MY last post mentioned our new Ice Tank Challenge and the benefits of cold-water therapy which we hope to start on Friday, September 12.
For those of you who contacted me to say you are keen to book this, I will be getting in touch with you all as soon as I’m back from my holidays.
In the meantime though, I’d like to tell you about our hot therapy which we will also be opening up to the public on September 12.
Our Barony St John Centre is lucky enough to have a Nordic sauna. This is a traditional sauna heated by an internal heater, so humidity levels are relatively low, but steam and extra heat can be generated by pouring water onto hot lava coals sitting on top of the heater.
The water is usually scented with eucalyptus oil or something similar, so overall, it is a wonderfully, beneficial way to relax, detox and the pine-fresh smell adds a further treat to your senses.
When we first looked at installing a sauna, we looked at both the more economical infra-red option and the traditional Nordic option.
The traditional option has been used in countries like Iceland, Norway, and Finland for thousands of years, with the original versions utilising natural geo-springs, dating back to as early as 7000 BC. So, one of the key benefits of traditional saunas is that there’s a lot more research behind them.
A statement in a prominent medical journal by Dr Liam Murphy of Melbourne Functional Medicine in Australia, swung me towards the traditional sauna again, as he commented: “Compared to infrared saunas, there has been a much greater amount of research carried out on traditional saunas, therefore much more definite claims can be made about the health benefits of traditional saunas.”
The researched and proven health benefits of traditional saunas include; decreased risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease; Boosted brain function; Improved cardiovascular health; Improved skin health; Lowered blood pressure; Increased immune system; Increased toxin removal; Reduced muscle soreness; Improved joint movement; Eased arthritis pain; plus Improved emotional health and mood.
Wow! To be honest, this was enough to convince me to stick with a traditional Nordic sauna because, even although infra-red saunas claim to be superior to traditional saunas for detoxification, due to the deeper penetration of infrared rays, the fact is that there is currently not enough research being performed to demonstrate this conclusively.
But, at the end of the day, I suppose it is down to personal preference. Some people swear by infra-red saunas, other swear by traditional saunas.
Our sauna can comfortably seat up to four people at a time and will be open to the public from Friday, Septembe 12r, initially 4.30pm-7.30pm, although we envisage that these opening hours will expand over time due to demand. What time / day suits you?