Heat - the cornerstone of sauna

Heat is the basis of a sauna. The main room is warmed up to 80-100C (170-210F) degrees. Seasoned sauna-goers vouch this to be the best temperature to enjoy the experience. Some people find what they are graving for the heat range of 70-110C (160-230F).

Most people visit the sauna in several dashes for 5-10 minutes. But one can go to the sauna for many hours as well (heating themselves up, taking a dip in the river, socializing and repeating the cycle).

You might ask, how one can tolerate heat that makes water boil? The answer is humidity control. A hundred degrees is no problem at all in the sauna, because the humidity is quite low (it is a self-controlled environment - the heater brings the humidity level down itself). 

If heat is the cornerstone of a sauna, then at each side, there are more stones to build up the wall. What these are in the sauna, depends on you - a refreshing shower, standing outside and cooling down, swimming in a lake, rolling in the snow.

How long does it take to heat up a sauna? For the therms of Rome, it took days or weeks. For a smoke sauna, it takes a day. For smaller Finnish saunas (for up to 5 people at a time), both with a wooden stove and electrical one, it takes an hour or two.