Contents
To help you find your way around this extensive article, you can find an overview of the topics here:
- A brief history of the sauna
- What are the health benefits of a sauna?
- What do I need to take a sauna?
- Which saunas are there?
- How does a sauna session work?
- What is an infusion?
- Sauna after sport?
- What do I have to bear in mind? Sauna etiquette: Dos and don’ts
Origin in East Asia for ritual purification
The concept of a beneficial sweating cure has a long history and found its way from East Asia via Finland to Central Europe. The first sweating baths and huts were operated by stones heated in a fire and were mainly used for body care and cleansing. Archaeological finds from Asia show that people recognised the effect of heat thousands of years ago. To make the most of the heat from the heated stones, they dug holes in the ground, placed the stones inside and covered them with branches. In some places they even erected tents. The Mayas and Aztecs also dug clay pits near places of worship, which suggests that the sweat baths were closely related to their religion. The Greeks knew and appreciated the effects of sweating, as did the Romans, who are known for their fondness of bathing anyway.
Scythians, Greeks and Romans knew the sauna just as well
The Greek historian Herodotus describes the sweat baths of the Scythians, an equestrian nomadic people who inhabited the area north of the Black Sea. According to Herodotus, the Scythians ritually purified themselves with warm air or hot steam after burying the dead. None of these change the fact that saunas are associated with Finland all over the world. The Finns brought the practice of sweating from their original homeland in Asia to Scandinavia at the time of the migration of peoples. However, the climatic conditions there did not allow for digging holes in the ground, so the first saunas were built in tents, wooden huts and stone houses with a fire inside.
The sauna's triumphant diffusion from Finland to the world
The Finns may not have invented the sauna, but they gave it the name by which it is known all over the world today. The Finnish word sauna means nothing other than "sweating room". The Finnish sauna began its diffusion in Europe with the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, when Finnish athletes wanted a small sauna - a novelty that was widely reported in the media. As a result, individual sauna facilities began to spring up as early as the late 1930s and early 1940s.
What is the benefit of the sauna or why is sweating healthy?
Using a sauna is healthy, that is undisputed. It strengthens the cardiovascular and immune systems, is good for the joints, breathing, the skin and relaxes the muscles. If you use the sauna properly, you clean blood vessels, protect yourself from colds, boost your defences, strengthen your immune system, promote blood circulation and reduce circulatory problems. No wonder that many people swear by the holistic effect and beneficial influence of the sauna on body, mind and soul. On the other hand, precisely because of the clear effects on the entire organism, it is particularly important not to overtax the entire organism, but to use the sauna correctly. This means that the rules of the sauna procedures, the duration of the sauna sessions and the rest periods must be observed if you want to do something good for your body.
What do I need to take a sauna?
Sauna novices are bound to ask themselves what they need to take with them to visit the sauna. One thing in advance: it's not much! A large sauna towel to sit or lie on in the sauna and to cover yourself with outside the cabins. A normal bath towel is quite sufficient, but regular sauna visitors often prefer towels that can be converted into a kind of clothing in a few easy steps by means of buttons or Velcro fasteners. The towel should be large enough for you to lie on lengthwise. For hygienic reasons, it is important to always sit or lie on a towel in the cabin. In addition to the bath towel, a separate towel is useful for drying yourself after a shower. A bathrobe and slippers are recommended for the rest area and other areas outside the sauna cabins.
What types of saunas exist?
There are several different types of saunas, some of which differ greatly - for example in terms of temperature, duration of the sauna session, humidity or the size of the sauna cabin. The most used and therefore most widespread types of saunas are the Finnish sauna, the bio-sauna and the classic steam bath. A large part of the
accommodations in
Hafling-Vöran-Meran 2000 even have all three of these sauna types to choose from in their wellness area.
The Finnish sauna
For many people, the Finnish sauna is the epitome of a sauna. It is a wood-panelled room with benches along the walls and a stone stove. With an air temperature of about 90 to 100°C and a humidity of 10%, the Finnish is the hottest of all sauna types. "Aufguss” are made directly on the stone stove and have few additives. The benefits of a classic sauna include stimulation of the circulation, pore cleansing and purification.
The bio-sauna
The bio-sauna - often called a sanarium - is a milder form of sauna. At a temperature of 50 to 60°C and the strain on the body is less than in the Finnish sauna, so it is recommended for heat-sensitive people or patients with high blood pressure. The lower temperature means that the sauna session can last longer than in the Finnish sauna. The "Aufguss” are much milder and usually contain fragrant essential oils.
The classic steam bath
When you enter a steam bath, you enter a sea of steam. At a temperature of about 50°C and a humidity of almost 100%, the cardiovascular system is stimulated, and the body's natural defence mechanism is strengthened. The high humidity counteracts the natural evaporation of sweat, which the body secretes in response to heat. Sweating therefore no longer cools, so contrary to popular belief, the steam bath is not necessarily gentler on the circulation than the Finnish sauna. In addition, the infusion causes the insulating air on the surface of the skin to swirl with warm air, heating up the body even more. In this way, the infusion and the sprinkling of steam increase the heat experience in the steam bath. The steam cleanses the skin pores and the respiratory tract. Other forms of steam bath include the caldarium, the tepidarium, the hamam and the Irish steam bath.
How the sauna works: tips for the sauna session
A sauna session basically has three phases of varying length:
Heat, cooling down, rest.
Heat: When you first go into the sauna, you should stay in the cabin for no longer than 8-10 minutes, and in any case only as long as you feel comfortable. Sauna beginners should stay on the lower benches. If you lie down, sit up about 2 minutes before the end of the sauna session to get your body used to the upright position
Cooling down: The cooling down phase is just as important as the heat phase but lasts much shorter. The alternation between heat and cold are key to the whole application and must therefore be done correctly. Cooling down can be done as a shower, with a water hose or in a plunge pool. The gentlest variation is with the hose from the right little toe down the legs to the pelvis, repeat the same on the left side, then from the right hand down the arm towards the heart, repeat on the left side. If you are fit and have a stable circulation: first take a shower and then go into the plunge pool or out into the freshly fallen snow! If you don't cool down properly, you will keep on sweating, which can lead to colds.
Rest: The rest phase can start with a walk in the fresh air, but you should make sure that you don't get cold. Cosy quiet rooms invite you to doze, read and slumber. The rest phase - or break until the next sauna session - should last 30 to 45 minutes. Then you can start the next sauna session, which can last up to 15 minutes. In total, a sauna visit should not include more than three sessions.
The "Aufguss” (onpouring)
For many sauna fans, the “Aufguss” is the icing on the cake of a sauna visit. It is a real ritual celebrated by a sauna master. By pouring water - sometimes enriched with aromas - over the hot stones, the humidity is increased, and the body is stimulated to sweat more. Now the sauna master distributes the air in the cabin by waving a towel. An "Aufguss" consists of a maximum of three rounds. After the last round, the sauna master receives a well-deserved applause, because the effort of waving the towel in the intense heat is real back-breaking work. Afterwards, as after every sauna session, you take a cold shower and rest.
Sauna after sport?
Sport and sauna are good for your body and well-being. In most cases, a combination of both is recommended. However, it is important to remember that you should only go to the sauna after sport when your pulse has calmed down. Do not go to the sauna when your body is still running at full speed. Use the time for showering until your body has recovered. Then you can best benefit from the warmth in the sauna, because the entire musculature is relaxed there. The holistic physical relaxation is therefore the bonus effect of taking a sauna after exercise.
What do I have to consider when taking a sauna or:
Sauna-Know How: dos and don’ts
- Take a shower beforehand: The skin should be free of creams and soap.
- Dry off after showering: dry skin sweats faster than moist skin.
- Don't go into the sauna freezing or with cold feet: the body should have an evenly warm temperature.
- Heat rises upwards: In the Finnish sauna, the highest heat is on the upper benches. Sauna newbies should first try the lowest benches.
- Close the door! When entering and leaving the sauna cabin, move quickly and close the door behind you.
- Do not enter or leave the sauna during an infusion (except in an emergency). Usually, the starting hours are written near the entrance to the cabin.
- Drink enough water - even beforehand: Sweating causes the body to lose a lot of water. Water, herbal teas or juices can help to counteract this loss and replenish the water balance. Alcohol is taboo!
- North of the Alps it is customary to sauna naked, in Italy textile saunas are preferred. Public saunas in South Tyrol are usually textile-free.
- Be quiet in the relaxation room: there should be no chatting in the relaxation room. The same usually applies to the sauna cabins. Of course, if it's okay for everyone present, there's nothing to be said against.
- Do not sauna on an empty or full stomach.
- Keep your distance. Courtesy and decency dictate that you keep 30 cm from the person sitting next to you.
- Place the bath towel in the cabin so that no part of your body touches the wooden benches, not even your feet.
- A sauna visit is not a sprint: take your time, enjoy the individual phases and extend the rest period to an hour if you feel like it.
- It's the regularity that counts: only regular sauna visits will have lasting effects on your body.
- Don't take a sauna if you have a fever or a severe cold: the physical strain during a sauna is so great that you are not doing yourself or your body any favours if you take a sauna when you have a fever.
- Listen to your body: it will tell you in time when it has had enough.