Posts Tagged “steam sauna”
Posted on November 16th, 2011 by Chris in Guides, How to, Your Body, tags: acne, acne problem, blackheads, infrared sauna, pimples, sauna, skin blemishes, Steam room, steam sauna
 Image by RachelHermosillo via Flickr 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.
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Posted on November 6th, 2010 by Chris in Guides, tags: Banya, Russian, steam, steam sauna
The Basics: The Banya is the Russian version of the heat bath. The Russian Banya is at least as old as the Finnish Sauna, and shares a few key features, like a stove with hot rocks. The sauna which is a dry heat, with typically less than 15% humidity, the banya is usually maintained at 60-70% humidity. Banya fans claim that this creates much less stress on your system than the sauna.
The banya stove is the key to this. It is much more massive than a typical sauna stove, with tons of rock inside of a closed masonry construction. The rocks inside are heated to 600-800°C (1100-1475ºF). Water is thrown onto the stones through a small door, typically 100ml (about ½ cup) at a time. This creates a fine transparent steam that fills the top of the banya chamber. To hold this steam, the banya has a higher roof than a sauna, and it typically has minimal venting.
 Diagram of a banya stove. From rusbanya.com To bring the steam down to the bathers, they are given a platza, which is a form of massage with a venik, a whisk broom usually made from green oak or birch branches. The giver of the platza uses the broom to bring the steam from above down to the bather who is reclining on a bench. The heat, humidity and the oils from the branches are transferred the skin of the bather. Russian-bath.com has a nice page detailing the venik, techniques and benefits of the platza.
One of the challenges in the banya is keeping the temperature in the room at a level that is safe for the bathers. The high-heat required in the stove and the steam given off both raise the temperature if not carefully controlled. Many banyas have a supply of cold water in the bathing chamber for dunking over yourself to allow you to prolong your time in the heat. A banya fan would refer to a room like this as a schvitz – not always a compliment.
When you exit the banya, the Russian way is to cool rapidly in a cold plunge pool or shower. These are usually located right outside of the exit of the hot room.
Most banya facilities have restaurants, and other saunas, steam rooms and pools.
What to Bring: Russian Banyas, depending on the facility, can be either single-gendered or mixed gender. The mixed-gender facilities usually require swimsuits. Single-gender facilities are usually enjoyed nude.
Towels and other toiletries may or may not be provided. Check with your facility before going. If not provided, you’ll want to bring two or three towels: One to lie on in the banya, one for toweling off between rounds, and one for drying off after your final shower. A robe may be desirable for lounging while resting between rounds.
Footwear, like a slide sandal is usually worn outside of the baths. If the facility does not supply them, you may need to bring your own.
The intense heat of the banya can damage your hair, so most experienced banya afficianados bring a wool hat to wear in the heat for protection. If you don’t have one, you can always drape a hand towel over your head.
Veniks are usually available for purchase at a Russian bath. If you’ve got access to trees in the early summer, you can make your own and store them in the freezer for a substantial savings over what the house charges.
Enjoying the Banya:
The banya is about the bath. When you arrive, you’ll want to take a shower to rinse any dirt, perfumes or other cosmetics off of your skin and change into your swimsuit (if needed).
Begin with a session in a dry sauna to get your body sweating and cool down. Now it’s time to venture into the heat and humidity of the banya. Before going in, cool yourself down as much as possible with the shower or cold pool. A platza is a good way to enjoy this session. Stay in the hot room as long as is comfortable, and cool down your preferred way when you leave.
Russian lore says that you shouldn’t take more than three rounds in the banya, lest you anger the Bannik, the spirit of the Russian bath.
After your bathing rounds are complete, you can relax and cool down in the Banya facility, and enjoy a meal at the restaurant before donning your clothes and heading back out in the world.
If you’re looking for a place to enjoy a banya, you can consult our database for a full list of places we know. Here are a few to get you started.
6 Paragon Way West Freehold, NJ
2200 Dundas St. East Mississauga, ON
E 116th St & Luke Ave Cleveland, OH
1310 Dundas St. East, Unit #14 Missisaugua, ON
9688 Leslie Street Richmond Hill, ON
1842 S. Parker Rd. #21 Denver, CO
1027 Finch Avenue West, Unit 7 Toronto, ON
Am Bühl 3 Eibenstock 
Langgasse 38 - 40 Wiessbaden
1441 York Street Denver, CO
Hans-Bredow-Strasse 17 Bremen
8295 Oakland St Detroit, MI
3815 Northern Blvd. Astoria, NY
5921 Calloway Street Queens, NY
275 Park Avenue Brooklyn, NY
The Basics: The Banya is the Russian version of the heat bath. The Russian Banya is at least as old as the Finnish Sauna, and shares a few key features, like a stove with hot rocks. The sauna which is a dry heat, with typically less than 15% humidity, the banya is usually maintained at 60-70% humidity. Banya fans claim that this creates much less stress on your system than the sauna.
The banya stove is the key to this. It is much more massive than a typical sauna stove, with tons of rock inside of a closed masonry construction. The rocks inside are heated to 600-800°C (1100-1475ºF). Water is thrown onto the stones through a small door, typically 100ml (about ½ cup) at a time. This creates a fine transparent steam that fills the top of the banya chamber. To hold this steam, the banya has a higher roof than a sauna, and it typically has minimal venting.
[caption id="attachment_558" align="alignright" width="200" caption="Diagram of a banya stove. From rusbanya.com"][/caption]
To bring the steam down to the bathers, they are given a platza, which is a form of massage with a venik, a whisk broom usually made from green oak or birch branches. The giver of the platza uses the broom to bring the steam from above down to the bather who is reclining on a bench. The heat, humidity and the oils from the branches are transferred the skin of the bather. Russian-bath.com has a nice page detailing the venik, techniques and benefits of the platza.
One of the challenges in the banya is keeping the temperature in the room at a level that is safe for the bathers. The high-heat required in the stove and the steam given off both raise the temperature if not carefully controlled. Many banyas have a supply of cold water in the bathing chamber for dunking over yourself to allow you to prolong your time in the heat. A banya fan would refer to a room like this as a schvitz – not always a compliment.
When you exit the banya, the Russian way is to cool rapidly in a cold plunge pool or shower. These are usually located right outside of the exit of the hot room.
Most banya facilities have restaurants, and other saunas, steam rooms and pools.
What to Bring: Russian Banyas, depending on the facility, can be either single-gendered or mixed gender. The mixed-gender facilities usually require swimsuits. Single-gender facilities are usually enjoyed nude.
Towels and other toiletries may or may not be provided. Check with your facility before going. If not provided, you'll want to bring two or three towels: One to lie on in the banya, one for toweling off between rounds, and one for drying off after your final shower. A robe may be desirable for lounging while resting between rounds.
Footwear, like a slide sandal is usually worn outside of the baths. If the facility does not supply them, you may need to bring your own.
The intense heat of the banya can damage your hair, so most experienced banya afficianados bring a wool hat to wear in the heat for protection. If you don't have one, you can always drape a hand towel over your head.
Veniks are usually available for purchase at a Russian bath. If you've got access to trees in the early summer, you can make your own and store them in the freezer for a substantial savings over what the house charges.
Enjoying the Banya:
The banya is about the bath. When you arrive, you'll want to take a shower to rinse any dirt, perfumes or other cosmetics off of your skin and change into your swimsuit (if needed).
Begin with a session in a dry sauna to get your body sweating and cool down. Now it's time to venture into the heat and humidity of the banya. Before going in, cool yourself down as much as possible with the shower or cold pool. A platza is a good way to enjoy this session. Stay in the hot room as long as is comfortable, and cool down your preferred way when you leave.
Russian lore says that you shouldn't take more than three rounds in the banya, lest you anger the Bannik, the spirit of the Russian bath.
After your bathing rounds are complete, you can relax and cool down in the Banya facility, and enjoy a meal at the restaurant before donning your clothes and heading back out in the world.
If you're looking for a place to enjoy a banya, you can consult our database for a full list of places we know. Here are a few to get you started.
[pods name="sauna_baths" order="t.id DESC" limit="15" where="style.id=6" template="sauna_list_div"]
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 Omron Automatic Blood Pressure Monitor Hypertension, or high blood pressure (HBP) is a condition that affects about 30% of the US population. The US National Institute of Health (NIH) estimates that 90% of middle aged adults face the risk of developing high blood pressure in their lifetimes.
Klafs, the German manufacturer of high-style sauna installations, recently reported on research done by Dr. Hans-Joachim Winterfeld at the Charité University clinic in Berlin, where he proved that regular use of a sauna can have a positive effect on the health of high blood pressure patients. High blood pressure affects about 16% of all Germans.
From 1996-1998, Dr. Winterfield tested 40 patients diagnosed with High Blood Pressure who were not otherwise treated with medication. These patients visited the sauna at least twice per week. During each visit, they would have two 8-10 minute sessions in the sauna, sitting on the middle bench, cooling down as needed between sessions. He found that:
- 60% of the patients had their symptoms improve. These people further reported that their sleep quality and alertness levels improved during their treatment period.
- 38% of the patients had their blood pressure return to normal without any additional treatment!
The sauna that Dr. Winterfield used in his study was a Sanarium, or steam sauna. This sauna operates at a temperature between 46-60°C or 115-140°F, much lower than the typical dry sauna temperature. The relative humidity is much higher, between 40% and 55%, but not as high as the humidity in the steam room. For post-sauna cooling he recommended a gentle method to his patients, for example a rain shower at about 13°C or 55°F.
Before adding sauna to your regimen you should discuss it with your doctor, especially if you are taking any type of blood-pressure reducing medicine: Many of these medicines directly influence the dilation of your blood vessels and your body’s water content. Furthermore, elevated temperatures may impact how these medicines work.
[SANARIUM helps patients with high blood pressure]
 [caption id="attachment_158" align="alignright" width="160" caption="Omron Automatic Blood Pressure Monitor"][/caption]
Hypertension, or high blood pressure (HBP) is a condition that affects about 30% of the US population. The US National Institute of Health (NIH) estimates that 90% of middle aged adults face the risk of developing high blood pressure in their lifetimes.
Klafs, the German manufacturer of high-style sauna installations, recently reported on research done by Dr. Hans-Joachim Winterfeld at the Charité University clinic in Berlin, where he proved that regular use of a sauna can have a positive effect on the health of high blood pressure patients. High blood pressure affects about 16% of all Germans.
From 1996-1998, Dr. Winterfield tested 40 patients diagnosed with High Blood Pressure who were not otherwise treated with medication. These patients visited the sauna at least twice per week. During each visit, they would have two 8-10 minute sessions in the sauna, sitting on the middle bench, cooling down as needed between sessions. He found that:
60% of the patients had their symptoms improve. These people further reported that their sleep quality and alertness levels improved during their treatment period.
38% of the patients had their blood pressure return to normal without any additional treatment!
The sauna that Dr. Winterfield used in his study was a Sanarium, or steam sauna. This sauna operates at a temperature between 46-60°C or 115-140°F, much lower than the typical dry sauna temperature. The relative humidity is much higher, between 40% and 55%, but not as high as the humidity in the steam room. For post-sauna cooling he recommended a gentle method to his patients, for example a rain shower at about 13°C or 55°F.
Before adding sauna to your regimen you should discuss it with your doctor, especially if you are taking any type of blood-pressure reducing medicine: Many of these medicines directly influence the dilation of your blood vessels and your body's water content. Furthermore, elevated temperatures may impact how these medicines work.
[SANARIUM helps patients with high blood pressure]
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