Health Benefits

Weight Loss
Sweating is part of the complex thermoregulatory process involving substantial increase in the heart rate, cardiac output and metabolic rate that consumes considerable energy.  A single sauna session will enable your body to sweat up to 1,000 calories.  A good deal of the fluid loss must naturally be restored but two saunas a week followed by an intake of calorie free liquid can generate considerable weight loss.  Although you rehydrate after sauna the calories you burn would equate to running up to ten kms.

Cellulite
Sauna will assist in dissolving old, hard, stuck on fat deposits under the skin and assist in removing the gel like lumps of fat and water trapped in pockets beneath the skin through profuse sweating.  This will greatly improve any anti-cellulite program.

European physicians who specialize in various heat treatments claim that controlled overheating of the body also increases the rate of the metabolic processes as a whole and stimulates the functioning of the endocrine system.

Skin Care
Undoubtedly sauna is the finest way of deep cleansing the skin because it acts as a third kidney, flushing out such toxins as alcohol, nicotine, cholesterol and many metals such as lead, copper, zinc, cadmium and mercury which the body absorbs in the polluted environments.

Regular sauna will improve circulation which in turn encourages a healthy flow of nutrients to the skin, resulting in a clearer, healthier complexion.

After a sauna it is recommended to exfoliate your body to remove excess dead skin.  Saunaring is particularly benefical for oily complexions and it is not unusual for a person taking their first sauna to  break out slightly as the flushing is far deeper than any usual cleansing.

Scars fully formed, even keloids may be gradually softened.  Burns and other wounds or incisions may heal with significantly reduced scarring.

Reduced Stress and Fatigue
As wave after wave of heat massages it's way into your body, your muscles relax, your body unwinds, stress and fatigue simply evaporate and fades away.  You are left feeling relaxed and heavenly.  This type of dry heat can penetrate into the skin and muscles about 1 - 2 inches achieving deep tissue relaxation.

Sauna is an excellent therapy to ease the pain and discomfort of arthritic stiffness, aches and soreness in both the muscles and joints.  Many a great night sleep has been achieved although many claim an increase in sex drive.

Cardiovascular Exercise
While in a sauna the body absorbs considerable heat.  Your body then increases sweat production to cool itself, it does this by making the heart pump harder and faster to move blood to the surface for cooling.  Your heart rate may increase from 72 beats per minute on an average to 100 - 150 beats per minute to boost circulation.  This has the same effect as continuous cardiovascular exercise.

Muscle and Joint Pain
Relaxes and loosens muscle tissue, reducing the daily build up of tension and increasing muscle flexibility by as much as 10 percent.  Increased circulation means oxygen to aching muscles and joints, this in turn carries off metabolic wates and also stimulates vasodilatation of peripheral blood vessels which will relieve the pain of arthritis and speed the healing of sprains and muscle pain.  The oxygen promotes glycogen supply, the muscles energy reserves.

Some athletes are adverse and sensitive to cold.  Heat induces vasodilatation and increases blood flow, resulting in an influx of oxygen and nutrients to the injured area and water products being carried away.  Cellular metabolism increases leading to rapid repair and healing.

Improved Immune System
Sauna creates a fever reaction which can kill viruses and bacteria, improve white blood cells helping the immune system to fight off everthing from a cold to cancer.  The increased sweating combined with the removing of toxins and wastes improves your overall health and your resistance to disease is heightened.

The oxygen needs of the body increases by about 20% so the lungs, another important eliminator of body wastes, joins in the body's quickened pace.  Clogged respiratory passages are opened by heat, giving relief from colds and other minor respiratory problems.
(Please Note: Sauna is not recommended for those suffering from pneumonia or other acute respiratory conditions)

TIPS FOR USING SAUNA

• Drink liquids prior to and after your session.  Water works well, use the best quality available to you.
• Eating a piece of fruit is help full to replace potassium, there is more than 25mg in a tablespoon of orange juice, magnesium is replaceable through green leafy vegetables or supplementation.
• Having a shower or bath prior to your sauna session may help you to sweat more. 
• Wear little or nothing in the sauna, a towel wrapped around you is more than enough.  The more you wear the less effective the heat treatment will be.
• At the first sign of a cold or flu, increase your sauna session with eucalyptus oil boosting your immune system and decreasing the reproductive rate of the virus.
• Move any area that you wish to acheive a specific deep heating treament as comfortalby close to the stove as possible ie: feet and ankles.