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:

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!

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

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.”

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~!

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:

• 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.”

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

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.

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.