Why Sauna bath is different from steam bath
What is sauna bath?
A sauna bath is a small wooden room designed as a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions, or an establishment with one or more of these facilities. The steam and high heat make the bathers perspire.
The sauna featured a fireplace where stones were heated to a high temperature. Water was thrown on the hot stones to produce steam and to give a sensation of increased heat.
This would raise the apparent temperature so high that people could take off their clothes because heat should be contact with body.
Or SAUNA BATH, correctly pronounced “sow (rhymes with wow!) nah,” is the only Finnish word in the English dictionary; it means “bath” and “bathhouse.” Sauna bath has been a way of life in Finland, where it was invented, for over 2000 years. One of the first written descriptions of the Finnish Sauna was in 1112.
Why Named Sauna.
The Sauna bath (pronounced sow-nah) has been used for centuries, not only as a place to bath, but as a place for healing, relaxing and enjoyment. Originally developed in Finland about 2000 years ago and the Sauna bath provides an environment of dry intense heat (176-212 degrees Fahrenheit).
Sustainable.
Although cultures in all corners of the world have imported and adapted the sauna bath, many of the traditional customs have not survived the journey. Today, public perception of saunas, sauna bath “etiquette” and sauna customs vary hugely from country to country. In many countries sauna bath going is a recent fashion and attitudes towards saunas are changing, while in others traditions have survived over generations.
Sauna Heater.
The heat is provided by an electronic heater or stove that heats the rocks to provide a soft heat. User can spread some water on lava rocks to increase humidity level inside the room and it also decrease the dry heat.
A sauna bath is usually done in courses; a short time in the sauna bath to heat up and begin to sweat, followed by a cooling off outside the sauna bath, the earliest Sauna was dug into an embankment in the ground. Homeland of sauna is Finland that is how it is often called Finnish sauna.
It’s good to be aware of the distinction between the steam and sauna bath. Most people think of the heat of a sauna as dry heat and the heat of a steam room as wet and humid heat. This distinction is only partially correct. Sauna bathers in Finland splash water on the heated stones in the sauna, raising the humidity level to as much as 40%. Without that, the hot and dry sauna air can irritate the mucus membranes.
A Sauna bath is a Finnish style sweat bath, usually consisting of a room constructed of soft wood and containing a stove which is used to heat the room to about 180 degrees Fahrenheit. And steam bath is fed with a steam generator which produces thick clouds of mist.
A dense wood like oak would hold the heat and could burn the bather.
In sauna bathers, Blood vessels become more flexible and there is increased circulation to the extremities. During a sauna bath, blood flow to the skin increases to as high as 50-70% of cardiac output (compared to the standard 5-10%). This brings nutrients to subcutaneous and surface tissue resulting in glowing healthy skin. Sauna provides a cardiovascular workout-helps condition the heart.