The preview: as the sauna heats up "I sauna when I want to" He explains. And this maybe the most fundamental aspect to AUTHENTIC sauna. Sauna isn't crammed into a busy schedule or an afterthought at a health club. "'ll fire up my sauna then come back into the house and get ready." A sauna experience is a retreat. Authentic saunas are separate structures. They aren't separated from the house or cabin just in a physical sense. An authentic sauna building is a metaphor. An escape, An opportunity to leave the busy world behind. "I'll finish my emails or whatever i'm doing. I'll fill up a big jug of water. I'll get closure to whatever business i'm ready to leave behind. Sauna is like going on a little vacation for me. I get to pull the plug and get away. Sometimes, I'll fire up the sauna and go for a run. Or a bike ride. In winter, during a snow storm, I'll fire up my sauna stove and go for a ski. Those are wonderful times." Sauna round one: the big build "I won't … [Read more...]
Will Las Vegas be the site for America’s first Authentic Sauna Spa?
We all know that Las Vegas is a tourist's playground of excess. Gamble heavy and party hard until sunrise, top restaurants and buffet troughs that go on forever. Las Vegas is also an architect's playground. Massively large hotels rising like exotic desert plants. When architects submit projects, instead of scaling back, clients ask "yes, but can we do more?" The Cosmopolitan's three level chandelier bar creates a light airy feel of waitless ness. The fountains of Bellagio, like the purely natural Niagara Falls, mesmerize no matter how many times you experience them. As I sit on the airplane back to reality in Minnesota, I wonder, could Las Vegas be the place for a kick ass authentic public sauna? Groundwork for the attraction exists. There are already elaborate pools and spas. Mandalay Bay created a wave pool for body surfing, Which hotel wants to carve out some real estate for a truly authentic health & wellness sauna experience? I suggest such a project will … [Read more...]
39 most beautiful saunas in the world (photos)
It is better to travel well than to arrive. - Buddha You can never truly arrive until you have taken a sauna in the world's finest. Floating Sauna by Casagrande & Rintala in Rosendahl, Norway. commons.wikimedia.org That sure is one beautiful sauna and with a view to envy. archdaily.com Private Spa and Sauna inside the Villa Chameleon in Mallorca. myfancyhouse.com Sauna and Pool. http://www.jessicagordonryan.com/ Personal Sauna Trailer. sauna.saunasessions.ca Modern Tiny Floating House | Tiny House Pins. tinyhousepins.com Sauna In The Swedish Archipelago. northernspaces.files.wordpress.com Beautiful Finnish Saunas and Sauna Culture. tinyhouseliving.com Scandinavian Modern Sauna By Klaas Van Ommeren. onebigphoto.com Lake Superior. Saunatimes.com Sauna Kotiranta. biennialreview.finnisharchitecture.fi Scandinavian Modern Sauna By Klaas Van … [Read more...]
Saunatonttu is at it again
First it was an out of print book about saunas from the 1970s and some Finnish chocolate bars. Then it was another book about saunas, printed in Finland. Today, it is a collection of Finnish atmospheric postcards, a bag of Finnish candies, and a DVD copy of the landmark Finnish film Steam of Life. The Sauna Elf - Saunatonttu - has visited me three times now. I am now convinced that the sauna elf is pleased with saunatimes.com waving the AUTHENTIC Finnish sauna flag. What is NOT a sauna: An infrared light bulb closet hawked at a trade show. A hotel sauna or health club 'sauna' that prohibits water being tossed onto sauna rocks. A lame attempt of a hot room that can't reach well north of 140 degrees f. (60 degrees c.). What IS a sauna: A cedar lined hot room that is well insulated containing a Decent sauna stove, wood burning preferred, that produces Ample heat for multiple hot room rounds along with a Changing room for cooling down between rounds … [Read more...]
Evidence that heating up in sauna helps keep blood pressure and pulse cooled down.
Every visit to the Doctor starts with the vitals: height, weight, blood pressure, pulse. "Are you a marathon runner?" Sonja the nurse asked, unwrapping the velcro band from my arm. "No, why do you ask?" "Your blood pressure is 98/60 and your pulse is 55. We usually only see these kind of low numbers with marathon runners. So, whatever you are doing, keep it up." Well, here's what i'm doing: I exercise no more than the average bear. I run, bike, walk, three times a week or so, nothing special. I eat pretty well. Yet I am prone to indulgences like Watson's sponge candy and a beer or two in a nICE mug. I sauna 3 times a week. Going on 20 years now. #1 and #2 above don't set me apart. #3 probably does. Authentic sauna is the key. An infrared light bulb closet, health club or hotel sauna may, in my view, lead to increased blood pressure: Lame sauna stove. Restrictions on loyly (steam created from water being tossed on sauna rocks). Lack of fresh … [Read more...]
Another hotel sauna thrown under the bus.
8' ceiling. No upper bench. I was revved up for a salesman-on-the-road hotel sauna, but luckily I followed hotel sauna procedure and checked out the sauna before going to my hotel room. Instead of this lame ass sauna, I went to bed dreaming of my own authentic backyard sauna awaiting me back home. Is this how Yoga instructors feel when they walk by a class and see people standing on their heads straining themselves? "If only they could experience authentic Yoga!" … [Read more...]
Hotel sauna: make sure you know where you’re going
Three tips for hotel sauna or health club sauna
Like most sports or hobbies, using quality gear the right way propels enjoyment and satisfaction: Bicycling: $100 bike shorts and you can go 80 miles without your ass on fire. Canoeing: light kevlar canoe and you can portage to Montana. Yoga: the right teacher and your body and mind are in synch vs. feeling like you've just hung sheet rock for 8 hours. Same gig with sauna. One's appreciation and enjoyment of the authentic sauna experience is heightened by good technique and a good sauna. Unfortunately, most hotel saunas and health club saunas are lame. What's worse, most hotel saunas and health club saunas are in environments of huge compromise, antithesis of nature and fresh air . Three Tips: Cold water plunge. The temptation is to turn the shower to lukewarm. Avoid this, take as cold of a shower as you can handle. This is important for maximizing the rubber band theory of sauna. Cool down between rounds. Sit outside between rounds. March through the hotel … [Read more...]
The five W’s of sauna
Who is into sauna? Finns. Scandinavians. Now folks that 'get it' from around the world are into sauna. It's becoming a big deal. What is sauna? Traditional sauna is a centuries old tradition. it involves a stove (wood or electric) that heats rocks. Walls are generally cedar or white spruce. Sauna is not a steam room. Sauna is not a hot tub. When do you sauna? Often after a work out, or when your feet are f***ing cold on a winter's night. Then again, some find sauna therapeutic on a hot day. Sauna parties are a blast. Where are saunas? Lots of health clubs feature a 'dry sauna,' invariably heated by an electric sauna stove, but health club and hotel saunas are generally a compromise. One may stumble upon an authentic sauna if one is lucky enough to visit Scandinavia or Northern lakes areas like Minnesota, upper Wisconsin, Canada. Why take a sauna? Health benefits to sauna are numerous and undisputed. How do I get in the game? This site is about getting in the … [Read more...]