5 Reasons Why Saunas are the Ultimate Wellness Tool

There’s no feeling like it – the comforting wall of heat that greets you as you step inside a sauna.

Relaxing into the intense heat and allowing your pores to open and the sweat to pour down your body is a vastly therapeutic act, one which can have profound influences on your wellness. But just why is sweat bathing so good for you?

Here we delve into the mists of time to explore the unexpected and surprising benefits of saunas.

A long history

The sauna is not a modern phenomenon. In the Middle Ages, and perhaps as far back as the pre-Roman era, saunas were common throughout Europe. The act of sweat bathing was more than just cleansing; it was a social enterprise, allowing for meditation, community and warmth.

While the use of saunas later declined in much of Europe, their importance in Nordic cultures never waned. Today, we associate the sauna with Finland, where some 1.6 million saunas cater to a population of little over five million.

Five great benefits of sauna

Despite their ancestry, the purifying benefits of the sauna have only recently been fully appreciated. Our bodies have a host of responses to gentle, persistent heat that boost everything from our physical wellness to our mental health. Here are five reasons why saunas are the ultimate wellness tool:

1. Flushing toxins

While sweat is 99% water and designed to cool the body, the act of deep sweating has different benefits. It can help to reduce levels of toxins which our bodies absorb in everyday life such as copper, lead, nickel, zinc and mercury. It can also help to eliminate lactic acid which builds up after intense exercise.

2. Relieving stress and promoting healing

The stress-relieving benefits of saunas are two-fold; firstly, the quiet, meditational space of the sauna itself creates a welcome barrier to the outside world; secondly, the heat helps relax muscles, improves circulation, and stimulates the release of feel-good endorphins. This release of endorphins and increase in blood flow speed up the body’s natural healing processes.

3. Strengthening the immune system

The production of white blood cells increases during heat bathing, and it is these white blood cells which we need to fight off infections. Regular use of saunas can give people a higher white blood cell count, therefore maintaining physical health and healing faster.

4. Improving cardiovascular performance

Regular use of a sauna can increase the body’s tolerance for heat and improve its regulatory system in the process. The significant rise in heart rate, and subsequent drop when cooling off, strengthens the heart muscles. Combined, these effects can have significant impact on a person’s performance during endurance sports.

5. Cleansing the skin

The act of deep sweating removes dead skin cells from the epidermal layer, cleanses sweat ducts and increases blood flow. The result is a resurgence in natural oils and antibiotics which makes skin look fresher, younger and healthier. Hair too benefits from time in the sauna. The sebaceous gland on our scalp is stimulated, releasing chemicals which help condition the hair.

Combine with a massage

The positive effects of saunas can be boosted further when combined with a massage treatment.

Allowing our highly trained butlers to perform a massage on guests after a sauna allows for a deeper tissue massage, with less pain, as the muscles are relaxed and primed. Opting for a post-massage sauna, on the other hand, allows for the removal of toxins which can be released by expert massages. Our butlers can tailor their treatments to the needs and requirements of individual guests so they get the most out of their wellness facilities on board.