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Health benefits: links & comments

January 29, 2009 By Glenn 3 Comments

The intent of this post is to give you an edited one stop shop to some of the better links on the web that discusses the health benefits of a sauna.

I started grooving on this Doctorline.com site , but it’s super long and involved.  One initial dispute: It’s important to not just sweat for 15 minutes, then shower off and say you’ve taken a sauna.  To me, a sauna is an event that culminates after 3 rounds of: heat, shower (or lake), cool down, repeat.  Doing just one sauna round is like going to a hockey game and staying for just one period.  Anyhow, there is so much information here!  Don’t click on it if you only have 2 minutes.

Better yet go to the Wikipedia site on saunas and scroll down 3/4 of the way to the section on benefits.  this site is a great starting point, and you can link further by diving into a particular ailment you have a question on.  As you check out websites that sell saunas, the Finnleo site has a nice clean Letterman style top 10 list.  (I especially like #6: recreational and social benefits in keeping with my overall theme of saunas help enhance one’s lifestyle and appreciation of such albums as King Tubby: Dub From the Roots).

Filed Under: Health and wellness

Build then move a sauna

January 28, 2009 By Glenn Leave a Comment

If you can move a 3 bedroom house, surely one can get an 8×12 sauna structure moved into your backyard.

Consider the option of having an 8×12 free standing sauna built off sight, then having it delivered to your backyard.  No nails on the grass, no builders using your bathroom or leaving empty Mountain Dew bottles in your backyard.

Order a sauna on a Tuesday, have a sauna party that Friday night!

OR check out these mobile saunas….from the mobile sauna fleet and the wild canadian DJ posse at www.saunasessions.ca

Filed Under: Building a sauna

Free sauna information today for a better tomorrow

January 18, 2009 By Glenn 1 Comment

Everybody wants free sauna information, from the native tribes of New Guinea, to the overworked stockbrokers in Manhattan.  Free sauna information is what the world is secretly looking for.  This site, as we evolve, will have free sauna information on such things as:

  1. Health benefits of saunas
  2. Build your own sauna
  3. Sauna party
  4. Sauna photos

Beyond the standard categories of free sauna information, I have some great sauna culture to consider.  For example, here’s a link to free sauna information on writing in a sauna. After you digest that free sauna information, why not check out reading in a sauna, and some thoughts on that?  When you have that covered, more great sauna culture to read involves some subtle nuances surrounding lighting in a sauna.

This post is part of this whole nutty website which is full of free sauna information today, for a better tomorrow.

Why not ask me about what kind of free sauna information you are looking for?  I’m very good about tackling topics without trying to sell you product.  Isn’t that the best kind of free sauna information?

Signed, your host who is typing free sauna information way too many times in this post.

Filed Under: Sauna Culture

Close the door!!!

January 17, 2009 By Glenn 2 Comments

Sauna etiquette:

Rule #1:  “don’t drip sweat in the cold water bucket!”

Rule #2:  don’t open the sauna door unless:

sauna-door

  1. You’re coming into the sauna
  2. You’re leaving the sauna

If #1 above, before opening the door, ask those inside the sauna if anyone needs anything. If #2 above, grab anything you need in advance (towel warming on a hook, empty water or beer bottle, etc.)

We’re all guilty of breaching #1 or #2 but for a good sauna party, close the door!!!!

Filed Under: Sauna Culture, Sauna etiquette

Sauna Party: Minneapolis, Jan. 15, 2008: -20f, -29c

January 17, 2009 By Glenn Leave a Comment

Yes, that’s NOT a typo!!!

It was that cold.  5 guests showed up for this sauna party.  Dan waltzed in at 10:30 pm “somebody has to be on the late shift” as three of us were deep into our 2nd full round of this sauna party.

Let me try to sum up what a 20 below sauna party is like: I started the Kuuma Stove around 8 pm, then watched some of the Minnesota Wild hockey game back in the house, while riding the stationary bike.  Around 8:30 my 9 year old appears in his bathrobe, wanting to take a sauna party with Dad.  So, we hit it.  Sauna party temp: already 140 degrees f. inside, about 10 degrees f. in the changing room, and -20 degrees f. outside.

Around 9 pm, Chuck and Matt arrive the sauna party.

Let me describe what dumping cold water over one’s head standing outside in -20 degrees f. feels like.  Well, you need sandles on or your feet want to start sticking to the ice/snow outside.  No damper to the sauna party!  You step outside and steam billows off your body like a clothes dryer vent.  You splash water over your head, and as cold as the water is, it feels warm because the air temp. at this sauna party is so brrrrrrrrrr..  Now most folks would run back inside to the sauna party, but if you stand outside for a moment, something wonderful happens.

The water on your skin starts evaporating, blood flows freely around your body, and the heat mass from your body gives you a warm tingly feeling as it hits the cold air.  What a sauna party!  A friend likens it to dipping an ice cream cone in hot chocolate.  Your outer skin has a nice crisp layer feeling to it.  When ice starts forming on your hair, well, it’s time to get back to the sauna party and hang out in the changing room and grab a beer.

The changing room of the sauna party has its own compelling climate.  The steam in the chilly room gives a tropical feeling, a rainforest but fresh and cool.  No rush to go back into the sauna.  The sauna party is now in the changing room.  King Tubby, Radiohead, and Theivery Corporation shuffle mix on Rhapsody music player.  A quick flip of the bottle opener and the sauna party is in full force.  Lots of ice cold water to help keep the hydration happening.  Nate’s gone to bed and 2 more arrive for the sauna party.  Nice thing about a sauna party:  you can casually socialize with whomever you wish.  Good one on one time either in the sauna, hanging in the changing room, or outside sharing a cold beer after a water plunge.  175 degrees f. back in the sauna.  Let’s go back in the sauna!

The Kuuma Stove fought back vigorously with each door opening.  Take a moment to consider this:  if the changing room is, say, 20 degrees and your sauna is, say, 170 degrees, you don’t have to be a thermal mass scientist to figure that there’s quite a blast of cold air and heat loss going on each time someone opens the sauna door at a sauna party.  5-6 people at a sauna party can create quite a test to maintaining an adequate temperature in a sauna.  I started the Kuuma Stove with 4 pieces of firewood, and added 2 more throughout the night.  That’s pretty efficient for a long sauna party!

I was told that after an especially grueling negotiation with Nokia executives, vendors are invited to take a sauna with the top brass.  Now, talk about building vendor relationships!  sauna party!  Brush up on sauna etiquette, close the door!!

TIP: If you sell to Nokia, get a sauna and start enjoying your own sauna party!

Filed Under: Sauna Culture, Sauna etiquette, Sauna party, Stoves, Weather

Writing in a sauna

January 14, 2009 By Glenn 4 Comments

Here’s my story…

Not every day am I productive.  And I don’t claim to be the most productive guy on the block.  Having said this, there are days when I feel like everything is unraveled: loose ends with my job, errands to run, projects with the kids, etc.

When I get this feeling of the screws coming off, I take a sauna.  In the sauna I bring only one thing.  Wait, no 4 things:

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  1. a big jug of water
  2. an ice cold beer
  3. a pencil
  4. a used envelope

I don’t try to solve all the world’s problems, but the first round, I just try to chill, and get in a relaxed mood.  This allows my brain to start to relax, and if a thought hits me, “oh, I have to get new bindings for my cross country skis” I write that down  then just clear that thought out of my brain.  Often, first round, I may not write anything down.  After 10-15 minutes like this, you’ll be amazed at how much more clear you can begin to think, and prioritize all the crap in your life!  As the first round is almost complete, I’ll toss some water on the rocks to get the sweat flowing, and invariably, my mind starts flowing with it.  Not a bad time to start writing.. just a couple words for each “to do” task, then move on.  Then, i’ll grab some ice cold water from the water bucket, step outside and douse it over me, simulating the jump in the lake experience.  Now that beer will come in handy.  Stay out there longer than you think!  the yin and yang of the sauna experience is such that your heat up time, should approximate your cool down time.  Don’t go into a sauna for your second round while your body is still hot from the first round.  Spread out, stretch out!

Next round in the sauna, ill start with some water on the rocks (loli) and revisit my envelope and pencil.

Wash, rinse, repeat.  Those guys who write on the back of shampoo bottles really have the system down!  try it!! this free sauna information will help you enjoy the health benefits of saunas.

Filed Under: Health and wellness, Philosophy, Sauna Culture, Stoves

Reading in a sauna

January 14, 2009 By Glenn 2 Comments

You’ve probably been in those health club public saunas were the day’s (or yesterday’s) newspaper is strewn about  all over the benches.  Mixed feelings or what?  half of you thinks, “cool, I can read as I sweat” other half of you thinks “how gross is this, the paper feels like some lard ass dripped sweat all over it.”  Good news:  when you have your own sauna you can:

  1. read what you want, when you want
  2. sweat where you want on what you want

but don’t get too freaked out, unlike steam showers where bacteria and grossness build, saunas produce dry heat and no living organism can coagulate and propagate.*  So grab that newspaper and read away, guilt free.

magazines:  the glue starts separating the pages.. stick to newspapers.  Better yet, see “writing in a sauna” post.

* I”m not a microbiologist, I can only attest to this from 25 years of taking saunas.  No animals or organisms have reproduced in my saunas.

Filed Under: Sauna Culture

Lighting in a sauna

January 14, 2009 By Glenn 1 Comment

Lighting in a sauna… put some thought into this.  I have a few bright ideas that may help you.

dimmer: every sauna i’ve ever built has a light in it.  Every light is switched via a dimmer, just outside the sauna door on the changing room wall.  WHY? soft light is most preferred in a sauna.  the softer the better.  I like to nude up in a sauna and if i’m taking a sauna with guys, I don’t want the lighting to make me feel like i’m in a doctor’s office. get it?  A dimmer light allows for brighter light when reading in a sauna, and a brighter light is good when looking for a bottle opener or some product you lost under the bench.

candle: I have a good friend who has built saunas in remote areas, sans electricity.  Build your sauna with a window on the wall to the changing room (instead of a window in your sauna door).  The window sill in the changing room is a great spot to mount a candle holder.  The soft light from the candle casts a wonderful glow in your sauna room (and doesn’t melt the candle!).

window: a lot of hard core sauna nuts don’t like any light in their sauna, just a window facing the lapping shoreline on their pristine lake.  Who wouldn’t like that!!?  I have that gig at my lake sauna, and it’s priceless.  But indoor or an urban environment, a window to the changing room is the best gig.  Just imagine you’re at the lake!

Filed Under: Building a sauna

Barrel saunas from Minnesota

January 7, 2009 By Glenn 3 Comments

barrel-sauna2This is a way interesting sauna.  The only major issue that I see with the barrel sauna is that you step right out from your ‘hot room’ to the outdoors.  If you go with one of these, and you live in a colder climate, be sure to position the barrel sauna so the door opens away from the prevailing winds.  Nothing worse than being in a 180 degree sauna, and someone opens the door to say hi, and ice cold 5 degree winter wind comes blowing on your sweaty face!  A cool look, but I prefer the conventional free standing stick frame 8×12 ‘shed’ type sauna.  8×12 is an awesome dimension as:

  1. 8×12 = 96 square feet, and under any building code restrictions i’ve ever heard of.  (Some municipalities require permits for structures larger than 100 or 120 square feet).
  2. 8×12 allows for an ample size sauna room, say 6′x8′, as well as a 6′x8′ nice sized changing room.
  3. An outbuilding can be customized to match your house: same siding, pitch, roof, even a cool out-patio for chilling out.
  4. The 6′x8′ changing room can double as a home office, party space, or doghouse (figuratively) away from your primary residence.

Filed Under: Building a sauna, Product reviews, Types of saunas

Types of stoves

January 6, 2009 By Glenn Leave a Comment

Sanua stove for wood

There are three types of sauna stoves out there.  I happen to be a nut for the wood stoves, you can pick whichever ones are best for you but here’s my list.

  1. Wood – wood stoves are more “green” especially the efficient ones.
  2. Electric – A relatively new development, great for indoor: small areas or in basements.
  3. Infared – Reminds me of when Joe Strummer of the Clash first went into the recording studio.  The band members began setting up their instruments as usual, and the sound engineer comes barging in, insisting the band members set up instead in separate rooms.  Joe asks why, and the sound engineer responds something about needing separation.  Joe responds: “I don’t know what separation is, but I don’t like it.”  This is my opinion exactly: I know nothing about infared saunas and don’t like them.

Filed Under: Product reviews, Types of saunas
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