The Student Room Group

Anyone here regularly using a sauna?

I just joined a gym last week which has a sauna which I have never been in before (ever) I have to say that already I'm feeling addicted to it but of course in a healthy way which is why I am asking on here.

The last time I was in there I used a lot of water and there was a real burning sensation which at first I didn't know what to expect as if I might have pushed my luck but it calmed down a few seconds later and then I tingled all over and it felt awesome.

I was in there for two 10 minute rounds at 100c and I started to get small sweat bumps on my stomach (which I see as a progression) as before that I have only sweated from my forehead and shoulders.

Now when I sweat it's through all my pores which have cleansed and when I'm out walking (normal stuff) I sweat like it's raining which feels so good!

I was wondering of others experiences of saunas and if you have any advice?

Some questions for guidance..


•

Is it a good idea to put on a lot of water?

•

Can I get burns from using the sauna?

•

What length do you use it for and how many rounds?

•

Do you have experience of the long-term benefits of saunas?

I'm guessing you're a guy, if you are then it's really bad for your sperm, really really bad! Only temporarily though I think
(edited 9 years ago)
Reply 2
Avatar for Protagoras
Protagoras
OP
3
Well the NHS replied to a Mail Online (the oracle of sensible knowledge) article.

http://www.nhs.uk/news/2013/03March/Pages/Could-regular-sauna-use-affect-sperm-quality.aspx

So possibly putting a towel over my testicles might keep them a bit cooler and thus healthier?

I could dampen a small hand towel/flannel and put that inside my boxers to keep them cool that way.
inb4 zyzz
I have a sauna twice a week and sometimes more, during the winter. I don't have them as often in the summer though.

Water is hardly ever put on the sauna I use as it is quite a small one. I have been to larger saunas in Germany where an aufguss is performed, where water is poured on in a controlled way (often flavoured with say mint or lavender) and the person performing the aufguss waves a towel about for the heat to circulate within the sauna. I would not recommend putting water on a small sauna though.

You can overdo saunas and either get burns or more likely dehydration. It's important to have taken plenty of water before you even start to have a sauna and continue to do so afterwards. Don't stay in too long, any longer than you feel comfortable staying in for. I tend to have an evening in the sauna which is about three hours long, within which I will often have periods of half an hour or more sitting quietly in the lounge area of the place I go to (it's near Alexandra Palace in north London) or having conversations with other people who go there. When I am abroad in Germany or the Netherlands, as places have plunge pools or swimming pools, I have a swim or just float in the pool.

Unfortunately it seems that you have a gym sauna where you have to wear a swimming costume, which is not the best way to enjoy a sauna. Much better if you can be wrapped in a towel or sat naked on your towel, though that option is rare in the UK because we are such prudes or under the legacy of Queen Victoria. Germans and the Dutch can cope with mixed nudity in a sauna without it being seen as a sexual thing and those in the places there I have been to are a variety of ages.

As for the benefits, I have found that in winter I do not have the feeling of being permanently cold, and for me it has been a social activity that does not involve copious amounts of food or alcohol. I am sure my skin and general well-being benefits from getting rid of the toxins that come out from a sauna.
I'm not having saunas as often as I used to, though had one yesterday afternoon.

Quick Reply

Related discussions

Latest

Trending

Trending

Articles for you