5 Reasons Why You Should Get a Home Sauna

 I will never forget my first sauna. I was visiting my friend in Germany and she suggested we visited the "spa" in a nearby town. I live near one of the UK's most famous spa's and so I was expecting aromatherapy scented air and white bathrobes. What I got was a distinct lack of bathrobes, or any clothing in fact and a completely different experience to the one I had envisioned. Despite that, I became a complete convert to the benefits of sauna.

Sauna has been a thing for thousands of years and of course is an integral part of Finnish daily life, and very popular with their Scandi neighbours. As one who has enjoyed a warming, relaxing sauna then stood naked with my feet in snow I can totally get it.

I know of at least two friends who have installed home saunas but did you know that sauna can be beneficial to your overall health and wellbeing?

1. Pain Relief. I noticed this immediately after my very first sauna. The heat increases circulation which can help with everything from minor muscle strain to the pain of arthritis.
2. Relaxation and Stress Relief.  Studies have proved that sauna can help with mood by triggering the body to produce Dopamine and Beta-Endorphin, substances which can improve mood, increase energy and give a sense of calm. This can help people suffering with anxiety and depression.
3. Improve Heart Health. The relaxation aspects of sauna can be beneficial to heart health. One study, conducted in Finland, followed 2,315 men ages 42 to 60 over the course of 20 years. Findings suggested that people who use a sauna may be less likely to die from cardiovascular disease. Sauna is also thought to lower blood pressure although people with serious heart issues and/or high blood pressure should seek medical advice before using sauna.
4. Better Skin. The sweating induced by a sauna can have cleansing and detoxifying effects on your skin, and improve circulation, flushing out toxins. Apparently regular sauna sessions can invigorate collagen maintaining and improving skin elasticity and tone. Skincare products applied after a sauna will be better absorbed into the skin.
5. Social Life. In Finnish culture the sauna experience can be a real social experience with friends, family and even strangers happily stripping off to enjoy the benefits. According to the This Is Finland website it would not be unusual to be invited to sauna with a group of business contacts you've never met before. Certainly my experience in German was that groups of people of all ages came to the sauna spa I was visiting to chat and laugh - although not in the actual sauna rooms where calm and quiet was the order of the day.

The great thing about a home sauna vs a public sauna is having the freedom to sauna at times to suit yourself. Apparently a sauna makes a great invigorating start to the day and can also be a wonderful way to wind down at the end of the day.  You can get saunas in all sizes and in a variety of styles including electric, wood fired and infrared and you can install them inside the home or in the garden.

For those less keen on stripping naked in public a home sauna can give you the freedom to relax without worrying about strangers looking at you. Although I will say I found the sauna extremely liberating once I realised just how little notice others seemed to take of my battlescarred body. 

You will also be confident in the cleanliness and hygiene of your own home sauna and you can set the temperature to suit yourself.