Can anyone tell me about sauna's, steam rooms, etc...

[Matilda]

I am curious about the benefits of using saunas and such. And the different benefits of the dry sauna verses the steam room.
Than secondly, when it is best to use these things in conjunction with exercise, dry brushing , and showering.

Thanks a bunch!

[RowanC]

I'm not really an expert but I have used all the techniques you are asking about.

The end result for all the heated techniques is to detox via sweating, which is an ancient known practice.

The best steam rooms and saunas I've ever been in were in Germany. They put various herbs and stones in their steam rooms and saunas which help with healing via both inhalation and vibration.

The steam room is exactly that, a room that produces steam. You lie or sit in it for a while - best results if you're naked in my opinion - and just relax while the steam opens your pores and you begin to sweat. People often follow a series of steams with a series of warm or cold showers or plunges This stimulates circulation and helps with the removal of toxins from the blood and pores.

The dry sauna is a room usually made of cedar or redwood (scent again) and by gentle heat produces sweating. Again, you stay in it for 5 to 20 minutes, then take a short plunge or shower, then return, etc.

Both of these are very relaxing as well as healing.

Drybrushing is done before you bathe or shower and is done with a special brush or towel. It stimulates the circulation and helps to exfoliate the skin, which is your largest organ, thus helping it perform better. The brushes are inexpensive, running anywhere from $6 to $50. In my opinion, the $6 brush works just as well as the $50 brush.

Oh gosh, I can't remember what the other things were you asked about. But I recently discovered a wonderful spa in Portland, Oregon if any of you are here. It is called Jade Sauna and is over by the Home Depot in Beaverton. It costs $20 to go in and you can stay as long as you want.

They have a salt room, which is a warm room with a salt pad on the floor. You lie in there on the salt for up to an hour, the heat generating up through the salt into your body. It's wonderful if you have arthritis and very healing.

They have both dry sauna and steam room with mugwort. They have cold mugwort pools that you draw icy water from to throw on your body and hot jade pools with hot water.

They have a huge nice shower room. They have a "jade room" which is a warm room totally made of jade, which is very healing. You lie directly on the jade floor and the heat goes up through your body. It's wonderful.

I can spend 4 hours in this spa easily and for $20 and no membership, I consider it a treat.

They also have an excellent exfoliation you can buy for $40 and a deep tissue massage for $60 which is heavenly.

Bodywork like this takes the place of doctors and medicine for me.
Give me a massage or steam every week and I'm just peachy keen!

[RowanC]

I am curious about the benefits of using saunas and such. And the different benefits of the dry sauna verses the steam room.
Than secondly, when it is best to use these things in conjunction with exercise, dry brushing , and showering.

Thanks a bunch!

ok.. so .. the benefits of steam and sauna are basically the same. The techniques are different and some people just prefer one to the other. Teh steam seems to open the pores faster for me. It also softens the skin properly so you can exfoliate, which should be a part of this process.

The benefits of dry skin brushing is both exfoliation, circulation, and it's wonderful for getting the lymph moving.

For under $5 you can purchase little exfoliation mits at most health stores. Asian stores also carry them really cheap. They also carry this exfoliation towel which is incredible for helping you scrub your back in the shower! The mits are made of a cloth that is rough, and when you scrub your skin, it takes off the old skin, especially if you have done a sauna or hot soak first.

Hot tubs are NOT a good option in my opinion unless they're filled with natural water. Your body will just absorb all that chlorine, plus they're a place you can catch various viruses and bacterias. I just don't care for them. The only ones I like are the ones you can empty and fill with your own clean water.

So... first you would brush your skin, all over, toward the heart
Put coconut oil in your hair and wrap it up (or not)
Then you would take a warm shower - eave in the coconut oil
Then you would take a dry sauna, rinse, sauna, rinse

or

Steam for 10 minutes, rinse, steam, rinse,
Then exfoliate.. this can take up to an hour if you do it correctly
Then a nice warm shower and shampoo
Then rub coconut oil aaaaalllll over you!
yum
Then you would be a very happy girl!

[karenisraw]

Hi,

I have been perscribed by my raw vegan doctor, to take infrared saunas as much as possible until he returns from out of the country and is able to consult with me in regards to myh health and low metablolism problems.

Infrared saunas are dry heat. It is not as hot as typical saunas so you are able to stay in longer. The infrared penetrates much deeper into your body to warm and stimulate your insides deeper allowing for much more effective detox than the typical sauna. My RVD said that in his sauna you will burn about 600 calories in 30 minutes.

After I took my first sauna, I felt great!. The thing I noticed most about it was that after about 4 hours, I still felt stimulated deep into my muscles. More so than a typical sauna.

Here is a website written by Dr. Mercola of whom I have a very high opinion. His insite and articles always seem to make sense to me and be right on the money.

This website tells how you can construct your own infrared sauna for under $75.

http://www.mercola.com/2002/aug/14/sauna.htm

Good luck,

k :)

[RowanC]

Wow, I never heard of infrared sauna. Where do you find them?

I like Dr. Mercola too.. he's got some great advice!

[karenisraw]

Hi Rowan,

Here are some places that sell them. If you look at Dr. Mercola's article that I posted on this thread, he explains how to build your own for $75.

Here ya go:

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[Matilda]

Thanks ladies for the replies. I was thinking the sauna or steam would be something I would mix in with my exercise. But it looks like it needs more devoted time. I may have to have special times just for the sauna.

The infrared looks great. Karen have you asked your doctor what he thinks of the homemade $75 one? Maybe I can get my husband take that on as his next project. ;)

On the skin brushing I think I was mainly wondering if it was better to do it before or after the sauna. Maybe you addressed that, and I missed it. I'm tired. :o

[karenisraw]

Matilda,

My actual doctor, I do not know what his opinion is on that because for one thing, I just found out about the $75 dollar one the other day and have not seen my doctor since before that. He is not the Dr. Mercola that wrote the article, my doctor is a different doctor. I imagine my doctor would think that any sauna is better than no sauna though.

Oh, and about the skin brushing, I would think that before the sauna would be better because your skin would not be moist for one thing and another thing is that if you skin brush first, it would get your cells stimulated first and then whey you sauna, your pores would open to let out the toxins. Plus, after a sauna, you may not feel the same stimulation since after a sauna, the heat may numb your skin a bit.

k :)

[rawfigure]

karen thank you so much for the info..awesome.that is why i love this board, so healpful !

we are building our dream home right now and I am putting a infared sauna in the gym. I started my research and this will add to my resources !

[jorjeni]

my health club has a infrad sauna and I love it I do about 30 mins. when I go. I go to shape express it's like a curves. It's great for arthrists(sp?) which is why I started going in the first place. It helps with a lot of other medical problems also. Great for detoxing too. :D

[Lady Green Jeans]

Great thread.

RowanC,

Wish I had known about the saunas in Beaverton. I was in Tigard and Beaverton areas for about a year and a half. Any advice on locating a sauna?

Thanks all for great info. I would love to make a project of putting together the $75 sauna.

[pamojamo]

Wow, I never heard of infrared sauna. Where do you find them?

I like Dr. Mercola too.. he's got some great advice!


Some day spas and wellness centers are beginning to offer infrared saunas.

[rawpriestess]

Rowan C,
we have the same type of wonderful spa in Tacoma as you do, it's called the Olympus Health spa, and it is wonderful $20 all day, salt room, sand room, etc. waterfall, steam room, dry sauna, massage, olive oil body scrub, you name it they have it.


I've had a hot tub for about 16 years,it's one of those huge 8 person jobs, I love, I don't use chlorine, I use an ozonater, works great, It makes me all warm and cuddly and I do it when I'm tired, cranky, cold, sore or just wanna' relax.

my hubby bought us a 6 person huge infra red sauna last year for Christmas, it was very expensive, but huge and all cedar, not just cedar siding, and gorgeous, he installed it in my art studio, I use it almost every day.

the benefits of sauna, are, it really helps you detox, the infra red, is not microwaves, but it goes through your body, just like sunlight goes thorugh umbrella fabric, and clothes, that's why you don't need as much heat for the help of it, it's like sitting in the sun, it really is warming all over and inside too, and helps you release toxins really fast.

Celulite turns to liquid at 40 degrees Celcius, which is around 120 degrees Farenheit, so you can scrub your cellulite while you are in there, and it will help it to loosen and be released by the body.

I know it helps whenever I had a headache or sinus drainage, or anything, to sauna, then shower off. and I instantly felt better every time.

Makes detox symtoms go away fast too.

Just in case you want to know why we need a 6 person sauna and an 8 person hot tub, we thought we would be having retreats, but my hubby likes our privacy better, but we do have 5 grand children, so they get to use this stuff, and endless amount of friends. LOL (hummm seems like more since we got the sauna) j/k

[RowanC]

I had no idea infra red saunas even existed. Thanks for the information. I'll have to do some reading on them. RawPriestess, do you live in Oregon? Do you go to Anarchist's Beltaine? Do I know you? I'm Rowan of Oakmist.

[Over40]

Karenisraw,

Thanks for the sauna info. I just bought one. My wife is going to kill me. ;)

Jon

[theresaann]

I've been using my friend's infrared sauna in her house, today was the third time in two weeks and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT. It makes me feel phenomenal. It is SO on my list for Santa this year. I will beg, borrow (but maybe not steal) to get one-even if it's a one person. It's truly amazing. VERY detoxing.

[karenisraw]

over40,
Congrats, and your wife will probably bring you back to life after she has tried it.

theresanne,

I would get one too but I live in an apartment. It too will be on my Santa list when I get a house.

k

:)