A wooden sauna means the actual sauna, also called the Finnish sauna: A room made of wood (mostly from fir trees), within the house or as a log cabin in the garden, for the use of perspiring in extremely dry air (about 10 % of humidity) and temperatures of 80°C to 100 °C).
Wood
Manufacturers building saunas distinguish between element saunas, a wooden construction with inside isolation material (cheaper) and solid wood saunas made from solid wood logs.
- Element sauna parts consist of a mortised and glued solid wood frame construction as well as wall elements out of fir notch- and flute boards. A minor knothole grain is very advantageous here. An extremely fine manufacture guarantees for a long life of the sauna, as the wood of a sauna is very active due to the temperatures (deformation, cuts, rot). The isolation material should be cork, rock wool or mineral fibres. Styrofoam is not advisable.
- A solid wood sauna guarantees a considerably longer life when well manufactured (glueing, mortising, stainless fittings). The ideal sort of wood is hemlock fir, due to its minor tendency to gumming (cost intense) and knotholes. As a European, renewable raw material, nordic spruce is suitable.
For seating furniture and benches/backrests, soft wood (f. ex. Cottonwood) is being used.
The advantage of these sorts of wood is that they do not transfer heat and that they are almost free of resin and slivers - which is an absolute must where high temperatures are concerned.
The heating is carried out either the traditional way using a wood stove or the modern way using an electric or oil stove. The stones put on top are being used for the dousing /sprinkling. A good ventilation of a sauna cabin is extremely important.
A sauna session takes 10 minutes on average and can be repeated about 2 - 3 times. Thereby, the basal body temperature is increased to ca. 40 °C - a fever temperature - and in this way metabolises harmful substances within the body.
