A few years ago my husband and I visited a spa in Wisconsin. It was both a wonderful and an educational experience. While at the spa, my husband and I were sure to visit the sauna one to two times a day. If you are not at all familiar with a sauna, it is simply a small/enclosed room with a heating system that produces either dry or wet heat. One sits in the steamy room for sessions of about 30-45 minutes. Some people follow the sauna with a cool bath which can be quite invigorating.
After returning home, my husband and I concluded that it would be wonderful to have a sauna in our home. Because we were planning a bathroom remodel, our first thought was to install a steam shower. A steam shower is the way most people go to get a sauna in their home. It is simply an enclosed shower room with a steam generator which gives one the option to take a standard shower or a steam shower. This is an idea situation, but because we own a very old home, installing a steam shower would have been quite expensive due to the need to update our electrical system to accommodate the steam generator. The second thought was to purchase a steam cabin, almost like a “pre-fab” steam shower, but again our old electrical system would not be able to handle that amount of power. During our bathroom remodel, we concluded that we really, really wanted a sauna in our home and checked around to see how it could possibly be done. We took a look at some of the infrared saunas which we thought we might be able to use in one of the small bedrooms. These too are pre-fabbed cabins, and this might have worked for us, but with the bathroom remodel, we were a little low on funds.
To our surprise we ran across some portable steam saunas. These are a new line of very affordable one-person saunas made for personal use in the home. They look something like a huge garment bag ( I’ve provided a picture so that you can see it for yourself). In addition to the affordability of these saunas (they usually range from about $150-$400), they are portable and can be disassembled to store away in a closet or under a bed if needed. The downside is that they do not get as hot as most saunas (they go to about 115 degrees Fahrenheit, while other saunas might go up to around 170 degrees Fahrenheit). Nevertheless, it is still an enjoyable and beneficial sauna experience.
After shopping around and researching our options, we decided to purchase the Beauty Home Sauna IG290 made by a company called NIC in Japan. We ordered the product from an e-store called “IB3 Health”. After shipping and handling we spent around $225 for our own personal sauna. It took about five days for the sauna to be delivered. It arrived unassembled and came with several parts – the steam box, pipes that make up the frame, a steamer pot, silver floor mat and heat retardant glove. Our plan was that my husband would assemble it, but with us still working on the bathroom, for weeks he just couldn’t find the time to do it. One day at home alone, I decided to tackle the project. Mind you, I am not mechanically inclined, but my desire for my sauna was stronger than my fear of this challenge, so I went for it. Putting the sauna together is like putting together a Lego set. The instructions were simple – connect the pipes (parts a and b) to the joints (part c) and part d was used almost as a connector. First I put the whole frame together which was a mistake because how was I to get the box over the frame – duh. So I hate to take some of it apart and decided I better follow the instructions to the letter. Although it was easy to put together, putting the frame in the steam box caused me to sweat. In fact, because it is so difficult, we leave the sauna box up in our room at all times. It’s just not worth the hassle of taking it down and putting it back together again. Who wants to spend 30-45 minutes putting the thing together in order to get in it?
Once the box was assembled and I’d recouped from putting it together, I decided to give it a try. First I laid down the silver matting which simply aids in protecting your floor. Then I connected the steamer pot to the steam box through intake connector on the side of the steam box. Then I filled the steam pot with water and a few drops of lemon and eucalyptus oils. You can also use lotions, salts and/or herbs (inside a bag as to not mess up the steamer pot). Lastly, I set the timer for 45 minutes, and zipped up the box to allow the steam to fill up in it before got in. It took about 20 minutes for the steam to generate. My husband and I were presently surprised at the amount of steam this small pot generated. In addition, I could watch tv from the small “see through” window, or I could just lie back and relax.
The product comes with a 2-year warranty. Individuals with malignant tumors, are pregnant or have high blood pressure and/or heart disease should consult their physician before using. Also not recommended for young children.
If you don’t know much about saunas, here are some of their benefits:
Weight Loss
Help With Circulation
Ease of Joint Pain
Help/Improve Cardiovascular System
Help With Respiratory Problems
Relaxing/Relieve Stress
Clean Toxins From Body/Improve Immune System
Help With Skin Problems
Aid In Regulating Blood Pressure
