Dry Sauna

What Is Dry Sauna?

A sauna is basically an enclosure where the individual is exposed to some form of heat to promote perspiration. The enclosure in which the individual stays varies from a room large enough to house several people to a small sauna suit which is worn by the individual. The difference between and ordinary sauna and a dry sauna is the kind of heat that is used for the enclosure. Many people prefer dry sauna to the traditional sauna while others have the opposite opinion. There are also many different and conflicting opinions regarding the benefits of a dry sauna.

Ordinary Sauna Heat Source

The usual heat source for an ordinary or traditional sauna is a group of stones which are placed strategically on top of a heater. The heater heats up the stones and then the individual splashes some water unto the stones to create steam. The resulting heat is wet and creates a foggy or moist atmosphere within the sauna enclosure. One has a difficult time determining what is causing your body to get wet, perspiration or the steam.

In many cases, the traditional sauna usually uses volcanic rocks or any other rocks that can tolerate heat well without coming apart easily. As opposed to a dry sauna, a wet or traditional sauna may have any person splash water on the rocks. This causes the water to evaporate quickly due to the immense heat of the rocks caused by the heater underneath. The evaporation causes steam to rise up from the rocks and this in turn causes the room to warm up.

Dry Sauna Heat Source

The heat source of a dry sauna is similar to that of the wet or traditional sauna. The heater is present and so are the volcanic or heat tolerant rocks. The difference is in how to create the perspiration on the individual. While a wet sauna splashes water on the ricks to create steam, dry sauna just uses the heat direct from the heater or the rocks to create perspiration.

The primary dry sauna benefit is the lesser amount of time one needs to spend in the sauna room. This is primarily due to the fact that dry sauna heat causes one to perspire in less time compared to the traditional sauna. Although, the end results are the same with the wet or traditional sauna, the amount of time needed for the person to reach perspiration is lesser. This gives the individual some respite from the heat which can have some negative effects if exposed to it for a lengthy time.