Saunas

[soopy]

I guess this is a good a place as any for this query. DH was involved in a serious car accident some months back, and has residual pain in the neck and back. We also have a ton of stress in our lives right now, and he has been in a major weight loss stall with just those last 10-15 pounds to go. Thus the reasons to be looking into the benefits of having a sauna in our home. We're leaning towards an infrared, either one person or two. Space is a consideration—do people enjoy a shared sauna? If anyone has any experience or expertise on what to look for, or whether or not they achieved (or not) any benefit from the use of one, I'd appreciate the input.

Thanks,
Sue

[Relief]

no answers..I also have been looking into the benefits of suanas lately, for detoxing. Suddenly seeing article about it all over the place....coincidence? I guess Anything that makes you sweat is good!!! I would love to have one in my home. I too have back and neck pain and stalled weight loss ( also at the 10-15 pound mark) and boy if it helps......

currently looking for a gym with one nearby to test it out.

[soopy]

Hi Relief,
We're just waiting on info and pricing from a couple of different companies before we make a final decision. It's been tough to research as most info comes from people trying to flog their product and dis all others. I've spent lots of time trying to find independent reviews and opinions without much luck. Anyway, keep me posted if you learn anything, and I'll let you know what we decide and how it works out whenever we actually get and use it.

[Mitra]

I'd be interested to hear how you get on, as it's something we've thought about - though we probably couldn't do it in our current house, so it's a very long term "someday" sort of idea.

[soopy]

Whew! After more hours of research than we would like to admit to we have finally found what we are confident is a quality sauna. There are a ton of them out there, mostly imported from Asia. We eventually found one that is made in Canada, with 100% North American made parts, and I ordered it this morning. So expect another report in a month or so, once it arrives and we get started using it. I am so looking forward to it!

[soopy]

OK, so it's been a little over a month ........ well, there was a delay with our order but mostly I was just giving it time to assess.

Back and neck troubles— Intervals between massage therapy sessions have been increasing. It could just be time, we can't entirely attribute less pain and discomfort to the sauna. DH also does recommended exercises either in or just after when the muscles are all nicely warmed up.

Stress management— we both really enjoy the 'forced relaxation' the sauna provides. There's nothing to do in there except relax, meditate, enjoy some nice music ....... That's got to be a good thing! DH's blood pressure is definitely down, but he has also been using a Respirate device, so again, can't say what part the sauna plays.

Weight Loss— After about 6 weeks of regular saunas, DH is down 5-6 pounds. Now this has got to be the sauna, there has been no other changes to diet or exercise. He had been totally stalled for months, after gaining a few in the aftermath of the accident. Switching to IF stopped the upward trend, but only with the sauna did the loss come.

Bottom line is that we feel it is totally worth it. It's less initial money than for a hot tub (which we were originally considering) and way less maintenance and ongoing cost. Somehow my hydro bill actually went down, even with the extra towels laundry. I'm still waiting for a copy of Detoxify or Die, so I'm not too up on that aspect yet.