Sauna: a physicist’ workout
Measurable, evidence-based way to influence physiology.
Controlled Environment
Recovery and Adaptation
While workouts stress muscles mechanically, saunas stress the body thermally. I value this as another dimension of human performance optimization—quantifiable, complementary, and systemic.
How this all started... I was a hot yogi for 3 years, returning to Minnesota from California.
Food without taste is just ingradients. Our mission is to bring the best taste from the ingradients, as a piece of art presented on your table.
My introduction to atomic alignment The hot twenty six (poses)
Your first hot yoga session, may it be humbling.
To escape the two of them for at least some hours in a day, I would go to hot yoga at a studio an hour away. The class was 90 minutes. Sometimes, I did two classes in a day. If you love hot yoga, you probably remember your very first class and having your ass entirely handed to you. Yoga pants, a tee shirt, and a mat. Why don’t these people have any clothes on? Am I not supposed to wear pants? Thirty minutes into this, you could ring your mat out and fill a bucket with your sweat, and you might crap your pants if you don’t leave now. Upon returning, your mat has a towel and a water bottle at the corner. Frans is nodding for you to take the mat. The studio is just steps above beach level with windows overlooking Lake Tahoe, a “you can’t fuck it up” sort of place. If you can’t do the class, just lie down.
From appetizers to desserts, we pick the finest ingredients
If you can’t handle the thermodynamics, get out of the Sauna.
I have never left a kitchen before being told to do so. The same goes for the sauna. The practice of one hour daily sauna came about as a culmination of wilderness camp shower rituals, hot yoga, and Burning Man. There was a series of years in which I just lived through my misery in pursuit of snow. About 20 days of the misery years were spent in what most would consider one of the most miserable places on the planet. Barren of water, animals, and plants, the black rock desert turns into something else for a week. Heat exhaustion would just be a way of life that week of every year until 2011, when I tried hot yoga to acclimate myself to heat. It worked.
Dynamic Movement In high heat.
Sweat! bioluminescent.
Minnesota is the capital of Saunas in the United States.
Moving back to Minnesota in 2013 would move me from the yoga studio at 105º F with 55% humidity, jumping into Lake Tahoe after to 195º F at 12% humidity. Not even thirty days had passed before I found some way to remedy the need for the heat, taking a position as a pastry chef during the day and hitting the sauna in the evening. The heat of a sauna is quite different from a hot yoga studio. It’s much more intense, as is the response from your body. Breathing, depending on the temperature, can be more restricted. Hearing can sound muffled, so people talk louder. Cardio is just happening while you sit there. Breaking into daily sauna practice with six rounds of ten minutes in the sauna, with two-minute breaks. That’s how it all started. Seven days later, be still. See how long you can sit there before leaving. Thirty-eight minutes. Not bad.
Some sort of heat therapy has been in my life since 2011. I am at my best when this is consistent. That is not to say I have more energy or feel better; that is a by-product benefit for me. The cognitive clarity obtained from the extreme practice of daily sauna is unparalleled.
An introduction to all things sauna The Scandahoovian welcomes you!
There has to be more to this…
A few hundred sauna sessions later, I thought back to all the times I had been in a sauna before starting the consistent practice. In my youth, my dad always took me to the sauna to warm up after the pool. Me, sitting there with my lips chattering. He would stand there with me for about ten minutes. I imagine he was teetering from drinking beers and hitting the sauna. Me? Over here, curled up on a bench, sung as a bug in a rug. But do you remember the hottest room you have ever been in? Wilderness camp allowed me, as a 13-year-old girl, to not shower for almost 30 days straight. While in camp, everyone uses the sauna and jumps off a cliff into the river. The sauna has one tiny window, fits twenty or so campers, and has PVC pipe coming out of the floor to breathe if you get too hot. Whatever you do, don’t open the door.
Sauna FAQ –
Usually, once a week, during my practice, someone asks…
- How long do you do this for?
- How long have I been saunaing daily? Or how long do I stay in the sauna?
I have had a heat therapy practice for 10ish years, and I sauna for a minimum an hour.
- You sauna every day?
- I sauna every day.
- Why do you sauna every day?
- I sauna every day because It feels good.
- No, but, like, what does sauna do to you?
- It makes me nicer. Sauna makes me a nicer person.
- No, but like what does sauna do to your body?
- The sauna burns stuff. Moves stuff. While you are still.
Sauna is good for your cardio system. I can’t list all the reasons I sauna or all the benefits I get from a sauna. I do 40-50 minutes of yoga, and the cooldown is a ten-minute meditation time. What I notice the most immediately in the winter is that it helps with my circulation outside as I’m always cold.
- So the only workout you do is sauna?
- Inside the sauna, I do yoga, situps, isometrics, and body weight, and I brought a bike
and weights in here while triathlon training.
- But you look like that from sauna?
- Sure. And genetics. Sauna’s benefits go far deeper than physical appearance. But it
does make the experience feel like a meat suit trap. Many other things take place during
the sauna session that is an added by-product, like water intake, meditation, and detoxing the body.
Science Resources for Sauna
https://hubermanlab.com/deliberate-heat-exposure-protocols-for-health-and-performance/
https://medium.com/@juanpabloaranovich/sauna-deliberate-heat-exposure-d318f0693c2e
https://cedarandstonesauna.com/faqs/
https://honehealth.com/edge/health/rhonda-patrick-supplements-sauna-smoothie/
60 minutes of sauna biology
60 minutes and counting… Sauna Indicators
As you step into the sauna, the heat and humidity begin to envelop you, and your body immediately responds to the environment. Let’s explore the play-by-play of what happens to your brain during a one-hour sauna session, backed up by scientific facts.
How Long Should I Sauna?
20 in 5 out X 3 = one hour saunas
How long should I sauna?
This is a loaded question that only you can tell you. I have been doing this for some time so a standard issue session is going to be 60 minutes. I stay the entirety of that 60 minutes these days. I no longer take breaks until the end of the session. At that time, I decide if I would like to socialize that day or be done, heading over to the final cold plunge. Saunas have numerous health benefits, including improved cardiovascular health, increased relaxation, and stress relief. However, to reap these benefits, one must learn how to increase their time in the sauna safely.
Sauna accessibility is the steepest part of the sauna learning curve.
Dynamic Vs. Luxurious
Decoding Sauna Sanctuaries: the Gym vs. Spa
Many of you want to start a sauna practice, starting with the question – Where can I sauna? Discovering the therapeutic benefits of sauna therapy is within reach, with some places offering affordable options that foster a sense of community. For those already committed to a gym routine, accessing the gym sauna becomes a convenient addition to their daily fitness regimen. Saunas, known for their relaxation and detoxification properties, can be found in various settings, such as gyms and spas. While the fundamental principles of sauna use remain consistent, it’s important to note the notable distinctions between gym saunas and spa saunas. Whether you opt for an accessible gym sauna or indulge in the occasional splurge at a spa sauna, both experiences can contribute to overall well-being and provide a much-needed morale boost. If you’re new to the sauna, be sure to check out our sauna etiquette guide to ensure a pleasant and respectful experience.
No sauna access, no problem.
Sometimes You Need a Fix
If you just moved, are on the road, or are between sauna spaces or yoga studios… the challenge of getting into the heat on a daily basis can feel ridiculous. It may seem silly, but honestly, if you need a fix, a DIY sauna setup will work for a day or two until you can make it to the next real sauna. But for the love of heat, don’t confuse this with a long-term solution. The homemade sauna does not include the social and physiological benefits of a public sauna—like the ritual, the shared knowledge, and the human connection.