SaunaScape

This week has been a flurry of activity at the James Ray trials for the deaths of three participants in a sweat lodge in late 2009. New evidence, commissioned by the state, has surfaced proposing that the cause of at least one of the deaths was brought on by lack of air exchange in the sweat lodge – a possibility we first proposed here in March.

In April 2010, Rick Haddow, an environmental consultant, emailed a report to Ross Diskin, a detective investigating the case, detailing his investigation into the possible causes of death for one of the victims, Liz Neuman.

According to Mr. Haddow’s report:

• The high relative humidity and temperature in the lodge created a condition where Ms. Neuman’s body could no longer regulate her internal temperature.
• The rock pit was not centered in the lodge, but was offset. Ms. Neuman was seated in the area that was closest to the rock pit, the hottest section of the lodge.
• The area of the lodge where Ms. Neuman and most of the others who were injured or succumbed in the lodge was affected by what Mr. Haddow calls a radiant heat barrier, limiting the air exchange in the area, greatly increasing concentrations of carbon dioxide.
• The lodge’s construction was nearly air tight and the heat from the rocks would make it difficult for outside air to enter the lodge, except through the door.
• The area between the door and the rock pit, where Mr. Ray was seated, would have been the only area in the lodge to get a good air exchange. The conditions experienced there would have been completely different than those in the area where most of the victims were seated.

The contents of the report this week were just discovered by Mr. Ray’s legal team. They filed a motion for mistrial on the basis that the prosecution willfully withheld this evidence. They argued that this was a constitutional violation of Mr. Ray’s rights. Yesterday afternoon, that motion was denied, but it will change the strategy of Mr. Ray’s defense as the trial resumes today.

The full text of Mr. Haddow’s report can be found on page 15 of the mistrial motion filed by the defense team.

The sweat lodge was built by Angel Valley, the resort where Mr. Ray’s seminar was held. Mr. Ray’s defense strategy throughout the trial has been to point to flaws in the design of the sweat lodge structure as the cause of the deaths, not his endurance endurance sweat session after several days of fasting and little sleep for his participants.

For updates on the trial, we have been following Lynne LaMaster’s reporting at the Prescott e News. For those interested, her articles on the case go into much more detail.

This week has been a flurry of activity at the James Ray trials for the deaths of three participants in a sweat lodge in late 2009. New evidence, commissioned by the state, has surfaced proposing that the cause of at least one of the deaths was brought on by lack of air exchange in the sweat lodge – a possibility we first proposed here in March. In April 2010, Rick Haddow, an environmental consultant, emailed a report to Ross Diskin, a detective investigating the case, detailing his investigation into the possible causes of death for one of the victims, Liz Neuman. According to Mr. Haddow's report: The high relative humidity and temperature in the lodge created a condition where Ms. Neuman's body could no longer regulate her internal temperature. The rock pit was not centered in the lodge, but was offset. Ms. Neuman was seated in the area that was closest to the rock pit, the hottest section of the lodge. The area of the lodge where Ms. Neuman and most of the others who were injured or succumbed in the lodge was affected by what Mr. Haddow calls a radiant heat barrier, limiting the air exchange in the area, greatly increasing concentrations of carbon dioxide. The lodge's construction was nearly air tight and the heat from the rocks would make it difficult for outside air to enter the lodge, except through the door. The area between the door and the rock pit, where Mr. Ray was seated, would have been the only area in the lodge to get a good air exchange. The conditions experienced there would have been completely different than those in the area where most of the victims were seated. The contents of the report this week were just discovered by Mr. Ray's legal team. They filed a motion for mistrial on the basis that the prosecution willfully withheld this evidence. They argued that this was a constitutional violation of Mr. Ray's rights. Yesterday afternoon, that motion was denied, but it will change the strategy of Mr. Ray's defense as the trial resumes today. The full text of Mr. Haddow's report can be found on page 15 of the mistrial motion filed by the defense team. The sweat lodge was built by Angel Valley, the resort where Mr. Ray's seminar was held. Mr. Ray's defense strategy throughout the trial has been to point to flaws in the design of the sweat lodge structure as the cause of the deaths, not his endurance endurance sweat session after several days of fasting and little sleep for his participants. For updates on the trial, we have been following Lynne LaMaster's reporting at the Prescott e News. For those interested, her articles on the case go into much more detail.  

Photo of James Ray's sweat lodge, shown at his manslaughter trial. Photo from Prescott E-News

In the opening arguments in James Ray’s trial for the manslaughter of three in a sweat lodge at his 2009 Spiritual Warrior workshop, more details of the event have come to light. According to the Prescott E-News, part of Mr. Ray’s defense is the deaths of the participants were from toxins — not heat stroke as the Prosecution alleges.

Mr. Ray’s defense might be right: Toxins seem to us to be the cause of this tragedy.

Unfortunately for Mr. Ray, it looks like he was the prime creator of the toxins, not others as his defense team alleges. It sounds to us like his participants suffered from lack of oxygen in the sweat lodge.

The evidence in this case hasn’t been given yet, but Connie Joy, who attended more than 20 of Ray’s seminars, including his 2007 Spiritual Warrior workshop, wrote about the experience in her book Tragedy in Sedona:

We formed a line behind James. As the Native American drummed and chanted, we headed into the lodge.

We circled around clockwise, James stopped at the right side of the door, then told us to sit as close as possible to each other and to the tent wall, but not to put any weight on the tent itself. After the outside row filled up, the inside row formed with people packed tightly next to each other, their backs just in front of our knees, which we pulled up against us. No one could move. …

After everyone was in and seated, James called for [eight to ten] super-heated stones, which we called grandfathers. … [They brought them in on pitchforks] until all of the requested stones glowed in the pit. Then Joan took a five-gallon white painter’s bucket filled with water and poured it all onto the stones. As soon as she backed up to her spot and sat down the people outside dropped a cover over the doorway.

About halfway through the first [twenty-minute] round, I started to grow dizzy. … When the first round was finally over and they opened the tent flap, I grew more nauseaous by the second. Concerned I would get sick on the people packed tightly around me, I covered my mouth and got up and worked my way through the bodies to the door. …

After a couple of more rounds, the tent flap opened. A group of people rushed out. What I saw alarmed me. They were disoriented, throwing up, and after they were sprayed with water, a couple of people were shaking on the ground.

Several people who were there told me later, from start to finish, our group spent a total of three hours in the sweat lodge.

Wow. Let’s break this down:

From the photos and the description there was only one entrance to the sweat lodge. It is reasonably air tight, and it was packed full of people. While those people were in there, they were dumping 5-gallon buckets of water onto superheated rocks to fill the lodge with steam.

According to CNN, the sweat lodge was 5 feet tall and 23 feet around. That’s an internal volume of 58,000 liters. There were 60 people inside of the lodge in 2009. Each person takes up about 81 liters, leaving 53,100 liters of air inside the lodge. Let’s say half of that 5 gallon bucket of water turned to steam when it was poured on the rocks. That would displace another 16,200 liters of air, leaving 36,900 liters of air in the lodge.

Fresh air is 21% oxygen — the element we need to survive when we breathe. Looking at the volume of air in the lodge, there would be 7,700 liters of oxygen in there, reducing the oxygen concentration to 14.5% just after the water turned to steam and the door was closed.

All of those people in the sweat lodge are breathing, and consuming oxygen. The base rate is about 3.5 ml/min per kg of body mass. The average maximum rate for non-athletes is around 35 ml/min. Say that those people are consuming at about halfway to maximum, and we find that those 60 people in the lodge are consuming 92 liters of oxygen each minute. By the end of the first 20-minute round they would have consumed another 1800 liters of oxygen, bringing the average oxygen concentration to just 11%.

In a still situation, there would be areas with higher and lower concentrations of oxygen. Some areas, like Mr. Ray’s position near the door, would have a higher percentage of oxygen. In the middle of the mass of bodies, like where Ms. Joy was sitting, the concentration could be several percentage points lower.

According to Argonne National Lab, most people can function relatively normally in an environment down to 15% oxygen. As the concentration decreases from 15% to 10%, the pulse quickens, breathing rates increase, and people’s coordination and judgement decreases. Below 10% we start to see symptoms like Ms. Joy reports: nausea, vomiting, fainting, ash colored face and bluish lips. An 8% or less oxygen concentration is 100% fatal in 8 minutes. As the concentration decreases below 6%, it can put someone into a coma in as little as 40 seconds.

Reports by participants in the 2009 event talk about paramedics suspecting carbon monoxide poisoning — an easy mistake because carbon monoxide replaces oxygen in your bloodstream.

If you are going to run your own sweat lodge, there are some things you can do to learn from Mr. Ray’s mistakes and keep all of your participants safe:

• The sauna should be an appropriate volume for the people you are going to put inside of it. With all of the people and the steam you’ll be generating, you should be sure that there will still be enough oxygen for everyone to breathe during each round of the sweat.
• Between rounds, the sweat lodge should be emptied, and ventilated to ensure there is fresh air before each round. In a German sauna, they swing a towel in the doorway to force this changeover.
• The keeper of the lodge, with the most experience should be in the worst position to best monitor the conditions in the lodge. Mr. Ray, sitting near the door, had no idea what the conditions were really like: He was in the coolest spot with the most oxygen. He had no way of knowing what the conditions would be like at the far end of the lodge.
• Between sweat rounds, people should be encouraged to leave the sweat lodge and cool their bodies before the next round.
• If people are feeling ill, they should be encouraged to leave immediately, and be examined by medical personnel if they show any abnormal symptoms. They should not be pressured to stay in the lodge or be encouraged to return to the lodge.

  [caption id="" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Photo of James Ray's sweat lodge, shown at his manslaughter trial. Photo from Prescott E-News"][/caption] In the opening arguments in James Ray's trial for the manslaughter of three in a sweat lodge at his 2009 Spiritual Warrior workshop, more details of the event have come to light. According to the Prescott E-News, part of Mr. Ray's defense is the deaths of the participants were from toxins — not heat stroke as the Prosecution alleges.   Mr. Ray's defense might be right: Toxins seem to us to be the cause of this tragedy. Unfortunately for Mr. Ray, it looks like he was the prime creator of the toxins, not others as his defense team alleges. It sounds to us like his participants suffered from lack of oxygen in the sweat lodge. The evidence in this case hasn't been given yet, but Connie Joy, who attended more than 20 of Ray's seminars, including his 2007 Spiritual Warrior workshop, wrote about the experience in her book Tragedy in Sedona: We formed a line behind James. As the Native American drummed and chanted, we headed into the lodge. We circled around clockwise, James stopped at the right side of the door, then told us to sit as close as possible to each other and to the tent wall, but not to put any weight on the tent itself. After the outside row filled up, the inside row formed with people packed tightly next to each other, their backs just in front of our knees, which we pulled up against us. No one could move. ... After everyone was in and seated, James called for [eight to ten] super-heated stones, which we called grandfathers. ... [They brought them in on pitchforks] until all of the requested stones glowed in the pit. Then Joan took a five-gallon white painter's bucket filled with water and poured it all onto the stones. As soon as she backed up to her spot and sat down the people outside dropped a cover over the doorway. About halfway through the first [twenty-minute] round, I started to grow dizzy. ... When the first round was finally over and they opened the tent flap, I grew more nauseaous by the second. Concerned I would get sick on the people packed tightly around me, I covered my mouth and got up and worked my way through the bodies to the door. ... After a couple of more rounds, the tent flap opened. A group of people rushed out. What I saw alarmed me. They were disoriented, throwing up, and after they were sprayed with water, a couple of people were shaking on the ground. Several people who were there told me later, from start to finish, our group spent a total of three hours in the sweat lodge. Wow. Let's break this down: From the photos and the description there was only one entrance to the sweat lodge. It is reasonably air tight, and it was packed full of people. While those people were in there, they were dumping 5-gallon buckets of water onto superheated rocks to fill the lodge with steam. According to CNN, the sweat lodge was 5 feet tall and 23 feet around. That's an internal volume of 58,000 liters. There were 60 people inside of the lodge in 2009. Each person takes up about 81 liters, leaving 53,100 liters of air inside the lodge. Let's say half of that 5 gallon bucket of water turned to steam when it was poured on the rocks. That would displace another 16,200 liters of air, leaving 36,900 liters of air in the lodge. Fresh air is 21% oxygen — the element we need to survive when we breathe. Looking at the volume of air in the lodge, there would be 7,700 liters of oxygen in there, reducing the oxygen concentration to 14.5% just after the water turned to steam and the door was closed. All of those people in the sweat lodge are breathing, and consuming oxygen. The base rate is about 3.5 ml/min per kg of body mass. The average maximum rate for non-athletes is around 35 ml/min. Say that those people are consuming at about halfway to maximum, and we find that those 60 people in the lodge are consuming 92 liters of oxygen each minute. By the end of the first 20-minute round they would have consumed another 1800 liters of oxygen, bringing the average oxygen concentration to just 11%. In a still situation, there would be areas with higher and lower concentrations of oxygen. Some areas, like Mr. Ray's position near the door, would have a higher percentage of oxygen. In the middle of the mass of bodies, like where Ms. Joy was sitting, the concentration could be several percentage points lower. According to Argonne National Lab, most people can function relatively normally in an environment down to 15% oxygen. As the concentration decreases from 15% to 10%, the pulse quickens, breathing rates increase, and people's coordination and judgement decreases. Below 10% we start to see symptoms like Ms. Joy reports: nausea, vomiting, fainting, ash colored face and bluish lips. An 8% or less oxygen concentration is 100% fatal in 8 minutes. As the concentration decreases below 6%, it can put someone into a coma in as little as 40 seconds. Reports by participants in the 2009 event talk about paramedics suspecting carbon monoxide poisoning — an easy mistake because carbon monoxide replaces oxygen in your bloodstream. If you are going to run your own sweat lodge, there are some things you can do to learn from Mr. Ray's mistakes and keep all of your participants safe: The sauna should be an appropriate volume for the people you are going to put inside of it. With all of the people and the steam you'll be generating, you should be sure that there will still be enough oxygen for everyone to breathe during each round of the sweat. Between rounds, the sweat lodge should be emptied, and ventilated to ensure there is fresh air before each round. In a German sauna, they swing a towel in the doorway to force this changeover. The keeper of the lodge, with the most experience should be in the worst position to best monitor the conditions in the lodge. Mr. Ray, sitting near the door, had no idea what the conditions were really like: He was in the coolest spot with the most oxygen. He had no way of knowing what the conditions would be like at the far end of the lodge. Between sweat rounds, people should be encouraged to leave the sweat lodge and cool their bodies before the next round. If people are feeling ill, they should be encouraged to leave immediately, and be examined by medical personnel if they show any abnormal symptoms. They should not be pressured to stay in the lodge or be encouraged to return to the lodge.

Image of the world-record sauna session at Maximare

Yesterday was Guinness World Records Day for 2010, and for the fourth year in a row a new record was set for most nationalities in a sauna.

Maximare in Hamm, Germany gathered 130 people from 91 countries in their sauna. The sauna session lasted for 5 minutes at a rather mild 60°C (140°F). To make the photo press-friendly, each participant wore a t-shirt showing their nationality instead of the standard sauna attire. Guinness is expecting to certify the record next week.

On the 2009 Guinness World Record day, the University of Finland gathered people from 76 countries in their sauna. This broke a run of records by the Japanese: 57 nationalities in Beppu city in 2008, 50 nationalities in Nagoka in 2007 and 38 nationalities in Kobe in 2005.

Therme Erding near Munich also participated in the Guinness World Records Day, adding 7 new records. Five of the records were for longest distance traveled in a water slide in a set period of time, including Stephanie Hammers who broke the women’s 24-hour record by sliding over 100km (62 miles). One was for the largest swimwear fashion show, with 268 participants. Their Magic Eye water slide also took home a record for the longest enclosed water slide at 365 meters long (1,198 ft).

All of these records should be published in the Guinness World Records 2011.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Image of the world-record sauna session at Maximare"][/caption] Yesterday was Guinness World Records Day for 2010, and for the fourth year in a row a new record was set for most nationalities in a sauna. Maximare in Hamm, Germany gathered 130 people from 91 countries in their sauna. The sauna session lasted for 5 minutes at a rather mild 60°C (140°F). To make the photo press-friendly, each participant wore a t-shirt showing their nationality instead of the standard sauna attire. Guinness is expecting to certify the record next week. On the 2009 Guinness World Record day, the University of Finland gathered people from 76 countries in their sauna. This broke a run of records by the Japanese: 57 nationalities in Beppu city in 2008, 50 nationalities in Nagoka in 2007 and 38 nationalities in Kobe in 2005. Therme Erding near Munich also participated in the Guinness World Records Day, adding 7 new records. Five of the records were for longest distance traveled in a water slide in a set period of time, including Stephanie Hammers who broke the women's 24-hour record by sliding over 100km (62 miles). One was for the largest swimwear fashion show, with 268 participants. Their Magic Eye water slide also took home a record for the longest enclosed water slide at 365 meters long (1,198 ft). All of these records should be published in the Guinness World Records 2011.

Sauna Times Sauna open for all in Minneapolis

Sauna Times has placed their mobile sauna at Uncommon Gardens in Minneapolis, MN for the holiday season. This Saturday, November 20, the sauna will be fired up for all to try. From the looks of this weekend’s weather, the high will be a balmy 31°F (-0°C). Bring your swimsuit and sandals.

Glenn assures me that Uncommon Gardens is only a $25 cab ride from MSP airport if you’re planning on flying in for the occasion.

Steam of Life Screening in Toronto

Canada’s National Film Board and the Consulate of Finland will be screening the film Steam of Life at the Toronto Mediatheque at 7pm on November 24. Steam of Life is Finland’s entry for the foreign language Oscar for 2011. We posted about Steam of Life in September.

Sauna or Steam Room?

FitSugar is looking for your comments on whether you prefer the sauna or steam room. Stop by and show them some love.

The Smell of Snow

Author Laura Munson posted a piece on The Huffington Post yesterday called The Smell of Snow describing the first sauna of the season in Montana. It’s well worth the read if you haven’t come across it yet.

Image by timo_w2s via Flickr Sauna Times Sauna open for all in Minneapolis Sauna Times has placed their mobile sauna at Uncommon Gardens in Minneapolis, MN for the holiday season. This Saturday, November 20, the sauna will be fired up for all to try. From the looks of this weekend's weather, the high will be a balmy 31°F (-0°C). Bring your swimsuit and sandals. Glenn assures me that Uncommon Gardens is only a $25 cab ride from MSP airport if you're planning on flying in for the occasion. Steam of Life Screening in Toronto Canada's National Film Board and the Consulate of Finland will be screening the film Steam of Life at the Toronto Mediatheque at 7pm on November 24. Steam of Life is Finland's entry for the foreign language Oscar for 2011. We posted about Steam of Life in September. Sauna or Steam Room? FitSugar is looking for your comments on whether you prefer the sauna or steam room. Stop by and show them some love. The Smell of Snow Author Laura Munson posted a piece on The Huffington Post yesterday called The Smell of Snow describing the first sauna of the season in Montana. It's well worth the read if you haven't come across it yet.

A competitor at the SaunaWM competition 2010. Photo by SaunaWM

On October 17, the second annual Sauna WM or Sauna World Cup was held at Therme Aqualux in Fohnsdorf, Austria. Unlike the Finnish version that ended in tragedy this year, this competition in the words of the organizers,

Pleasure is the main goal, the enjoyment and indulgence, and the technique of waving the towel in the sauna. The best fragrance, the right dosage, the matching comment, maybe also a good joke at the right moment – all this and much more can create the best Sauna-Aufguss. We are looking for the most enjoyable Sauna Aufguss, the best “Wachler” (waver) or most talented Saunameister, we are looking for the Sauna world champion.

The competition was open to anyone in attendance at Therme Aqualux. Judging was carried out by the normal patrons in attendance in the sauna. Each member of the “Sit and Sweat Jury” in the sauna while the Aufgussiers were performing was given a full cup of water. Each jury member could pour as much of their water as they wanted into a measuring cup for the Aufgussier. The one with the greatest volume of water was declared the winner.

Italian Andreas Kofler was given the World Cup. Second place went to Benjamin Gaudreau from Germany. In third place was Günter Huther from Austria. There were 25 competitors in total.

A second competition was also run: Who could generate the most wind from a spinning towel. The winner among the 230 participants was Christian Govi generating a speed of 11.79 meters per second, or over 26 miles per hour. To ensure fairness, a local university brought their instruments to measure the speed.

Of course, as is customary in the saunas in a German-speaking region, the entire competition done in the nude.

Sauna WM via The German Herald

[caption id="attachment_488" align="alignright" width="300" caption="A competitor at the SaunaWM competition 2010. Photo by SaunaWM"][/caption] On October 17, the second annual Sauna WM or Sauna World Cup was held at Therme Aqualux in Fohnsdorf, Austria. Unlike the Finnish version that ended in tragedy this year, this competition in the words of the organizers, Pleasure is the main goal, the enjoyment and indulgence, and the technique of waving the towel in the sauna. The best fragrance, the right dosage, the matching comment, maybe also a good joke at the right moment - all this and much more can create the best Sauna-Aufguss. We are looking for the most enjoyable Sauna Aufguss, the best "Wachler" (waver) or most talented Saunameister, we are looking for the Sauna world champion. The competition was open to anyone in attendance at Therme Aqualux. Judging was carried out by the normal patrons in attendance in the sauna. Each member of the "Sit and Sweat Jury" in the sauna while the Aufgussiers were performing was given a full cup of water. Each jury member could pour as much of their water as they wanted into a measuring cup for the Aufgussier. The one with the greatest volume of water was declared the winner. Italian Andreas Kofler was given the World Cup. Second place went to Benjamin Gaudreau from Germany. In third place was Günter Huther from Austria. There were 25 competitors in total. A second competition was also run: Who could generate the most wind from a spinning towel. The winner among the 230 participants was Christian Govi generating a speed of 11.79 meters per second, or over 26 miles per hour. To ensure fairness, a local university brought their instruments to measure the speed. Of course, as is customary in the saunas in a German-speaking region, the entire competition done in the nude. Sauna WM via The German Herald

October 20, 2010 is the second annual National Sauna Day in Belgium, put on by the Sauna Association Belgium (SVB). It even has its own website, http://www.nationalesaunadag.be/ (in Dutch). Last year’s event drew nearly 9,000 visitors.

The purpose of the event is to help educate the public about the use of the sauna as a mini-vacation or evening out. According to their website, “The modern sauna establishment offers the visitor a range of possibilities, such as swimming pools, whirlpools, hot tubs, massages, facials, etc. Many have restaurants as part of their offering.”

If you’re going to be in Belgium, you can register for a free admission to a public sauna, or visit a private sauna for a free tour. They have a directory of the member saunas on the site.

http://www.nationalesaunadag.be/

October 20, 2010 is the second annual National Sauna Day in Belgium, put on by the Sauna Association Belgium (SVB). It even has its own website, http://www.nationalesaunadag.be/ (in Dutch). Last year's event drew nearly 9,000 visitors. The purpose of the event is to help educate the public about the use of the sauna as a mini-vacation or evening out. According to their website, "The modern sauna establishment offers the visitor a range of possibilities, such as swimming pools, whirlpools, hot tubs, massages, facials, etc. Many have restaurants as part of their offering." If you're going to be in Belgium, you can register for a free admission to a public sauna, or visit a private sauna for a free tour. They have a directory of the member saunas on the site. http://www.nationalesaunadag.be/

Image from the finals of the Sauna World Championships, 2009. Mr. Ladyzhenski is at the far left. Mr. Kaukonen is at the far right.

This past weekend, the Sauna World Championships in Heinloa Finland ended in tragedy as the two finalists, last year’s third place finisher Vladimir Ladyzhenskiy of Russia and last year’s champion Timo Kaukonen of Finland, stopped responding to the judges during the finals of the competition. Mr. Ladyzhenskiy perished en route to the hospital. At last report, Mr. Kaukonen was in the hospital in stable condition.

According to reports, both men had spent more than 6 minutes in a sauna above 110°C (230°F) where 1/2 liter of water was poured on the rocks every 30 seconds. Medical personnel for the competition knock on the windows at regular intervals, and the contestants are to respond with a thumbs up. In Saturday night’s competition, Mr. Kaukonen began behaving erratically, and paramedics immediately entered the sauna and removed both men. The round began with six competitors in the sauna. The other four had left under their own power before five minutes had elapsed.

Many news outlets are reporting that this was the last running of the Sauna World Championships. Press releases issued earlier today by the City of Heinloa, the organizer of the contest state that nothing has been decided yet. The first official Sauna World Championship was held in 1999.  This year’s competition was the 12th with about 130 participants from 15 countries.

Mr. Ladyzhensky was 62 years old. He regularly competed in sauna endurance competitions. He had been a champion Greco-Roman wrestler and worked as a find administrator in his native Russia. Our heartfelt condolences go out to his friends and family.

We at Saunascape hope the organizers can find a way forward. Despite criticism of the event, it generates a lot of publicity for the sauna culture, and filled a need as informal competitions commonly occurred in Finnish saunas.

Unlike last year’s sweat lodge deaths, this event was supervised by trained medical personnel and each competitor was to be certified by their physician as fit to compete before entering the competition. Is it dangerous? Yes, but aren’t all sports where people push themselves to the limit?

[caption id="attachment_364" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Image from the finals of the Sauna World Championships, 2009. Mr. Ladyzhenski is at the far left. Mr. Kaukonen is at the far right."][/caption] This past weekend, the Sauna World Championships in Heinloa Finland ended in tragedy as the two finalists, last year's third place finisher Vladimir Ladyzhenskiy of Russia and last year's champion Timo Kaukonen of Finland, stopped responding to the judges during the finals of the competition. Mr. Ladyzhenskiy perished en route to the hospital. At last report, Mr. Kaukonen was in the hospital in stable condition. According to reports, both men had spent more than 6 minutes in a sauna above 110°C (230°F) where 1/2 liter of water was poured on the rocks every 30 seconds. Medical personnel for the competition knock on the windows at regular intervals, and the contestants are to respond with a thumbs up. In Saturday night's competition, Mr. Kaukonen began behaving erratically, and paramedics immediately entered the sauna and removed both men. The round began with six competitors in the sauna. The other four had left under their own power before five minutes had elapsed. Many news outlets are reporting that this was the last running of the Sauna World Championships. Press releases issued earlier today by the City of Heinloa, the organizer of the contest state that nothing has been decided yet. The first official Sauna World Championship was held in 1999.  This year's competition was the 12th with about 130 participants from 15 countries. Mr. Ladyzhensky was 62 years old. He regularly competed in sauna endurance competitions. He had been a champion Greco-Roman wrestler and worked as a find administrator in his native Russia. Our heartfelt condolences go out to his friends and family. We at Saunascape hope the organizers can find a way forward. Despite criticism of the event, it generates a lot of publicity for the sauna culture, and filled a need as informal competitions commonly occurred in Finnish saunas. Unlike last year's sweat lodge deaths, this event was supervised by trained medical personnel and each competitor was to be certified by their physician as fit to compete before entering the competition. Is it dangerous? Yes, but aren't all sports where people push themselves to the limit?

Welcome to all of you arriving from SodaHead! We’re so grateful to the SodaHead team for giving us a SODASTAR today for what we thought was just a humble little poll.

Thanks for taking the time to click through. If you like what you see, why don’t you subscribe to our Feed or by Email? If you’re looking for a place to see if you can take the heat, why not search for a sauna near you? Better yet, if you know of one we don’t have listed, tell us about it.

For anyone wondering what SodaHead is, it’s the service that hosts our polls, like the one sitting in the left sidebar there. (If you haven’t already, take a minute to vote and share your opinion on this pressing issue.) Every day, they pick a poll for each of their categories and feature it as the daily “SODASTAR.” From the looks of it, we beat out Phone-Sex Working Moms, Fat Burning Underwear, and The Mom Who Had Her 5-Year Old Arrested. Tough competition indeed!

Welcome to all of you arriving from SodaHead! We're so grateful to the SodaHead team for giving us a SODASTAR today for what we thought was just a humble little poll. Thanks for taking the time to click through. If you like what you see, why don't you subscribe to our Feed or by Email? If you're looking for a place to see if you can take the heat, why not search for a sauna near you? Better yet, if you know of one we don't have listed, tell us about it. For anyone wondering what SodaHead is, it's the service that hosts our polls, like the one sitting in the left sidebar there. (If you haven't already, take a minute to vote and share your opinion on this pressing issue.) Every day, they pick a poll for each of their categories and feature it as the daily "SODASTAR." From the looks of it, we beat out Phone-Sex Working Moms, Fat Burning Underwear, and The Mom Who Had Her 5-Year Old Arrested. Tough competition indeed!

Photo of a traditional sweat lodge by matthewvenn on Flickr

There is no sacrifice—only greater and more magnificent results, wealth, adventure and fulfillment.

James Arthur Ray – On his Spiritual Warrior signup page.

Last week a tragedy ensued in Sedona Arizona leaving two people dead, three in critical condition and 16 more hospitalized after a sweat lodge experience as part of a multi-day “Spiritual Warrior” self-help seminar. Coverage of the incident has ranged from articles in the New York Times to CNN to TechCrunch.

According to the coverage of the event, up to 60 people took a session in a 1450 cubic foot sweat lodge for about 2 hours on Thursday night. Causes of death are still being speculated upon, and unlike your favorite crime show, may not be known for several months. Some things are known:

• There was no temperature monitoring in the sweat lodge, so no-one really knows how hot it may have been.
• The sweat lodge was constructed from plastic tarps and blankets, and does not appear to be well ventilated. 60 people in such a space could have easily brought the oxygen level below safe limits in under 15 minutes.
• A two hour session is quite long for any kind of heat bath. There is a strong possibility that the participants suffered from dehydration and/or heat stroke in this situation.
• The leader of this ceremony, who should by all rights be responsible for the health and well-being of the participants in the sweat lodge ceremony, had other motives, apparently tweeting after the incident, “JamesARay: is still in Spiritual Warrior… for anything new to live something first must die. What needs to die in you so that new life can emerge?”
• The leader of this ceremony was probably not qualified to run this: “You’ll become privy to techniques that I searched out in the mountains of Peru, the jungles of the Amazon (and a few other places I don’t care to recall).”

How can you avoid being part of this same tragedy? Keep a few things in mind:

• Lots of people are willing to say anything to get you to part with your money, and ritualistic experiences are a part of them. Consult the forums at New Age Frauds & Plastic Shamans before signing up for something like this.
• Does the establishment you are going to use to participate in this ceremony have your well-being in mind? If, as Arizona ABC 15 reports, the event is “meant to push people’s personal limits and transcend pain,” but there isn’t a full physical for each participant and a trained medical team standing by, then you can be sure they don’t.
• Heat baths can give real benefits if used with care. However, like most things, if basic common sense is ignored, they can be very dangerous.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="375" caption="Photo of a traditional sweat lodge by matthewvenn on Flickr"][/caption] There is no sacrifice—only greater and more magnificent results, wealth, adventure and fulfillment. James Arthur Ray - On his Spiritual Warrior signup page. Last week a tragedy ensued in Sedona Arizona leaving two people dead, three in critical condition and 16 more hospitalized after a sweat lodge experience as part of a multi-day "Spiritual Warrior" self-help seminar. Coverage of the incident has ranged from articles in the New York Times to CNN to TechCrunch. According to the coverage of the event, up to 60 people took a session in a 1450 cubic foot sweat lodge for about 2 hours on Thursday night. Causes of death are still being speculated upon, and unlike your favorite crime show, may not be known for several months. Some things are known: There was no temperature monitoring in the sweat lodge, so no-one really knows how hot it may have been. The sweat lodge was constructed from plastic tarps and blankets, and does not appear to be well ventilated. 60 people in such a space could have easily brought the oxygen level below safe limits in under 15 minutes. A two hour session is quite long for any kind of heat bath. There is a strong possibility that the participants suffered from dehydration and/or heat stroke in this situation. The leader of this ceremony, who should by all rights be responsible for the health and well-being of the participants in the sweat lodge ceremony, had other motives, apparently tweeting after the incident, "JamesARay: is still in Spiritual Warrior... for anything new to live something first must die. What needs to die in you so that new life can emerge?" The leader of this ceremony was probably not qualified to run this: "You'll become privy to techniques that I searched out in the mountains of Peru, the jungles of the Amazon (and a few other places I don't care to recall)." How can you avoid being part of this same tragedy? Keep a few things in mind: Lots of people are willing to say anything to get you to part with your money, and ritualistic experiences are a part of them. Consult the forums at New Age Frauds & Plastic Shamans before signing up for something like this. Does the establishment you are going to use to participate in this ceremony have your well-being in mind? If, as Arizona ABC 15 reports, the event is "meant to push people's personal limits and transcend pain," but there isn't a full physical for each participant and a trained medical team standing by, then you can be sure they don't. Heat baths can give real benefits if used with care. However, like most things, if basic common sense is ignored, they can be very dangerous.

The CBC reports of a new law just passed in China: The “Female Sauna Safety

Bath non-users at a Spa in Shanghai. Photo by Thomas Tribe on Flickr

Regulation.” According to their report:

Last month, certain inspectors informed western hotels, which offer luxurious spa and sauna services, that women were no longer allowed to take baths.

Showers? No problem. Baths? No way.

Officials explained that once a month women are afflicted with a certain bodily metamorphosis that could result in “undesired excretions.”

The rules, instituted as China prepares to celebrate its 60th birthday, are seen by the author as the old ways of New China. Other newly established regulations include license requirements for fresh squeezed orange juice, and a prohibition on showing any western news in a public area of a hotel. Keep in mind that TVs on exercise equipment in a public gym are included in this regulation.

[CBC News]

The CBC reports of a new law just passed in China: The "Female Sauna Safety [caption id="" align="alignright" width="350" caption="Bath non-users at a Spa in Shanghai. Photo by Thomas Tribe on Flickr"][/caption] Regulation." According to their report: Last month, certain inspectors informed western hotels, which offer luxurious spa and sauna services, that women were no longer allowed to take baths. Showers? No problem. Baths? No way. Officials explained that once a month women are afflicted with a certain bodily metamorphosis that could result in "undesired excretions." The rules, instituted as China prepares to celebrate its 60th birthday, are seen by the author as the old ways of New China. Other newly established regulations include license requirements for fresh squeezed orange juice, and a prohibition on showing any western news in a public area of a hotel. Keep in mind that TVs on exercise equipment in a public gym are included in this regulation. [CBC News]