A traditional sauna is a room made from softwood and that incorporates a heater — either electric or wood-burning — that is capable of reaching at least 170° Fahrenheit. A Traditional sauna offers a range of benefits starting at 140-185F+, but an Infrared sauna is also beneficial at 120-150F. An average healthy individual can tolerate that kind of heat because it is a dry environment with extremely low humidity. This is called a dry sauna experience. 

However, one other integral traditional sauna component is sauna stones. These are placed in or on the heater, and when they’re good and hot, you sprinkle some water on them to create a burst of steam. This is called a wet sauna experience because it generates humidity. So to summarize, a sauna is a wooden room with an exceptional heater that is capable of producing either dry or wet heat.

Taking a sauna is traditionally a rotation of dry, wet, dry, wet, etc. with cool-down breaks in between. A cool-down break can be anything as basic as sitting outside the sauna until you’re ready to enter again or it can be something as crazy as jumping in an icy lake. However, sitting in the sauna for an extended period of time with no breaks is not recommended. The rest is up to you. Some say that the rule of thumb for sauna usage is whatever makes you comfortable. The moment it ceases to be comfortable, it ceases to be the proper way to take a sauna.

Any health benefits attributed to sauna usage are linked to the fact that sauna rooms get hot. These benefits include improved circulation, lower blood pressure, enhanced immune system, respiratory relief, detoxification, burned calories, better skin tone, and joint and muscle pain relief. Heart Health Benefits of Sauna

Take water. Apply to hot rocks. Voila, wet sauna. That’s it. A wet sauna experience is simply when you pour water over the heater rocks, thus producing steam. Thus, a dry sauna is the absence of any humidity.

By definition, a sauna is a room where water is used to generate steam, so technically the infrared experience is not a sauna at all. Infrared does not warm the room but instead penetrates the body with infrared rays. It does so at a low temperature and is helpful in relieving sore joints and muscles. The proper definition for the infrared experience is to refer to it as an “infrared therapy room.” The wet/dry effect of a traditional sauna is a total body experience, providing joint and muscle relief as well as a host of other health benefits.