1. Load wood from the outside
2. Load wood from the changing room
3. Load wood from inside the hot room

Options #1 and #2 involve using a ”throat” add on to a wood burning sauna stove.  Also, one needs to brick around the throat and sauna, usually a three foot border, for fire retardant.   In the old days, most saunas were built #1, loading wood from the outside.  The main reason for this is that old saunas were inefficient, basically home made iron boxes that burned hot and fast, requiring a pretty much constant supply of firewood.  Finnish ingenuity gave way to the idea that the door to the sauna stove could be steps away from an outdoor wood pile.

As stoves became a bit smaller and somewhat more efficient, people began building wood burning saunas to feed from the changing room.  The theory here is that a small amount of firewood could  be kept dry in the changing room and added to the stove from there.  The main advantage to #2 is that the sauna stove can provide some heat to the changing room.  It is estimated that between 10-15% of a sauna stove’s heat comes from the front of stove.

#3 is my choice.  Today’s sauna stoves are very efficient.  The Kuuma Stove is so efficient that I can take a sauna with 4 pieces of firewood.  By feeding from inside the hot room, I capture 100% of the heat in the hot room, and don’t have to mess around with extensive brick framing.  Also, I can monitor the fire from the sauna bench.

Considering whether to build a wood burning sauna or an electric sauna?  You may want to read below.. I’ll post all comments.

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!

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:

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.

1. Wood heat penetrates deeper, electric heat can feel like sitting in a toaster oven. (my opinion, supported by others).
2. Wood heat offers a fresher sauna.  A fire needs oxygen to burn.  As a wood fired sauna burns, it cycles fresh air into the sauna room.
3. Wood fired sauna stove accepts water on the rocks (Loli) much better than an electric stove.  Wood heats with thermal mass, where electric coils in an electric stove burn hot and thin (see toaster oven, above).
4. Wood heat contains negatve ions.  this is mumbo jumbo for some future post/discussion.
5. Wood heat is free and off the grid.  Plus, with an efficient wood burning sauna stove like a Kuuma Stove, you can burn efficient and clean.