Something that I would like to know, but don't, is whether the benefits of sauna found by Finnish and other Nordic studies translate to how saunas work in many other parts of the world. As someone...
Something that I would like to know, but don't, is whether the benefits of sauna found by Finnish and other Nordic studies translate to how saunas work in many other parts of the world.
As someone who grew up in Finland but lives in Central Europe, saunas here are not really saunas for me. They are, at best, somewhat warm rooms. The main issue is that in a lot of public saunas that I have visited outside of the Nordics, even in those that are marketed as "Finnish saunas", throwing water on the stones is forbidden. Or if it's not forbidden, it is frowned upon by other people in the sauna.
But sauna without the frequent steam bursts is really just a sad, mildly warm room. Whenever I sit in a space like that, I wonder whether the people in there with me are expecting health benefits that Nordic researchers have derived from what to me seems like a very different experience. Are they in fact only paying for a placebo treatment?
Probably not, given the lower heart rate etc is obviously also present when you use saunas at 85C without splashing water on rocks, especially when you consider that people using saunas in Central...
Are they in fact only paying for a placebo treatment?
Probably not, given the lower heart rate etc is obviously also present when you use saunas at 85C without splashing water on rocks, especially when you consider that people using saunas in Central Europe have less exposure and tolerance to them than Finns. Seeing Finns talk about saunas is a bit like Indians talking about spicy food. It's relative to an extent.
I'd be curious about research comparing Finnish saunas to 'rest of the world' ones though.
Totally! And that's exactly what I was thinking, if the "sauna" in most research means one thing and the "sauna" in a lot of people's experiences means another, is there a disconnect? Are lots of...
Seeing Finns talk about saunas is a bit like Indians talking about spicy food. It's relative to an extent.
Totally! And that's exactly what I was thinking, if the "sauna" in most research means one thing and the "sauna" in a lot of people's experiences means another, is there a disconnect? Are lots of people not getting the claimed benefits, are they getting less of them, or are they getting some totally different benefits? You are right to remind that it's not a black or white situation.
Reading my earlier comment above, I realise that I perhaps come across a bit entitled, as if I somehow had the right to decide what saunas are. That wasn't my intention, I'm really just curious about the science. And perhaps a little sad about not being able to get "my" sauna experience locally.
I took a look at some research on the topic yesterday and sent some questions to researchers whose names kept popping up in sauna research. I'll report back if I hear anything from them.
I'm breaking all internet etiquette and replying to my own comment to mention that I received a reply from Jari Laukkanen, who is also mentioned in the BBC article. He wrote that we don't really...
Exemplary
I took a look at some research on the topic yesterday and sent some questions to researchers whose names kept popping up in sauna research. I'll report back if I hear anything from them.
I'm breaking all internet etiquette and replying to my own comment to mention that I received a reply from Jari Laukkanen, who is also mentioned in the BBC article. He wrote that we don't really have data on what the effects of milder saunas are. Finnish saunas tend to be 80 degrees or above, which is what most research there is apparently done with.
He did write though that he suspects lower temperature saunas to have benefits. He pointed me to an article that he co-authored with Setor Knutsor (also mentioned in the BBC article), The multifaceted benefits of passive heat therapies for extending the healthspan: A comprehensive review with a focus on Finnish sauna, which looks at the evidence for different types of heat therapies. Based on that paper, and especially the data from lower temperature treatments like hot tubs and Waon therapy, I am ready to believe that people who enjoy lower temperature Finnish saunas aren't wasting either their time or their money.
Is it not possible to have it set to 100°+ C? Though still a different experience, that doesn't exactly feel mildly warm. Anecdotal, but my mother started having problems with high blood pressure...
But sauna without the frequent steam bursts is really just a sad, mildly warm room.
Is it not possible to have it set to 100°+ C? Though still a different experience, that doesn't exactly feel mildly warm.
Anecdotal, but my mother started having problems with high blood pressure in the recent years and found out that even a few rounds in 90°C dry sauna lower her blood pressure considerably for the rest of the day, so some effects surely remain.
Also it's interesting that even central Europe can mean different things, here in Czechia older saunas are usually dry but finnish style saunas are relatively common in more modern wellness centers as far as I know (can't confirm the temperatures there, my health doesn't allow me to go). I've had a similar experience in Austria, at least in the touristy places in the Alps.
I'm glad to hear that dry sauna has helped you mother! I haven't been to saunas in Czechia, but my best sauna experiences in the region have been in Slovakia (totally anecdotal, and N of I think...
I'm glad to hear that dry sauna has helped you mother! I haven't been to saunas in Czechia, but my best sauna experiences in the region have been in Slovakia (totally anecdotal, and N of I think just 2), so perhaps I would like what Czech sauna culture has on offer as well.
As for your question about temperature, a couple of years back my local swimming pool here in Hungary opened not one but three "Finnish saunas" (their branding). The hottest was 85 degrees Celsius. The mildest 50 C. They have since increased the hottest to 90 I think and the cooler ones to 70, but none of them have the heat that I would personally consider a properly warm sauna. The "wellness host" comes in every fifteen minutes or so and puts a ladle of water on the rocks. They keep the door open when they do that, so much of the steam escapes immediately. This is a bit of an extreme example, but is overall quite typical of my experiences here, as well as in Croatia, Romania, Slovenia and Austria. But other people seem to enjoy it, so I have tried to accept that I'm just in a different sauna culture.
In the US, in my experience, saunas are for dry heat and you go to a steam room for humidity. Most gyms I’ve been to that have them have both. The most luxurious ones have salt saunas, where the...
In the US, in my experience, saunas are for dry heat and you go to a steam room for humidity. Most gyms I’ve been to that have them have both. The most luxurious ones have salt saunas, where the walls are made of salt bricks, to make the whole room extra desiccated.
As a side note the recent Eurovision song Baru Badu Bastu (by KAJ) is all about going in the sauna and is a banger (in my opinion), in case you want an appropriate song for your next sauna visit.
As a side note the recent Eurovision song Baru Badu Bastu (by KAJ) is all about going in the sauna and is a banger (in my opinion), in case you want an appropriate song for your next sauna visit.
Oh, I more meant singing the tune full volume while your fellow sauna dwellers look on in horror and secret delight. That’s appropriate etiquette right?
Oh, I more meant singing the tune full volume while your fellow sauna dwellers look on in horror and secret delight. That’s appropriate etiquette right?
How do you feel about taking conference calls in a public sauna in the middle of the day? Because I had to endure that at the gym a few times. They’re all clearly lawyers too so they’re billing...
How do you feel about taking conference calls in a public sauna in the middle of the day? Because I had to endure that at the gym a few times.
They’re all clearly lawyers too so they’re billing those hours! What a life!
Huh, did you see what sorts of hardware they were using for this that holds up in a sauna? I’d be way too concerned about the battery to take my phone, for example…
Huh, did you see what sorts of hardware they were using for this that holds up in a sauna?
I’d be way too concerned about the battery to take my phone, for example…
Just an Apple Watch and AirPods. It’s definitely not safe operating conditions for those but I guess they only need to bill like 2 hours to replace them.
Just an Apple Watch and AirPods. It’s definitely not safe operating conditions for those but I guess they only need to bill like 2 hours to replace them.
I absolutely love saunas, though I don’t go as much as I want. I have my gym membership solely to be able to use a nearby sauna whenever I want (as opposed to sauna clubs, which are much cheaper,...
I absolutely love saunas, though I don’t go as much as I want. I have my gym membership solely to be able to use a nearby sauna whenever I want (as opposed to sauna clubs, which are much cheaper, but require making appointments and are usually further away). Some day I’ll also start working out before the sauna :P
Something that I would like to know, but don't, is whether the benefits of sauna found by Finnish and other Nordic studies translate to how saunas work in many other parts of the world.
As someone who grew up in Finland but lives in Central Europe, saunas here are not really saunas for me. They are, at best, somewhat warm rooms. The main issue is that in a lot of public saunas that I have visited outside of the Nordics, even in those that are marketed as "Finnish saunas", throwing water on the stones is forbidden. Or if it's not forbidden, it is frowned upon by other people in the sauna.
But sauna without the frequent steam bursts is really just a sad, mildly warm room. Whenever I sit in a space like that, I wonder whether the people in there with me are expecting health benefits that Nordic researchers have derived from what to me seems like a very different experience. Are they in fact only paying for a placebo treatment?
Probably not, given the lower heart rate etc is obviously also present when you use saunas at 85C without splashing water on rocks, especially when you consider that people using saunas in Central Europe have less exposure and tolerance to them than Finns. Seeing Finns talk about saunas is a bit like Indians talking about spicy food. It's relative to an extent.
I'd be curious about research comparing Finnish saunas to 'rest of the world' ones though.
Totally! And that's exactly what I was thinking, if the "sauna" in most research means one thing and the "sauna" in a lot of people's experiences means another, is there a disconnect? Are lots of people not getting the claimed benefits, are they getting less of them, or are they getting some totally different benefits? You are right to remind that it's not a black or white situation.
Reading my earlier comment above, I realise that I perhaps come across a bit entitled, as if I somehow had the right to decide what saunas are. That wasn't my intention, I'm really just curious about the science. And perhaps a little sad about not being able to get "my" sauna experience locally.
I took a look at some research on the topic yesterday and sent some questions to researchers whose names kept popping up in sauna research. I'll report back if I hear anything from them.
I'm breaking all internet etiquette and replying to my own comment to mention that I received a reply from Jari Laukkanen, who is also mentioned in the BBC article. He wrote that we don't really have data on what the effects of milder saunas are. Finnish saunas tend to be 80 degrees or above, which is what most research there is apparently done with.
He did write though that he suspects lower temperature saunas to have benefits. He pointed me to an article that he co-authored with Setor Knutsor (also mentioned in the BBC article), The multifaceted benefits of passive heat therapies for extending the healthspan: A comprehensive review with a focus on Finnish sauna, which looks at the evidence for different types of heat therapies. Based on that paper, and especially the data from lower temperature treatments like hot tubs and Waon therapy, I am ready to believe that people who enjoy lower temperature Finnish saunas aren't wasting either their time or their money.
Wow, I'm legit impressed you actually reached out to a researcher about this! Thanks for sharing the results with us 😊
Is it not possible to have it set to 100°+ C? Though still a different experience, that doesn't exactly feel mildly warm.
Anecdotal, but my mother started having problems with high blood pressure in the recent years and found out that even a few rounds in 90°C dry sauna lower her blood pressure considerably for the rest of the day, so some effects surely remain.
Also it's interesting that even central Europe can mean different things, here in Czechia older saunas are usually dry but finnish style saunas are relatively common in more modern wellness centers as far as I know (can't confirm the temperatures there, my health doesn't allow me to go). I've had a similar experience in Austria, at least in the touristy places in the Alps.
I'm glad to hear that dry sauna has helped you mother! I haven't been to saunas in Czechia, but my best sauna experiences in the region have been in Slovakia (totally anecdotal, and N of I think just 2), so perhaps I would like what Czech sauna culture has on offer as well.
As for your question about temperature, a couple of years back my local swimming pool here in Hungary opened not one but three "Finnish saunas" (their branding). The hottest was 85 degrees Celsius. The mildest 50 C. They have since increased the hottest to 90 I think and the cooler ones to 70, but none of them have the heat that I would personally consider a properly warm sauna. The "wellness host" comes in every fifteen minutes or so and puts a ladle of water on the rocks. They keep the door open when they do that, so much of the steam escapes immediately. This is a bit of an extreme example, but is overall quite typical of my experiences here, as well as in Croatia, Romania, Slovenia and Austria. But other people seem to enjoy it, so I have tried to accept that I'm just in a different sauna culture.
In the US, in my experience, saunas are for dry heat and you go to a steam room for humidity. Most gyms I’ve been to that have them have both. The most luxurious ones have salt saunas, where the walls are made of salt bricks, to make the whole room extra desiccated.
As a side note the recent Eurovision song Baru Badu Bastu (by KAJ) is all about going in the sauna and is a banger (in my opinion), in case you want an appropriate song for your next sauna visit.
I’m going to have to say it, but as a Finn you shouldn’t listen to music in the sauna.
Oh, I more meant singing the tune full volume while your fellow sauna dwellers look on in horror and secret delight. That’s appropriate etiquette right?
How do you feel about taking conference calls in a public sauna in the middle of the day? Because I had to endure that at the gym a few times.
They’re all clearly lawyers too so they’re billing those hours! What a life!
They're doing it wrong - you bill Sauna as research time. That way you get to relax and get paid for it!
Huh, did you see what sorts of hardware they were using for this that holds up in a sauna?
I’d be way too concerned about the battery to take my phone, for example…
Just an Apple Watch and AirPods. It’s definitely not safe operating conditions for those but I guess they only need to bill like 2 hours to replace them.
LFTL: KAJ - Bara Bada Bastu | Sweden 🇸🇪 | Official Music Video | #Eurovision2025
Man that was way better than I would've guessed.
I absolutely love saunas, though I don’t go as much as I want. I have my gym membership solely to be able to use a nearby sauna whenever I want (as opposed to sauna clubs, which are much cheaper, but require making appointments and are usually further away). Some day I’ll also start working out before the sauna :P
But to the point, I wanted to share this link with loads of info for staying up to date with the benefits of sauna: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/topics/sauna