Saunas come in all shapes and sizes, as well as with different heating systems. There are many different types of saunas. Have a look at the most common ones and find out how each sauna type differs from the others.
Wood Burning Sauna – Traditional Finnish Sauna
The wood burning sauna is the original Finnish sauna type. The wood is used to heat the sauna by burning it in the stove. The necessary temperature is reached by controlling the amount of fire in the stove. The ideal temperature for traditional Finnish sauna is not less than 65.5 C when measured where a person is sitting. Throwing some water on the heated rocks controls humidity in the sauna.
Electrically Heated Sauna
Nowadays, the majority of people in Finland uses the electrically heated sauna, which has been available since the 1950s. This type of sauna is efficient, safe, stylish and easy to use. There are often remote controls for an easy use and the electric heater is wall- or floor-mounted. There are heaters for different sauna sizes.
Smoke Sauna
Smoke sauna, “savusauna” in Finnish, has a big wood-burning stove, but unlike other types of saunas, it doesn’t have a chimney. This kind of sauna is quite rare nowadays and it has to be heated up for many hours by burning a lot of wood to heat the massive rocks. After heating and ventilating the room, the sauna is ready for the genuine sauna experience.
Steam Sauna – Steam Room
This type resembles Turkish-style spa rather than a sauna, since the humidity level of the steam room is 100% and the temperature is much lower than in a traditional Finnish sauna. The benches are usually in one level and the temperature is controlled by a thermostat reaching the level of 49 C.
Infrared Sauna – Heat Therapy Room
Infrared heating system is based on the person’s body heat rather than on the air heating. That is the reason why this type of sauna is also known as a “heat therapy room”. The water is not used in the infrared rooms, so you will not have a steamy sauna experience. This type of sauna is good for toning the muscles before or after sports or simply relaxing the body.
The Home Sauna – A Personal Treat
Are you considering building an in home sauna? Since saunas have become so popular for their health benefits, building one into your home can not only benefit you and your health but also add value to your home should you decide to sell.
If you have decided to tackle this job on your own, basically all you need is a room and a do it yourself pre-cut home sauna kit. Or if you prefer, the do it yourself prefabricated modular sauna kit. These kits are readily available on the market today.
Now, if you are not the handy sort you could hire a contractor with plenty of experience. While this may cost a little more you can rest assured the job will be done properly and in a timely manner.
Saunas are made to make you sweat. That means a lot of moisture and humidity that needs to go somewhere. That’s why a tight seal and ventilation is crucial between your sauna and your home.
The most popular heat source today for in home saunas are electrical. There are also wood, gas and infrared. Keep in mind if you go with gas it needs proper ventilation and a carbon monoxide detector. If you go with wood you will need a chimney. And if you choose infrared it can only be a dry sauna.