Pettis pools and hot tubs

They are absorbed into the bloodstream and metabolized within the body, producing many benefits beyond just a “nice smell.””

Four specifically are mentioned:

1. Patchouli and lemon essential oils soothe after a workout
2. Lavender oil helps stress and tension fade
3. Eucalyptus and peppermint oils perk up your mind for a clearer focus
4. Chamomile oil helps you relax and drift off to sleep

Line extension or legit?  You choose. One could say that if it smells good, do it.

Many old school sauna enthusiasts scoff at scents as they feel that clear fresh water produces the best loyly.  Some are partial to a little beer tossed on sauna rocks.  This practice may bring forth more of a positive mental sauna party association vs any actual aromatherapy benefit.  Then there is the Vihta tradition, where spring birch branch cuttings are soaked in a bucket of water.  The water turns to a light birch aroma tea.  When this water is tossed on sauna rocks, it gives off a loyly aroma as a fresh reminder of spring, cabins, water lapping on the shore, and a new season.

Nate’s Firestarters will be featured at the Mount Olivet Holiday Bizarre & Art Fair here in Minneapolis Saturday, November 6th 2011.

• Continued rain under the healthy showers outside the hot room.
• Low pressure zone throughout the upper regions of the sauna benches.
• Extended forecast is clear sailing and bright skies for Löyly.

Well done Jessica. Authenticity always wins out.

Link to article here.

Michael relates his romantic off season weekend experience in Whistler: hiking, spa, relaxing, great food & wine.  This is the kind of place and environment where sauna fits so well. For sauna complements well unhurried, amongst nature.

Reminds me of a friend, who was dragged along by his wife, redeeming their anniversary present for his and her massage:  “how long is this going to take, honey?  I promised Jim i’d come over after and hang some sheet rock.”

Have you been to Scandinave Spa?

Yvette Rivera-Colmant, MSW

There are several qualities of the sauna experience that are conducive to meditation and that make the combination, especially intense. Think Extreme Meditation.

The intense physical experience pushes the person to naturally bring thinking inwards to become more introspective as one appreciates their personal reactions to the heat. The effects of heat on muscle relaxation help the person to get into a deep state of relaxation. Introspection and deep relaxation characterize the altered state of consciousness one gains while sweating. As time passes, one’s reactions to the heat become more intense and create a challenge. One can allow negative thoughts and feelings related to the heat become the focus of their experience.  Alternatively, one can engage in a process of disidentification, by which awareness (mindfulness) precisely observes, and therefore ceases to identify with, mental content such as thoughts, feelings, and images. Disidentification opens the person to then also observe positive mental content – thoughts and feelings that help one to adapt, cope, and thrive when faced with adversity.  This can grow to include the development of other mental qualities such as concentration, love, or wisdom. 

As is true with any discipline, to become skilled in meditation takes time and practice.  Yet anyone can meditate. 

One of the most intense ways to meditate in a sauna is to simply sit in silence and focus on your breathing. Alternatively, it is also very pleasant to have some chill-out meditation music playing in the background. A guided meditation I designed specifically for sauna can be purchased through CD Baby and soon Itunes for $0.99. See Sauna Meditation. This track is taken from the album, Sweat Therapy Audio. The Sauna Meditation track starts with guided meditation followed by several minutes of silence and then incorporates meditation music.

Here are some thoughts and reflections to consider for a sauna meditation: 

Sitting erect but not rigid, lean against the back of the sauna, placing your hands comfortably in your lap.  Let your body and mind rest and relax and get into the heat. 

When you feel comfortable with it, allow your eyes to gently close.  Tune in to the feeling of the breath moving in and out of your body, allowing yourself to breathe mostly through your mouth as the hot air stings the nostrils.  Focus on the sensation of the hot air moving in and out of your mouth.

Let your body relax and as you sweat, think about the stress leaving your body.  Negative energy leaves your body as you sweat.  As the sweat leaves the pores of your skin so does anger, frustration, and tension.  Relax and enjoy the heat. 

Just become as comfortable as possible.  The intense heat of the sauna is gentle at first, providing a very warm, relaxing feeling. 

Some people sweat immediately and others take longer.  Notice how your body reacts to the heat.  As the sweat begins coming to the surface of your skin.  Notice the feeling of your body.

Feeling relaxed and calm, the intensity of the heat grows.  You may begin to struggle slightly as the heat works its way through your body.  As the heat intensifies, so does the amount of stress and anxiety that is released.

Each time that you find your mind wandering off, simply bring it back to your breathing.

Slip on your headphones and get in the sauna. Sit back and relax, get into the heat, and go off into your altered state of consciousness.

Sweat Therapy Audio combines three ancient wisdom practices – meditation, music, and sweating while Dr. Colmant encourages you to confront your personal priority challenge. Sweating procedures have been used throughout the world for thousands of years to help people gain greater physical, mental and spiritual well-being. Examples include the Finnish Sauna, the American Indian Sweat Lodge, and the Russian Bania to name a few. A sweat session is a powerful way to mark the beginning or completion of a personal journey or other personal commitment to change. It is also a great way to help keep your life in balance and harmony.

Sauna bathing is beneficial for the prevention and treatment of some lung, heart, and skin problems. It promotes deeper sleep, pain relief, muscle relaxation, and has been helpful in treating insomnia and arthritis. It also promotes positive effects on feeling states.

Stephen Colmant, Ph.D. is a Licensed Psychologist and has more than 15 years experience working with people with a wide range of treatment issues in a variety of settings. He is the author of Using the Sweat Lodge Ceremony as Group Therapy for Navajo Youth and Sweat therapy. Dr. Colmant lives with his wife and daughter on the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains in Bryson City, NC.

SAUNA

This activity was designed to be performed with the use of a Finnish-style sauna. The temperature inside the sauna should be between 62 degrees Celsius (145 degrees Fahrenheit) to 85 degrees Celsius (185 degrees Fahrenheit). The hotter it is, the harder this session will be to complete.

What You Will Need

• 1 quart of water.

• Audio player such as a Personal Audio Player with Headphones.

• Two towels (one for inside the sauna and one for rinsing off in the shower afterwards).

Instructions

1. Put on your headphones of your portable audio player.
2. Enter the sauna and lay a towel down on the bench.
3. Sit down on your towel and hit play on your portable audio player.

The session includes three, 11-minute intervals inside the sauna with two, 5-minute breaks and a 15-minute recovery period. Listen to the recording throughout the sauna intervals, the breaks, and the recovery period. You will be prompted when to leave and re-enter the sauna. The entire session will take a little less than an hour.  BUY NOW for just $9.99.

Cost: NYC is all about pay to play.  Spa Castle costs $45.00 on weekends and $35.00 on weekdays.

Up sell: Astute marketers offer revenue opportunities by offering always more – more status, more service, more elitism.  Once your in the place, open your wallet for a $95.00 massage, and, of course, they accept credit cards for smoothies and fancy lunches with sprout garnishes that will really raise your status.

Vanity: Spa Castle is about being pampered.  You can be a movie star for a day, someone famous in your own mind.  (yes, you’re worth it.. think Gwyneth Paltrow.)

Wimpy: After sauna, the article instructs: “your next stop is the cold bath, a hair-straightening 67 degrees.”  The examples of dumbing down of America are many, here is no exception.

Conclusion: Spa Castle is an overpriced shill program to wrangle money out of vanity and society seekers, with a cold water plunge made way too warm by fickle customers and whines from New York City lawyers.

Real sauna wind blows by an old school wood burning sauna with a creeking door, that sits by the shores of a cold fresh water lake far, far away from parking lots crammed with frantic lost souls yapping on cell phones behind wheels of leased BMWs, all looking for their next vanity fix.

Your own backyard sauna or cabin is about none of this: free to get in, no up sell, no vanity, and authentic BTUs with a cool down where it should be – well below 67 degrees.

2-Person Natural Wood Home Sauna

Therasage 2 Person Infrared Home Sauna is perfect for one or two people!

We have one question for the marketer behind this shill: what would a 2-Person UNnatural Wood Home Sauna look like?  I haven’t seen any UNnatural wood lately.  Have you?  Unless the manufacturer was considering using poly decking instead of tongue and groove cedar.  We wouldn’t be surprised.

We can only surmise that the marketer of this ‘sauna’:

• Is trying to pull the wool over our eyes.
• Is clever enough to web the terms ‘natural’ and ‘wood’ together to try to create a false image.
• Is scammy enough to try to hitch their wagon to the benefits of an authentic Finnish sauna, to their infrared light bulb closet.

Bunch of ‘therasage’ right upside the head.  Once and awhile, it’s good to call out the hucksters.

PS:  This light bulb closet sells for $4,660.00.  This is the same website that sells a towel warmer for $79.99.  Step Right Up!

Coolbusinessideas.com

So, Elmo, here’s our challenge: ship.  Get your product out the door and into the hands of the world.  We’re waiting.