Your questions, answered
The Sauna Experience
What is the best temperature for sauna?
The appropriate temperature for sauna depends on your preference. Many enjoy their traditional sauna at temperatures between 150°-175° Fahrenheit and infrared sauna between 120°-130° Fahrenheit.
How long should I sauna?
This, too, varies between individuals. Start by listening to your body. Generally speaking, bathers usually stay in the sauna until they begin to feel uncomfortable. Typically, remain in the sauna for about 10-20 minutes and then take a break to cool off for several minutes. Then, consider returning to the sauna for another "inning."
A Finnleo sauna experience can be truly relaxing and rewarding, but don't stay in the sauna for extended periods of time. Set the temperature and humidity level (if you are using a traditional sauna) to your ideal level. If you begin to feel dizzy or uncomfortable, leave the sauna, cool off, and hydrate.
It is also advisable to discuss your sauna routine with your healthcare provider, especially if you have any health concerns.
What should I do after sauna heat bathing?
After your sauna, cleanse your skin via shower or bath to remove any and all residues or salts left behind. A quick rinse will close your pores once again and is the perfect way to end your sauna experience. It is recommended that you moisturize your skin with a high quality moisturizing lotion. It's also ideal to shampoo your hair afterward.
Don't forget to drink an adequate amount of water, mineral water, fruit or vegetable juice to replace fluids that were lost during your heat bathing.
Is it okay to pour water on the rocks of Finnleo traditional heaters?
Adding water to your traditional sauna heater is a great way to enhance your heat bath; wetting the heated rocks increases the humidity in the room. Sprinkle one ladle of water on the rocks in your Finnleo traditional sauna heater for a wonderful wet sauna experience. 'Pouring' or 'dumping' water is not recommended; a clear indication that you have used too much water is when is leaks out the bottom of the heater.
For infrared saunas, humidity is ambient and no water should be added to the sauna.
Are there any health problems that I should be concerned about?
Be sure to consult your personal physician if you have any history of heart problems, high blood pressure, current pregnancy, or any other health condition before enjoying any kind of sauna.
What are some of the most notable benefits of using a sauna?
In traditional Finnish culture relaxation, social connection, and washing are cited as primary reasons for sauna. But more and more scientific research is being conducted and published with notable benefits for cardiovascular health, mental health, detoxification, and more.
Explore more health and wellness benefits.
How much can I expect to pay monthly for my sauna?
If you use your sauna 3 times per week, a 6 kW heater will use approximately $4 to $6 per month.
A 2.1 kW heater, on the other hand, would use about $2/month.
Far-infrared saunas typically cost $3 to $5 per month.
In comparison, steam baths usually average $3 to $5 per month.
How long does it take for a sauna to fully heat up?
A traditional sauna generally takes between 30 - 60 minutes to fully heat up, depending on your heater, heater size, sauna room size, and outside temperature. During this heat-up period, the room will be hot, and the rocks are heated and ready to create soft heat and soft steam, if desired.
In an infrared sauna a high room temperature is not the goal, rather, it is the penetration or the absorption of the infrared energy. You can technically start using the infrared sauna immediately, but if you prefer to have the room itself preheated it can be warm in as few as 10 minutes; plan on 30 – 45 minutes to reach the upper temperature range in an IR sauna. This is intentional because the IR emitters won't turn off until the set temperature is hit, and you need the emitters on in order to fully benefit from an infrared sauna.
Materials & Installation
Does my sauna need to have a drain installed?
No, this is not a requirement.
That said, in certain scenarios (specifically commercial saunas) it may be more convenient for cleaning purposes — especially in traditional saunas.
What flooring is best for a sauna?
For traditional saunas, the best kind of floor for a sauna is cement, tile, or anything that doesn't absorb water.
For infrared saunas, wood or tile is perfect.
Carpet, however, should never be used — as it absorbs sweat and odors.
What heater size is appropriate for my sauna?
To find out the appropriate heater size for your sauna, measure the Length x Width x Height of your room to find the cubic footage. Next, find a heater capable of heating that amount of space. Working with a local Finnleo dealer on this decision is helpful, as there can be some additional factors to consider when sizing your heater (sauna location, materials, etc.).
This doesn't directly apply to infrared saunas. In these rooms, the ideal quantity of emitters and wattage will be calculated for each room.
What type of circuit breaker should be used for my sauna?
Standard breakers should be used. They should be sized for the heater to correspond with the National Electric Code.
Standard infrared saunas, however, can be easily plugged in to normal household 120 volt outlets (15 and 20 amp).
What wood species is best for a sauna?
There are many variables to consider when choosing your wood species. All the woods used in Finnleo saunas have been used for hundreds of years and have long proven their viability for sauna use.
Wood choice is largely contingent upon user preference and style. Traditionally, Nordic White Spruce is used for sauna interiors because of its non-porous characteristics, light color, clean lines, and forest scent.
For our wood offering, we hand select fine-grained European woods, including the Nordic White Spruce and European Alder, plus clear softwoods such as Western Red Cedar and vertical grain Canadian Hemlock. We then complement these with matching bench materials to enhance every sauna user's comfort levels.
We determine the most ideal profiles, thickness specifications, framing materials, hardware - and give you a product that is built to perform and to last.