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For thousands of years, peoples of different cultures used to bath in hot bath houses as a social activity, for relaxation, to clean the body and for health reasons.
From the excavations and the classic literature, we know about the Roman thermae which became common also in the land of Israel.
Nice examples we can see in the palace of Herodus on the mount Herodion near Bethlehem, on Massada, in Hamat Gader, near Ceasarea, and many other places.
There were bath houses with double floors and walls, and heated air from a fire circulated between them, and probably by sprinkling water on the hot floor the room became a steam room, "laconicum".
There were warm water and cool water pools, where the person entered first in the warm water pool and directly after that in the cool water pool ( for example on Herodion).
In the Roman bath houses men and women bathed separately, although from the first century there are reports of mixed bath houses, but these were probably very restricted.
The hammam, or the Turkish bath became common in the Middle East.
The hammam, a central bath house in the town or village, was a social meeting place, although men and women were separated.
In the Turkish bath there are two pools, one with warm water and the other with cold water.
We have a hammam in Jerusalem in the Bucharian quarter and a nice example we can see on the central square of Haleb in the north of Syria near the citadel.

What we call today "wet sauna" is a steam room. From holes on the floor, in the walls and from the roof steam from boiling water is led into the room.
Although it gives a feeling of high temperature, the temperature in the steam room is much lower then in the real sauna (the dry one).

The moistness on the body in the steam room is not only from sweating, but also from the steam.

In the real sauna the sweat vaporizes much faster.


The Finnish sauna is much more simple then the other warm bath houses, not more then a shack with good insulated walls, a wood or electric stove which warms the room up to near the boiling water temperature.
In the past the Finnish sauna was not more then a big pit in the ground, and in the center a fire, which warmed the people from all sides, in contrast to a fire in the open air where you feel the warmth only from the front side of the fire, and your back becomes some times very cold.
This may be the development of the sauna: 1) men made fire to warm up, 2) because they felt cold from behind, they dug a pit, 3) they built special rooms.
It is told, that the Finnish sauna has a 2000 year history.
In contrast to the steam room, the Finnish sauna is dry (about 30 %), therefore it is possible to warm it up to a higher temperature.
Today there are about 700.000 saunas in Finland. That means one for each 7 persons (more saunas then cars).
The Finnish sauna is used also as a social meeting place, although mainly in family cadre, but also business and political meetings take place in the sauna.

In Finland there are two kinds of saunas: 1) the real sauna which is warmed by a wood stove, such sauna is named "smoke sauna", 2) the sauna which is warmed by a electric stove.
The warmth in a smoke sauna gives a more pleasant feeling, but it has some drawbacks: 1) You cannot put it on with a delay clock as an electric stove, 2)In the houses there may be danger for gas and fire, 3) you cannot use a thermostat, most of the saunas in the towns are electric saunas.
But the real Fin prefers the smoke sauna, because the warmth is softer, therefore all the saunas in the villages and private estates in the country near the lakes are smoke saunas warmed by wood.
To control the warmth you have to put or not to put new wood in the fire.
In Finland special matches are produced for fire the sauna stove, the use of fuel as benzine, petrol or methyl alcohol gives a bad smell to the sauna. Each match can light 7 minutes, enough to light the wood.

Nudity and the Sauna


It is used to go in the sauna completely naked, there are some reasons for.
  1. In the sauna your body sweats very strong, and if your wear a swim suit, all the sweat will be absorbed by it and becomes wet.
    On those covered places you will not feel the so pleasurable warmth of the sauna , because they becomes cold as a result of the strong evaporation of the sweet which consumes many calories.
  2. At some places of the body the sweat smells if closed because the bacterial processes, for example the foots, under the arm-pit and the crotch area, it is thus for hygiene reasons to keep then uncovered, that the sweat can stream freely.
  3. Being Nude, most of the uncomplicated people have a very relaxing feeling, (how do you feel your self under the shower or in the bathtub?) nakedness will add to the enjoyment of the sauna session.
If there are strangers, the Finnish people do not enforce it and they may also separate between women and men.
The Mixed public sauna where women and men bath together is today in Europe accepted and common everywhere, mixed nudity at least in context of the sauna is not irregular any more, and it gives a very liberating atmosphere to the sauna which is worth trying once. The so called, "inherited shyness", is a barrier much easier to overcome then people think generally. It is a question of a second no more.

The sauna but also the steam room, may free a person from strain, and give relaxation.
But the real (Finnish) sauna has some advantages above the wet sauna.
Because of the very strong sweating, the body emits more poisons which it absorbs from the environment. Also the kidneys have this function, but sweating may help to free the body from accumulation of metals such as: zinc, mercury, nickel and also from cadmium, sodium, sulphuric acid even cholesterol and metabolic waste products such as lactic, pyruvic, and succinic acids.
The dry sauna also helps better to lose weight. Because of the need for energy, the body burns more calories and helps melt fat, the heart works faster sending the blood to the cappillaire veins on the surface of the skin. The energy for this is created by changing fat and carbohydrates to calories.
Research has shown, that a person in one sauna session burns about 300 calories. That is the same as what will be burnt after 5 - 7 km. light running or one hour light weight lifting.
It is mistaken to say that the loss of weight is achieved by the loss of liquid, because after drinking, it is directly compensated.
It is true that a person can lose about one quart (1 liter) in a sauna session, and he must drink before, during and after it.
The strong perspiration has also the following advantages:

But !


Do not think the sauna can take the place of medicines. Older people and people with heart and respiratory ailments should consult a doctor before trying the sauna, as they also should do before participating in a Marathon run.
When you are ill, it is also not advisable to go into the sauna.

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