PHOTOS COURTESY OF ALMOST HEAVEN SAUNAS
Heat wave
New materials and technology bring the benefits of personal saunas to your home
Want to incorporate a way to relax and possibly reap significant health benefits into your life? Consider adding a sauna in your home.
Invented thousands of years ago by the Finnish, the sauna hasn’t changed much—it’s still basically a big wooden room in which you bathe in heat and sweat profusely for a short amount of time. But sauna technology and materials have evolved significantly, making it easier and more affordable to own a personal sauna.
All saunas can yield physical and mental rewards. “The warmth from saunas causes blood vessels to dilate. This increases blood flow, allowing more blood to access muscles and other tissues and removing waste compounds like lactic acid, which often contributes to extended muscle soreness,” says Kyle Risley, a health and fitness expert in Suffolk County, Massachusetts. “The warmth can also make light stretching more effective by making muscles more pliable. Regular use of a sauna can lower blood pressure as well, which can increase mood and relieve stress.”
Two varieties, multiple differences
Today, homeowners typically choose between a traditional indoor or outdoor sauna that generates dry heat, or an indoor infrared sauna that heats your body via infrared waves. Some saunas feature rocks over which you can pour water once they’re heated, to create steam. “Both types of saunas are electrically powered, and both are excellent choices,” says Costco sauna buyer Eric Cho. “With either type, you will experience deep relaxation, loosen sore muscles and soothe aching joints.”
Traditional electric steam saunas come closer to replicating an authentic Finnish wood-burning sauna experience. They are typically installed and used indoors (with venting), but some models can be used outdoors.
Costco member Rick Mouw, founder of Almost Heaven Saunas in Holland, Michigan, notes that traditional saunas involve humidity and typically get up to around 195 F, and most sessions inside a traditional sauna last 15 to 20 minutes.
Because infrared saunas heat the body directly instead of heating the air, the temperature is typically set between 118 F to 132 F. Electric infrared dry saunas warm up more quickly, are more affordable and energy-efficient than traditional saunas and don’t require venting. Because they operate at a lower temperature, you may find you can remain in the sauna longer, which may provide extra health benefits because it increases core body temperature, making you sweat and detoxify more. Most infrared saunas can only be installed indoors.
“Far-infrared waves safely penetrate the body for a deep-heating action, activating the sweat glands, causing encapsulated gases and other toxic materials to be released [from the body],” explains Costco member David Cheng, president of Costco sauna supplier Golden Designs, in Ontario, California.
“I like using it before bedtime to wind my body and brain down,” says Daniel Powers, a Costco member in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, who installed a three-person infrared sauna in his basement earlier this year. “I also use it as a recovery tool to improve fitness and cardiovascular health.”
Anyone pregnant or with a preexisting health condition should consult a physician before using a sauna. Also, avoid becoming dehydrated, consuming alcohol before or during use, or remaining in the sauna too long before taking a cool-down break, recommends Mouw.
A sauna in your home can open a whole new and wonderful dimension of health and relaxation.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF ALMOST HEAVEN SAUNAS
Among the modern features and amenities built into many personal saunas today are:
- Low EMF (electromagnetic frequency) heater panels in infrared saunas
- Timers with automatic heater shutdown
- Carbon heating panels, more flexible and less fragile than ceramic heaters and producing a wider, softer heat that’s more evenly distributed
- User-friendly digital smart controls to easily adjust the time and temperature
- Tempered safety glass used for doors and stationary glass panels
- Chromotherapy lighting that adds an array of pleasing colors
- Bluetooth compatibility—EJM
Saunas are often constructed of softer woods like hemlock, basswood, aspen, red cedar, fir and poplar. “It’s best to stay away from plywoods and laminates and to stick with models that use non-toxic glues,” suggests David Cheng, president of sauna company Golden Designs.
Depending on where you set up your sauna, be aware of any electrical connections and/or venting that may need to be added.
If your sauna is large enough, you can host get-togethers and enhance your social life, too.—EJM
Costco Connection: You'll find a selection of traditional and infrared saunas, such as the Almost Heaven Morgan 4-person Steam Sauna Item 1324771 at Costco.com
