Sauna

[4] Archaeological sites in Greenland and Newfoundland have uncovered structures very similar to traditional Scandinavian farm saunas, some with bathing platforms and "enormous quantities of badly scorched stones".

[5] The traditional Korean sauna, called the hanjeungmak, is a domed structure constructed of stone that was first mentioned in the Sejong Sillok of the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty in the 15th century.

[11][12] These differed from present-day saunas in that they were operated by heating a pile of rocks called a kiuas by burning large amounts of wood for about 6 to 8 hours and then letting out the smoke before enjoying the löyly, a Finnish term meaning, collectively, both the steam and the heat of a sauna (same term in Estonian is leili - you can see similarities with Finnish word).

In a typical Finnish sauna, the temperature of the air, the room, and the benches are above the dew point even when water is thrown on the hot stones and vaporized.

Some North American, Western European, Japanese, Russian, and South African public sport center and gyms include sauna facilities.

However, healthy people and heart patients alike should take some precautions if plunging into very cold water straight after coming from the hot room, as the rapid cooling of the body produces considerable circulatory stress.

[47][46] Tentative evidence supports that the heat stress from saunas is associated with reduced blood pressure and arterial stiffness, and therefore also decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease.

[56] Individuals prone to postural hypotension or severe valvular heart disease should use a sauna cautiously to reduce the risk of a drop in blood pressure.

Following this process, the ashes and embers are removed from the hearth, the benches and floor are cleaned, and the room is allowed to air out and freshen for some time.

[60] Infrared heat penetrates more deeply into fat and the neuromuscular system resulting in a more vigorous sweat at lower temperature than traditional saunas.

In Europe we find the Estonian saun (almost identical to the Finnish sauna), Russian banya, Latvian pirts, the European Jews' shvitz, and the Swedish bastu.

While right after World War II, public bathhouses were commonplace in Japan, the number of customers dwindled as more people were able to afford houses and apartments equipped with their own private baths as the nation became wealthier.

[citation needed] In Australia and Canada, saunas are found mainly in hotels, swimming pools, and health clubs and if used by both men and women, nudity is often forbidden, even if implicitly.

In gyms or health clubs with separate male and female change rooms, nudity is permitted; however, members are usually asked to shower before using the sauna and to sit on a towel.

People use a bundle of birch twigs with fresh leaves (Finnish: vihta or vasta; Estonian: viht), to slap the skin and create further stimulation of the pores and cells.

[67] In 1536, Vilnius gained a royal privilege to build public bathhouses, and by the end of the 16th century, the city already had 60 of them with a countless number of private ones.

[65] The contemporary Baltic sauna is similar to others in the north-eastern part of Europe: it varies according to personal preference but is typically around 55–70 °C (131–158 °F), humidity 60–90%, with steam being generated by pouring water on the hot stones.

[73] Public saunas can be found throughout the Netherlands and Flanders, both in major cities and in smaller municipalities, mixed-sex nudity is the generally accepted rule.

[citation needed] In Germany, Austria, Luxembourg South Tyrol and Lombardy, most public swimming pool complexes have sauna areas; in these locales, nudity is the generally accepted rule, and benches are expected to be covered by people's towels.

Cold showers or baths shortly after a sauna, as well as exposure to fresh air in a special balcony, garden, or open-air room (Frischluftraum) are considered a must.

Single-sex saunas are rare, as well as those that impose nudity although the practice is growing and several spas have a towel-only policy on designated days.

These units are often called sauna world (szaunavilág) and have additional services, for example, a cold plunge pool, resting areas, jacuzzi, showers, and crushed ice bucket.

In the Czech Republic and Slovakia, saunas have a long tradition and are often found as part of recreational facilities, as well as public swimming pools.

These countries also have the tradition of massaging fellow sauna-goers with leafy, wet birch bunches, called venik (веник) in Russian.

[78] During wintertime, sauna-goers often run outdoors for either ice swimming or, in the absence of lake, just to roll around in the snow naked and then go back inside.

In this large area, there are marble bed-like structures where people lie down and receive a massage either by another sauna member or by a designated masseur.

It is similar to the public banya bath house type, except that it is usually more modern and luxurious, and is often rented by groups of friends by the hour for the use of partying and socialising.

There are few restrictions and their use is casual; bathers may enter and exit the sauna as they please, be it nude, with a towel, dripping wet in swimsuits, or even in workout clothes (the latter being very unusual).

Unlike sauna traditions, and most forcefully in the case of the Inipi, the sweat lodge ceremonies have been robustly defended as an exclusively Native expression of spirituality rather than a recreational activity.

Originally this word meant "spirit" or "life", as in e. g. Hungarian lélek and Khanty lil, which both mean "soul", referring to the sauna's old, spiritual essence.