What Do Saunas Do?

Modern saunas exist in places like gyms, health clubs, hotels and private homes; they are often electric. The dry air of a sauna combined with high temperatures produce a physical state that can provide numerous health benefits.

Mechanism of Action

• Temperatures in a sauna can reach 185 degrees Fahrenheit, causing the heart to pump extra blood to the skin, giving it a flushed appearance. This fever-like state causes the internal organs to speed up and produces extreme sweating.

Sweating

• Sweating serves three purposes: ridding the body of waste products, regulating body temperature and cleansing the skin. A 15-minute sauna produces around one liter of sweat.

Detoxification

• The skin is the body's largest organ, and holds many toxins. In a sauna, the toxins that are trapped in pores and sweat ducts are released, preventing blemishes and dry skin.

Traditional Saunas

• In Finland, women traditionally gave birth in traditionally-built saunas believing that spirit would grant them and their child protection while reducing the pains of childbirth. After birth, saunas were taken to stimulate breast milk production.

Warnings

• Saunas have uncontrolled effects on blood pressure. Do not take a sauna if you are under the influence of alcohol or drugs as it may cause you to pass out.