What & Why Sauna
The Health Benefits of Regular Sauna
Sauna is not only a pleasurable activity, it has a long & well researched history of providing health & well being benefits.
The health benefits of regular Sauna have been thoroughly studied, particularly in Finland & N. Europe. They include:
- Weight loss / 300+ calories burned per session
- Easing the pain of arthritis / stiff joints / aching muscles
- Improved immune system "pushups for your immune system"
- Reduction in blood pressure
- Relaxation / reduction in anxiety
- Improved sleeping pattern
- Reduced risk of cardiovascular illness
- Improved skin tone
- Improvement in asthma symptoms
- Recent studies show reduction in Alzheimers / Dementia
The Building - Construction & Options
Our saunas all use similar design principles - strongly built structure, well insulated, well ventilated, wrapped in cedar, nice stove - aesthetically beautiful. Form does indeed follow function.
Our saunas are usually 8' x 12' in size, with two rooms - the Changing Room & the Sauna Room. We can also design a smaller, or bigger space depending upon your requirements.
The Changing Room is accessed by the outside door, it serves as a small entry room to store your stuff & to cool off between sauna sessions “rounds”.
The Sauna Room is made to be hot, with normal operating temperature 150f - 190f, depending upon personal heat preference. Whether wood stove or electric stove - it takes about 30-45 minutes to come up to sauna temperature.
There are a number of options available with your sauna. These include choice of stove, window size & placement, lighting inside & outside, decking & steps, outdoor shower, etc. You can expect we'll steer you towards a more minimalist solution. Quiet & uncomplicated is the Finnish way.
The standalone building sits on a compacted gravel stone foundation with concrete footings. The remainder of the building construction is quite similar to a house, with standard wood framing & sheathing, insulation on the walls & ceiling, and proper vapor barriers around the exterior & interior perimeter. Special attention is paid to properly sealing the sauna room.
The exterior can be trimmed and sided with any number of options - cedar shake, cedar or pine clapboard, hardyboard, etc. The interior wood choice is more specific to Sauna. The doors, window casing, trim, walls, ceiling, flooring - all are clad in Eastern White Cedar, grown right here in Northern Maine.
The ventilation in the Sauna Room is paramount - and is something we pay particularly close attention to. The system to accomplish this includes "tunable" vents that allow outside air to enter (to fuel the stove & to provide fresh circulating air) and vents to exhaust air in equal measure.
