How to use a Sauna and Steam room correctly

flangeman

My local gym (over in London, UK, yea yea but there's a London in Canada!!) has both a Sauna and Steam room plus a cold shower unit.

What's the correct way to use both? does it matter? how long should I spend in each? should I do one then the other?

Thoughts please, its surprisingly hard to find anything online.

BaZmO*

AFAIK you need to have a plunge pool to get the proper use out of a Sauna, but having said that I don't think there's a "proper" way to use either.

veritable

what a random question? maybe there is a reason why it is hard to find info online?

jim o doom

Ya just sit in the heat for as long as you can stand which opens your pores and allows filth out said pores, then jump into the plunge puul or have a cold shower which closes the pores up again.In ancient rome the had boys to scrape the dirt off ya with a stick called a stigil ( I think it was it's been a long time since primary school) to scrape the dirt off after the heat but before the cold.

iregk

from what I've been told the best way to do it is to use the sauna then jump into the plung pool. The sauna opens the pores and gets/keeps the body warm and the plung pool has a rapid cooling effect. Working for the skin and muscles.

Mind you I don't think a plung pool would get your body temp cold enough to have the effect of muscle recovery. An ice bath would be better here.

engrish?

iregk wrote: »

from what I've been told the best way to do it is to use the sauna then jump into the plung pool. The sauna opens the pores and gets/keeps the body warm and the plung pool has a rapid cooling effect. Working for the skin and muscles.

Mind you I don't think a plung pool would get your body temp cold enough to have the effect of muscle recovery. An ice bath would be better here.

my testicles just shrivled at the thought of an ice bath after a sauna....

By the by, the sauna then plunge pool then steam room tehn plunge is the best way to sort out a hangover, especially if it has run into a second day.

En-Motion

Ya normally sauna, cold shower, steam room, cold shower and repeat. Is savage for getting rid of the hangover.

Read this over on Mens Health but I reckon its only more scaremongering

Saunas might be great for opening up pores (in the same way that steam in a shower does), allowing grease and grime to be loosened and toxins to be eliminated BUT be careful not to overdo them, especially if you have the type of skin that blushes easily or suffers from broken capillaries or redness. This is because extrme temperature changes can cause tiny blood vessels under he skin to break, leading to unsightly broken capillaries on your cheeks and especially around the nose. So bad are saunas that I've talked to skincare experts who wouldn't step foot inside one for fear of skin damage. Worse thing you can do is a sauna followed by dip in a plunge/swimming pool as it's temperature extremes that really play havoc with your mush. Funnily enough, the next worse things for skin is spicy food, which can have a similar effect, so I'd watch it if you're doing both!
Lee, Online Grooming Editor

iregk

The thing is if you take anything in this world you will always find one group that are dead against it.

There are adverts advising us to brush our teeth straight after eating. Any dentist will tell you this is the worst thing you can do. Like wise some will say tea is a great herbal drink because it does x yet another group will say stay well clear as its lethal because it does y.

So no matter what it is you will always see a negative view on it. Ignorance is bliss.

littlemisspiggy

iregk wrote: »

from what I've been told the best way to do it is to use the sauna then jump into the plung pool. The sauna opens the pores and gets/keeps the body warm and the plung pool has a rapid cooling effect. ]

You should really clean your skin (like cleaser or soap) between the hot and cold. When you are in the hot, your pores open and dirt sweats out. It rolls down your skin and spreads the dirt around. When you hop under the cold water, your pores shrink and all that muck gets trapped back inside. If you cleanse just before the cold water you tighten your pores when your skin is all clean.