Sauna Therapy

Modern day sauna therapy stems from healing techniques that have been practiced throughout history. From the Mayan sweat houses, the Mexican temescal, the Islamic hammam, the Russian bania, the Japanese mushi-buro, the Native American sweat lodge to the Finnish sauna, people throughout the ages have sought heat therapy to relax, relieve stress, heal and maintain health, develop spiritually and interact socially.

The Basics

Sauna therapy involves sitting inside an enclosure that uses a heating element to raise the body's temperature to induce sweating and increase blood circulation. Enclosures can encompass the entire body, such as a traditional sauna room found at many fitness clubs, or they can cover everything but your head, as with a portable sauna cabinet that you can buy for home use. The therapy involves repeated sessions of heating and cooling the body to promote detoxification and healing.

Heating Element

The heating element inside a traditional sauna can feature a wood, gas or electric heater that warms the air and then the body. Other saunas' warming techniques use heat rays generated by infrared elements, electric light bulbs, steam or hot sand to heat the body directly. For therapeutic sauna bathing, sauna enthusiasts recommend that the temperature inside the sauna reach 176 to 194 degrees Fahrenheit. Traditional saunas feature rocks on top of the heater on which you can throw water to temporarily increase the humidity and temperature of the sauna room.

Procedure

With about one sauna for every three residents, the people of Finland have become the experts on the practice of sauna therapy. The Finnish Sauna Society recommends entering the sauna room wrapped in a towel after showering. The Society recommends spending 20-minute sessions inside the sauna followed by an equal amount of time outside the sauna cooling down. The warming and cooling sessions can be repeated several times. They recommend scrubbing the body while inside the sauna to stimulate the skin and increase perspiration. Sauna enthusiasts recommend drinking water during your sauna session to remain hydrated.

Health Benefits

Many holistic practitioners recommend the detoxing and cleansing benefits of sauna therapy for maintaining good health. While you sit inside the hot room, your body attempts to reduce its temperature by driving blood to the surface of the skin and by perspiring. This therapeutic sweating releases toxins through the skin. The heat kills bacteria and viruses and relieves internal congestion, says Linda Page, author of "Healthy Healing." Sauna enthusiasts say that the warmth and the increased blood circulation relaxes muscles, relieves tension and pain in joints and calms the nervous system.

Precautions

Health experts and physicians caution people with heart disease and pregnant women from indulging in sauna therapy. The Finnish Sauna Society recommends that people with fever or inflammatory disorders as well as people with communicable diseases avoid the sauna. They also say that saunas and alcohol don't mix. People should not drink alcoholic beverages inside the sauna and people under the influence of alcohol should not go to the sauna.