Sauna 101

Safety First

Before getting into the details with this starting point, I would like to draw your attention to safety when it comes to spending time in a sauna. Especially if it’s something new for you, please make sure that your health condition allows you to be in a high temperature environment. Even if your health condition is perfect, I would advise to increase progressively the time spent in the sauna, as well as the temperature of the room.

My Sauna Experience for the Past Year

Unfortunately for me, for the past year or so (as of April 2018), having regular access to a sauna has been out of my routine. Prior to this time period, for over a month, I had a daily access to such structure, and I took great advantage of it while I had this privilege. I would use the sauna between four to five times a week. Although unplanned, this month long period ended up turning itself into an improvised detox camp.

Temperature

Since I knew I could handle heat pretty well, I would set the temperature of the sauna to 100° Celsius / 212° Fahrenheit and lay down on the highest steps of the wooded room. Although I was setting the temperature to a 100 degrees, this did not mean that the actual room temperature was ever getting that high. I also think that for someone new to the practice of spending time in a sauna, it is best in my opinion to start at a lower temperature and maybe sit or lay down in the lower areas of the heated room.

Deep Sweating

My main goal when I am in a sauna is to provoke deep sweating  to promote the elimination of toxins through my skin. In order to get to a state of deep sweating the temperature of the room needs to be pretty high as far as I am concerned. By deep sweating, I mean sweating abundantly to the point where sweat is constantly dripping onto my towel. An other sign that I look at, in order to be sure that I am at a stage of deep sweating, is my scalp condition. I know I am deep sweating when I can feel that I am abundantly sweating through my scalp as well.

Sauna to Promote the Movement of the Lymphatic Fluid

Nearby the sauna if you have access to a cold shower, or a swimming pool. Sessions of going back an forth between the high temperature conditions of the sauna to a cold environment can be very beneficial in helping the circulation of the lymphatic fluid. Each time I was able to do sessions like these, I was able to reach high levels of relaxation. Once again, lets be very careful when switching from extreme temperatures in order to avoid shocking the body. I highly recommend to go progressively with this practice, especially during the initial sessions. One should always make sure that her health condition allows her to do go through such practice prior of experimenting with the sudden change in temperature.

Having Access to a Sauna

Having access to a sauna can be easy or more difficult depending on where we live. In some cultures it is seen as a luxury, thus it may be more costly and difficult to have access to one. In other areas of the globe, it is an integral part of the lifestyle. I know that in Scandinavia it is very common for people to go to a sauna, and I’ve read that they are almost everywhere.  A Burger King in Finland installed a sauna with a capacity of 15 people in one of its restaurants. In my country of origin Türkiye, hammams and saunas are a big part of the culture as well, therefore the access to a such places is fairly easy and affordable. In Switzerland where I grew up, we had the opportunity to have access to state owned structures for relatively affordable prices. In Geneva there is this amazing place called “Les Bains des Pâquis” which offers a Turkish hammam, and a sauna among many other services and activities during the winter months. It’s by the Lake Geneva, so one can easily dip into the the cold water as well.

The Benefits

When I did my month long sauna cure, I was simultaneously doing an intermittent fasting as well. It was a pretty challenging combination for my body, but I do think that I was able to get rid of even more toxins this way. One thing I’ve noticed, is that going regularly to a sauna improved the quality of my hair and my scalp. Although sauna sessions can be a little bit tiring at times, they tend to make me feel extremely relaxed throughout the day, and increase the enjoyment I get from other activities.

Thoughts and Observations

I would like to get back into the habit of doing sauna sessions on a more regular basis. Now that a year has passed by without me having access to such environment, and since during this past year I have done a lot of detoxifying through dry-fasting and eating raw/plant based, I’d be curious to see if going to a sauna again will allow me to reach higher levels of well being. I would also like to observe the state of my sweat as I’d be deep sweating. A year ago, I could feel that my sweat was extremely acidic and had a strong smell to it. I wonder, now that I believe my entire system to be cleaner, if the pH levels of my sweat have changed or not?

I know for a fact that when I exercise intensely my sweat isn’t as acidic as it used to be. In the past my sweat would literary burn my scalp and facial skin as it would come through my pores, eventually creating some mild discomfort.  I’ve been also observing an other interesting phenomena as far as the acidity of my sweat goes. A couple years ago after an intense workout session, my t-shirt would be drenched in sweat. As it would dry up on its own, salt looking particle would start to appear on the surface of actual shirt. In a similar situation today, I don’t witness this phenomena anymore. There may be different reasons for this, but at this point, I believe that with all the efforts I’ve been putting into detoxifying my body, my system is in fact cleaner than it used to be.

My Conclusion for Now

If your health condition allows you to go to a sauna, I can only recommend it. If going to a sauna is not an option because of logistics or financial obstacles, sunbathing or intense exercising sessions could be a good alternative to provoke sweating and allow the skin to get rid of some of the toxins this way.

I AM NOT A HEALTH PROFESSIONAL. I would like to make it very clear that I am only sharing my own experience on this website, and have no intention to give any specific advice on health. Please read the disclaimer section for more information.