What is a Dry Sauna?

A sauna, if you don’t already know, is essentially an enclosed space in which you are exposed to heat in order to encourage perspiration. Saunas can range in size from a sauna suit that you can wear to a room big enough to hold several individuals. The difference between a traditional wet sauna and a dry sauna lies in the type of heat used. Many folks prefer the benefits of a dry sauna to a traditional wet sauna, while of course other people prefer the latter.

Traditional Wet Sauna Heat

A traditional wet sauna’s heat source consists of a bunch of stones strategically placed over a heater. This heater warms up the stones and then you splash water over the stones, creating steam. This creates a hot, foggy, moist atmosphere in the sauna. Often you have a hard time figuring out what is making your body so wet, your sweat or the steam.

Quite often, a traditional wet sauna will use volcanic rocks or similar rocks that tolerate high levels of heat without breaking apart. This type of sauna will always need someone to splash water on the heated rocks. Of course, the water will quickly evaporate because of the intense heat. This causes steam to fill the room, heating it up considerably.

Dry Sauna Heat

A dry sauna’s heat source is kind of like that of a traditional wet sauna; you have a heater and volcanic/heat tolerant stones, but there is a difference in how you are stimulated to sweat. While a traditional wet sauna uses water splashed on the rocks to create steam to make you sweat, a dry sauna simply uses heat directly from the rocks or the heater to create stimulate sweat production.

The primary benefit of using a dry sauna is that you need to spend considerably less time in it than a traditional sauna. This is because of the fact that the heat from a dry sauna causes you to sweat faster when compared to a traditional wet sauna. Although the final results are essentially the same that you get with a traditional wet sauna, most people think it is advantageous to get those results faster. This gives you respite from the intense heat, which indeed can have negative effects if you are exposed to it for too long.

The dry sauna is perfect for the busy person looking for a quick relaxing soak. The benefits are the same and it ensures continued health and wellness.