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by Pertti Olavi Jalasjaa
Many people first discover the pleasures of sauna bathing in a spa or a health club. Others may be introduced to the delights of the sauna by friends who already own their own traditional Finnish or far infrared sauna. However a person may experience a sauna bath for the first time and however magnificently relaxing or invigorating that experience may be, it simply does not compare with the tremendous joy of being a home sauna owner.
With a commercial sauna or a residential sauna owned by a friend, you can never be sure of its availability, how clean the sauna is, or how properly it is being maintained. As well, you have only so much control over the sauna's temperature, supplies and accessories.
However, if the sauna belongs to you, you can be in complete control of its operation, and you have access to it 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You don't need to get anxious about who may have been in the sauna before you, not being able to sit or lay down where you want, or rules about what to wear or not wear in the sauna. It's your sauna, so you can do with it just about whatever you want.
In addition to control, two other terrific reasons to buy a home sauna are privacy and convenience. Public saunas may provide some good opportunities to socialize, but there's never any guarantee that you'll find complete peace, quiet and undisturbed solitude in a sauna that's not your own. As for the positive social aspects of communal bathing, there's nothing preventing you from hosting a sauna party at your place whenever you feel the need for fellowship. But when it's long past midnight and you feel like soaking solo, your own home sauna is pretty much your only, and best, option.
Monetary cost is another important factor to keep in mind. Certainly the initial expense of purchasing a home sauna can be significant, but the growing number of sauna manufacturers and sauna dealers has resulted in more affordable prices on home saunas and sauna kits. Besides, consider what it would end up costing you in membership fees and gas expenses to make use of the sauna at the nearest spa or gym on a daily basis for, say, the next 10 years. Now think how much easier and cheaper being able to saunter into your bathroom, basement or backyard to utilize your personal sauna would be.
Perhaps the biggest consideration of all is the many health benefits associated with regular sauna bathing. Increased cardiovascular strength, improved respiratory function, stress and headache relief, and alleviation of muscle stiffness and joint pain are just some of the positive health outcomes reported in medical studies that have examined the merits of sauna therapy. Given these findings, it seems clear that a home sauna owner would have the advantage over a gym or spa patron, as the sauna owner has fewer obstacles and deterrents to accessing the sauna on a consistent basis and reaping the rewards of its use.
Today's residential saunas can be found in many sizes and styles. Available as permanent installations or portable devices, they can also vary very much in how they operate. The far infrared or radiant heat sauna, for example, functions quite differently than the traditional Finnish dry sauna.
Prospective home sauna buyers would be smart to assess their individual needs and expectations and then conduct the necessary product research and analysis before making any final purchasing decisions. If you shop for, select, purchase and accessorize your home sauna with the appropriate knowledge and confidence, you are almost guaranteed to experience the tremendous delight of being a happy and satisfied home sauna owner.
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