Both of these rooms are designed to enable owners to reap the benefits of heat therapy; what better way to relax after a stressful day than to massage your body and replenish all the energy expended. However, it should be noted that both of these heated rooms work in distinct ways but offer similar features and benefits. You can open your pores and ease the tension in your muscles in either of the rooms.
The most notable difference in saunas and steam rooms is that saunas generate dry heat sessions while steam rooms produce moist heat. To know which is ideal for your home, you can use the following information to compare between both types of heat rooms.
What is A Sauna?
A sauna is a heated room that makes use of either a gas, electric, or wood stove along with heated rocks to reduce the humidity and raise the temperature of the room as high as 212⁰F. This method of heating has been around since Neolithic times; they simply poured water onto hot rocks to create a hot room with very low humidity. There are two kinds of saunas, the conventional saunas, and the infrared saunas.
Infrared saunas utilize active carbon fibers or charcoal as heating materials for warming the room. Saunas are distinguished by wooden benches and designs around the room. It’s advised that you place a towel on the wood before sitting or lying on it, this is to avoid the discomfort of hot wood against your delicate skin.
What is A Steam Room?
Steam rooms are airtight rooms that employ a steam generator to introduce high levels of humidity to the room; the generator filled with boiling water creates steam that seeps into every corner of the room. This raises the temperature to a point ranging between 100-115⁰F; they are mainly used for detoxification purposes through sweating under high temperatures.
They are usually designed with ceramic tiling and a slanted ceiling; the reason for the slanted ceiling is to ensure that the steam doesn’t build up and drip onto the users. It should also be noted that humidity is increased to 100%, and sweat can’t evaporate under such conditions, making steam rooms as hot as, or even hotter than, saunas. It’s recommended by health professionals that you don’t stay in a steam room for more than 15 minutes.
Benefits of Saunas
Depending on which type of sauna you procure, conventional, or infrared, you can have access to a range of purifying benefits from regular use of the sauna. Here are some of those benefits:
Cleansing Of The Skin And Body:
You might not notice it, but deep sweating helps your skin shed any dead skin cells, cleansing and replacing with new cells. Having sessions now and then helps to keep your skin in optimum condition. Another thing to note is that heated rooms help your body produce white body cells that help combat harmful bacteria or viruses in/on your body.
Relief From Pain And Stress:
Infrared saunas are certified as a mode of treatment for arthritis patients and individuals recovering from an intense physical impact. They help reduce any pains or soreness in the joints and muscles by increasing your blood circulation. By increasing your blood flow, your body’s natural healing process is activated to ease any of the pains in the body. It is even recommended for athletes to undergo heated sessions after training to help relax their muscles.
Weight-Loss:
Sweating is a bodily function that expends a substantial amount of energy; saunas help you to burn some extra calories by increasing your heart activity. Doing this naturally triggers your body to convert calories into energy that can be used for pumping more oxygen. An average individual can sweat off about 500 grams from a single session in a sauna, using up about 300 calories.
Improve Brain Health:
The enhanced blood flow helps both your body and brain; endorphins are released in your body, allowing you to have more relaxed sleep, which is known to improve brain health. Another chemical released by your body is the serotonin hormone which gives you an improved mood.
Benefits of Steam Room
An ideal medium of relaxation and healing, steam rooms offer a whole lot of benefits certain to improve an individual’s quality of life. We have curated some of the benefits you can reap from using a steam room, they include:
Clears Congestion:
The heat generated by steam rooms helps to clear up your sinuses as well as your bronchial and nasal passages. By raising your body temperature, your mucous membrane is warmed up, and any mucus or obstruction is cleared out from your lungs and passages. As a fitness enthusiast, it is recommended to have sessions in a steam room to help with your breathing.
Boosts the Immune System:
A single session in a steam room activates the production of white blood cells, allowing you to protect yourself against any minor and major infections. When your body is exposed to the heat, the sweating that follows produces antibodies that help in creating a stronger and healthier immune system.
Improved Muscle Repair and Growth:
Steam rooms are known to help your body release growth hormones that aids in growing your muscles at an increased rate. They significantly aid in triggering the healing process of your body, allowing your muscles to relax and grow after an intense workout session.
Skin Conditioning:
The use of steam is a common method of facial care; it is known to loosen up the pores and dirt, making it easier for them to come off. This is why steam rooms are recommended for skin detoxification. Regular sessions can also be used as a preemptive measure against any pimples popping up later.
Conclusion
Deciding on which heated room to go for depends on the preferences of the individuals. It’s recommended that you go for a sauna if you can withstand high temperatures of up to 212⁰F. Mold and mildew are known to form in steam rooms; hence you can go for a sauna if you want to avoid this hassle.
On the other hand, you can go for a steam room if you aren’t built for temperatures exceeding 115⁰F. Whichever option you choose, you are sure to enjoy huge health benefits from regular use of the heated room.
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