside the entrance, they show the overnight preparations of the room, and when the fire goes out around 6am, they use it to bake eggs. Signs caution visitors not to wear anything except for the cotton uniform inside. Right outside the door is a basket of heavy burlap blankets. The norm seemed to be to grab two and duck inside the small door.

I grabbed my two blankets and ducked through the door. It is the hottest sauna I have ever been inside. The sauna was lit by a single bulb, recessed deep in one of the walls. Hanging from another wall was an oven thermometer. I checked it out, and in the dim light and the buckets of sweat already pouring down my face, I could only tell the needle was somewhere between 400-450°F (205-230°C). Wow.

I took one of my blankets, and folded it and laid it down on the floor. I then knelt down on it like many of the others were doing. I laid the second blanket beside me instead of draping it over my head like others were doing. Most of the others in the Bulhanjeungmok were middle-aged Korean women in what appeared to be a meditative trance. I managed to stay in for about 10 minutes. Most of the women who were in there when I came in were still there when I left.

Right across the room from the Bulhanjeungmok is the ice sauna, which is basically a walk-in freezer. I sat in there until I stopped sweating. Tried out a few more of the lower temperature dome saunas, leafed through a paper, and cooked myself one more time in the Bulhanjeungmok. By then it was about 11pm. I went back to the men’s area, discarded my sweaty uniform in the laundry bins, rinsed off in the shower, soaked in the cold tub for a few more minutes, brushed my teeth with a complimentary toothbrush, donned a fresh uniform and found another recliner to spend the night.

I had a reasonably restful night there (but I can have a reasonably restful night on an airplane, in coach). I woke up once around 2am and took a walk to see what was going on. There was a large number of people who also spent the night. There was an equal mix of men and women. Most were of Korean descent and in their 40′s to 60′s. Even the men’s bath was still a hive of activity. And for those of you who hear bath house and think of something seedy, there was absolutely nothing untoward going on there.

At 4:30am my phone alarm went off and I headed up to the men’s bath again, just as the cleaning crew was finishing their nightly scrub of the place. I headed first for the sauna, then drenched myself in the icy shower right outside, then took a round in the steam room. After that I headed for one of the shower stalls, showered off, shaved with a complimentary razor, used their ample supply of complimentary toiletries to freshen up, and headed downstairs to pay my bill: $48.00. Not bad for a pretty restful night’s sleep, several hours of sauna, dinner, overnight parking and toiletries for the morning. To get that price, you need to ask the parking attendant for a coupon when you arrive, but now you know.

I grabbed a cup of coffee at a nearby gas station, and was across the George Washington Bridge by 5:30, heading up I95 into the rising sun.

If I got stuck in the area again, I would definitely spend the night here again. For the money and relaxation, it can’t be beat. If course, if I planned better, I would have found a hotel with a sauna along my route.

Have you ever spent the night in a Korean public sauna? Let us know about your experiences in the comments.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="300" caption="A bowl of Korean noodles similar to the one I had for dinner during my night at King Sauna. Image via Wikipedia"][/caption] Korean-style public saunas, also known as  jjimjjilbangs, have become the mega-stores of public bathing. New construction is taking place the world over, as Koreans emigrate from their homeland and want to take a piece of home with them. Each new jjimjilbang is built larger than the last. Several companies have established themselves as name brands in the budding Korean bath house industry. One of the leaders is the King Sauna brand. At the moment, they have jjimjjilbang locations outside New York, Dallas and Chicago.  All are large facilities. Each one has a gender-segregated bathing area, where clothing is forbidden. When you have washed yourself clean in showers, rested in the hot tubs, and enjoyed the steam room and sauna, you can don a simple, unflattering uniform and enter the co-ed facility. In the co-ed area you can enjoy traditional Korean sauna domes built from rocks, minerals, even gold; each gives a unique benefit. Among the saunas is a Korean restaurant and several different styles of comfortable chairs. All three are open 24 hours. So, after a marathon business trip a few weeks ago put me at Newark airport at 5pm on a weeknight with a morning appointment in Massachusetts. There was bad weather in New York. 1010 WINS had little time for other news because the traffic was so snarled, I headed the short distance up the New Jersey Turnpike to the Pallisades Park and King Sauna to relax while I waited out the rush hour. After spending the first hour soaking and steaming away the stresses of the trip so far in the naked area, I grabbed a uniform and headed down to one of the TV rooms to catch a traffic report. The chairs in there are huge overstuffed recliners. I settled in, listening to whatever celebrity gossip was the breathless headline of the day, and leaned back in the chair. I woke up, and the news wasn't on anymore. It was now a baseball game — In the bottom of the 7th inning. I found a clock. It was nearly 9. I napped for about 3 hours! It was at that point that I realized just how worn out I was from my trip so far, and I shouldn't be driving anywhere that night. I walked over to the restaurant and ordered a bowl of Korean noodles with a variety of toppings. After that I cooked myself in the Bulhanjeungmok for a little while. The Bulhanjeungmok is a wood-heated dome sauna in the style of the traditional Korean charcoal kiln. Outside the entrance, they show the overnight preparations of the room, and when the fire goes out around 6am, they use it to bake eggs. Signs caution visitors not to wear anything except for the cotton uniform inside. Right outside the door is a basket of heavy burlap blankets. The norm seemed to be to grab two and duck inside the small door. I grabbed my two blankets and ducked through the door. It is the hottest sauna I have ever been inside. The sauna was lit by a single bulb, recessed deep in one of the walls. Hanging from another wall was an oven thermometer. I checked it out, and in the dim light and the buckets of sweat already pouring down my face, I could only tell the needle was somewhere between 400-450°F (205-230°C). Wow. I took one of my blankets, and folded it and laid it down on the floor. I then knelt down on it like many of the others were doing. I laid the second blanket beside me instead of draping it over my head like others were doing. Most of the others in the Bulhanjeungmok were middle-aged Korean women in what appeared to be a meditative trance. I managed to stay in for about 10 minutes. Most of the women who were in there when I came in were still there when I left. Right across the room from the Bulhanjeungmok is the ice sauna, which is basically a walk-in freezer. I sat in there until I stopped sweating. Tried out a few more of the lower temperature dome saunas, leafed through a paper, and cooked myself one more time in the Bulhanjeungmok. By then it was about 11pm. I went back to the men's area, discarded my sweaty uniform in the laundry bins, rinsed off in the shower, soaked in the cold tub for a few more minutes, brushed my teeth with a complimentary toothbrush, donned a fresh uniform and found another recliner to spend the night. I had a reasonably restful night there (but I can have a reasonably restful night on an airplane, in coach). I woke up once around 2am and took a walk to see what was going on. There was a large number of people who also spent the night. There was an equal mix of men and women. Most were of Korean descent and in their 40's to 60's. Even the men's bath was still a hive of activity. And for those of you who hear bath house and think of something seedy, there was absolutely nothing untoward going on there. At 4:30am my phone alarm went off and I headed up to the men's bath again, just as the cleaning crew was finishing their nightly scrub of the place. I headed first for the sauna, then drenched myself in the icy shower right outside, then took a round in the steam room. After that I headed for one of the shower stalls, showered off, shaved with a complimentary razor, used their ample supply of complimentary toiletries to freshen up, and headed downstairs to pay my bill: $48.00. Not bad for a pretty restful night's sleep, several hours of sauna, dinner, overnight parking and toiletries for the morning. To get that price, you need to ask the parking attendant for a coupon when you arrive, but now you know. I grabbed a cup of coffee at a nearby gas station, and was across the George Washington Bridge by 5:30, heading up I95 into the rising sun. If I got stuck in the area again, I would definitely spend the night here again. For the money and relaxation, it can't be beat. If course, if I planned better, I would have found a hotel with a sauna along my route. Have you ever spent the night in a Korean public sauna? Let us know about your experiences in the comments.

It’s time to open the reader mailbag, for this question from A:

The locker room at my gym has a sauna, a steam room, cold plunge and a hot tub. I want to use them, but this will be my first time. What order should I use them? Do I need to be naked or can I wear my sports bra & panties and wrap myself up with a towel? Can I wear slippers inside the sauna or steam room? Can I take a bottle of water with me inside the sauna or steam room?

Don’t stress A. These are a common question that many new sauna users have. The sauna, steam room and tubs are all tools to help you relax. The thing you want to remember is the basic cycle: Heat, Cool, Rest, Repeat.

If you are at the gym to work out, do that first, then use these features. The heat of the baths will help ease your muscles after your workout, and your sweat will help rid your body of metabolic wastes that could otherwise accumulate in your joints.

What to wear

Before you get started on your heat bath regimen, you should to take a few steps to prepare.

The sauna is a place of relaxation and introspection, so you want to change out of your other “uniforms,” like your workout clothes or street clothes, even your underwear into something that is a dedicated sauna “uniform.” Having your own uniform should put you into the right mindset, and allow your body to sweat freely.

We believe that enjoying a the baths naked is best, but you can also wear a towel, swimsuit or loose-fitting shorts and t-shirt depending on your personal preferences (and the policy of your sauna facility). One thing to keep in mind is that high temperatures and body oils can combine to take the color and stretchiness out of elastic fibers. If you are going to wear a swimsuit, wear an older one.

Shower

Before you enter a sauna, steam room or hot tub, you need to take a shower to clean your skin of any chemicals, dirt, oils, antiperspirants, perfumes and makeup that are on your skin or trapped in your hair. In a pool, you’ll be leaving everything on your skin in the water as what the hot tub industry refers to as “body film.” Yuck. In the heat of the sauna, scents on your skin can negatively affect other people’s’ experiences and contaminants on your skin can travel into your bloodstream via your sweat. Double yuck.

In Asia, the cleansing of your body before you sauna or soak in a tub is a ritual that cleanses your mind of stresses before you enter the hot bath. Keep this in mind as you shower. Don’t forget if you are wearing a swimsuit or other outfit to take it off while you shower.

Towel Dry

This is most important if you are going to use the sauna or steam room. Water acts as a very good insulator. If you leave a film of water on your body, it is going to slow down how quickly you heat up and really start to sweat.

Heat

Now is the time to apply heat: This the purpose of the saunas, steam rooms, and hot tubs. Which one you choose first is up to you. We like to start with the dry sauna on our first round, and move to the more humid baths as we spend our time there. You may like it better the other way around.

Choose your first bath and get comfortable. In the sauna or steam room, the upper benches are hotter than the lower benches. Many people find that lying down on the bench heats their body more evenly than sitting on the bench. However, for yourself and others, sit or lie on a towel. If you wore slippers or sandals into the sauna, you should leave them on the floor. This will keep them cool, and prevent you from transferring anything that was on the floor to the benches.

You can definitely bring in a water bottle with you into the steam room or even place it next to the hot tub. If the temperature is mild, you might want to stay in for a long time, and in the sauna you can always splash some of the water onto the rocks to make what the Finns call löyly to enhance the experience.

As you sit in the heat, you will feel the heat of your body rising, then you should break out into a full body sweat. Try to stay in the room until this happens. Most people find it takes about 5-20 minutes before this happens, but there are far too many things that can influence this to make any hard and fast rules.

When you have had enough or if you aren’t comfortable, listen to your body and leave. If you have lain down, allow a minute or so for your blood pressure to equalize before you stand up.

Cool Down

When you leave the heat, you should feel that warmth throughout your body, your heart pounding like you just sprinted a mile and have sweat pouring out of your skin. Now you need to cool down to get that excess heat out of your body.

You can cool down rapidly by jumping into a cold pool, taking a cold shower, rolling in the snow, or even jumping through a hole in the ice. This has the effect on your body like a blacksmith dunking a hot horseshoe into water: It hardens you sending your circulatory system into overdrive.

If that sounds too harsh or you have any health risks, you can also cool down more gently by taking a warm shower, going for a dip in the pool or even wrapping yourself in a blanket, towel or robe and letting the heat slowly come out of you.

You can cool down the same way every time, or mix it up. It is your choice.

Rest

After you cool down, your body needs some time for its temperature to equalize and for your pulse rate and blood pressure to come back to normal, especially if you used one of the more extreme methods to cool down. Use this time to drink some water, get a massage or body scrub, or just sit and think happy thoughts. Hopefully, your gym has a lounge area where you can sit.

Repeat

One trip through the heat baths is never enough. Most people recommend two to three rounds. The cycling of your body through the heat and cold is an exercise for your skin and circulatory system. Just remember to cool down and rest and stay hydrated before you start your next round.

Finnish and Russians folklore both say that if you take more than three rounds, the spirits of the sauna will become upset with you. If you are superstitious, keep this in mind.

Finishing up

When you have had your fill, you should leave at the end of the rest phase. Let your body finish cooling down and let your sweating stop. Some people like to take a full shower with soap and shampoo to help them finish cooling down and get ready to return to society. Others believe in just a quick rinse as the oils your body releases into your skin and hair are better than any lotion or conditioner.

If you were wearing a swimsuit or clothing any, you should give it a good rinse at this point and wring the water out of it before putting it away. When you get home, hang it up and let it air dry. This is enough to keep it clean. If you feel you need to wash it, use some vinegar or a baby detergent, as the foaming agents, scents and fabric conditioners in most detergents will come out the next time you bathe.

As you get dressed again, you’ll feel the pressures of everyday life returning to you. Hopefully, the time you spent will help you better face what remains of the day, or help you get a good night’s sleep that night.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Image via Wikipedia"][/caption] It's time to open the reader mailbag, for this question from A: The locker room at my gym has a sauna, a steam room, cold plunge and a hot tub. I want to use them, but this will be my first time. What order should I use them? Do I need to be naked or can I wear my sports bra & panties and wrap myself up with a towel? Can I wear slippers inside the sauna or steam room? Can I take a bottle of water with me inside the sauna or steam room? Don't stress A. These are a common question that many new sauna users have. The sauna, steam room and tubs are all tools to help you relax. The thing you want to remember is the basic cycle: Heat, Cool, Rest, Repeat. If you are at the gym to work out, do that first, then use these features. The heat of the baths will help ease your muscles after your workout, and your sweat will help rid your body of metabolic wastes that could otherwise accumulate in your joints. What to wear Before you get started on your heat bath regimen, you should to take a few steps to prepare. The sauna is a place of relaxation and introspection, so you want to change out of your other "uniforms," like your workout clothes or street clothes, even your underwear into something that is a dedicated sauna "uniform." Having your own uniform should put you into the right mindset, and allow your body to sweat freely. We believe that enjoying a the baths naked is best, but you can also wear a towel, swimsuit or loose-fitting shorts and t-shirt depending on your personal preferences (and the policy of your sauna facility). One thing to keep in mind is that high temperatures and body oils can combine to take the color and stretchiness out of elastic fibers. If you are going to wear a swimsuit, wear an older one. Shower Before you enter a sauna, steam room or hot tub, you need to take a shower to clean your skin of any chemicals, dirt, oils, antiperspirants, perfumes and makeup that are on your skin or trapped in your hair. In a pool, you'll be leaving everything on your skin in the water as what the hot tub industry refers to as "body film." Yuck. In the heat of the sauna, scents on your skin can negatively affect other people's' experiences and contaminants on your skin can travel into your bloodstream via your sweat. Double yuck. In Asia, the cleansing of your body before you sauna or soak in a tub is a ritual that cleanses your mind of stresses before you enter the hot bath. Keep this in mind as you shower. Don't forget if you are wearing a swimsuit or other outfit to take it off while you shower. Towel Dry This is most important if you are going to use the sauna or steam room. Water acts as a very good insulator. If you leave a film of water on your body, it is going to slow down how quickly you heat up and really start to sweat. Heat Now is the time to apply heat: This the purpose of the saunas, steam rooms, and hot tubs. Which one you choose first is up to you. We like to start with the dry sauna on our first round, and move to the more humid baths as we spend our time there. You may like it better the other way around. Choose your first bath and get comfortable. In the sauna or steam room, the upper benches are hotter than the lower benches. Many people find that lying down on the bench heats their body more evenly than sitting on the bench. However, for yourself and others, sit or lie on a towel. If you wore slippers or sandals into the sauna, you should leave them on the floor. This will keep them cool, and prevent you from transferring anything that was on the floor to the benches. You can definitely bring in a water bottle with you into the steam room or even place it next to the hot tub. If the temperature is mild, you might want to stay in for a long time, and in the sauna you can always splash some of the water onto the rocks to make what the Finns call löyly to enhance the experience. As you sit in the heat, you will feel the heat of your body rising, then you should break out into a full body sweat. Try to stay in the room until this happens. Most people find it takes about 5-20 minutes before this happens, but there are far too many things that can influence this to make any hard and fast rules. When you have had enough or if you aren't comfortable, listen to your body and leave. If you have lain down, allow a minute or so for your blood pressure to equalize before you stand up. Cool Down When you leave the heat, you should feel that warmth throughout your body, your heart pounding like you just sprinted a mile and have sweat pouring out of your skin. Now you need to cool down to get that excess heat out of your body. You can cool down rapidly by jumping into a cold pool, taking a cold shower, rolling in the snow, or even jumping through a hole in the ice. This has the effect on your body like a blacksmith dunking a hot horseshoe into water: It hardens you sending your circulatory system into overdrive. If that sounds too harsh or you have any health risks, you can also cool down more gently by taking a warm shower, going for a dip in the pool or even wrapping yourself in a blanket, towel or robe and letting the heat slowly come out of you. You can cool down the same way every time, or mix it up. It is your choice. Rest After you cool down, your body needs some time for its temperature to equalize and for your pulse rate and blood pressure to come back to normal, especially if you used one of the more extreme methods to cool down. Use this time to drink some water, get a massage or body scrub, or just sit and think happy thoughts. Hopefully, your gym has a lounge area where you can sit. Repeat One trip through the heat baths is never enough. Most people recommend two to three rounds. The cycling of your body through the heat and cold is an exercise for your skin and circulatory system. Just remember to cool down and rest and stay hydrated before you start your next round. Finnish and Russians folklore both say that if you take more than three rounds, the spirits of the sauna will become upset with you. If you are superstitious, keep this in mind. Finishing up When you have had your fill, you should leave at the end of the rest phase. Let your body finish cooling down and let your sweating stop. Some people like to take a full shower with soap and shampoo to help them finish cooling down and get ready to return to society. Others believe in just a quick rinse as the oils your body releases into your skin and hair are better than any lotion or conditioner. If you were wearing a swimsuit or clothing any, you should give it a good rinse at this point and wring the water out of it before putting it away. When you get home, hang it up and let it air dry. This is enough to keep it clean. If you feel you need to wash it, use some vinegar or a baby detergent, as the foaming agents, scents and fabric conditioners in most detergents will come out the next time you bathe. As you get dressed again, you'll feel the pressures of everyday life returning to you. Hopefully, the time you spent will help you better face what remains of the day, or help you get a good night's sleep that night.

Reader Alex writes:

Dear Saunascape:

I’ve heard a lot about the benefits of using a sauna. When I take a sauna bath, is there a recommended amount of time I should spend in the sauna? How many days a week can I safely go in the sauna?

Thanks

Alex, we’ll start with the easy one first.

The sauna is safe to use every day.

Many people in Finland and Korea use the sauna every day. The safety of the sauna is backed up by numerous medical studies that have tested different populations, both healthy and ailing. All these studies have found that daily sauna users are at least as healthy as the control group who did not use the sauna. In many cases, the daily sauna users had measurable benefits over the non-sauna using group. These ranged from improved feelings of well being, to better sleep, to lower chances of catching a cold, even to lower blood pressure and weight loss and lowered blood insulin levels.

These tests have been made in many different types of sauna: From traditional Finnish-style saunas to gently-heated steam saunas and even in infrared saunas. All showed a benefit.

There are a few risks in the sauna: If you have heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes or are on any type of medicine, you should talk to your doctor first. The sauna can put a strain on your system and can make your body react differently to any medicine. There are reports of lowered sperm counts after a sauna. However, the Finns and Koreans have not gone extinct yet, so this should not be a huge concern for you or your partner. There is also some evidence that recovering from a strength-building workout in a warm environment can inhibit muscle growth.

Now for your second question, which is more difficult to answer:

How long can I stay in the sauna?

There are many different types of saunas out there, and all feel different. You want to stay in long enough that your body starts to really sweat, but not long enough that you begin to feel lightheaded or uncomfortable.

In my experience, this is about 5-20 minutes per round. It depends on the temperature of the sauna, the air movement inside the sauna, the humidity of the sauna, and even how you are feeling that day. Some people keep their saunas cool, and as long as you stay hydrated, you could spend the whole day in there. Others are blazing hot and spending five minutes inside feels like a lifetime.

A sauna should best be enjoyed in rounds, so you don’t want to just go in the sauna once. You will not get as much benefit from a single sauna session as you will from multiple rounds.

When you leave the sauna, you want to cool down. If your heart is healthy, the best way is to jump into cold water or stand under a cold shower. This contrast from hot to cold really sends your body into overdrive.

If the cold isn’t your thing, you can cool down in a warm shower, take a swim in a pool, or even just sit, relax and drink a cool beverage.

Once your body has stopped sweating, it is time to head back into the sauna or steam room. If you are using a Finnish sauna, the second round is a good time to sprinkle some water on the rocks to generate some steam in the sauna. This increases your feeling of the heat.

Conventional wisdom for many cultures says that you should take no more than three sauna rounds in a day. Any more and the sauna spirits who live behind the stove will think you are greedy. We have not seen any medical studies that explain this. However, like a lot of folktales, we can only assume that there was some basis in fact for these. Three sauna rounds feels better than two or four to us.

Good luck and enjoy the sauna!

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="300" caption="How long and how often can I safely sit in the Sauna? Image via Wikipedia"][/caption] Reader Alex writes: Dear Saunascape: I've heard a lot about the benefits of using a sauna. When I take a sauna bath, is there a recommended amount of time I should spend in the sauna? How many days a week can I safely go in the sauna? Thanks Alex, we'll start with the easy one first. The sauna is safe to use every day. Many people in Finland and Korea use the sauna every day. The safety of the sauna is backed up by numerous medical studies that have tested different populations, both healthy and ailing. All these studies have found that daily sauna users are at least as healthy as the control group who did not use the sauna. In many cases, the daily sauna users had measurable benefits over the non-sauna using group. These ranged from improved feelings of well being, to better sleep, to lower chances of catching a cold, even to lower blood pressure and weight loss and lowered blood insulin levels. These tests have been made in many different types of sauna: From traditional Finnish-style saunas to gently-heated steam saunas and even in infrared saunas. All showed a benefit. There are a few risks in the sauna: If you have heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes or are on any type of medicine, you should talk to your doctor first. The sauna can put a strain on your system and can make your body react differently to any medicine. There are reports of lowered sperm counts after a sauna. However, the Finns and Koreans have not gone extinct yet, so this should not be a huge concern for you or your partner. There is also some evidence that recovering from a strength-building workout in a warm environment can inhibit muscle growth. Now for your second question, which is more difficult to answer: How long can I stay in the sauna? There are many different types of saunas out there, and all feel different. You want to stay in long enough that your body starts to really sweat, but not long enough that you begin to feel lightheaded or uncomfortable. In my experience, this is about 5-20 minutes per round. It depends on the temperature of the sauna, the air movement inside the sauna, the humidity of the sauna, and even how you are feeling that day. Some people keep their saunas cool, and as long as you stay hydrated, you could spend the whole day in there. Others are blazing hot and spending five minutes inside feels like a lifetime. A sauna should best be enjoyed in rounds, so you don't want to just go in the sauna once. You will not get as much benefit from a single sauna session as you will from multiple rounds. When you leave the sauna, you want to cool down. If your heart is healthy, the best way is to jump into cold water or stand under a cold shower. This contrast from hot to cold really sends your body into overdrive. If the cold isn't your thing, you can cool down in a warm shower, take a swim in a pool, or even just sit, relax and drink a cool beverage. Once your body has stopped sweating, it is time to head back into the sauna or steam room. If you are using a Finnish sauna, the second round is a good time to sprinkle some water on the rocks to generate some steam in the sauna. This increases your feeling of the heat. Conventional wisdom for many cultures says that you should take no more than three sauna rounds in a day. Any more and the sauna spirits who live behind the stove will think you are greedy. We have not seen any medical studies that explain this. However, like a lot of folktales, we can only assume that there was some basis in fact for these. Three sauna rounds feels better than two or four to us. Good luck and enjoy the sauna!

Sauna Suits, those silvery plastic jumpsuits that are touted everywhere on the internet as one of those “secret weapons” to lose weight quick. Why not? Boxers use them all the time. Buying a sauna suit is cheap, and the benefits are fast and easy to measure, and their makers claim that they are great tools for fat loss, detoxification and increased circulation, as well as other benefits that a traditional sauna gives.

No surprise here: Those marketers are lying to you.

“Sweating while wearing a sauna suit may help eliminate toxins that have accumulated in the body!” is text lifted from one breathless claim. Using a traditional or infrared sauna to remove toxins from your body is a popular, but dubious claim. However, extending the detox claim to a sauna suit, is an outright lie.

Most sauna suits are made from vinyl or a vinyl compound like PVC or EVA. Vinyls emit hundreds of toxic chemicals throughout their life cycles, including chemicals known to cause cancer, birth defects, and reproductive issues. Raising the temperature and humidity around them increases the amount of these chemicals that will be released.

Higher-end sauna suits are made from neoprene. Neoprene is much more stable then vinyl, but it too has its problems. Neoprene is a known allergen, and there are certain lead compounds used in the production of neoprene that may or may not be cleaned out of the fabric before it is shipped to you.

Sweat is a two-way street: It will move toxins in whichever direction they are lower. So though you might be removing some toxins from your body, how many new, more dangerous toxins are you introducing?

Fat loss is another point. Traditional and infrared saunas have been shown to help improve weight regulation by the brain —They do not burn fat directly. It is probably related to the psychological benefits that the ritual of sitting in the sauna gives that you would not get doing your daily chores while wrapped in Saran Wrap.

The whole idea of the sauna suit is dangerous if not used in the right hands. These were originally developed for one purpose: To help combat athletes lose weight before their official weigh-in for the event. If done right, a heavier athlete can weigh into a lighter weight class and have a tremendous advantage in the ring. Their weight loss is done to a predetermined target, and as soon as they’ve stepped off the scale, they begin to rehydrate for their match the next day, otherwise their performance in the ring will suffer. If you do not recognize this, you can end up severely dehydrating yourself.

The whole premise of the sauna suit is to interfere with your body’s cooling mechanism to increase your sweat output. Even professional athletes can overdo it in a sauna suit and end up with heat stroke or heat exhaustion. For the truly misinformed, this process can be sped up by wearing your sauna suit into the sauna.

So do yourself a favor. Save your money. If that sauna suit does anything for you, it won’t be good. If you are an athlete, there are better ways of dehydrating yourself.

Update: Full Mount, a MMA publication, recently published its own article questioning the rationale of weight cutting.

Update 2: If you really want to see what you need to go through to cut weight, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune published an article about the ordeal a local MMA fighter goes through to make weight for his match.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="240" caption="Image by artindeepkoma via Flickr"][/caption] Sauna Suits, those silvery plastic jumpsuits that are touted everywhere on the internet as one of those "secret weapons" to lose weight quick. Why not? Boxers use them all the time. Buying a sauna suit is cheap, and the benefits are fast and easy to measure, and their makers claim that they are great tools for fat loss, detoxification and increased circulation, as well as other benefits that a traditional sauna gives. No surprise here: Those marketers are lying to you. "Sweating while wearing a sauna suit may help eliminate toxins that have accumulated in the body!" is text lifted from one breathless claim. Using a traditional or infrared sauna to remove toxins from your body is a popular, but dubious claim. However, extending the detox claim to a sauna suit, is an outright lie. Most sauna suits are made from vinyl or a vinyl compound like PVC or EVA. Vinyls emit hundreds of toxic chemicals throughout their life cycles, including chemicals known to cause cancer, birth defects, and reproductive issues. Raising the temperature and humidity around them increases the amount of these chemicals that will be released. Higher-end sauna suits are made from neoprene. Neoprene is much more stable then vinyl, but it too has its problems. Neoprene is a known allergen, and there are certain lead compounds used in the production of neoprene that may or may not be cleaned out of the fabric before it is shipped to you. Sweat is a two-way street: It will move toxins in whichever direction they are lower. So though you might be removing some toxins from your body, how many new, more dangerous toxins are you introducing? Fat loss is another point. Traditional and infrared saunas have been shown to help improve weight regulation by the brain —They do not burn fat directly. It is probably related to the psychological benefits that the ritual of sitting in the sauna gives that you would not get doing your daily chores while wrapped in Saran Wrap. The whole idea of the sauna suit is dangerous if not used in the right hands. These were originally developed for one purpose: To help combat athletes lose weight before their official weigh-in for the event. If done right, a heavier athlete can weigh into a lighter weight class and have a tremendous advantage in the ring. Their weight loss is done to a predetermined target, and as soon as they've stepped off the scale, they begin to rehydrate for their match the next day, otherwise their performance in the ring will suffer. If you do not recognize this, you can end up severely dehydrating yourself. The whole premise of the sauna suit is to interfere with your body's cooling mechanism to increase your sweat output. Even professional athletes can overdo it in a sauna suit and end up with heat stroke or heat exhaustion. For the truly misinformed, this process can be sped up by wearing your sauna suit into the sauna. So do yourself a favor. Save your money. If that sauna suit does anything for you, it won't be good. If you are an athlete, there are better ways of dehydrating yourself. Update: Full Mount, a MMA publication, recently published its own article questioning the rationale of weight cutting. Update 2: If you really want to see what you need to go through to cut weight, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune published an article about the ordeal a local MMA fighter goes through to make weight for his match.