Some people think that saunas and steam rooms are similar, but they are unlike. In fact, for decades, there's been an ongoing sauna vs steam room dispute between those advocating sauna use and those who think steam rooms are more select.
Prior to plowing into the sauna vs steam room comparisons, it is essential to discriminate a wet sauna from a steam room. In a wet sauna, water is transferred onto hot rocks, which boosts the humidity a little, but not as much as the humidity levels that exist in a steam room. Even in a wet sauna, the relative humidity is nearly 20%, versus 100% in a steam room.
Infrared saunas and steam rooms are fundamentally unlike types of hot baths, but a infrared sauna has dry heat and a steam room has moist heat. Basically, saunas have very low levels of humidity, which allows them to be a great deal hotter than steam rooms. You know how 90 degrees outside with reduced humidity is much more comfortable than 90 degrees outside with increased humidity? Analogous principles apply in the sauna vs steam room analogy. Saunas have dry heat, and the human body can endure elevated temperatures if the humidity is low enough. Steam rooms consist of moist heat, and since sweating is far less efficient (taking into account that it can't evaporate easily) in a steam room, the temperature should be kept lower.
In a infrared sauna, the temperature can reach 180 degrees Fahrenheit and continue to be safe since the heat is dry. In a steam room, the temperature is upheld at about 100 degrees Fahrenheit, because if it were much hotter it could blister the skin.
Infrared sauna and steam rooms are manufactured differently due to the fact of their dissimilar heating methods and the different conditions inside steam showers and sauna. Steam rooms use a generator to raise the temperature of water and disperse it throughout the air, creating 100% humidity. Sauna use stones placed up on a heater, which is typically electric or wood-burning (but gas and propane powered infrared sauna heaters exist too). When water is splashed onto the hot rocks, the steam quickly intersperses.
Steam rooms have to be manufactured in certain ways to cope with the raised moisture levels created by the steam. Mostly they are coated with ceramic tile, and they are generally made with sloped ceilings so that steam build-up will not "rain" onto the steam bathers.
So what is the message in the dry saunas vs steam room debate? The following are some major points.
1. Steam rooms feel hotter, however, they're cooler, because sweat can't evaporate. You do not actually increase perspiration more in a steam room; it's just that when the sweat doesn't evaporate, you're more alert of how much you're sweating.
2. Individuals with sinus complications or asthma may prefer the moist heat of steam baths. Steam inhalation is calming to irritated respiratory passages, and dry heat may possibly make them feel more inflamed.
3. However, if steam showers are not completely and regularly cleaned, they can be reproducing grounds for bacteria such as MRSA (methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus) and the fungus that leads to athlete's foot.
4. Some people believe that dry saunas over-dry the skin and can lead to irritation and broken capillaries.
5. Infrared sauna use can be enormously dehydrating, so it is paramount to drink water before and after using a far infrared sauna. The same is true to a lesser extent for steam rooms.
It is not likely that the sauna vs steam shower debate will have a apparent winner anytime soon. There are advantages and disadvantages of both. If, eg., you are present at a health club that has both, you ought to make your choice based on your particular health history and on considerations such as cleanliness and sanitation.
Prior to plowing into the sauna vs steam room comparisons, it is essential to discriminate a wet sauna from a steam room. In a wet sauna, water is transferred onto hot rocks, which boosts the humidity a little, but not as much as the humidity levels that exist in a steam room. Even in a wet sauna, the relative humidity is nearly 20%, versus 100% in a steam room.
Infrared saunas and steam rooms are fundamentally unlike types of hot baths, but a infrared sauna has dry heat and a steam room has moist heat. Basically, saunas have very low levels of humidity, which allows them to be a great deal hotter than steam rooms. You know how 90 degrees outside with reduced humidity is much more comfortable than 90 degrees outside with increased humidity? Analogous principles apply in the sauna vs steam room analogy. Saunas have dry heat, and the human body can endure elevated temperatures if the humidity is low enough. Steam rooms consist of moist heat, and since sweating is far less efficient (taking into account that it can't evaporate easily) in a steam room, the temperature should be kept lower.
In a infrared sauna, the temperature can reach 180 degrees Fahrenheit and continue to be safe since the heat is dry. In a steam room, the temperature is upheld at about 100 degrees Fahrenheit, because if it were much hotter it could blister the skin.
Infrared sauna and steam rooms are manufactured differently due to the fact of their dissimilar heating methods and the different conditions inside steam showers and sauna. Steam rooms use a generator to raise the temperature of water and disperse it throughout the air, creating 100% humidity. Sauna use stones placed up on a heater, which is typically electric or wood-burning (but gas and propane powered infrared sauna heaters exist too). When water is splashed onto the hot rocks, the steam quickly intersperses.
Steam rooms have to be manufactured in certain ways to cope with the raised moisture levels created by the steam. Mostly they are coated with ceramic tile, and they are generally made with sloped ceilings so that steam build-up will not "rain" onto the steam bathers.
So what is the message in the dry saunas vs steam room debate? The following are some major points.
1. Steam rooms feel hotter, however, they're cooler, because sweat can't evaporate. You do not actually increase perspiration more in a steam room; it's just that when the sweat doesn't evaporate, you're more alert of how much you're sweating.
2. Individuals with sinus complications or asthma may prefer the moist heat of steam baths. Steam inhalation is calming to irritated respiratory passages, and dry heat may possibly make them feel more inflamed.
3. However, if steam showers are not completely and regularly cleaned, they can be reproducing grounds for bacteria such as MRSA (methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus) and the fungus that leads to athlete's foot.
4. Some people believe that dry saunas over-dry the skin and can lead to irritation and broken capillaries.
5. Infrared sauna use can be enormously dehydrating, so it is paramount to drink water before and after using a far infrared sauna. The same is true to a lesser extent for steam rooms.
It is not likely that the sauna vs steam shower debate will have a apparent winner anytime soon. There are advantages and disadvantages of both. If, eg., you are present at a health club that has both, you ought to make your choice based on your particular health history and on considerations such as cleanliness and sanitation.
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