Many health clubs and hotels offer saunas for post-workout conditioning and relaxation. A traditional sauna bath is taken in a small room with wood panels lining the wall and floor. Rocks heated by an electric or wood-fired stove inside the room heat the air. Sitting inside a sauna causes the body to perspire, which sauna enthusiasts say detoxify the body. In order to get the most out of sauna bathing, users need to make sure they properly heat the sauna.
Step 1
Turn on the electric heater and allow the sauna room to heat up several minutes before entering.
Step 2
Start with a lower temperature and adjust it to your comfort level. The temperature of commercial saunas at health clubs and hotels normally ranges from 158 to 176 degrees Fahrenheit. Select a temperature that causes you to sweat but that doesn't cause discomfort.
Step 3
Plan a half hour for your sauna bath in order to sufficiently heat the body to achieve therapeutic benefits. Adjust the temperature as needed.
Step 4
Sit on the lower bench. Commercial saunas generally feature and upper and a lower bench. The temperature on the top bench can be much hotter than that on the lower bench. A person who is new to sauna bathing may want to sit on the lower bench until she builds up a tolerance for higher temperatures.
Step 5
Pour water on the rocks. Most saunas are equipped with heaters that produce steam when a small amount of water is poured over the rocks. The steam increases the humidity inside the sauna and temporarily intensifies the feeling of warmth on your body.
Tips and Warnings
- Enter a sauna after taking a shower. Take drinking water inside the sauna to replenish your fluid level. Use a plastic water bottle inside of the sauna.
- Exit the sauna if you are feeling physical discomfort. A Russian man competing in the final round of the Sauna World Championships in Finland died in August 2010 after collapsing inside a sauna heated to 230 degrees Fahrenheit.
Things You'll Need
- Bucket
- Water
- Ladle
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