From Savu to Infrared – The History of Saunas
The health benefits of saunas are not a recent discovery. The use of steam or
smoke baths to cleanse the body and reduce stress has been a part of religious,
social, and family traditions in numerous cultures for thousands of years.
Native Americans, Russians, Romans, and Mediterranean cultures all had some sort
of bathing facilities and rituals that played important roles in both private
and public life in those communities. But it is the Finns who are credited with
developing the modern sauna.
The Finnish Savu
Historical evidence and records indicate that the Finns built
the first wooden saunas over 2000 years ago. The early
Finnish sauna was dug
into a hill or embankment. As tools and techniques advanced, they were later
built above ground using wooden logs. Rocks were heated in a stone fireplace
with a wood fire. The smoke from the fire filled the room as the air warmed.
Once the temperature reached desired levels, the smoke was allowed to clear and
the bathers entered. The wood smoke aroma still lingered and was part of the
cleansing ritual. This type of traditional smoke sauna was called a savu, which
means smoke in Finnish.
The Evolution of the Sauna
Eventually the sauna evolved to use a metal woodstove, or kiuas (ke-wus), with a
chimney. Air temperatures averaged around 180F but often exceeded 200 degrees in
a traditional Finnish sauna. Steam vapor, also called löyly (lou-lu), was
created by splashing water on the heated rocks.
The steam and high heat caused bathers to perspire, thus flushing away
impurities and toxins from the body. The Finns also used vihtas (veh-tas) or
bundles of birch twigs to gently slap the skin and create further stimulation of
the pores and cells.
The Finns also used the sauna as a place to cleanse the mind, rejuvenate and
refresh the spirit, and prepare the dead for burial. The sauna was an important
part of daily life, and families bathed together in the
home sauna, but the
genders didn’t mix in public saunas. Because the sauna was often the cleanest
structure and had water readily available, Finnish women also gave birth in the
sauna.
When the Finns migrated to other areas of the globe, they brought their sauna
designs and traditions with them, introducing other cultures to the enjoyment
and health benefits of saunas. This led to further evolution of the sauna,
including the electric sauna stove, which was invented and implemented in the
1950s and far infrared saunas, which have become popular in the last several
decades.
Infrared Saunas, Wet, Dry, Smoke and
Steam Saunas
Infrared saunas use a
special heater that generates infrared radiation rays similar to that produced
by the sun. Unlike the sun’s UV radiation, infrared is said to be beneficial to
overall health. In an infrared sauna, the electric heaters warm the air and also
penetrate the skin to encourage perspiration, producing many of the same health
benefits of traditional steam saunas.
Today there are a wide variety of sauna options. Heat sources include wood,
electricity, gas and other more unconventional methods such as solar power.
There are wet saunas,
dry saunas, smoke saunas,
steam saunas, and those that work
with infrared waves as described above.
You can have a sauna in your home or apartment, in your backyard, on your
rooftop, or even in a vehicle or on a pontoon boat. The possibilities are
endless and creating innovative and sometimes quirky designs has become part of
the appeal of sauna bathing. But for most people, it is still the health
benefits that are the main attraction.
Next > The Numerous Health Benefits
of Saunas
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