SaunaScape

A Sauna In a Pear Tree by seattlebound 2007 on Photobucket

It’s that time of year, where every good blogger across the internet channels their inner Stan Freberg and posts a list of their gift ideas. We’re not afraid of a little commercialism here, so without further ado, here is the SaunaScape 12 days of Christmas:

12 Sauna Hats
A sauna hat is an essential accessory if you’re going to enjoy a Banya. There aren’t many domestic sources for them, here’s an authentic Latvian one via Hotsprung.

11 Bath Robes
If you’re not going to a Korean sauna, you’re going to need a robe. There are three schools of robes, big and fluffy, light and packable, and The Dude abides.

10 Sauna Books
There’s no shortage of books on the sauna out there. A few new ones were published in 2010 including The Opposite of Cold, The Bathers, The Dirt on Clean and Villas and Saunas in Finland. If you’re looking for some classics, there is Cathedrals of the Flesh, Mikkel Aaland’s Sweat, and The Sauna Cookbook.

9 Sauna Towels
Again, if you’re not regularly going to a sauna that includes towels, you’ll need to bring your own. Again, these come in three varieties: Soft and fluffy, light and packable, and Ford Prefect.

8 Ex-foliation Tools
In Korean baths they use italy towels, in the Hammam it’s a synthetic mitt, some prefer a loofah, a brush, or even a venik. Whatever tool you choose, after a couple of rounds in the sauna, you’re ready to exfoliate like you’ve never done before.

7 Pairs of Sandals
There are too many choices to pick from here, so I’ll just let you decide.

6 Sauna Aromas
Lots of different sauna aromas are available. As we mentioned in our earlier post Dr. Stephen Colmant likes Sage. I’m a fan of Eucalyptus and Citrus.

5 Gift Certificates
That’s right, if you can’t take them to the spa, you can send them a gift certificate. Spa Finder and Spa Week are both offering discounted certificates this holiday season.

4 Sauna Apps
Well, we’ve at least got two for you: The virtual sauna, and the Seoul sauna guide.

3 Sauna Films
Steam of Life, the Finnish documentary is contending for an Oscar this year. It’s not available to watch / purchase through any of the usual sources, but I’m sure if it wins it will go into wide distribution. To round out the list we can add the horror film Sauna, and because we’re really reaching right now, Hot Tub Time Machine

2 Nights in a hotel with a sauna
Enough said?

and

A Sauna in a Pear Tree.
Seriously, if you don’t have your own sauna yet, Glenn’s is for sale.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="327" caption="A Sauna In a Pear Tree by seattlebound 2007 on Photobucket"][/caption] It's that time of year, where every good blogger across the internet channels their inner Stan Freberg and posts a list of their gift ideas. We're not afraid of a little commercialism here, so without further ado, here is the SaunaScape 12 days of Christmas: 12 Sauna Hats A sauna hat is an essential accessory if you're going to enjoy a Banya. There aren't many domestic sources for them, here's an authentic Latvian one via Hotsprung. 11 Bath Robes If you're not going to a Korean sauna, you're going to need a robe. There are three schools of robes, big and fluffy, light and packable, and The Dude abides. 10 Sauna Books There's no shortage of books on the sauna out there. A few new ones were published in 2010 including The Opposite of Cold, The Bathers, The Dirt on Clean and Villas and Saunas in Finland. If you're looking for some classics, there is Cathedrals of the Flesh, Mikkel Aaland's Sweat, and The Sauna Cookbook. 9 Sauna Towels Again, if you're not regularly going to a sauna that includes towels, you'll need to bring your own. Again, these come in three varieties: Soft and fluffy, light and packable, and Ford Prefect. 8 Ex-foliation Tools In Korean baths they use italy towels, in the Hammam it's a synthetic mitt, some prefer a loofah, a brush, or even a venik. Whatever tool you choose, after a couple of rounds in the sauna, you're ready to exfoliate like you've never done before. 7 Pairs of Sandals There are too many choices to pick from here, so I'll just let you decide. 6 Sauna Aromas Lots of different sauna aromas are available. As we mentioned in our earlier post Dr. Stephen Colmant likes Sage. I'm a fan of Eucalyptus and Citrus. 5 Gift Certificates That's right, if you can't take them to the spa, you can send them a gift certificate. Spa Finder and Spa Week are both offering discounted certificates this holiday season. 4 Sauna Apps Well, we've at least got two for you: The virtual sauna, and the Seoul sauna guide. 3 Sauna Films Steam of Life, the Finnish documentary is contending for an Oscar this year. It's not available to watch / purchase through any of the usual sources, but I'm sure if it wins it will go into wide distribution. To round out the list we can add the horror film Sauna, and because we're really reaching right now, Hot Tub Time Machine 2 Nights in a hotel with a sauna Enough said? and A Sauna in a Pear Tree. Seriously, if you don't have your own sauna yet, Glenn's is for sale.

A site that showed up on my radar a few weeks ago is Hotsprung, subtitled “Hot Water and How to Get Into It.”

Most interesting is the post on the Dogo Onsen in Japan. According to Hotsprung, it was the inspiration for the bath house in the excellent movie Spirited Away(which probably deserves its own post here).

Hotsprung also has a very informative post on the Onsen, a style of Japanese Bath, plus some first-hand reviews of several spas in the Seattle and Vancouver area.

Take a trip over and check out Hotsprung.

A site that showed up on my radar a few weeks ago is Hotsprung, subtitled "Hot Water and How to Get Into It." Most interesting is the post on the Dogo Onsen in Japan. According to Hotsprung, it was the inspiration for the bath house in the excellent movie Spirited Away(which probably deserves its own post here). Hotsprung also has a very informative post on the Onsen, a style of Japanese Bath, plus some first-hand reviews of several spas in the Seattle and Vancouver area. Take a trip over and check out Hotsprung.