Finnish SAUNA pictures: Sacred Steam: My Sauna Build

Sacred steam

"To sweat is to pray, to make an offering of your innermost self. Sweat is holy water, prayer beads, pearls of liquid that release your past, anointing all your parts in a baptism by fire. Sweat burns karma, purifying body and soul…The more you sweat, the more you pray. The more you pray, the closer you come to ecstasy”
(Gabrielle Roth in Sweat Your Prayers).

I built this sauna a few years back.   I bought the storage shed on clearance for $800 delivered, and finished it in tongue and groove 1" x 4" cedar, and built in some seats. Central Lakes College Welding Dept. made the stove for the cost of the metal, and a little extra for labor.  The stove was built extremely well, and the price was $50, so I feel like the sauna was a pretty economical DIY, and we use it very often.  Overall, the sauna is a great way to take a break from long winters, and this little sauna works very well!
More after the jump:



From http://www.finlandsteambaths.com/history.htm:
"Most ancient cultures have practiced sweat baths in one form or another. From the Finnish sauna (pronounced sow-nah), the Russian bania, Native American sweatlodge, Islamic Hamman, Japanese baths, Turkish baths to the early Greek and Roman Baths. Each are associated with their own rituals and worship of the benign spirits of fire, earth and water which were thought to bring about good health and healing."

"In Finland there is the saying “Two places are holy: church and sauna”, reflecting the importance of the sacredness of the sauna to the Finns. The “house spirit” is said to live not in the house but in the sauna and, since ancient times, the sauna has been associated with birth, rites-of-passage, health and death. This is true of all sweat baths and by entering such a place one cannot help but be touched by the consciousness of these time honored traditions and spirituality."Here are some other pictures:

Inside bench is 2 x 4 cedar frame, and 1 x 6 cedar decking; the length allows one person to lie down.

Exterior (prebuilt storage shed sauna)

Looking down at the stove: Sacred Steam: löyly,
Wikipedia:
"Water is thrown on the hot stones topping the kiuas, a special stove used to warm up the sauna. This produces steam, known as löyly, which increases the moisture and heat within the sauna. The word löylyis used for this steam only in the context of the sauna and not the word höyry ('steam, vapour') :Via Finland Steam Bath:"The physiological effect of heat and sweating on the body are wide reaching. The heat creates a work load for every system, function and part of the body. For example: blood vessels widen and, hence, blood pressure decreases temporarily; skin pores open, allowing the release of toxins and heavy metals; metabolism increases; the immune and endocrine systems are boosted; temperature regulation is improved; many bacteria and viruses are cleared since they cannot survive at these higher temperatures; lungs and sinuses are opened; the skin is deeply cleansed; total body relaxation and emotional release occurs."

Central Lakes College fabricated the kiuas, a special stove used to warm up the sauna.  Rocks acquired from shores of Lake Superior.