SaunaScape

British eyewear brand Specsavers gives us a cautionary video of what can happen if you don’t read the signs on the doors carefully at your hotel. A hotel guest thinks he’s heading into the hotel’s sauna for a relaxing steam. Instead he ends up eye to eye with a rather irate Gordon Ramsay.

He also demonstrates Sauna Rule #2: Always sit on a towel, because you never know what was on that bench, and people don’t want to touch the wood your bare bum touched.

Watch the 40 second video and see: Sometimes what looks like a sauna isn’t. If you’re concerned about making this mistake yourself, make sure you consult our database of hotels with saunas when you book your next trip.

via AdWeek.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VELQ39QAYP4] British eyewear brand Specsavers gives us a cautionary video of what can happen if you don't read the signs on the doors carefully at your hotel. A hotel guest thinks he's heading into the hotel's sauna for a relaxing steam. Instead he ends up eye to eye with a rather irate Gordon Ramsay. He also demonstrates Sauna Rule #2: Always sit on a towel, because you never know what was on that bench, and people don't want to touch the wood your bare bum touched. Watch the 40 second video and see: Sometimes what looks like a sauna isn't. If you're concerned about making this mistake yourself, make sure you consult our database of hotels with saunas when you book your next trip. via AdWeek.

A bowl of Korean noodles similar to the one I had for dinner during my night at King Sauna. Image via Wikipedia

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.

Photo by PaintMonkey on Flickr

We’re pleased to announce a new feature to the site we’ve been working on over the last few weeks: From within Saunascape, you can now search for and book a hotel with a sauna! No more guesswork. Just access it from the “Hotels” link in the menu above.

Of course, we’ve noticed that the database is not complete. Unfortunately, we’re relying on what the hotels have reported to the central reservations system in both their description and amenities. If you know that your favorite hotel has a sauna and it’s not showing up here, tell them to update their central reservations record. Hopefully we’ll catch them the next time our data provider updates.

The database currently has over 5,000 hotels in more than 120 countries.

Try it out. Let us know what you think in the comments, and if there are any more features you’d like us to add. We’re already working on adding a hotel brand filter for those of you chasing loyalty points.

[caption id="attachment_183" align="alignright" width="296" caption="Photo by PaintMonkey on Flickr"][/caption] We're pleased to announce a new feature to the site we've been working on over the last few weeks: From within Saunascape, you can now search for and book a hotel with a sauna! No more guesswork. Just access it from the "Hotels" link in the menu above. Of course, we've noticed that the database is not complete. Unfortunately, we're relying on what the hotels have reported to the central reservations system in both their description and amenities. If you know that your favorite hotel has a sauna and it's not showing up here, tell them to update their central reservations record. Hopefully we'll catch them the next time our data provider updates. The database currently has over 5,000 hotels in more than 120 countries. Try it out. Let us know what you think in the comments, and if there are any more features you'd like us to add. We're already working on adding a hotel brand filter for those of you chasing loyalty points.

S/S Silla setting the record as the world's fastest marine sauna

Sweden’s first floating hotel, the Salt & Sill recently announced another record: the marine speed record for a sauna at 15.5 knots.

Susanna Hermansson, Managing Director of the Salt & Sill says about the S/S Silla, the official name of the sauna boat:

The target was 15 knots, and we succeeded reaching that speed. It feels great and a bit mad, and of course I’m proud to be the owner of the world’s fastest floating sauna. It now remains to be seen whether anyone is brave enough to challenge our record, and we obviously welcome anyone who wants to take a sauna at 15.5 knots.

The record was recorded in early July during the finals at the Match Cup Sweden in Marstrand. The speed was confirmed via a GPS unit.

The 11.9 x 6.5 meter (39 x 21 foot)  building is made of lightweight fiberglass and secured to a catamaran platform, which is powered by two 160 hp diesel engines from Volvo Penta.  A total of 4.5 million SEK (About US$650,000) has been invested in the sauna boat, which can also be used as a relax area, conference room, exhibition venue, or wedding suite. The sauna can usually be found at its home-berth, adjacent to the hotel on Klädesholmen, near Goethenburg.

Rooms at the Salt & Sill start at SEK 1290 (US$ 185) per night. Bookings can be made by contacting the hotel directly.

[Salt & Sill Hotel] via Passport Magazine

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="300" caption="S/S Silla setting the record as the world's fastest marine sauna"][/caption] Sweden's first floating hotel, the Salt & Sill recently announced another record: the marine speed record for a sauna at 15.5 knots. Susanna Hermansson, Managing Director of the Salt & Sill says about the S/S Silla, the official name of the sauna boat: The target was 15 knots, and we succeeded reaching that speed. It feels great and a bit mad, and of course I'm proud to be the owner of the world's fastest floating sauna. It now remains to be seen whether anyone is brave enough to challenge our record, and we obviously welcome anyone who wants to take a sauna at 15.5 knots. The record was recorded in early July during the finals at the Match Cup Sweden in Marstrand. The speed was confirmed via a GPS unit. The 11.9 x 6.5 meter (39 x 21 foot)  building is made of lightweight fiberglass and secured to a catamaran platform, which is powered by two 160 hp diesel engines from Volvo Penta.  A total of 4.5 million SEK (About US$650,000) has been invested in the sauna boat, which can also be used as a relax area, conference room, exhibition venue, or wedding suite. The sauna can usually be found at its home-berth, adjacent to the hotel on Klädesholmen, near Goethenburg. Rooms at the Salt & Sill start at SEK 1290 (US$ 185) per night. Bookings can be made by contacting the hotel directly. [Salt & Sill Hotel] via Passport Magazine

Photo by Paint Monkey on Flickr

In our quest to find new and interesting sauna tidbits to share with you, we spend a lot of time combing the web looking for information.

This weekend, we stumbled upon Sauna Times, a blog run by Glenn, a “Joe American” living in Minnesota. We find the similarities between his site and ours uncanny, right down to the choice of the background images. He seems to be quite a personable fellow. So much so that with this post, Sauna times now has a place in our links page.

What really caught our attention on his site though, was his post “Hotel Sauna: How to Take One.” A laminated copy now resides in our briefcase for our next stay at a hotel with a sauna.

We have noticed that most hotel (and health club) saunas, especially here in the USA, tend to be overly dry from disuse. This becomes part of the problem: If the sauna is dry and hot, it irritates your respiratory system. Most  forbid you from throwing water on the rocks, so the only solution is to turn the temperature down. You end up sitting in a warm room, which really doesn’t do much for you.

Sauna Times has a simple solution for all of this: As soon as you check in, turn on the sauna full blast. Give it 20 minutes or so to heat, then:

Flush the hotel sauna. Generously douse with fresh water:

• the bench area where you’ll be sitting.
• the hotel sauna rocks with water (they should bark back, if not, the sauna is lame, call housekeeping if you’re especially irritated).
• anywhere else you feel the urge.

Why?  underused hotel saunas can build up dust and stagnation, this ‘cleansing’ will get your hotel sauna fresh and ready to rock.

After this, reset the timer again, and give the sauna another 30 minutes to recover from this washing, and you’re ready to begin the sauna process, which Glenn distills succinctly: “It’s like the instructions on a box of laundry detergent: sauna, rinse, chill, repeat.”

If you are looking for a lodging with a sauna, don’t forget to check out our hotel sauna search engine.

[Hotel Sauna: How to Take One] Sauna Times

[caption id="attachment_183" align="alignright" width="296" caption="Photo by Paint Monkey on Flickr"][/caption] In our quest to find new and interesting sauna tidbits to share with you, we spend a lot of time combing the web looking for information. This weekend, we stumbled upon Sauna Times, a blog run by Glenn, a "Joe American" living in Minnesota. We find the similarities between his site and ours uncanny, right down to the choice of the background images. He seems to be quite a personable fellow. So much so that with this post, Sauna times now has a place in our links page. What really caught our attention on his site though, was his post "Hotel Sauna: How to Take One." A laminated copy now resides in our briefcase for our next stay at a hotel with a sauna. We have noticed that most hotel (and health club) saunas, especially here in the USA, tend to be overly dry from disuse. This becomes part of the problem: If the sauna is dry and hot, it irritates your respiratory system. Most  forbid you from throwing water on the rocks, so the only solution is to turn the temperature down. You end up sitting in a warm room, which really doesn't do much for you. Sauna Times has a simple solution for all of this: As soon as you check in, turn on the sauna full blast. Give it 20 minutes or so to heat, then: Flush the hotel sauna. Generously douse with fresh water: the bench area where you’ll be sitting. the hotel sauna rocks with water (they should bark back, if not, the sauna is lame, call housekeeping if you’re especially irritated). anywhere else you feel the urge. Why?  underused hotel saunas can build up dust and stagnation, this ‘cleansing’ will get your hotel sauna fresh and ready to rock. After this, reset the timer again, and give the sauna another 30 minutes to recover from this washing, and you're ready to begin the sauna process, which Glenn distills succinctly: "It’s like the instructions on a box of laundry detergent: sauna, rinse, chill, repeat." If you are looking for a lodging with a sauna, don't forget to check out our hotel sauna search engine. [Hotel Sauna: How to Take One] Sauna Times