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Benefits of Dry Sauna & Stream Sauna

Dry saunas and steam saunas both produce similar effects on the body because they both essentially create a heated environment for the body. The type of sauna used depends on personal preference. Users may dislike the dryness of dry saunas and prefer to breathe the moist air of a steam sauna and vice versa. Both types of sauna increase blood flow, relax the muscles and produce a general feeling of well-being to the user.

  1. Increased Circulation and Blood Flow

    • Saunas exert a similar influence over heartbeat as exercise. According to Harvard Medical School, saunas accelerate the human heartbeat by 30 percent or more. Hastening the heartbeat allows blood to pump faster through the body, thereby increasing circulation. Increased circulation helps the blood reach the body's extremities and deliver nutrients throughout. Because of its effects on circulation, people with erratic heartbeat or blood pressure should not use saunas.

    Benefits for the Skin

    • The acceleration of circulation in a sauna drives blood from internal organs and encourages the blood to flow closer to the outer parts of the body, including the skin. Because blood carries nutrients throughout the body, increased circulation to the skin may result in the delivery of nutrients therein. Heat such as in a sauna also promotes sweating and opens pores. The website Go Ask Alice! of Columbia University states that these actions cleanse the outer layers of the skin temporarily.

    General Well-being

    • The heat of saunas relaxes the muscles and produces a general feeling of well-being. Go Ask Alice! cites users' feelings of happiness and mental clarity upon sauna treatment. A clinical study published in the Psychosomatic Medicine journal and cited by Creighton University found that saunas helped to relieve the symptoms of patients with mild depression and loss of appetite compared to bed rest. A clinical study published in the Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics journal and also cited by Creighton University found that saunas relieved general chronic pain more effectively than without. However, Dr. Harvey Simon of Harvard Medical School asserts that no significant evidence exists of sauna health benefits "beyond relaxation and a feeling of well-being."

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