Saunas have been common for 1000s of years, but for most people, they are a new phenomenon. The sauna trend has overtaken the Americas, Europe, Asia and Africa, with thousands and thousands of people discovering the health and social benefits of routine sauna baths. But what Joe calls ‘sauna’ Josephine may call ‘steam bath’ and Jocelyn may perhaps call ‘Turkish bath’. Is there a massive difference? This article will explore the meaning of the diverse terms affiliated with this soothing and beneficial kind of bathing.
The Sauna
The sauna is an integral part of Finnish and Swedish lifestyle. Most households have a sauna a great number of people use the sauna many times a week. These saunas crank out a dry heat somewhere between 70 and 100 degrees Celsius. From time to time water is thrown on heated stones to generate a dense cloud of steam that will make the sauna feel hotter. After spending about 10 to 30 minutes in the sauna many people take a cold shower or swim in the body of water. During wintertime, many people even roll in the snow.
Finnish and Swedish saunas are social functions and may include family members, close friends or colleagues. They are always taken in the nude. Whether or not men and women take a sauna jointly depends on their relationships and to some degree, their age. Public saunas however are ordinarily single-sex.
Swedish saunas have become well-known in North America and are part of the features of many public pools. Each swimming pool sets its own policies on nudity. Many pools have certain times for single-sex use when naked swimming and nude saunas are the norm. At other times bathing suits will be needed in the sauna.
The Turkish Bath
The Turkish bath is also referred to as hamam. It is a form of steam bath and the heat is much lower than in Finnish or Swedish sauna. The steam would scald the skin if it was too hot, so steam baths are kept at close to 40 degrees Celsius.
Classic Turkish baths are substantial buildings and serve as social gathering areas as much as places to get clean. There are separate rooms for males and females, and the bath building is split into three areas – hot, warm, and cool.
The Steam Bath
Steam baths have a constant humidity level close to 100%. They are kept about 40 degrees Celsius. Many people choose steam baths over saunas because the high humidity is less difficult to breathe and has beneficial effects on the respiratory system.
The Hot Tub
There are 3 types of hot tubs – wooden barrels, fibreglass whirlpools or bathtub spas.
The first type is manufactured from wooden slats and has a water pump and filtering system to circulate and thoroughly clean the water. It is usually installed outdoors and has benches around the outside so that individuals can soak in comfort with their heads just above water level.
The second type has high pressure ‘jets’ that produce a whirlpool effect. The jets are valuable for water massage or hydrotherapy. They are frequently put in at public pools or gyms. These are know as ‘Jacuzzis’ after the company that popularized them.
The third type is often put in in individual homes as a alternative for the standard bathtub. It is equivalent in size to a old fashioned bathtub but has more jets for circulating the water.
The terms ‘spa’ ‘hot tub’ and ‘Jacuzzi’ are often interchanged and can relate to the same thing – a tub of water for 1 or more individuals that includes circulating water and/or water jets.
A spa can also be a resort where you acquire body treatments such as massage and hydrotherapy. Plenty of spas have ‘spas’ – sauna facilities including steam baths, hot tubs and Jacuzzis.
For more information about the health benefits of saunas be sure to visit www.the-home-sauna-center.com/
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