A Finnish sauna is a dry heat sauna where the air has low humidity (10-25%) and high temperature (90-110°). By the nature of the effect and the structure of the room, the Finnish sauna is most similar to the Russian bath. The word SAUNA itself is of Finnish origin and means an enclosed space heated by a stove with stones, and built to create a dry hot bath.
The first sauna in Finland appeared back in the 5th-8th century. The main element of it was a heater, which was a pile of stones. These stones were strongly heated, after which they were steamed near them. A Finnish sauna was built from a wooden log cabin in the form of a small structure, usually consisting of one room. Such a sauna was heated from the inside with the help of smoke and fire, this method of heating was called "black".
The transformation of the Finnish sauna
At the end of the 18th century, closed stoves with three holes began to be built for heating in Finnish saunas: for fire, for steam and exhaust, for smoke escape. And in the late 30s of the 20th century, the first samples of an electric heater were developed. Mass production of electric fireplaces began only in the 40s. The main advantage of such a Finnish sauna heater was its ease of use - one click on the desired button and the stones were heated by the electrical resistance of the heater. Another advantage is directly related to convenience: now it is possible to place Finnish saunas simply in apartments with bathrooms.
The differences between a Finnish sauna and a steam bath
The Finnish sauna and steam bath differ primarily in humidity. In a steam bath, the air temperature is 40-70 ° and the relative humidity is 90-100%, and in a Finnish sauna at 90-110 °, the air humidity ranges from 10-25%. In a well-heated sauna, the air is dry, and when water is poured on the stones, the humidity increases for a while. Different humidity, different temperature regimes of baths and saunas are associated with the specifics of their effects on the human body. The relatively mild temperature conditions of the Finnish sauna facilitate thermoregulation processes and tolerance to high temperatures. Therefore, sauna use is recommended for the elderly, children and women.
Steaming in the Finnish sauna
For a comfortable and safe visit to the Finnish sauna, it is recommended to follow several rules: before visiting, take a shower and dry yourself. In order not to burn the body, it is necessary to steam in the Finnish sauna sitting or lying down, always using a terry towel. You need to breathe with your mouth open and talk as little as possible. It is necessary to steam in the sauna in several sets of 5-10 minutes, after the set – rest, in between sets - cooling in the pool.
