DESCRIPTION
Atlantic Saunas offers beautifully crafted authentic Finnish saunas for your home. Atlantic founders have a decade of experience, and a burning passion for physical and mental well-being. Based on the north coast of Ireland near the ever-inviting North Atlantic Ocean, the company closely observed the developing role of hot and cold therapy in health and wellness, and was naturally drawn to heat therapy in the form of sauna relaxation.
Using only sustainably sourced 100% Canadian hemlock wood, Atlantic produces compact, yet superbly comfortable traditional saunas in which the heat can be adjusted with the turn of a switch, the humidity with a splash of water on the lava stones and essential oils added for calming aromas. This bespoke experience offers enormous health benefits, including pain and stress relief, improved cardiovascular health and enhanced mood.
PRODUCT FEATURES
The history of the traditional sauna dates back an impressive 10,000 years, and its culture is an integral part of Finnish life. For many Finns, the sauna is a place to disconnect; a means to be silent, still and spiritual. The traditional sauna is typically heated to between 70oC and 110oC, and becomes a hot and humid paradise. Water is poured onto heated stones to create the distinctive löyly, or atmosphere, of a traditional steam sauna. This atmosphere can be as humid or as dry as the bather desires, though typically it is kept to around 5% to 15%. Aromatherapy can also be used as part of a traditional sauna session, with additional scents and oils that have been added to the water. Users of the traditional Finnish sauna will typically stay in the sauna room for up to 30 minutes, after which time they may choose to get out and take a cold shower or ‘plunge’ (complete submersion in cold water) before repeating the process as many times as desired. This cycle of sauna and plunge is used to improve circulation and muscle function, stimulate the immune system, and also release endorphins.
Infrared (IR) saunas are not considered to be true saunas by most Finnish sauna societies as they do not use heated air. They were created to meet the demand for saunas in the US, where a combination of insufficient power supplies and strict flue regulations make it extremely difficult to install a traditional wood-burning sauna (US appliances run on 110 volts, UK appliances on 220 volts and European ones on around 400 volts). The heat of an infrared sauna is usually kept between 50oC and 60oC, with no humidity unless a separate steam generator is added. The result of this is much longer, milder, and usually drier heating sessions compared to what you would experience in a traditional sauna.
Both infrared and traditional saunas offer established clinical benefits for cardiovascular disease, rheumatoid diseases, chronic fatigue and pain. They both have positive influence on exercise performance, skin moisture barrier properties, and muscle recovery. However, due to the distinct arrangement of heat and humidity, only the traditional sauna provides protection against memory diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer’s, risk of pneumonia, arterial stiffness and respiratory disease. Traditional saunas have been found to offer psychological and lifestyle advantages that have been unmatched by other sauna types. In a global sauna survey, relaxation and stress reduction, mental health improvement, socialisation, and enhanced sleep were the primary reasons most people chose to bathe in a traditional sauna. With the intermittant cold plunge, pleasant feelings of dissociation and relaxation are evoked from a strong rush of endorphins.
Infrared saunas will always be cheaper than traditional ones and, though this is an appealing factor, it is likely that the mass-produced materials used in their construction will have been unethically sourced. Traditional sauna companies use properly heat and moisture treated woods, usually from Finland, where laws and regulations are stringent and the highest standards are assured. Traditional saunas require expert knowledge on design, build, insulation and ventilation, whereas infrared saunas tend to come flat-packed and ready to be assembled, with no need for specialised knowledge or skill. Worthy of note is that the majority of commercial saunas in hotels and spas are traditional, as opposed to infrared, for the aforementioned advantages.