Steam Bath Vs Sauna - What are The Differences?

For sure you read or heard a friend commenting that steam baths are better than sauna and another friend claiming the exact opposite. Well, they are telling the truth, at least to some extent. Either one is superior or less effective compared to the other. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Steam Bath

A steam generator is used to produce the steam inside the room. The temperature is maintained generally at 40°C. Most Steam rooms have skewed ceiling to avoid the buildup of steam dripping onto the bathers. Ceramic tiles are usually used to hold the moisture produced by the steam.

For people suffering from respiratory illnesses such as asthma, steam rooms are recommended. You can breathe easier in a steam room. It is believed to improve health conditions of those who have sinusitis and bronchitis because the mucous and chest muscles are loosened. Another good thing about steam baths is that your skin remains hydrated and supple due to the maintained level of humidity.

One downside of steam rooms is the risk of bacteria proliferation due to the warm and wet conditions. Just make sure that the steam rooms you are using are maintained and cleaned regularly. Also, make it a habit to take a shower before and after your steam session.

Sauna

Saunas have higher temperature because of the extremely low humidity inside the room. It normally falls between 75°C to 100°C. This is definitely safe compare to a steam bath that can injure your skin with that temperature. Sauna rooms use electric, wood-burning, or far infrared (FIR) heaters. It is typically made of wood and wood benches. It is suggested that sauna floor should be cleaned at least once a week to avoid or lessen rotting. Saunas are very common and a favorite leisure in Scandinavian countries.

There are people claiming that a 25-minute sitting in a sauna can burn you up to 300 calories. Due to extreme sweating, it promotes body detoxification and better blood circulation resulting to improved metabolism.

A lot of people find the intense heat in saunas excessively too much and thus prefer lower temperatures which are common to steam rooms. Extreme heat may aggravate any nose or lungs ailments.

There you go. I hope you have a clearer understanding when it is good to take a steam bath or sauna. If your health permits I suggest you try both once in a while. Isn't it marvelous to have the best of both worlds? GP

Jason Case writes articles for http://www.steam-bath.net/
If you are looking for information on steam baths stop and in and check us out, for all the latest information on steam baths and steam shower sauna for your home.

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Most Steam Sauna Customers Have Moved to FIR Infrared Saunas

What is the difference between FIR infrared sauna and the traditional steam sauna? Why has the famous and well-known steam sauna have been losing to FIR infrared sauna? Before getting the answer, let's take a look at the health benefits of the sauna system.

The word "Sauna" is come from Scandinavian word which refer to the ancient heat therapy. This ancient sauna therapy is using a rock and wood to heat the room. This ancient structure was built based on the principle that said when the temperature of body is raised, your body can be relaxed and detoxified. While your body temperature is raised, the body will increase the blood circulation and sweat in order to maintain the normal temperature.

And now the modern era has the FIR to replace the ancient heat therapy. The FIR's system of work is basically the same as the ancient principle, to increase the blood circulation and make body sweating. But the infrared style sauna doesn't need to be maintained like the traditional one. The benefits of infrared type saunas are better than the traditional sauna's.

These saunas will help you in the body detoxification, rejuvenation, relaxation, and body conditioning which will increase the body heart rate, thus increase the blood circulation. A FIR sauna will also help you to lose weight, as the calories will be burned by sweating. The pain caused of fibromyalgia, some chronic fatigue or illness, will be relieved effectively. And you immune system will be built strong, so you can defend your body from any diseases caused of viruses and bacteria. Above are the general sauna's health benefit. And what the difference from the FIR infrared and the traditional one?

The FIR sauna only heat our body directly and not the air, as the traditional steam sauna did. The steam sauna will make a humid atmosphere, which for some people, make them hard to breathe. Not included that viruses and bacteria can easily cultivate and spread in that kind of atmosphere. Different from the traditional sauna, FIR infrared sauna only create a clean infrared energy. FIR infrared sauna convert light energy to the heat energy. This is why, FIR infrared sauna can penetrate almost 3 inches through your skin into the subcutaneous tissue.

As we said before, infrared heat doesn't heat the surrounding air, it's only heat our body directly. The power consumption for the traditional infrared sauna is much more than the FIR sauna. The traditional steam sauna must increase the temperature into 190 degrees Fahrenheit, while the FIR infrared sauna only have to increase the temperature into 140 degrees Fahrenheit. And for the set up, FIR infrared sauna only need to take 10-20 minutes, while the traditional steam sauna must take 50-60 minutes to set up.

To look into purchasing a sauna for your home, please visit Infrared Saunas

David L.

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