To begin: "The sauna you will use the most is the best sauna.”
Thus, this is not to address the question of "What’s better?"
Rather, we’ll explore the differences between the sauna types and why you might prefer one over the other.
Temperature: 80 ℃ to 110 ℃
Humidity: about 20%
Construction Material: Timber/Glass/Mixture of stone or tile
Temperature Source : Electric Heater
The finnish sauna is the classic and oldest type of sauna, it is a dry and hot climate.
Finnish saunas are usually lined with wood. They are, without a doubt, the sauna we are most familiar with and the one’s whose image we conjure up when the word ‘sauna’ is mentioned.
Even nowadays a Traditional Finnish Sauna is still very popular in Finland and many other parts of the world. It uses hot air, usually heated by wood-burning heaters but in modern versions, mostly electrical heaters are used.
Steam is created by throwing water on the rocks (loyly) which are being heated on top of the sauna stove. This produces great amounts of wet steam, increasing the moisture and the heat within the sauna. Sprinkling water on the sauna stones increase the humidity up to 30% in the short term.
If you’re a fan of dry intensity heat, there’s a good chance you will pick traditional Finnish sauna.
Temperature: 38 ℃ to 50 ℃
Humidity: 0%
Construction Material: Timber/Glass/Mixture of stone or tile
Temperature Source : Far Infrared
Infrared saunas are the latest technology. It’s the latest trend that has received attention from fashion types, celebrities, and social media influencers.
If you are a physician or long-time wellness nut, it’s likely you already know about them. For decades, hospitals and medical treatment centres have used them to foster growth for premature babies and expedite healing for athletes and the elderly.
But only in the past year did infrared treatments become increasingly popular. Even so, majority of the homeowners will opt in for infrared sauna due to lower electrical consumption and lesser maintenance.
In an infrared sauna, light is used to create heat. For this, a special heater is used that generates infrared radiation similar to that produced by the sun. An infrared sauna heats your body directly without warming the air around you in the room.
The infrared rays penetrate through your skin, heat up your body core temperature and elevate your heart rate while creates a pleasant feeling.
In addition, it is quickly ready for operation, the beneficial effect starts after only a few minutes instead of a longer preheat time. An infrared sauna can be designed as an independent or integrated into the Finnish sauna as dual sauna as an “additional option”.
Due to its lower temperature, the infrared sauna is very comfortable and more suitable for various age group including children and elderly.
Temperature: 45 ℃
Humidity: 100%
Construction Material: Stone/Marble/Granite/Tile/Mosaic/Acrylic/Glass
Temperature Source : Steam Generator
Steam rooms are similar to saunas. Both encourage you to sit in a small, heated room, and both will provide huge health benefits.
The big difference is in the type of heat that they provide. A sauna uses dry heat, usually from hot rocks or an electric stove. A steam room is created when a water-filled generator pumps steam into an enclosed space so there is moisture in the air when people are sitting in it.
The steam room, often referred to as a wet sauna or hammam, Usually clad with ceramic or natural stone with access to clean water, it offers very high humidity with temperature up to 45ºC and is very popular in spa and gyms.
It is also known to help open up airways and thins out mucus membranes in the body, alleviating congestion and improving respiratory strength. If you’re suffering from asthma, sinus or bronchitis, a steam room’s an excellent therapy to try.
Last but not least, if you loves the feeling of a hot shower, steam room will be a good choice!
Temperature: 38 ℃ to 50 ℃ Surface Heating
Humidity: 0%
Construction Material: Marble
Temperature Source : Under water heating
Temperature: 38 ℃ to 50 ℃
Humidity: 100%
Construction Material: Stone/Marble/Granite/Tile/Mosaic/Acrylic/Glass
Temperature Source : Steam Generator
Traditional hammams contain three chambers: a hot room to steam, a warm room to scrub, and a cooler room to relax. Not all hammams have this exact layout, but they all involve a hot marble steam room with a raised circular platforms on which patrons lay to soak in the sweltering heat.
Traditional Turkish Hammam is called as the place which helps muscles to relax, body to rest, spiritual and physical dirt can be purification. In the early period of the Ottoman people, cleaning was an important and vital necessity, so they usually went to the baths as there were no bathing facilities in their homes.
If you’re considering purchasing a sauna, finding the ideal location that will perfectly fit your lifestyle is essential. You should consider which area you feel most comfortable while sauna bathing and where is the suitable space for your sauna.
Many homeowners think they don’t have enough space indoors to install a sauna, but you may be surprised to learn that there are many options even if you have little space.
For example: you could convert a former store room, dead space below the staircase, basement, and rooftop with sloping roof or most commonly in the bathroom.
Ideally we will suggest that you have a shower near the planned sauna or there is a water connection so that you are able to rinse off right after the sauna session.
In addition, it will be ideal if you can have it outdoor near the garden or the backyard to refresh yourself with fresh air in between the sauna sessions.
If you are unable to find a suitable location. You are welcome to consult with our team so we could come up with inventive ways to fit a sauna in a small area or customize an existing space for you.
On average home user, traditional sauna and steam sauna commonly operated with 4.5kilowatt heater. Therefore, the rough calculation on the electrical consumption will be approximately around RM2.50 per hour.
On the other hand, the electrical consumption of the infrared sauna will be divided by 3. Therefore, it will cost approximately RM 0.80 per hour.
For commercial use, heater are usually above 6kilowatt due to larger room size which consist of three phase/415v electrical. As accordingly to the tariff rates, the electrical consumption will be 3x higher compared to single phase/240v.
You must be wondering what’s the estimated size for your sauna?
Before you decide on the sauna size, you would like to ask yourself these question!
I have heard many stories about all the children and elderly people who still take a daily sauna. Some of these stories are from Finland, others are from various articles and publications. Regardless, the children and elderly can and do find consistent relief from what ails them when adding Far Infrared sauna therapy into their daily routine.
For children and elderly individual to begin introducing Far Infrared sauna therapy, at an advanced age, it may be a little more difficult. The strategy for the children and elderly should be to ease into the experience of daily Far Infrared use gradually and resist the urge to overdo.
Basically, most of the traditional way of building sauna flooring are with timber. Consequently, there are more maintenance involve for timber flooring because the infusions and drops of sweat can come into contact with moisture.
Therefore, you would have a choice to build the sauna floor with other building materials such as exposed concrete, tile, marble, stone, ceramic, granite or other materials that could withstand moisture. In turn, these building materials also create a luxurious and modern design.
It depends on the room size of the sauna and which sauna system you have chosen.
For the operation of a sauna heater is under 4.5Kw. The required power connection is 1phase/240V to be prepare along with an air-cond switch are necessary.
For the operation of a sauna heater above 4.5KW, the required power connection is 3 phase/240V to be prepare along with an isolator switch are necessary.
Every sauna design is different – some are focused on practicality while others offer more decorative appeal. Whatever choices you make for your sauna, there are certain universal principles, like using woods that don’t overheat or secrete resin for the benches and selecting interior materials that are resistant to heat and moisture.
We also use thermal-modification of timber to enhance its durability, moisture resistance, and stability. Our highly specialized process also transforms the look and feel of this natural building material to add character to your sauna. Some woods retain their cozy and warm light brown tones, while others – like radiata pine, and ash – darken for an elegant finish. This process in completely chemical-free. Wood is being modified with just heat and steam.
Western Red Cedar is our preferred wood of choice for sauna. Colorful in appearance with various hues, cedar is stable, but soft and resists warping under heat and humidity changes prevalent in a sauna.. Cedar also has a low density making it a good insulator, quick to heat and quick to cool down. This makes the wood more comfortable to sit against. Wood that is too dense radiates too much heat and can burn you. Also, cedar does not bleed pitch like other types of sapwood. And perhaps most importantly, cedar is highly resistant to insects, termite, fungus & decay.
Aspen is a deciduous tree in the willow family that grows around Europe and Asia, as well as northern Africa. It makes an ideal material for sauna benches because it doesn’t secrete resin, create splinters, or get too hot. Its characteristic light tone and smooth texture also give it an attractive look and make it perfect for painting, so it can be used for interior and exterior walls too.
Finland Spruce The wood of the Norway spruce, an evergreen coniferous tree of the pine family also known as European spruce, is almost white, with a light yellowish undertone – it is one of the lightest colored coniferous woods. Grown in northern, central, and eastern Europe, Spruce is often used as timber, and for saunas it is generally preferred for exterior walls. We can also brush the wood to further enhance its attractive natural pattern.
Radiata Pine is a coniferous tree of the pine family. Its rapid growth and excellent quality make it among the most cultivated coniferous species in many parts of the world. With no exposed knots, the wood doesn’t secrete resin, splinter, or overheat, making it great for sauna benches. Wide boards, brushing to bring out the natural pattern, and the darker hue from thermal modification offer a touch of luxury for interior and exterior paneling too.
American ashe is a perennial deciduous tree in the olive family that grows in North America. It produces a wood that is valuable, durable, strong, and decorative, with an attractive texture that beautifully complements exterior sauna walls. Our thermally modified ash takes on a dark brown color, giving an exclusive look, and it can be brushed to further highlight its distinctive pattern.
Malaysia Damar Minyak also known as agathis with a very fine and even texture, with straight grain. Sapwood is not differentiated from the heartwood, sometimes with a pink tinge and darkening into a light golden brown. Grwoth rings are present but not sharply marked, indicated by layers of thicker walled tracheid.
There is a tiny bit of weight loss happening while you’re in the sauna. That’s because you’re sweating off water weight. Once you begin drinking again, the water weight returns.
The higher temperatures cause your heart rate to increase in a way similar to exercise. But this increase only causes a slightly higher calorie burn than sitting at rest.
Here’s an equation you can use to estimate out how many you’re burning:
Number of calories burned in 30 minutes of sitting (specific to your bodyweight) x 1.5 (possibly x 2) = calories burned
For example, a healthy male of 68kg burns 56 calories in 30 minutes of sitting. To find the number that this same individual burns while sitting in a sauna, multiply those calories by 1.5 and 2 in order to get an estimate. In this case, the individual would burn roughly 84 calories.
A sauna will help you lose weight by forcing the body to work harder. Your body has to control temperature which it does by sweating. Pulse rate increases and circulation kicks up a notch. Subsequently, this also increase metabolism.
But you’re not building muscle, you aren’t burning a significantly raised rate of calories, and you’re really only losing water weight. In addition, not replacing the water you are sweating out can actually make it harder for your body to lose weight.
The weight that you lose while you sit in a sweltering room is purely water, water that you should be replacing as fast as you are losing, otherwise you are just severely dehydrating your body. Not practicing proper hydration while you’re in one of these hotboxes is unhealthy and actually makes it tougher for your body to lose pounds permanently, as hydration is an essential component in shedding extra weight.
Enjoying a sauna or steam room properly (and with approval from your doctor) is not a bad addition to a fitness routine and it can be very enjoyable and serve as a bit of a treat after a particularly demanding workout.
Individuals who are using prescription drugs should seek the advice of their personal physician before scheduling a sauna session.
There can be changes in a drug’s effects when the body is exposed to infrared waves or elevated body temperature. Diuretics, barbiturates, and beta-blockers may impair the body’s natural heat loss mechanisms.
Anticholinergics such as amitriptyline may inhibit sweating and can bring on heat rash or heat stroke in more extreme situations. Some over-the-counter drugs, such as antihistamines, may also cause the body to be more prone to heat stroke.
However, infrared sauna maxes out at a temperature of 50 degrees celcius, the concerns should be less than if you were to be using a traditional sauna.
Be sure to consult your personal physician if you have any history of heart problems, high blood pressure or any other health problems before enjoying any kind of sauna.
Consider this: when you sweat, you increase circulation, which results in glowing skin, pain relief, weight loss, stress relief, increased athletic performance, improved immune function, injury recovery and more.
A sauna can be one of the safest and most effective methods for inducing a detoxifying sweat. In sauna detox, your body sweats out numerous toxins, including dead skin cells, oils, dirt, bacteria, and other toxic substances through pores.
Several unavoidable toxic substances in our modern world such as arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury may be excreted better through the skin compare to urine.
Traditional Sauna: Approximately 20-30 minutes
Steam Sauna: Approximately 30-45 minutes
Far Infrared Sauna: Approximately 15-20 minutes
Frequency is based on each individual but we will recommend at least 4 sessions per week for optimum therapeutic effects.
Recent studies have shown that 4-7 sauna sessions weekly have a reduction of 40% risk of all-cause mortality (top causing death)
The protocol are stated below are proven by studies for the best therapeutic effects.
Traditional sauna = 80 degrees celcius, 20 minutes, 4-7 times a week.
Far infrared sauna = 45 degrees celcius, 30-40 minutes, 4-7 times a week.
Steam Sauna = 45 degrees celcius, 30-40 minutes, 4-7 times a week.
The most common advice is to start small. If your experience with using sauna is limited, start with 5-10 minutes session 1-3 times per week.
You then may slowly increase it to around 15-25 minutes per session, which, in most cases, is considered enough for your body to sweat out properly.
So far there’s no evidence that says using sauna every day may have any risks, so you can give it a go after practicing for a while.
But, you’d be happy to know that using sauna 2-3 times a week is already a great way to support your health and wellbeing.
Infrared Sauna - A typically recommended session will be about 30 to 40 minutes.
Traditional Sauna - A typically recommended session will be about 15 to 20 minutes.
Steam Room - A typically recommended session will be about 20 to 30 minutes.
However, several factors will influence how long to stay in the sauna with the most important factor being how your body is reacting to the sauna session.
You should always listen to your body and you do not want to overdo it by staying in the sauna for too long.
If you’re a newcomer to saunas, you should try a lower temperature and a shorter duration. It is recommended that you gradually increase the temperature and duration of your sessions.
It is important to always pay attention to your body and ensure it’s not giving you any warning signs like feeling faint, dizziness, light-headedness or general discomfort.
If any of these warnings arise, you should end your session immediately and focus on rehydrating yourself. If you ever start to feel as though your body is giving you warning signals, pay attention to them.
Staying hydrated is very important and we highly recommend being well hydrated prior to using the Sauna.
As the body heat increases and the body begins to sweat, the loss of water can change the electrolyte concentration and can have harmful effects.
Furthermore, as the toxins are released through the sweat, they are, to a lesser extent, released in the body and hydrating helps the body flush them out.
As a result, we recommend hydrating well before, during, and after your sauna sessions.
The sauna is best experienced in the nude, but this is completely up to you and what you are comfortable with. Your exposed skin will sweat more freely than if it is covered.
However, you can cover yourself with a towel within the sauna or some people will wear a bathing suit. You will have complete privacy in the sauna room.
We do recommend removing jewellery and glasses especially if you are using a traditional sauna, when the temperature is high, it could somehow harm your skin.
It is completely up to you and your lifestyle. There is no data showing more of a benefit in the morning or evening.
Generally a couple of splashes of water is enough to create enough steam (loyly). Don't pour too much of water, just drizzle it over the rocks. You'll get a better steam and it won't overwhelm the room and your sauna heater.
On the side note, splashing too much of water will affect the heating elements.
Yes. Children may use the sauna with parental supervision. However, a child’s core body temperature rises much faster than adults.
This occurs due to a higher metabolic rate per body mass, limited circulatory adaptation to increased cardiac demands and the inability to regulate body temperature by sweating.
For this reason, we do recommend the sauna be set to a lower temperature and the child use the sauna for no more than 15 minutes at a time.
Yes. However, our ability to maintain core body temperature does decrease with age primarily due to circulatory conditions and decreased sweat gland function.
In order to safely reap the benefits of the sauna, the body must be able to activate its natural cooling processes and be able to maintain its core body temperature.
If you are elderly, we will recommend operating the sauna at a lower temperature and for no more than 15 minutes at a time.
There can be concerns and complications if a mother raises her core temperature too much while pregnant. Please consult with your physician before using saunas while pregnant.
Place a microfiber towel over your bench during sauna sessions will keep your sauna clean and sweat-free. For cleaning, simply wipe the inside with damp cloth.
Perhaps, if you want your sauna timber to last longer and to look as good as new, you could do some sanding or some natural sauna cleaning detergent.
We do not recommend using any chemical cleaners/furniture polish on the inside of your sauna to avoid chemical exposure.
Infrared saunas and even infrared sauna blankets make use of heaters that generate electromagnetic field (EMF) radiation. This is the same type of radiation emitted by household appliances and gadgets like microwave ovens, smartphones, and others.
Studies have shown that exposure to high EMF levels can increase health risks like cancer, which is why it is crucial to limit your exposure as much as possible.
EMF exposure has long been known to cause neuropsychiatric symptoms including difficulty sleeping, depression, anxiety, fatigue, and difficulty concentrating.
Recent research has shown other potentially more dangerous effects of EMF exposure including oxidative damage and premature aging of our cells, and DNA breakage and even cancer
However, this will still be influenced by a variety of factors, most importantly the quality of the infrared sauna. Poor quality infrared saunas generally don’t indicate the actual levels of EMF they emit and may be emitting more than is safe.
So if you plan to buy an infrared sauna for your family, be sure to patronize only high-quality products from reputable manufacturers.
The high heat and excessive sweating that you’ll experience inside a sauna can have adverse effects on any medication you are currently taking. This is especially true for insulin and skin-based or trans-dermal medication.
Inside the sauna, your body will release toxins that are trapped inside the cells, and along with these are any residue from medications you took previously that may have been stored there. Sometimes, these medicine residues won’t come out as you sweat but will instead re-enter the bloodstream which may cause some discomfort or even certain side effects.
So if you’re currently taking or have just finished taking any medications, you’ll want to give yourself some time before using the sauna. Talk to your doctor as well and ask how a sauna session can affect your medications.
Those who are diagnosed with certain types of medical conditions should refrain from using an infrared sauna for safety reasons. Some of these medical conditions include diabetes, brain tumors, angina pectoris, aortic stenosis, lupus, and several others.
If you insist on using an infrared sauna, then it should be under the supervision of a medical practitioner. In no case should you go and use a sauna on your own.
Yes, if the infrared panels are certified Low EMF (Electromagnetic field). Far infrared heat is a form of radiant energy. The sun is an example of the principal source of infrared radiant energy that we experience on a daily basis.
All human bodies absorb, as well as emit, infrared radiant energy. Infrared Sauna heat emitters produce a specific bandwidth of radiant energy that matches the vibrational frequency of the human body. This process is also known as resonant absorption. Thus, no harmful UV rays are emitted.
