Finland--Home of The Sauna

By Jan Johnson

Saunas first originated in Finland, where they are an everyday occurrence. Most households have a sauna right in them. Whereas every family in America has a car, every family in Finland has a sauna; they're simply part of the culture. It's actually true that before modern hospitals, nurseries, and other public healthcare, Finnish women gave birth to their children in saunas, as it was a clean, sterile environment due to the heat. Before you learn about their benefits however, let's take a closer look at the two different kinds of saunas.

A dry sauna is heated by a special kind of stones. These stones are heated and placed inside the sauna, raising the temperature of the air as the heat slowly radiates from the stones. A steam sauna is exactly similar-- however, after the stones are placed in the room, water is poured on the stones. The water rapidly evaporates, creating steam. A dry sauna only raises the temperature of the room, however a steam sauna raises the humidity as well. Now, continuing on to the important matter-- does a sauna have health benefits, and if so, what are they? Well, a sauna does have benefits, and they come from the heat in the room. The benefits of both a dry sauna and a steam sauna come from the high temperatures generated, which really have a positive impact upon your physical well-being.

Now let us find out the benefits of these two saunas. Both these saunas generate high temperature which is a beneficial factor for the body. Let us see how this high temperature will benefit us. When we take a sauna bath, the high temperature makes us perspire a lot. This opens up the blood vessels and the blood circulation increases leading to healing. When all the pores open up the toxins will be released and our body starts to relax. Our respiratory system is also benefited from the steam bath. You now know that your body will be benefited from a good sauna bath. But before going for it, it is better to consult your doctor to rule out any health problem which will be adversely affected by the high temperatures in a sauna bath.

Let us thank the Finnish people who discovered the benefit of sauna baths. Sauna bath helps in recovering from numerous ailments and also helps the body to relax and provide relief from stress. In today's world, even with all the modern medicines available, no doctor will disagree that a good steam bath will provide a lot of relief to many ailments.