You are here: Home / 2009 / Archives for February 2009

Music in the sauna … glenn reporting

February 27, 2009 By Glenn 5 Comments

This post is motivated by my buddy Danny Sigelman’s post on sauna music. His big three are: The Hold Steady, Fela Kuti, The Clash.  I’d like to add the following to his great sauna music list:

spear2

  1. Wilco
  2. My Morning Jacket
  3. Burning Spear

The commonality of these three artists is as follows:

All three have an uncanny ability to build a rhythm, not often fast, yet methodical and pleasant  (Company In My Back- Wilco, Lay Low-MMJ, Mistress Music- BS)  then have bridges and breaks, then return to the rhythm.. all analogous to rounds in a sauna.  Consistency of rhythm (heat) with breaks and bridges (rounds).

A great sauna music mix- shuffle these 3 albums:

  • Burning Spear – Live in Paris ’88
  • My Morning Jacket – Z
  • Wilco – Kicking Television

These three lps all capture the value of great rhythms, complimented by bridges and breaks.  All three are recorded live and in the pinnacles of each band’s career.  The sounds of each are crisp and solid… and the cheering of fans after one track mixes wonderfully with whichever track comes next in your 3 lp shuffle.  It’s a great feeling how, in your little sauna, you can bring in recorded moments of wonderfully live music, and as the fans cheer, it’s like a cold water plunge after 20 minutes in 180 degree sauna music heat.

3.5 hours of great sauna music.  Check it out!

Filed Under: Sauna Culture, Sauna party

Naked truth about Finnish business strategy

February 22, 2009 By Glenn Leave a Comment

Fabulous article here from USA Today on sauna parties and Finnish corporate culture.  The writer relates his experiences first hand, but I have a heard a great story, second hand, about a Dutch friend who was at Nokia’s headquarters in Finland for some high level negotiations.  After hashing out some details, he was invited by the top brass to sauna.  I think this is an excellent business technique.   Here’s the article. or the gist of it:

Naked truth on Finnish business strategy: Start with sauna

“WASHINGTON — I am naked with Linus Torvalds’ father.

I had come to the Finnish Embassy to meet Linus, perhaps the world’s most famous Finn and the progenitor of the Linux computer operating system.

This little party here, co-hosted by Wired magazine, is partly to show off Finnish technology but is largely for Linus, because he’s on the cover of Wired‘s November issue.

I was looking forward to talking to him about Linux’s growing success, the SCO lawsuit that threatens it, and how a country with 5 million citizens, who live in the same neighborhood as Santa’s workshop, has managed to become a tech powerhouse.

But Linus couldn’t be here. Had to go to a wedding or something. So I have to make do with the father of the father of Linux. His name is Nils Torvalds, and in Finland, he’s a well-known TV reporter, now assigned to cover Washington. Kind of a Nordic Sam Donaldson.

And he’s in the sauna.

In fact, the first thing I learn from Nils is that the sauna is part of Finland’s competitive advantage — one reason, for instance, that Nokia dominates in cell phones. Most Finnish companies, even small businesses, have a sauna on the premises, he says.

The Finnish Parliament has a sauna. Nokia has a sauna in its headquarters. Nokia CEO Jorma Ollila built one of the world’s largest saunas at his summer home.”

Filed Under: Sauna Culture, Sauna etiquette

Water and the sauna: drinking

February 21, 2009 By Glenn 2 Comments

glass_of_water

  1. Drink a big glass of water before you go in the sauna.
  2. Bring a full liter plastic jug of water to the sauna, drink most of it during your first round.
  3. Finish your water during the second round.

That’s my recipe.  Get ahead of the game, lots of water in your system promotes sweat and diffuses dehydration.

If you go to bed soon after your sauna, you don’t have to navigate to the toilet in the middle of the night, especially if you’ve had a couple of beers during your sauna session.

  • Clint tip: sparkling water gets into the system faster.
  • Julia tip: stick with still water, ‘carbon bubbles: no good for liver mon!’

Here’s a sister post, about eating after a sauna, cheers~!

Filed Under: Health and wellness, Sauna how to

Water in the sauna: rocks and body

February 21, 2009 By Glenn 2 Comments

How and when do you use water in the sauna?

  • Throw some water on the rocks: if you want to feel that wave of steam, called loyly.
  • Throw some water on yourself: if you feel the urge.

It is that simple.

For a more detailed analysis of water on the rocks, I found this page insightful.  It speaks about the process and benefits in more detail.   His links are not all current, but he gets extra points for cramming infrared saunas, and figuring out how to get the two dots on the “o” in Loyly.

  • cold water on the sauna rocks: more Loyly, but the rocks cool more.
  • warm water on the sauna rocks: less Loyly, but the rocks stay hotter.

What I think I love most about saunas is that there are no official rules, if it feels good do it!  having said this, here is my indulged formula for taking a sauna and water on the rocks:

Note to the reader:

I never mean to preach when it comes to taking saunas.  I hope the reader recognizes that the instructions below are merely advice, as if someone would like to know how a non Finn who has taken over 3,000 saunas enjoys it.

Round 1:

Stay dry for most of the first round, go sit in the sauna and just revel in the heat.  After 15 mins or so, splash a generous amount of water (3-5 oz.) on the sauna rocks.  Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh… and ride out that wave of humid heat. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh…. When the sweat starts flowing and it feels right,  usually 20 mins. or so, leave the sauna and:

pouring-water-on-yourself-after-a-sauna

  • if in winter: dunk a small bucket of water (1 liter) on your head.
  • if the hose is running: shower off (outdoor hose shower).
  • if at the lake: go jump in the lake.

That’s round one.  Your body is free of sweat and you can revel in the feeling of cool wet fresh water on your skin.  No need to towel off, let the water on your skin turn to steam and dry naturally.  Grab a beverage and chill out for a while, no rush.. just when you’re cooled off completely:

Round 2:

As soon as enter the sauna, try tossing some water on the rocks (5 oz).  The rocks have had a while to get really hot, as the stove has been humming along during your break in round one.  “psssssssssssssssssssssss” goes the water, Loyly (hot steam generated from throwing water on sauna rocks) hits you right away and kick starts the sweat.  Now your pores open up and as you chill out mentally and warm up physically, you notice that your skin may start to itch, as you shed away dirt and dead skin like some reptilian reptile, and damn it feels nice to sweat it all out.  2nd round is often the round when I’ll lather up and shave, the only time I usually ever use any product sold at Walgreens in a sauna.  When you’ve had enough of this (15-20 mins.), maybe dribbling another shot of water on the rocks (3-4 oz), do what you did at the end of round one.  rinse off, jump in the lake, only towel off if you feel the need.  Then sit down outside and chill out.

Round 3:

You’re starting to get the idea.  Maybe you had a beer while sitting in the changing room, maybe you listened to a song or two, or maybe you hung out on the dock for a bit and watched the sun going down.  But now you’re in the sauna for round 3.  No real rules here, throw some water on the rocks (4 oz.), or just heat up for awhile.  Third round is often my favorite, I just love how all my pores have opened up, cleansed and fresh.   I love how my muscles are stretched: elongated and relaxed.   I love how my mind is settled: mellow and positively pensive.  I’ll sit in the sauna, hit some more water on the rocks (3-5 oz) and ride out a nice round three.  After round three, and a shower or jump in the lake or water douse is the first time I’ll have used my towel, hanging warm and dry in the sauna.

Extra Rounds:

Sometimes, after round three, i’ll be tempted to hit another round.  If there’s plenty of heat emanating from the wood stove, and the sauna has eaten up a bulk of the humidity from round three, i’ll just hit it again.  Maybe it’s a great tune, maybe it’s a great sauna party, maybe it just feels like the right thing to do as the night blends into a euphoric session of pure enjoyment and relaxation.  Whatever the motivation, there’s no harm with 4 sauna rounds.  Often this is when I’ll try to “beat the sauna stove” as more water is introduced.  The sauna is mature, and still radiates heat, but the humidity level is at it’s highest.  The loyly is still there when you drip water on the rocks, but the sauna has given up fighting back.  You don’t have to overindulge the quantity of water on the rocks, but gently spray or pour a bit on the rocks so it all evaporates (3-6 oz.).  Great level of heat and humidity, taking your sauna experience to a very tropical level: wonderful whether it is a cold dry winter night or a long summer evening.

Some people ask me, “how can you spend 3 or 4 hours taking a sauna?”  Well, I hope the above can help answer.

Water in the sauna: if it feels good, just do it!

Don’t let OSHA regulations or health club rules hold you back.  Any sauna that is truly a Finnish sauna has a water bucket and encourages Loyly: steam generated from water being tossed on sauna rocks.  As Eric Clapton once tried to say: “Loyly, you got me on my knees.”

Filed Under: Sauna Culture, Sauna how to

Saunas and colds, NY Times article 2/2/09

February 17, 2009 By Glenn Leave a Comment

My new friend Clint found this article from the NY Times on saunas and cold relief:

The Claim: Sitting in a Sauna Can Relieve Cold Symptoms

By ANAHAD O’CONNOR
Published: February 2, 2009

THE FACTS


Leif Parsons

Related

Health Guide: Colds

More Really? Columns

Scientists recently confirmed the age-old notion that hot liquids can relieve some cold and flu symptoms. But what about a dose of heat on a much larger scale — say, in a sauna?

With temperatures of 176 Fahrenheit or greater, saunas have been recommended for arthritis, asthma and chronic fatigue, among other things, since they were used by nomads in Finland centuries ago. Some reputed benefits have not been examined, but there is evidence that saunas may speed recovery from colds and reduce their occurrence.

Filed Under: Health and wellness

The home gym: Minneapolis Star Tribune article

February 17, 2009 By Glenn Leave a Comment

The trend towards home gyms and working out at home has gained momentum.  The missing link is a home sauna!!  Check out Monday, February 16th Star Tribune article on home gyms.

A perfect fit

A dedicated home exercise space can change your health habits. Experts give tips on how to set up a home gym right.

High ceilings and tall windows accentuate an open look in Joe Duffy’s downtown loft, where an exercise machine stands ready for a workout next to a painter’s easel.

“It’s right out in the center of everything,” said Duffy, founder of a Minneapolis design firm and a competitive Nordic skier.

Two or three times a week — when he’s not outside skiing to train for a race — Duffy moves weights around and sits to crank, push, pull and lift on a G-Werx gym, an all-in-one workout station designed by a Minneapolis company.

Like thousands of area exercisers, Duffy banks on the convenience and efficiency of a home gym to get his fitness fix on a crunched schedule. His exercise area is private and clean, and he never waits in line to use the machine — “unless my wife is there and working out,” he said.

Designing the right home gym — be it a minimalist setup or a room filled with workout machines and weights — is a project that has the potential to change your life. Whether it’s weight loss, strength or cardio goals, a dedicated workout area can be a quicker route than a health club toward success.

By STEPHEN REGENOLD

Last update: February 16, 2009 – 6:15 AM

Filed Under: Health and wellness, Sauna Culture

Music for the heat: Danny Sigelman reporting

February 13, 2009 By Glenn 2 Comments

Could be said mid tempo is the way to go when it comes to a sauna.

one of Danny's originals, perhaps inspired by a midtempo tune in the sauna

Every genre has some slow jams. even the most aggressive music, be it The Clash, Hold Steady or Fela Kuti can turn their angst or knack for protest into a groove that goes well with clearing the mind. In the end, a center is met when the two are mixed, just like a hot and cold rinse.  With The Clash it’s easy to find a more traditional approach to groove, be it a reggae infused rave up; “Guns of Brixton“, “Straight to Hell”, their luscious cover of “Armagideon Time” or the R&B influence in “Jimmy Jazz”.

Ultimately The Hold Steady is a sound that bonds.  Reflections of High School, meeting friends and rocking out, or gallivanting about the celebration of something.  Sauna is a bonding thing too because there is a physical closure to the space you and your buddies are enjoying: the hot room.  Then you escape the heat by going outside, cooling down and feeling the expanse like the loud pressure Craig Finn and his crew powering up a club and bonding the masses.

Fela Anikulapo Kuti was mostly known for his politics and the company he kept.  His Shrine in Kalakutta, Nigeria not only was a gathering place for him and his brethren but also protection from the outside policies and dangers of the government they feared.  Electrifying the stage and the audience at his performances fueled an inner energy and outer confidence in communal and spiritual environment.  The slow groove of everyday Afrobeat compliments the ritual even in remote suburban environments where perhaps the trouble is not as fierce.

Essentially the rhythm of funk flavored African, the straight up American soul or the most technical approach to what moves sonically and has a beat.  The ever resourceful technical Dosh is an artist well suited for the sauna… check him out between or during rounds!

Filed Under: Sauna Culture, Sauna party

Sauna at the hockey game

February 9, 2009 By Glenn Leave a Comment

You’ve heard the one where you went to a fight and a hockey game broke out but how about you go to a sauna and a hockey game breaks out?  This must be in Finland: Finn’s only sit in their designated seats, and value their private space.

One other note.. these three guys are sitting way too close for my comfort.  check out the sparse crowd.

Filed Under: Sauna Culture, Sauna party

Easy way to light your wood stove

February 9, 2009 By Glenn Leave a Comment

fire_starter_large1

I love this product.  These fire starters are environmentally sound, inexpensive (27 cents each), and they work fantastic.  They are simply candle wax and sawdust, wrapped in paper.  I put Lifeworks Fire Starters to the test one day this winter:  it was 10 below zero.  The water in my sauna bucket was frozen brick solid.  My wood was ice cold, my sauna stove as cold as the air outside.  I lit a fire starter with a match, put it in my sauna stove, added a couple logs, then ran in the house for 1/2 an hour or so (stationary bike).  Upon my return,  the sauna was 130 degrees and hungry for more wood.  I shuffled the coals, threw on another log, then a Rhapsody music play list, and my sauna was 145 and climbing.  I don’t know why folks think wood sauna stoves are a lot of work.  Fire starters take the effort out of starting a wood burning sauna stove.

They sell versions of these at Home Depots and hardware stores, where you’d find charcoal and grills and such.  I’m not sure if they are as natural and environmentally sound as the ones I use, but i’ve ordered these ‘organic’ ones online here. I don’t use them at my lake cabin sauna, as birch bark is known as nature’s gasoline.  At the cabin, with a quick light, I get some birch bark going then add a bit more/thicker birch bark, throw in a couple logs and the Kuuma stove is barking within a couple minutes.  In Minneapolis though, in winter especially,

usually, I’ll start my sauna with a couple pieces of newspaper and some kindling, but damn, when you’re in a hurry or it’s friggin’ cold outside, or you’re getting ready for a sauna party, these fire starters are hard to beat!

Filed Under: Product reviews, Sauna how to

Can you afford a sauna?

February 8, 2009 By Glenn Leave a Comment

A friend of mine, looking to cut expenses, picked up a stationary bike on Craigslist and knocked off his $65/month health club bill.  Good move, but he’s pining about missing the sauna.  Beyond saving his health club expenses, is that the complete picture?  I could start adding up the savings my sauna brings me in terms of not having to drive to go work out (something i’ll never understand) and yet, I enjoy a beer or two in the sauna after working out (something others may never understand), plus, in a home sauna you can choose who you sauna with vs. looking at some Fitness Fred sweating it out at Bally’s.

So, let’s try out some amortizing:

  • $65/month – no more health club
  • $36/month – gas ($3 round trip x 3x per week x 4 wks per month)
  • $24/month - water or food ($2 each time x 3x per week x 4 weeks per month)
  • $125/month: estimated savings working out home vs. health club.

Let’s analyze what a home sauna would cost, as the deal he got on a stationary bike and scoring some free weights was negligible.

  • $4,000 sauna/$125 per month = 32 months / 12 = 2 years 7 months.
  • $8,000 sauna/$125 per month = 64 months / 12 = 5 years 4 months.

PLUS you:

  1. don’t need a babysitter to watch our kids while you go to a health club.
  2. can sauna with your family/friends instead of Fitness Fred at Bally’s.
  3. raise the value of your house for resale.
  4. can play the music you want, or keep it quiet.
  5. don’t have to remember where you left your car at Bally’s when over friendly Fitness Fred is following you in the parking lot.

sauna-patio-pine-island-compressed3

For $8,000, I could help you save 5 years of health club noise and have your backyard feel as an authentic Finnish sauna lake cabin, or that up north nature cabin on the rocky shores of an outcropping peninsula.  No driving, no Fitness Fred,

it’s how an authentic Finnish sauna was meant to be.

Filed Under: Health and wellness, Product reviews, Sauna Culture