Jim Kesel asked:


A traditional Finnish style sauna is really hard to beat when it comes to getting both a good dry sauna followed by a hot steam sauna. The sauna has been used by many cultures from around the world. Native American’s used sweat lodges as part of their healing and religious practices for thousands of years. The Finnish people have also used the sauna for many centuries to stay healthy and increase well being. Finnish immigrants brought their sauna culture with them when they immigrated to North America.

The Finnish sauna became very popular all along the South and West shore of Lake Superior. Many homes were built with a sauna and even more had a sauna built adjacent to the house. Across the Upper Midwest there are many traditional sauna designs. Most are made white cedar and have a wood fired sauna stove for heat. Floors are either concrete or wood and are designed to drain water away during the sauna. In recent years the barrels sauna design has become very popular.

The barrel sauna design has a lot of things going for it. The shape of the sauna allows one to stand up in it yet have the room have a bench on each side. Not all barrel saunas are round but the essentially have the same shape and utility. Since they sit on a couple of cradles you do not have to deal with building a floor or foundation. Most have a drain hole or bung in the bottom that readily allows all the water and sweat to drain out onto the ground. Most saunas are built of Northern white cedar that is light, very durable and rot resistant and also a great insulator not to mention that this wood has a great aroma as well. The sauna is held together with steel bands just as any cooperage product. We recommend that you opt for the stainless steel bands to prevent staining and increase the life of the sauna.

In most cases you cannot buy an outside traditional sauna as a kit. However due to the fact that they are relative small and lightweight you can transport a barrel sauna in a regular utility trailer which means you can go to the manufacture and pick it up yourself. Last year 4 of us not too young men unloaded and set up an 8 footer without any power equipment. It is our opinion that you should purchase the largest sauna that you can afford. This allows the maximum amount of people to use the sauna at one time which will save you wood in the long run.

Most barrel sauna manufactures provide different heat sources options for your sauna. You can use the traditional wood fired sauna stove or you can opt for an electric stove. Electric stoves normally require a 220 volt hook up that will require a licensed electrician to complete. Electric saunas tend to stay a lot cleaner than wood stove saunas due to the fact that you do not have all the wood and ash mess to deal with. However you can purchase a wood fired sauna stove that is loaded and cleaned out from the outside which will keep the inside or your sauna clean. In both cases sauna rock racks are on top of the stove for you to add your rocks or opt for the manufactures lava rocks.

There are many very good barrel sauna manufactures located in Minnesota and Upper Michigan that build great saunas. Most manufactures will be glad to build you a custom sauna to meet your needs. In general it will cost less to purchase and install a barrel sauna than to build a traditional sauna from the ground up. If you are in the market for a good sauna then you should consider purchasing one of these great saunas for your home or cabin.

Jim Kesel asked:


Nothing can compare to the traditional sauna that is heated with a wood stove and sited next to a cold water lake or deep snow. If you live in an urban location you most likely will not have the opportunity to build a traditional sauna in your back yard. The cost of buying firewood and silly environmental regulations that prevent the use of wood stoves are just some of the reasons for not enjoying a traditional sauna.

New technology in the form of infrared sauna heaters now makes it possible to enjoy some of the benefits that a traditional sauna provides. Many sauna manufactures now produce saunas that can be installed in just about any location that has access to electricity. Infrared sauna heaters produces the same radiant heat that a wood stove produces without all the mess of cutting and burning wood. Typically infrared radiant heat is very similar to that of the sun without the damaging effects of ultraviolet rays. Infrared sauna heaters comes in basically two forms ceramic and carbon fiber. Ceramic heaters have the ability to efficiently emit Far infrared heat energy (electromagnetic waves). They are the most common type of infrared sauna heaters on the market. Ceramic heaters are more durable but are also more fragile. This can be a concern if you are moving your sauna to a different location. Carbon fiber infrared sauna heaters is much less common and is generally found in the better infrared saunas. Carbon fiber infrared sauna heaters is thinner, weighs less and is less fragile than ceramic sauna heaters.

Carbon infrared sauna heater have the ability to heat faster but stay cooler thereby saving energy over ceramic heaters. The surface of a ceramic heater may exceed 350F degrees to achieve a sauna temperature of 140F degrees while a carbon fiber infrared sauna heaters will only have a surface temperature of 150F degrees to achieve the same sauna temperature. Engineers will tell you that shape is far more important than the type infrared sauna heater. Flat panels will provide more efficient heat and give a better radiant heat feel than other designs. Some experts will point out that since you are generating infrared radiant heat from carbon fiber you will feel more heat since the human body is also made of carbon. The theory is that the frequency of electromagnetic waves from carbon fiber will better penetrate your carbon body better. No matter what type of infrared sauna heaters you use to heat your sauna you can be assured that your sauna will be hot enough to give you a good sweat.

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