Having a sauna session doesn’t only mean hanging out in the heat by yourself or with friends, but much more: meditation, physical and spiritual recreation. The hot baths have played an important role in a lot of cultures for thousands of years. It’s enough just to think of ancient Romans or Indians who went in the "sweaty hut" for ritual purposes, and people in the Middle East who exchanged information in steam baths.
Saunas only popped up in Central Europe in the second half of the twentieth century and they are still popular. You can enjoy the beneficial effects of different types of saunas in wellness centers, or even at home, but you can do a lot to make this activity even more health-preserving or even healing. Since this can be done in a great and a less great way - we will give you some tips on how to always have a proper sauna session from now on.
Here’s how to do it well - the preparations
If you sit in the sauna on a full stomach, after drinking a few glasses of alcohol or having a hangover, it can’t only be an unpleasant experience, but it can even cause you to feel unwell. So our advice is: always avoid eating too much and drinking alcohol before saunas.
Have a towel to cover yourself in and a separate one that you can use to dry up after the sauna. If you can’t or don’t want to have a naked sauna session, take a bathing suit and comfortable slippers. Make sure that you have some still mineral water with you because by sweating in the sauna your body loses a lot of water that you need to make up for.
If you are in a gym and there is a sauna, it is important that you go there after your workout. If you mix up the order and do your training after your sauna session, it will delay the cooling off of your body, and it will also make you vulnerable to infections.
So after a workout, take a shower, wash off any soap thoroughly and go to the sauna. It is a common mistake to use soap or shower gel after a sauna, but it is better to rinse the sweat from the skin with clean, cold, then lukewarm water.
What to do in the sauna?
If you are a beginner, it is not recommended to stay in the sauna for more than 15 minutes at your first try (you also probably won’t be able to handle it any longer), but more advanced users may come back for more than one session. Try to spend those 15 minutes lying down inside, because that’s the best position for your body to warms up evenly everywhere. Bring an hourglass with you if you don’t see the time inside.
If you feel that you had enough, sit up from the lying down position for a few minutes, then get out in the fresh air. After a while, you can head to the shower: leave extreme cold water for athletes, use cool water instead to avoid getting sick. When you're done, wipe yourself off and have a few minutes of relaxation while you start sipping on the water we already mentioned.
Why is the sauna good?
Sauna sessions have many beneficial effects, it would be difficult to list them all, but here are some examples: it boosts the immune system and can also be helpful when you have a bit of a cold. It also energizes the skin, harmonizes hormones, helps relieve heart and blood supply, and it is recommended for asthma and bronchitis. Saunas can help you with avoiding having sore muscles since the effect of the exercise causes the lactic acid in the muscles to break down faster and to leave the body through the kidneys.
Sauna mistakes: here’s what you shouldn’t do!
- If you are tired, exhausted by training or sick from a virus, do not go for a sauna session.
- Avoid physical exercises in the cabin, just sit still there.
- Always start your sauna sessions dry, don’t go in there wet.
- Do not fill up yourself with water before your sauna session and just sip on the water after it, because the detoxifying effect only takes effect if you do it that way.
- Don’t shower with warm water after your session and avoid a cold foot bath (it may cause vasospasm, especially if you are not used to saunas).
- If you liked the first time, do not go too crazy right away - do not dive in to going to daily saunas immediately! Don’t go on consecutive days, or several times a day. Pick out one day a week, maybe after the workout at the start of your week, but then take your time with it.
-When you're done, wipe yourself dry and relax. When you’re headed home make sure you put on enough layers for the weather!
