Health Benefits of a Sauna in Your Backyard

Health Benefits

Cardiovascular Health. Sauna use can mimic the act of exercising since the heat increases your heart rate. A normal resting heart rate is between 60 and 100 beats per minute, but since a sauna mimics exercise, you can expect it to increase to 100-150 beats per minute. This “exercise” could cause a 20-50% reduction in fatal cardiovascular events if you use the sauna a few times per week. Typically seen alongside cardiovascular problems are issues with blood flow, circulation, and blood pressure. The warmth from the sauna can relax your blood vessels, which leads to an improvement in blood flow and a lower transient blood pressure. If you wish to better your blood circulation and heart rate – with approval from your doctor – consider adding a sauna to your backyard. This will make you feel like you are helping your cardiovascular health while still sitting on your property!

Stress Relief and Better Sleep. It can take a mental toll when you have a stressful day of work and then come home to a chaotic, messy home with a mile-long to-do list. Not only do our minds need a break from this, but so do our bodies. Take 10 to 15 minutes every night to spend time in your backyard sauna to ease your mind. The warmth of a sauna can trigger the release of endorphins and lower the stress hormone, cortisol. Cortisol helps the body deal with stress, while affecting metabolism, blood pressure, and increasing inflammation. All of this can be improved and balanced when taking a few minutes in a sauna. A sauna’s warmth will help encourage relaxation by calming your nervous system, which can then bring sleep closer, making you fall asleep about 10 to 30 minutes earlier. Your sauna can act as a buffer from your chaotic home, letting you sit in a peaceful, quiet, and warm setting, leaving your mind at ease.

Boosted Immune Function and Detoxification. Heat Shock proteins are known to assist in immune resilience, and the heat from a sauna increases the production of these proteins. This means fewer common colds! Your body’s immunity will also increase once it has detoxed, which is another positive outcome of owning a sauna. What’s the first thing that happens when anyone is placed in a warm environment? They sweat…a lot. It may seem “icky” to sweat so much in a sauna, but this action is detoxifying your body of small amounts of metals. These metals could include nickel, cadmium, and lead. Sweating in a sauna can also help clear our pores, which could reduce breakouts and help with overall complexion.

Muscle Recovery and Pain Relief. There’s nothing worse than spending hours doing yardwork, running, or lifting, and then waking up the next morning feeling like you can’t move. Lots of continued muscle use will make your muscles and joints sore, and just as we’ve always been told about a warm compress, the sauna heat can help loosen tight muscles. This heat increases your blood flow and can relieve pain, so you can accelerate your recovery.

What Else, Besides Just Health Benefits?

A sauna not only has health benefits, but it can also make a great hangout spot for friends and family. If you want your backyard to act as a retreat, a sauna is a great addition. Spend time inside to either chat, while detoxing and better your body, or spend a quiet night inside, letting your mind ease from the day’s stress. These backyard saunas make it so convenient to feel better after a long day since they’re just a couple of steps away. You can use it as a spot to read, reflect on the day, or think about absolutely nothing, if that’s what you need to relax. Watch this video to see how you can use your sauna as a hangout spot or to simply relax with a loved one.

Key Things To Remember

A sauna can improve your health in so many ways, but remember these key points to make sure you are staying safe when using a sauna. ALWAYS check with your doctor or a medical professional before getting inside a sauna, especially if you are pregnant, have pre-existing heart problems, low blood pressure, or other health conditions.

Limit your time inside the sauna to 10 to 20 minutes, unless you are accustomed to the high temperature. If you are not used to a high-heat environment, limit your time inside before working up to a time that feels best for you. A sauna is supposed to be a quick relaxation, not a place to stay inside for hours. Just 10 to 20 minutes will make you feel the effects, and then it’s time to cool off. Since you will be sweating heavily, make sure you are staying hydrated before and after your sauna session. In conjunction with this same sentiment, avoid any dehydrating beverages before getting inside a sauna.

Types of Saunas

Stoltzfus Structures offers a couple of options when it comes to saunas, including the Harmony, Haven, and our NEW MODEL – Serenity. None of these saunas comes as a kit, but instead, are delivered fully built and ready to set up on your property. There are some electrical needs that you need to consider when placing a sauna on your property. Contact us to find out what your property needs if you’re considering a sauna. All these sauna options are great for year-round use due to their roof style, letting ice, snow, rain, and tree debris slide off easily. Add a stone walk path, string lights, and outdoor potted plants to make this sauna space your own stylish retreat. Take a walkthrough of one of our saunas to see some of the features

Check out our brand-new Serenity Sauna to see how it morphs the Harmony and Haven sauna features into one beautiful backyard structure.

Our team is always looking to help you improve your property, and in the case of adding a sauna, we’d also be helping you improve your health! Contact us or call our office – 610.593.7700 – to ask any sauna questions or if you are looking for any other structures to elevate your backyard.

About The Author

Jada Morris

Recently graduated from college, I take advantage of having more free time and spend those moments catching up on my love of reading, brainstorming ideas for design projects, and spending time with my family, friends, and furry companions. I have two Golden Retrievers that are complete opposites, one who has enough energy to run three marathons a day if he could, and the other who would be happy to stay in bed all day! I might relate a bit more to the later but am always up for an adventure.