This affordable 24/7 wellness sanctuary is possibly one of the best investments that you can make for your physical and mental wellbeing. The following is just a handful of the home sauna benefits you will enjoy with sauna ownership.

Two Sauna Types to Choose from

While the sauna benefits we are about to explore are universal across all sauna types, there are two different ways that the sauna experience is delivered: in a traditional sauna and in an infrared sauna.

We went into all the distinctions between these two sauna types here, so we’ll make it very brief here. It’s not about the “better” sauna, but it’s all about the sauna type that is right for you, and the one you’ll enjoy using the most.

This quick profile quiz should point you in the right direction:

• If you enjoy steam in the sauna, higher temperatures, and a more social environment, then a traditional sauna may be the best sauna for you. These saunas can be indoor or outdoor.
• If you prefer lower temperatures but with body-penetrating heat, an infrared sauna may be your best sauna choice. These saunas are designed for indoor use only.

What Are the Six Benefits of Saunas?

1. A sauna is 24/7 wellness retreat at your home.

Before we get into all the reasons why saunas are good for you – above all else, sauna heat simply feels amazing on your skin! And, there is nothing better than having this personal getaway available at your own home whenever you need a little escape. For the most part, saunas are limited to expensive gym memberships or spa retreats, and even then, you are paying a lot of money to share this space (and potential germs or viruses) with other people that you don’t know. When you own a sauna, this is all yours and you can customize your sauna experience exactly how you want it.

2. A sauna is a much-needed escape from a stressful world.

Times of stress and anxiety can be detrimental to your health, and the world can be a very stressful place sometimes. Saunas can help your body and mind adapt to stress and reduce the risk of depression and other mental disorders – all due to the benefits of increased temperatures. When you enter into a small sauna space with hot temperatures, it helps your body secrete endorphins, which are the “feel good” chemicals in your brain. This is especially critical in cold and dark climates where less activity can contribute to depression. 

What else do sauna-induced endorphins help with?

• Sleep: Often hand-in-hand with stress, insomnia/sleep issues can kick up when the body is anxious. This is why many bathers use a sauna before bed, since the sauna session releases endorphins and boosts temperatures. Afterwards in bed, the combination of declining endorphins and decreasing temperatures can be great for deep sleep. In fact, some research shows that longer stage 4 sleep happens post-sauna, which provides a deeper and more restful sleep, as well as healthier dream activity. Sleep affects so many other aspects of health, including mood, immune function, and the ability to handle stress, so getting more ZZZs can have a pretty big impact.
• Pain: Endorphins make great painkillers and a sauna can provide deep pain relief. (Infrared saunas are especially effective for chronic pain sufferers).

The world can be challenging, but with a sauna, you have a lot more ways working for you to reduce stress, get better sleep, and enjoy a mental breather (including better focus and enhanced powers of meditation).

3. A sauna is an effective (and enjoyable) ally to your fittest and healthiest lifestyle.

How do saunas help you up your fitness game? If you are an exercise fanatic, you know how sore your body can get, and often this can lead to unwanted extended “rest” and recovery periods where you can’t workout. Sauna usage can help with faster recovery, eliminating lactic acid build-up, increasing growth hormones by 200-300% after a single sauna use, and help ease overall joint and muscle pain. Regular sauna use can also help with strength training through boosted growth hormones and improved recovery times.

Heat is critical in stimulating capillaries in the skin and muscle tissue, aiding in a faster delivery of blood – increasing both aerobic and anaerobic capacity. Boosted blood flow can also create an increase in the number of muscle fibers by 4-5% in the size of the muscle bundles.

Saunas are also effective calorie-torchers and can help with weight maintenance. While exercise can be hard, saunas are a pretty enjoyable (and easy!) way to boost your overall fitness!

4. Saunas provide a place for family and friends to socialize, relax, and unwind.

What are the benefits of using a sauna when it comes to your social life? It seems like an odd benefit, but it’s a really important one. While solitude is so necessary for relaxation sometimes, your mental wellbeing is also deeply nurtured through bonding time with friends and family.

Just like in historical times, traditional saunas are designed to be a social connection space – providing a warm, comfortable space to socialize and relax.

The psychosocial aspects of group sauna bathing have existed in many cultures over time, and this unique social spot is still an amazing tradition that exists today with home sauna ownership.

5. A sauna is a daily part of your routine with massive health benefits.

We love when people ask is a sauna good for you? The short answers are yes … and yes. We have compiled a pretty extensive Top 10 Sauna Health Benefits list over here, and you can see all the ways (heart health, mental health, pain management, detoxification, immunity boosting, weight maintenance, youthful skin, prevention/management of various health conditions, etc.) that a sauna can transform your life for the better.

And, the more you use a sauna, the better it is for you. Here are two frequent questions with the answers:

• How long should I stay in a sauna? While both the traditional and infrared sauna sessions are recommended at about 10-15 minutes for ideal timing, bathers can often stay in longer in the infrared saunas (about 25-30 minutes) due to the lower temperatures.
• How often should I use a sauna? While it will be totally up to you on your frequency of how often to enjoy your sauna, research shows that frequent sauna use will give you the most benefits. Certainly not a hard task to accomplish as most sauna owners incorporate this into their daily routine!

6. A sauna is an affordable (and easy to maintain) investment into your health and wellbeing.

A sauna is wonderful for your health and amazing to enjoy, and you no longer need to wait for the gym or spa to experience the many sauna benefits. There are many different sauna size options, with easy maintenance, and all at surprisingly affordable price ranges and financing options. It’s a one-time investment that gives you 24/7 daily access to improving your health and stress.

Want to Learn More About Buying A Sauna?

There are great sauna options to choose from, and Mainely Tubs would love to work with you on this process! At Mainely Tubs, we are here for you throughout the entire process – from initial consideration, to sauna comparisons, to delivery day. When you are ready, give us a call, email us, or pop by our showrooms in Scarborough, Maine or Rye, New Hampshire. We’re always happy to help you make the first steps to becoming a new sauna owner!

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