For anyone who's spent a significant amount of time in an athletic club, aquatic facility, or bath house, steam rooms and saunas should be a familiar sight. Although both facilities use high temperatures to create their therapeutic effect, there are major differences separating the two. Weight the differences to choose the one that best suites your needs, or enjoy both.
History
Both saunas and steam rooms are centuries old amenities that have been enjoyed by people from numerous cultures. The Finns have a long rich history of sauna use. Ancient saunas and steam rooms dating back to the Roman Empire can be viewed to this day in Bath, England. Even Native Americans used sweat lodges for both health and spiritual reasons. Today's elaborate Russian and Turkish baths offer various forms of steam rooms, saunas, hot tubs, cold immersion tubs and even swimming pools
Atmosphere
The major difference between saunas and steam rooms is the humidity of their environments. Saunas offer a dry heat. The benches and walls of the sauna are wooden, which remains relatively cool to the touch. A steam room, on the other hand, has over 100 percent humidity, often to the point of allowing little visibility. The steam room's walls and benches are tile or stone, which allow easy clean up and resist humidity.
Temperature
Due to their dry heat, saunas can reach very high temperatures--sometimes near 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Although steam rooms often feel as hot as saunas due to their humidity, they rarely reach over 125 degrees Fahrenheit.
Heat Sources
The majority of saunas use electrical heaters, which heat the air in the room to very high temperatures without emitting any fumes or moisture. Steam rooms use a steam generating system, which pumps hot water vapor into the room.
Effects
The extreme dry heat of a sauna causes users to sweat rapidly. The dry environment practically pulls water from the skin, which is why saunas are often used by athletes looking for rapid, short term weight loss. Steam rooms also encourage sweating, but users don't sweat as much due to the humidity of the air. Steam can have a therapeutic effect on user's airways. Eucalyptus is often mixed with the steam to enhance the positive effect on sinuses.
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