Be at peace,unwind after a hard day,relax and cleanse the body and Mind,feel more Positive.These are some of the main reasons why everyone should own a Finnish Sauna and why Finnish people treasure and use it so often. Part1
‘ The basic elements of life and The Finnish Sauna,Fire,Water,Wind and Earth
Definition of a Sauna
The Sauna Bucket
In its simplest form,a Finnish Sauna is specially constructed room or cabin in which people/guests can sit in temperatures of 70-100 degrees centigrade and in Fahrenheit for those who still use it 162-215 Fahrenheit.The temperature is achieved by rocks which are heated up using,preferably wood but they can be heated using electricity or gas.The primary purpose for doing this is to bathe in the bare flesh in the hot air generated from the rocks with occasional streams of hot steam produced by dowsing the ht rocks with water.This gives you the opportunity to regulate the temperature in the room,The effects have been proven to stimulate the circulation and gives the skin a deep clean by opening the pores.This not only gives a feeling of well-being,it also offers the feeling of relaxation,both physical and mental.
Why all Saunas are not the same?
Having a cabin or room that looks like a Sauna does not mean automatically that it is a real sauna.Some folks say they have a large infra-red lamps and that they qualify as a sauna.These lamps have been touted as providing all the benefits of a real Finnish Sauna.The Finnish Saunas aim to limit all forms of radiation,in particular direct electromagnetic fields,light and especially Infra-Red.Infra-Red heat in Traditional Finnish Saunas is significantly more softer and diffuse emanating fro all sources including the ceiling,the rock stove and in particular the water ,which produces the steam in the air.
Throughout the world there are thousands of products being promoted and sold using the Finnish Word Sauna,when in fact 99% of them are nothing more than misnomers diluting the true meaning.True Finnish Saunas use the old traditional methods and customs that have kept the Finnish People going in the frozen north for millennia.electric heaters if used,must be designed to eliminate as much electromagnetic radiation(positive ions)as is possible.The aim is to create negative ions which help relax the body and mind.Electric heaters as opposed to wood saunas create positive ions,which do not help the body to fully relax and benefit from the experience.
The Sauna is a very personal though not always solitary experience.You could say it is a form of escapism from all the trappings of modern day life.The times I have been to the sauna are all different experiences.You remove your clothes,take a cool shower and first wash the body.Then you enter the Sauna room.If others are there the walls will already have been soaked in water to create humidity.Then I myself find a lower step to begin with,as steam rises it may be to hot to go straight to the highest benches.When I say that the sauna is a very personal space,I mean it the way, that whoever is in the sauna room with you is their own personal space.No one is laughing at you or others.If it gets to hot I just carefully walk out to the shower area and take a cool shower,I then may return as usual and do this about 3-5 times.There is very little talking in the Sauna room,it is truly a sacred place.In 21 years and thousands of saunas I have never encountered an argument,a sly remark or bad behaviour.All Finnish People enter a sauna room with the full knowledge that they are entering a sacred place and are undoing all those effects of modern lifestyles,work,study,even family.
As I was informed years ago”In the Finnish sauna I can be alone,but that does not mean I am not lonely”
This post is Part1 of 6 to follow.If you really wish to improve your Finnish Sauna experience, register to get alerts as I post themThe buttons are at the top right
Regards Greg
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