Home Sauna Mistakes To Avoid

Homeowners rave about the many health benefits they gain from regular sauna use. Home saunas make it easier than ever to experience regular sauna sessions and help improve your physical and mental health. Whether you have a pod sauna, cabin sauna, or barrel sauna, your new home sauna will help you and your family access sauna sessions year-round. Unfortunately, there are some common mistakes homeowners make that can negatively affect their health benefits. Here, we outline some of the common mistakes made by sauna users and how to avoid them to ensure you are making the most of your home sauna sessions.

Common Home Sauna Mistakes To Avoid: 

1. Soap In Saunas

2. Eating High-Calorie Food Before

3. Not Heating To The Right Temperature

4. Not Enough Water

5. Lack of Ventilation

1. Soap In Saunas

Some people want to use their sauna like a steam bath or shower to cleanse the skin after a workout or as part of a personal hygiene routine. However, using soap in home saunas can irritate and dry out your skin. If you lather yourself in soap before entering your sauna, it will dry on your skin during the session. A better option is to bathe before your sauna session, either the night before or even a few hours beforehand. During your sauna session, you can splash water on your body to facilitate hydration but avoid all soaps. You will find your skin feels remarkably refreshed and hydrated following a sauna session.

2. Eating High-Calorie Food Before

Eating a large meal before a sauna session can make you feel bloated and nauseous. The high heat of home saunas will naturally elevate your heart rate and stimulate blood circulation like exercise. Just like you would not want to eat a large meal before going for a run or doing a workout, you should not eat a full meal before a sauna session. Instead, time your sauna session so that you either eat a meal afterwards or wait several hours before using the sauna.

3. Not Heating To The Right Temperature

One of the best parts of home saunas is the ability to customize your heat settings. Many of the health benefits of sauna use are due to the high heat and its effect on the body. However, if the temperature is too high, it can be damaging. High heat can cause you to feel dizzy, light-headed, nauseous, and dehydrated. Although it may be tempting to increase the warmth of your pod sauna to boost your health benefits, you should always feel comfortable inside your home sauna. If you want to increase the heat of your sauna, we recommend splashing water on the sauna rocks to increase humidity as opposed to the temperature.

4. Not Enough Water

The high heat of a sauna stimulates sweating and can lead to significant water loss in the body. Mainly when used before or after a workout, sauna users can quickly become dehydrated without careful attention to the amount of water they are consuming. Whether you are integrating your sauna sessions into your workout routine or using your sauna for fun, it is essential to drink plenty of water before, during, and after your session.

5. Lack of Ventilation

Fresh air is vital for human health and wellness. Many sauna owners keep their sauna locked tight to prevent heat loss. However, proper attention to ventilation can improve your overall sauna experience. We recommend leaving the windows or doors open after every sauna session to improve air circulation.

When it comes to home saunas, SaunaFin is a top supplier of indoor and outdoor saunas for homes and cottages across North America. SaunaFin sells many different home sauna models, including an ultra-modern pod sauna and more traditional versions of cabin and barrel saunas. We sell all our saunas as easy-to-build and fully customizable sauna material kits. If you are interested in purchasing a pod sauna or other sauna model, call 905-738-4017 to get started customizing your kit today.