A sauna is an enclosed structure used for sessions in high temperatures. It can be a single room or an entire building, and it is designed to be insulated so that as little heat is lost per session as possible. Heat is provided through electric heating, gas heating, or a traditional fire stove, fueled by burning coal or firewood. Unlike onsens, saunas allow customers to choose either a dry session or a wet session, either leaving the heat sources untouched to make the area more arid or increasing the humidity by pouring water over the heat source to create steam.
A modern sauna with an electric stove usually takes about 15–30 minutes to heat up. Some users prefer taking a shower beforehand to speed up perspiration in the sauna. When in the sauna, people often sit on a towel for hygiene, wrapped a towel modesty about them, or put a towel over their heads if the face feels too hot, but the body feels comfortable (Swimsuits are permitted and can be worn with or without towels, while some towel wearers wear nothing underneath). The temperature of one's bath can be controlled via:
- the amount of water thrown on the stove: this increases humidity, so that sauna bathers perspire more copiously.
- the length of one's stay in the sauna.
- positioning: the higher benches are hotter, whereas the lower benches are cooler. Children often sit on the lower benches.
The heat is greatest closest to the stove. Heating from the air is lower on the lower benches as the hot air rises. The heat given by the steam can be very different in different parts of the sauna. As the steam rises directly upwards, it spreads across the roof and travels out towards the corners, where it is then forced downwards. Consequently, the heat of fresh steam may sometimes be felt most strongly in the furthest corners of the sauna. Users increase the duration and the heat gradually over time as they adapt to the sauna. When pouring water onto the stove, it cools down the rocks, but carries more heat into the air via advection, making the sauna warmer.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- In Finland, there used to be a national sport where competitors must endure increasingly high temperatures in a sauna within a certain timeframe and not require external assistance in exiting the facilities. The sport was disbanded in 2012 after one competitor was severely hospitalized and another succumbed to his injuries and died.
- While humans tend to vary on an individual's heat tolerance, a lack of tolerance for any extreme temperatures is a species-wide trait amongst certain liminal species, namely Arachnes, Yuki-onnas, or Insectoids. More human-like races, such as Dullahans, have varying tolerances to temperature and humidity as with humans. Slimes are also vulnerable in saunas, with the high heat and arid conditions putting them at risk of drying out. Other species such as Minotaurs, on the other hand, have an extremely high tolerance to hot temperatures.[1]
- Due to their biology making them favor warmer conditions, reptilian Liminal species such as Lamias and Lizardfolk tend to thrive in saunas.
- Although it normally serves as a bathhouse with numerous onsens, the Sno Ball Hot Spring Resort was briefly turned into a large sauna by Suu's Mother and a Salamander at Yukio's request.[1]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Chapter 67