Dry Sauna And Steam Room Thoughts
Some people assume that far infrared saunas and steam rooms are the same, but they are different. As a matter of fact, for some decades, there’s been an ongoing sauna vs steam room debate between those condoning sauna use and those who assume steam rooms are more valuable. Before racing into the sauna vs steam room comparisons, it is imperative to characterize a wet sauna from a steam room. In a wet sauna, water is supplied onto hot rocks, which raises the humidity a bit, but not as much as the humidity levels existing in a steam room. Indeed, in a wet sauna, the relative humidity is only 20%, as opposed to 100% in a steam room.
Saunas and steam rooms are basically unlike types of hot baths, but a sauna has dry heat and a steam room has moist heat. Essentially, saunas have remarkably low levels of humidity, which allows them to be a lot hotter than steam rooms. You know how 90 degrees outside with reduced humidity is a lot comfortable than 90 degrees outside with increased humidity? Related principles pertain in the sauna vs steam room example. Saunas contain dry heat, and the body can sustain high temperatures if the humidity is low enough.
Steam rooms have moist heat, and because sweating is far less effective (since it can’t vaporize easily) in a steam room, the temperature should be kept lower. In an infrared sauna, the temperature can be 180 degrees Fahrenheit and continue to be safe because the heat is dry. In a steam room, the temperature is maintained at about 100 degrees Fahrenheit, due to the fact if it were much hotter it could scald the skin. Sauna and steam showers are manufactured differently since of their varying heating methods and the varying conditions inside steam showers and dry saunas. Steam showers use a generator to steam the water and diffuse it throughout the air, creating 100% humidity.
Far infrared sauna use stones placed up on a heater, which is mostly electric or wood-burning (even though gas and propane powered far infrared sauna heaters exist too). When water is sprinkled onto the hot rocks, the steam quickly dissipates. Steam showers have to be made in certain ways to deal with the raised moisture levels created by the steam. Typically they are encrusted with ceramic tile, and they are usually made with bent ceilings so that steam build-up won’t “rain” onto the steam bathers. So what is the main point in the infrared sauna vs steam room debate? Here are some major points. 1. Steam rooms feel hotter, considering they’re cooler, taking into account that sweat can’t evaporate. You won’t actually increase perspiration more in a steam shower; it’s just that when the sweat doesn’t evaporate, you’re more alert of how much you’re perspiring. 2. Individuals with sinus troubles or asthma may prefer the moist heat of steam baths. Steam inhalation is soothing to irritated respiratory passages, and dry heat may possibly make them feel more irritated. 3. However, if steam rooms are not completely and regularly disinfected, they can be breeding grounds for bacteria such as MRSA (methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus) and the fungus that causes athlete’s foot. 4. Some people feel that infrared saunas over-dry the skin and can lead to irritation and ruptured capillaries. 5. Far infrared sauna use can be extremely dehydrating, so it is necessary to drink water prior to and after using a far infrared sauna. The same is true to a smaller extent for steam showers. It is not likely that the far infrared sauna vs steam room debate will have a definite winner anytime soon. There are advantages and drawbacks of both. If, for instance, you are present at a health club that has both, you can make your decision based on your precise health history and on considerations such as cleanliness and sanitation.