The History of Saunas

Saunas have been around since ancient times and are still very popular today. The question often arises as to where saunas originated, how they are used, and why they continue to have such a strong presence.

A sauna is a small room or dwelling specially designed for bathers to experience wet or dry heat sessions. A typical sauna session may be a social gathering in which bathers undress and sit or lie down in temperatures greater than 80 C. A sauna bath is not only relaxing but also generates profuse sweating. In fact, the sauna's popularity can be attributed to its many health benefits such as stress reduction, detoxification of the body, an improved immune system and other positive changes.

Sauna is an ancient Finnish word that describes the traditional Finnish bath. The first known saunas were essentially the lowest points dug in a slope in the ground mainly used as dwellings during winters. At the time the sauna included a fireside where stones were heated to very high temperatures. Afterwards, water was thrown on to the hot stones thus producing steam and heat. The temperature would increase so dramatically that people removed their clothing.

As time passed, the sauna evolved and began to feature a metal woodstove along with a chimney. Steam vapor was also generated by spraying water onto the heated stones. Air temperature was typically set between 70 and 80 degrees Celsius but on occasion exceeded as much as 90 degrees Celsius.

Often the Finns would use a 'vihta', a bundle of birch branches with fresh leaves, to gently swat themselves and other bathers to improve the experience. This practice not only aids in blood circulation, but adds a pleasant birch scent to the sauna.

Saunas provide stress relief in two ways. One is the natural relaxation you'd experience when spending time in a dry or wet sauna. The other way in which a sauna relieves stress is by releasing chemicals from the body. When your skin heats up during a bath, large quantities of chemicals that cause stress are expelled from the body. Thus, in addition to reducing the amount of chemicals in the body, the sauna bath also slows the formation of chemicals.

The opening of the pores also makes it easier to remove toxins from the body. Toxins travel through your sweat glands and are released with your perspiration. As noted earlier, a sauna creates a high amount of perspiration and therefore is excellent for detoxification.

The Finns keep the rich history of the sauna alive today by making it a part of their daily ritual. In Finland, saunas are considered to be a natural and effective way of refreshing both the mind and spirit. There was a time in history when members of a Finnish family would bather together in their sauna at home. Another interesting fact about the Finns is that many Finnish women used to give birth in the sauna!

When the Finns migrated to the different parts of the globe they shared their knowledge of sauna designs and customs. They taught other cultures about the sauna's health benefits which helped the sauna to evolve further. Eventually, this led to the development of electric sauna stoves and far infrared saunas which became quite popular. Since then various cultures around the world have been recognizing, adopting and improvising the sauna.

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