Saunas and steam rooms incorporate heat to produce a variety of therapeutic benefits on the body. Even as the mechanism for each therapy differs, holistic medical professionals say that they produce similar benefits of cleansing, healing and relaxation. Heat therapy enthusiasts find the differences between the two therapies in their method of warming the body, maximum temperature, heat source, construction and in specific rejuvenating effects.
Heat Source
A traditional sauna heats the body, causing a person to sweat. Rocks heated upon an electric or wood burning stove that sits inside the room warm the air. Some saunas incorporate infrared heat technology which heats the body directly, instead of the room's air. In steam rooms, a steam generator outside the steam room heats water until it turns into vapor and forces the vapor into the steam room.
Temperature and Humidity
Saunas use dry heat therapy. The temperature of a sauna can range between 175 to 200 degrees Fahrenheit with humidity of about 10 percent. In "wet" saunas a person can pour a small amount of water over the rocks to increase the humidity level. Steam rooms use moist heat and reach a maximum temperature of about 100 to 130 degrees Fahrenheit. Due to the water vapor used to heat the room, steam rooms reach humidity levels of almost 100 percent.
Construction
The interior of a sauna features wood paneled walls, wooden benches and a wooden floor. Many saunas feature an upper and a lower bench where the heat feels more intense the higher a person sits. Steam room designers have used glass, acrylic or ceramic tile to construct the walls and benches inside steam rooms.
Dry Sauna Benefits
The majority of research on sauna and steam therapy comes from holistic practitioners and heat therapy enthusiasts who support sauna and steam therapy as an alternative way to treat illness and maintain health. Dry sauna therapy boosts the immune system, flushes out toxins and stimulates blood circulation, says Linda Page, author of "Healthy Healing." Sauna therapy is an effective detox method because the body eliminates about a third of its wastes through perspiration, writes Alan E. Sanderfoot in "Hot Tubs, Saunas & Steam Baths." Sauna therapy also inhibits viruses and bacteria and promotes relaxation and well-being, Page and Sanderfoot write.
Steam Room Benefits
Page says that steam rooms work faster at detoxifying the body and can produce the same benefits as a sauna in about half of the time. In the moist and humid steam room environment, the body retains more heat, whereas inside of a sauna, perspiration keeps the body cool. In their books, both Page and Sanderfoot note the effectiveness of steam room therapy in treating respiratory illnesses, relieving joint pain and improving skin tone and texture.
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