Home Saunas

[Zone Read 299]

Seeing impressive claims online about the benefits of saunas for longevity, immune system improvement, weight training gains, inflammation, etc. by people like Joe Rogan and Andrew Huberman.  Tried one while in Budapest last week and although it wasn't a pleasant experience, I felt great afterwards.  So now I'm thinking about taking the plunge.  We just became empty-nesters so only plan on being in this house for 6 months to a year longer, so a permanent installation isn't desirable.  Also, don't have much space in any of our bathrooms without doing a serious remodel.  I have a home gym so joining one isn't really what I want to do just for this purpose.  So, some type of portable or easy to build and take apart model would be good.  Also, infrared v. steam?  

Edited April 19, 2023 by Zone Read
clarifying topic

[deadshank 24653]

My wife is politicking for one of these.
 

FML.  

[HornOnTheBayou 8967]

Well, if Joe Rogan says it's a good idea...

[MonkeyDoughnut 10453]

I've wanted one for a long time... Home Depot actually sells them too (potentially easier returns). Reviews are all great and majority look super easy to setup - like 10-20 mins easy.  YouTube has bunch of assembly vids.  Anything from a single person to 3-4 people size.

Initially I was all about the steam sauna as that's what I knew but much of the pro/cons and reviews suggest infrared better all around as it "does more".  I guess does more for sore muscles, detox as penetrates further into the body/skin.

[Zone Read 299]

32 minutes ago, HornOnTheBayou said:

Well, if Joe Rogan says it's a good idea...

I know the guy is fucking nuts at times but I would probably take him serious as far as health goes. Dude is 55 years old and ripped.

[Parliament 14377]

He takes PEDS.

But saunas are awesome.

[Liquor and Poker 3659]

I had a small two-room sauna/steamroom-shower in my master bath a few years ago.  It was an infrared sauna, and it was fine - not as good as a traditional sauna but ok.  I liked the steamroom better.

Got it from a company called wasauna which is apparently defunct.

The install was a fucking nightmare but the unit was surprisingly inexpensive.

 

 

 

[fattyflattie 4639]

2 hours ago, deadshank said:

My wife is politicking for one of these.
 

FML.  

Mine too. I can fit it and half assed had it planned out once, but haven’t taken that step yet.   Definitely interested in the thread. 

[SimonBolivar 10961]

I just turn the AC off in August for a couple days. The wife complains a lot but it saves us in energy bills and keeps us from buying a $3000 sauna.

[twosheds 374]

I know you don’t want a permanent build but I have the plans and a material list for a 4x5 dry sauna. The heat panels are actually getting cheaper than a couple of years ago but I just can’t pull the trigger and start the process. The same size kits are $3K+ and most need a dedicated 15A circuit. I am a hotel snob and base my vacation lodging decisions on the presence or absence of saunas. lol

I will eventually build this but in the interim I look forward to seeing your decision and your progress.

[Zone Read 299]

1 hour ago, twosheds said:

I know you don’t want a permanent build but I have the plans and a material list for a 4x5 dry sauna. The heat panels are actually getting cheaper than a couple of years ago but I just can’t pull the trigger and start the process. The same size kits are $3K+ and most need a dedicated 15A circuit. I am a hotel snob and base my vacation lodging decisions on the presence or absence of saunas. lol

I will eventually build this but in the interim I look forward to seeing your decision and your progress.

Did you buy the plans or find them online somewhere?

[NeverMarryAStripper 22030]

One of my older sons built this from a kit.  He said is was pretty easy.

[troph 24929]

I wanted one in our house but didn’t figure it out. When we empty nest I’m lobbying for converting one of the kids bedrooms and bathrooms into a spa/gym with a sauna in the bathroom.  You should do it, Joe Rogan says it’s awesome. 

[Deej 77182]

[Skipper 6320]

The house I bought had a dry one built in upstairs.  Almost every January/February I get fired up about using it a few nights per week then slowly trail off.  It really does make you feel great, especially if you do it about 30 minutes close to bedtime and go right to a cool shower.  That results in fantastic sleep.

[Delta Charlie 150]

We are looking at one for our detached building that is currently in construction. I'm pretty sure were going with a 5x7 kit where they send you all the tongue/groove panels, doors, bench wood, heater, etc in one package. The installation video I watched is pretty good, so I feel I can handle the install. We're going to get our electrician to rough in the wiring where we need it.  Anybody have some experience with these types of kits?

[gmr548 16641]

I know the guy is fucking nuts at times but I would probably take him serious as far as health goes. Dude is 55 years old and ripped.

Yeah I’m sure that’s all natural lol

[0xdeadbeef 1654]

On 5/4/2023 at 2:56 PM, Delta Charlie said:

We are looking at one for our detached building that is currently in construction. I'm pretty sure were going with a 5x7 kit where they send you all the tongue/groove panels, doors, bench wood, heater, etc in one package. The installation video I watched is pretty good, so I feel I can handle the install. We're going to get our electrician to rough in the wiring where we need it.  Anybody have some experience with these types of kits?

I had a patio put in my backyard a couple weeks ago for a hot tub and one of the "4 person" kit saunas (Almost Heaven).  I just assembled it this past weekend.  For 80% of the assembly, it only needed 1 person, but did need two other folks to assist for a couple of steps. Total build time was only about 3 hours of leisurely work.  One week in, I've used it three times and its great. It has a 6kW Harvia electric heater that needed a 240v/30amp breaker (along with the 50amp breaker needed by the Hot Tub) so an electrician was needed to run a line from the main.       

If this was for a group of people, it might need to be bigger or higher end one, but 99.99% of the time, it's just for me. 

 

 

 

The electrician wasn't clear why I wanted a Sauna in Texas; he asked me multiple times if I knew how hot it gets here. Yes, yes I do.  It gets about 80-degrees cooler than my damn sauna. 

 

[Zone Read 299]

Bumping.  I ordered a 2 person Dynamic Sauna from Wayfair.  It was the best price I could find for that model online and I got an additional 10% off as a first-time customer.  Paid for it with gift cards I bought online at Staples.com with my Chase Biz card so almost 10K Chase Rewards points.  Apparently Dynamic Sauna its owned by Golden Design which markets several different lines of saunas and is the leading seller in the world.

Supposed to get here between June 21-29, so I'll report back after it arrives and I've taken a couple of shvitzes.

[Zone Read 299]

Bumping again.  Sauna arrived on June 22.  I've had it for almost 3 weeks and other than during a long weekend trip to Vegas last weekend, I've used it almost every day.  

I'm impressed.  For a less-expensive  infrared model that most "real" sauna enthusiasts seem to look down on, I'm enjoying it.  It gets pretty hot and I sweat buckets in it.  I come out feeling pretty good and have been sleeping better.  I'm finding that if I don't concentrate on staying hydrated during the day and especially when I'm inside it, there can be a bit of a hangover feeling the next day.  Whether I'm going to live longer and improve my immune system I can't say at this point.

Overall, glad I made the purchase.  One additional benefit of it is that it gives me 30 minutes of conversation with my wife (YMMV on that benefit depends on how well you get along with your spouse, LOL).  We tend to go do our own things after she gets home from work and we've had dinner, this kind of forces us to spend some additional quality time together talking.  

[NeverMarryAStripper 22030]

Have you boned in it yet?

Edited July 11, 2023 by NeverMarryAStripper

[Zone Read 299]

5 hours ago, NeverMarryAStripper said:

Have you boned in it yet?

Thought about it, but probably won't.  There isn't that much room for that.  Besides, I'm old, I'd probably die of heat stroke.  

[RPM 26430]

Let me get this straight. You want a room that gets hot so you will sweat? In Texas? Would you like to rent my shop? It's roomy and rates are reasonable.

[gmr548 16641]

On 7/12/2023 at 1:14 AM, RPM said:

Let me get this straight. You want a room that gets hot so you will sweat? In Texas? Would you like to rent my shop? It's roomy and rates are reasonable.

My first thought after seeing this thread title was, "Have you tried opening a window or two?"