Is There A Difference Between A Sauna and A Steam Room?

30 Sep Is There A Difference Between A Sauna and A Steam Room?

Benefits of a Steam Room vs. a Sauna

From ehow

Many people don’t realize that a Sauna is very different from a Steam Room.  This post from eHow discusses the differences between a Sauna and A Steam Room, and what makes the benefits associated with both entities different.  The main difference, as this article points out, are the types of heat that they provide, and whether the heat is dry or wet heat.  Either amenitiy would be a great addition to any type of indoor or outdoor swimming pool to warm up after a vigorous swim.

Here is an excerpt from the post:

The differences between a steam room and a sauna are the types of heat they provide. The heat in a steam room is moist heat. A sauna uses uses infrared methods of warming other objects, such as coal, to produce dry heat. Either way, the purpose of both is to induce sweating to empty the body and pores of toxins.

Temperatures
Because saunas use dry heat, they may reach temperatures much higher than the temperatures used in the moist heating of steam rooms. Sauna temperatures range from 176 F to 212 F. Steam rooms cannot reach such high degrees, as the potential for scalding can occur. Steam rooms stay at approximately 104 F.

Benefits of Both
Both steam rooms and dry heat saunas are beneficial in opening and cleaning out the skin’s pores, rejuvenating the skin, relaxing muscles and relieving muscle tension. In addition, they improve blood flow throughout all parts of the body, detoxifying the body and helping you feel relaxed over all.

Steam Room Benefits
Steam rooms are beneficial for people with respiratory problems, such as asthma or bronchitis. The inhalation of steam is effective in relieving the symptoms of these conditions. But because humid, moist areas are breeding grounds for bacteria and germs, a steam room must be thoroughly cleaned.

Dry Heat Sauna Benefits

Read more : here