Hello,

My wife is very interested in getting a sauna of some type. She has osteoarthritis in her knees and has been experiencing random joint pain so she would like the sauna to help with those issues. She tried out the normal (Finnish?) dry-steam rock heater type. She did not like the high temperature feeling and was overwhelmed by it. Subsequently she's discovered the FIR (far infrared) sauna with carbon heaters. It appears that the ambient temperature is less in that type since the infrared radiation heats the body more so than the air. I've been trying to do so research on this and can't seem to find any information that is not generated by the FIR manufacturers or suppliers. There is a lot of potential hype out there!

Does anyone here use saunas and if so could you weigh in with your opinions regarding the various types?

Thanks

Nothing soothes the joints like a hot bath. If you feel a real need to spend money, take her on a cruise.

Would a spa work better?

In my limited experience from ski hotels, saunas tend to be full of naked Austrians, and so I wouldn't recommend one in a domestic installation.

(Sorry! I have no experience of domestic saunas. I hope your wife finds something that eases her discomfort)

Just not a naked Austrian..

When my back pains me (prone to separating my illial-sacral joint) I find a hot tub does more for me than a sauna, but my pains are different from your wifes. Best wishes with finding something that works for her. I too can get overwhelmed at times in a sauna.

Where I grew up we had a separate sauna building out back, fired by wood. We all sauna'd together naked. And then jumped into the lake or into a pile of snow.

Still do the same when I am back home. Except now it is sex segregated and I don't go out below freezing naked.

The wood fired saunas get very hot and throwing water on the rocks make it hot and steamy. We also had an electric sauna built into our basement bathroom. It doesn't get quit as hot as wood fired but it does feel toasty warm on cool nights. We had a Kuuma.
Don't have a clue on the infrared.

I can take a hot sauna but I can't stand a hot tub. I think a lot is what you are used to.

I spent two weeks in Finland this past summer. You get accustomed to 95C sauna temps fairly quickly. Or at least I did.

I did the sauna thing my last year in the army (gymnasium next to our barracks was equipped), and found it to be an AMAZING therapy for whatever ailed me! (At the time, I had the beginnings of OA in my shoulders.) Since it's no longer available to me, I have found that a shower, as hot as I can stand it, does much the same for me. (Now, the OA is so advanced that my shoulder joints are like a loose headset! They 'slip' more than a few times a week, sometimes more than 1x/day!)

Does she take the glucosamine/chondroitin/MSM/etc. supplement?

Moist heat is better for pain relief than dry heat, so you would be better off getting a spa, like a spa bathtub. A cheap method is to fill up a sink with hot water and then soak a towel in it and put the wrung out towel on the area. PT clinics use what is known as hydroculator packs, which are wrapped gel packs that hold the heat for about 15 minutes. Least expensive, of course, is just sitting in a hot tub for 20 minutes. A dry sauna is OK, but cost a lot and doesn't work as well as just sitting in a hot bath. Finally, the best treatment for pain, muscle spasm, etc, and much more relaxing than heat, is actually cold. Heat causes increased circulation and increased swelling, whereas ice stops the swelling. Bone doesn't transmit either heat or cold very well, but an ice pack on the knee for 20-30 minutes MAXIMUM will do more to reduce swelling and pain than anything. Heat should be used to loosen up the joint before stretching and exercise, or even just for therapy (hot tub) then you finish up with the ice. If you are trying to go through the knee cap, then go for 30 minutes, but longer than 30 minutes actually causes swelling of the tissue, so no longer than 30 minutes over bone and 20 minutes over soft tissue.

We had a big wrestling program at the college I attended. Sauna was for the wrestlers to make weight but anyone could use it(guys only). A session in the sauna was the best cure for the common cold. When you felt the sniffles coming on you would hit the sauna for about 30 min. and no more head cold. Always wanted a home sauna but never could justify the cost. Maybe they have become more reasonable.

Just remember to do it right you have to have a cold pool to dive into after your sweat session so this might get expensive. Joint pain cure, not sure.

I always liked the dry sauna, with the heated rocks. Always hated it when guys poured water on the rocks; all it does is increase humidity, so it FEELS hotter for a few seconds, then the ambient temperature actually goes down because the rocks are now cooler. It's also not good for the electric rock heater. I liked the sauna really hot, staying in until sweat was pouring from my head onto my legs. We used to wrap wet paper towels around the thermostat sensor to cool it so the elements would get even hotter!

Not sure about infrared. Sounds a bit like microwaving - heating by making the cells vibrate instead of by ambient heat. I would be very careful with infrared; it may feel cool on the outside while you are getting cooked on the inside. Very insidious. Anybody ever send you the little animation with the frog inside the microwave?

L.

As noted, get a spa, not a sauna, unless she has accessibility issues. Saunas are easy to get in and out of, spas/hot tubs, not so much.

We've had spas for years, and my wife is using ours now for therapy on her broken hand when she's in it. Plus, you can't see the stars from a sauna.

The physical therapists tried to convince me of that when I broke my shoulder. But I found that cold made the pain worse, while a nice hot bath would relieve it completely.

Sorry for the late contribution, I've been fairly inactive when it comes to Forums lately.

We have a sauna at home, electrically heated. We fire it up maybe once in 1-2 weeks on average, and "firing it up" doesn't mean volcanic temperatures either. We enjoy our sauna at about +80C at most, some people need more than that. Anything over +60C will get you sweating nicely while the stones would still be hot enough to produce steam ("löyly") when required.

Small electrical saunas tend to feel dry and hot, especially if the ventilation is poor. Lowering the temperature will give you the option of pouring more water on the stones, resulting in more humidity, without getting overly burning sensation on your skin (as the steam condenses back to water on your skin, it releases heat). Wood stove sauna is the best IMO, and it too can be enjoyed at similarly low temperatures. Wood stove saunas may not be the easiest thing to legally build inside your home, and the truly original ancient smoke sauna design (wood stove, no chimney) would be downright impossible.

IR saunas are different animals entirely. They can be installed in smaller spaces and require less extensive plumbing, wiring and insulation/waterproofing structures (no stove means no stones means no water on stones either). But it's definitely not the same thing. OP, is there any place your wife could try it out to see if it fits her better?

--J

Thanks for all the replies.

We actually tried several saunas. The typical hot rock types and an FIR based unit. We decided on the FIR. We've gotten the FIR unit up to just about 150 degrees F. For my wife that is more than sufficient. She likes it and finds that it is helping her.

sitting in a spa and looking at the stars is nice !

At the gym in the men's locker room we have a sauna, steam room and whirlpool; I find the whirlpool to be the best for all the aches and pains and bumps and bruises. I know this is not something for home use, and there are other nekkid people so sometimes a peaceful calm half hour is denied, but most of the time the etiquette is of peaceful non-talk quite and consideration. I have fallen asleep in the whirlpool on occasions with the lovely bubbles thumping my lower back or legs or wherever I need them to thump. Makes me feel good.

Hot rock saunas, are a tradition , many places they built the sauna first , then the house.
Finland, [ Finn population here built up a Sauna in town, but it has fallen into disrepair.]

Russia, and the Imageries to BC, built nice log saunas right on major rivers.

Sweat lodges, Native tradition, are bent boughs with a covering
over a pit with hot rocks , heated in an outdoor fire pit..

Volcanic stone is best then.. basalts , rather than sedimentary like sandstones .

In northern NM at 7,600', it's actually amazing!

I was in a hotel hot pool in Calistoga, Ca once and I was talking to a 90+ yo woman who said her family sends her up there for three months a year. Somewhere in the conversation I said, Gee, you must really like this place. She said, "well, for three months a year, nothing hurts". It was her yearly vacation from pain. Get a spa. Or, before you buy, go to a spa and try it out. bk

With a glass of a fine wine in hand of course. It is a great way to watch for shooting stars and such.

Unless of course you have a window.

Just one note...I've been told that people with heart ailments should not use a sauna. Don't know if anyone that has that issue might find his/her way into your sauna but it's worth noting.

Wine is good... so are other adult beverages, such as Crown Royal. We have had asti spumante at times too.

The mrs asked about spa supplies the other day.. we may be using ours again this weekend