There are different types of saunas with varying scales of temperature that can go quite high. That does not mean that each Sauna does not have a safe temperature range. The typical safe temperature for a dry sauna is between 78-90oC (180-195oF). Even though the Sauna can get much hotter even to the point not considered safe for people, is there a limit to the heat of saunas? Let’s find out.
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What is the Sauna?
The Sauna is a small room designed for people to enjoy wet or dry experiences at a very high temperature. The Sauna originated in Finland, where they build their houses with saunas, but these days it has gone beyond being a Finnish thing as many countries now practice this system to keep themselves healthy. Though the practice didn’t originate from Finland, it was a common practice during the middle age but got dropped due to the widespread of Syphilis. Due to the cold temperature of Finland, Syphilis couldn’t last long in that zone, and after the widespread, it remained part of their culture.
When a revolution hit the industry, the system changed for good, like other aspects of life. Saunas were now using a metal woodstove with a chimney rather than the brick made or block made stove, and this is the point where saunas got hot as they could heat up to 75-100oC (167-212oF). As the Finns moved around, they took their saunas with them, and it became a regular culture in other parts of the world.
Nowadays, Saunas come in different forms, but the basics are still the same. There is always a heater that heats rocks to a very high temperature, which then radiates the heat to other parts of the room. The saunas are built with vent near the heater or under the heater, depending on the type of heater. This vent helps bring in fresh air and limits the humidity in the room after a while. A typical sauna is dry, but these days people pour a bit of water on the hot rocks to raise the humidity in the room. The other type of Sauna known as the wet Sauna is built airtight to keep the humidity within the room and close to 100%. The air is usually damp so that no humidity can escape, and the temperature in this place has lower temperatures than dry saunas.
What Temperatures Should a Sauna Be?
The typical temperature of a sauna depends on the preference of the user. Still, it is advisable to heat your Sauna to a temperature of 150 -195oF for dry Sauna and at most 120oF for wet Sauna as that should do the trick depending on the user. You should never go past your limit of endurance in sauna heat as the adverse effect can be dangerous to your health. Sometimes it even leads to death as the case of Vladimir Ladyzhensky, who passed out after six minutes of enduring heat temperature of 110oC and never woke up after that despite being treated.
Also, note that not all Saunas are made the same; therefore, two identical temperatures may feel different in two saunas depending on the humidity and temperature.
How Long Does a Sauna Take to Heat Up?
A typical sauna takes between 30-45 minutes to heat up. As time pass by, the rocks heat up to the perfect temperature suitable for soft steam and soft heat features. With the evolution of technology and the invention of an Infrared heater, the Sauna doesn’t need 30-45 minutes to heat up. In just 10 minutes, you can have the air warm enough and emitter up and running at full steam.
