Saunas and steam rooms offer thermal therapy benefits, but it's important to understand the differences between them. Learn the best way to use a dry sauna, the benefits of infrared heat, and how paraffin treatments can improve skin health.
In a sauna, an electric or wood stove provides dry heat that can reach up to 185 degrees Fahrenheit. After a tough exercise session or a long day at work, a few moments in the sauna feel like a luxurious indulgence. Saunas aren't just relaxing -- dry heat may have other benefits for your body.
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The sauna, referred to as a fountain of youth in Finnish writings, has been touted for centuries as a wonderful place to experience relaxation and total body cleansing. According to Harvard Health Publications, the dry heat provided by the sauna has profound effects on the body.
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Saunas have been used throughout the world for health benefits for thousands of years. Sweating has been proven to effectively flush toxins and disease out of the system while maintaining optimum health of the body.
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The benefits of bathing in a sauna or steam room include stress reduction, muscle relaxation and pain relief. Sweating in a sauna cleanses your pores and can make your mind and body feel energized.
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While using a private steam room means you have more leeway in what you wear to sweat, using a public steam room in a gym requires more extensive etiquette.
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Sauna, a Finnish word and essential part of Finnish health, is considered a standard rather than a luxury. Primitive saunas dug into a slope on a hill, had a fire pit in the middle. After the industrial revolution the sauna evolved to a small wooden room with heated rocks or used infrared lights to create heat.
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Due to sedentary lifestyles and air conditioning, most people in the modern world don't sweat much. As a result, the pores of the skin may become clogged from not sweating out enough toxins.
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Steam baths bathe you in warm, moist heat. They relax muscles, can ease pain in joints caused by arthritis and other ailments and lower your pulse rate and blood pressure, according to Columbia University's Go Ask Alice health column. Temperatures in steam rooms can average 110 to 114 degrees.
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A steam room is a great place to relax and reduce stress. Regular steam baths can help ease muscle tension, alter moods, cure and prevent cold and flu symptoms and clear the sinuses. According to Bodybuilding.com, steam baths also help increase your metabolism, improve skin complexion and alleviate sports injury pains.
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In ancient times, Romans and Turks used natural hot springs from beneath the ground to create steam rooms. Roman and Turkish steam baths served important community and social functions, but were also intended to induce sweating and improve health.
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