Saunas and Stuff CA

If you're tired of going to your local fitness center or spa and sharing the sauna with perfect strangers, it might be time to purchase a sauna for your home. As you consider the saunas for sale in our online inventory, it is important that you don't jump into the decision without thinking about what type of sauna best fits your home. There are multiple factors to consider, not the least of which is deciding whether you want to install an indoor or outdoor sauna.

Overriding Considerations
Whether you are leaning toward the indoor or outdoor sauna for sale, there are installation requirements that you should keep in mind that impact both types of saunas. The most important factors are water supply, electrical supply, and space to accommodate the new sauna. Limited space is often the primary factor impacting indoor saunas, while electrical and water supply lines often make or break the viability of outdoor saunas.

The Case for Indoor Saunas
Selecting the indoor sauna for sale that you've been looking at ensures you'll be able to use your new retreat any time of day, any day of the year. Additionally, it is common to convert an indoor bathroom (or a portion of that existing space) into a sauna. The benefit of an indoor unit compared to an outdoor unit is the ability to use existing electrical and water supply lines to support your indoor sauna. On top of that, you won't have to pour any new foundations to install a sauna in your home.

Keep in mind that an indoor sauna results in the loss of space in your home, the need for proper ventilation, and difficulty creating proper drainage for your spa. This doesn't mean that an indoor sauna is a bad idea, but rather, that you should keep these factors in mind as you design the space within your home that will house your indoor sauna.

The Case for Outdoor Saunas
Whether you live in a warm-weather climate or a cold-weather climate, that sauna for sale that you're considering could make a great addition to your backyard. Building an outdoor sauna adds to the theme of a larger backyard space, and prevents the loss of space inside your home. Additionally, you can build an outdoor sauna of any size or shape you desire. Rather than making drastic changes to an indoor space, you can easily add ventilation and drainage to accommodate your outdoor sauna.

Before you begin work on an outdoor sauna, read these few tips to help the process go smoother. For starters, evaluate the feasibility and cost of running water and electrical supply lines to your new sauna. Also, you'll need to pour a foundation and insulate the unit against the elements.

Cost Considerations
Generally speaking, indoor saunas are less expensive because you already have the space and supply lines available. An outdoor sauna requires greater construction and preparation costs. It is possible to cut down those costs by purchasing an outdoor sauna kit for sale. The prefabrication of sauna kits eliminates some of the construction costs associated with an outdoor unit.

Whichever direction you go, take the time to analyze the feasibility of installing a new sauna in your home. Indoor and outdoor units have different benefits and drawbacks, so weigh them carefully before purchasing that new sauna for sale.

If you have spent any time at a commercial spa, you may have seen an infrared sauna and wondered what makes it different from a traditional model. If you have been thinking about installing a sauna in your own home or patio, you may wonder whether the benefits of an infrared sauna are worth the extra cost. The answer depends on a number of factors, including your budget, what you need from a sauna and your own personal taste.

What is an Infrared Sauna?

Unlike a traditional sauna, an infrared sauna uses light to create heat. A traditional sauna includes a heating unit that warms up the air and creates the relaxing and soothing steam that everyone associates with the spa experience.  An infrared sauna also heats the air inside the enclosed space, but it uses light to do so instead of a traditional heating unit.

Infrared saunas are sometimes called far saunas. That may be a strange term, but the word far simply refers to where the waves fall on the light spectrum. Infrared is at the far end of the light spectrum, hence the alternate term for an infrared sauna.

What Are the Benefits of an Infrared Sauna?

While any sauna is good for your health, infrared saunas have a number of important health benefits. If you are looking for a great way to relax and unwind after a long day, there is nothing like an infrared sauna to make your tight neck feel looser and your muscles feel more relaxed.

In fact infrared saunas are so good at relaxing muscles that many sports teams use them as part of their training. Relaxing in an infrared sauna is a great way to unwind after a heavy workout, and the sauna treatment can even prevent muscle soreness and fatigue. Regular use of an infrared sauna can prevent harmful muscle strains and help you get more out of every trip to the gym.

The regular use of an infrared sauna can also help with your weight loss regimen. You already know that an infrared sauna can relieve muscle soreness and make exercise more comfortable, but the impact on your muscles can also make your metabolism more efficient. You may find that your body is better at burning fat and building muscle after using a combination of infrared sauna therapy and regular exercise.

Sauna use can also detoxify the body and make it easier to rid your system of common toxins found in the food we eat, the beverages we drink and the environment we live in. Detoxifying the body can be a great way to lose weight, enjoy better health and just feel better, and an infrared sauna can speed up that detox process.

Using an infrared sauna may also be good for your skin. The heated air and increased sweat the infrared sauna provides will open your pores and help clean out the gunk that accumulates there. From old makeup to environmental toxins, your skin is constantly under assault. Regular use of an infrared sauna can clean out your pores and undo the damage of the day.

With all these benefits, it is easy to see why so many people are turning to the power of an in-home infrared sauna. Whether you need to relax and unwind after a hard day at work or build your muscles for a sports career, having an infrared sauna in your home can make your life easier.

If you’re interested in purchasing a sauna for sale for your home, or have any questions about which model is right for you, give us a call, we’re happy to help!

There are a lot of reasons to spend time relaxing in a sauna. Aside from the obvious benefits of relaxing your body and mind, saunas provide an opportunity to improve your skin health and eliminate toxins from your body. Saunas are a common fixture in fitness centers and gyms across the country. They are so popular that when homeowners see a sauna for sale they have to think long and hard about investing in one for their home. If you've never looked at saunas for sale, you might be surprised to know that there are actually two types of saunas commonly sold today.

When so many people step into a sauna, enjoy the relaxing heat, and go on about their day, it's no surprise that most people aren't familiar with the different types of saunas. The most common saunas for sale today are infrared and traditional models. What is the difference between the two, and which one is right for you?

Heat

The biggest difference between the two types of saunas is the intensity of the heat. A traditional dry sauna heats up to temperatures between 185 and 195 degrees, while an infrared model tops out between 120 and 150 degrees. The milder temps in an infrared sauna allow you to remain in the sauna for a longer period of time, permitting the heat waves to reach deeper into your body and creating a more relaxed physical state. Traditional saunas induce a more intense sweat, helping the body eliminate toxins and boost circulation in your blood stream.

Humidity

Traditional saunas start the day as a low-humidity environment, but when more people use it throughout the day, humidity levels begin to rise. Every time a user pours water on the coals in a traditional sauna, more humidity is released into the air in the sauna. Infrared saunas have no coals and create no steam, making it a low-humidity environment.

Power

If you've seen an infrared sauna for sale and wondered how it might impact your electricity bill, you might be surprised to learn how little the impact is on your budget. Infrared saunas use an average of 1.6 kw, while traditional saunas use an average of 6 kw of power. Comparatively speaking, infrared saunas will cost you one-third the amount a traditional sauna would on your energy bill.

Heat Source

As alluded to in the humidity section, infrared and traditional saunas use different heat sources to provide you with a relaxing environment. A traditional sauna uses a stove to heat the air inside. When water is added to the coals on the stove, you boost the humidity inside the sauna. Infrared saunas, on the other hand, use infrared heating panels that emanate a lower level of heat into the sauna. The differing heat sources create different environments for your body.

The higher heat in a traditional sauna causes your body to start cooling itself by transporting blood closer to the surface. This not only helps maintain healthy skin, but the high heat causes sweating which opens the pores. Infrared saunas use lower heat levels to penetrate deeper into your skin, causing a slower rise in body temperature. The overall impact is a deep, relaxing heat that eases arthritic pain and soothes muscles.

Before you buy that sauna for sale that you saw online, keep these factors in mind and determine which type of sauna is right for you based upon its features and your needs

Unless you’ve shopped for an Infrared Sauna lately, you likely don’t realize how many options are available and how you can customize your home sauna experience.

Whether to accommodate one person or several; stand alone, installed, or for corner assembly, you can build the relaxation haven of your dreams.

Here in Canada, Canadian Red Cedar has a rich aromatic scent and for most, it is the sauna wood of choice. However, certain people may have an adverse physical reaction to aromatic oils, shampoos with perfumes infused or certain herbs with natural aromas.

Hemlock is another popular wood because it releases the soothing odor of the great outdoors.

Whatever kind of wood you prefer, many amenities are standard, but you can adorn your sauna with a variety of upgrades.

1. Movable Backrests – depending on where you want to sit and how you wish to recline – these are extremely handy
2. Battery Powered Air Ionizers - these remove bacteria and odors from the air
3. Internal Lighting – sets the tone and setting
4. iPod and MP3 Input and Speakers– nothing’s better than selecting from your own list of favorites to add to the overall ambiance
5. Cabinetry –beautiful woods and stunning designs make for infrared saunas that are essentially “furniture-worthy”!
6. Reading Lights – whether something inspirational or the latest New York Times Best Seller – you can enjoy your book in the peace and quiet
7. Wide Benches – for lounging
8. Easy Electrical Connections
9. Color Therapy Lighting with a Remote – set the stage with lighting that subtly changes or remains at a level most relaxing
10. Accessory Shelves for decor or to hold Beverages
11. Decorative Doors and Handles – create your one-of-a-kind masterpiece
12. Ultra-Low EMF Carbon Fiber Panel Heaters

The Canadian winters may be long and are sometimes brutal, but with the help of our custom and stock infrared saunas…you can weather the storms, and enjoy a charming respite year round.

Advances in fields like technology and wellness have caused us to re-consider yesterday’s innovations as today’s necessities. If you’ve ever used a DVR to record your favorite programs to enjoy them commercial-free, or have relied on a smart phone to alert you to traffic conditions so you arrive on time at your next appointment, then you’ve integrated something once considered a luxury into part of your daily routine. These have become activities and provide information upon which you consistently rely!

In the field of wellness, if you’ve ever experienced the soothing, calming, healthy benefits of an infrared sauna, there’s little doubt you’d turn down the opportunity to consistently integrate saunas into your life as well.

Peaceful and therapeutic, today’s saunas are moving from fitness centers and high-end salons to home baths. Trends in bathroom design have literally made just about anything possible. While towel heaters and dual sinks were once considered luxurious amenities, the infrared sauna has helped transform the modern bath into a personal spa.

If your home is large enough to accommodate a gym, it will likely be able to accommodate an infrared sauna as it provides the perfect place to rejuvenate muscles after a workout. While most of us do not have this square footage in our homes, the master bath has become the ideal spot to create an exceptionally inviting retreat from the stresses of the day.

What’s interesting about any innovation is, the more standard it becomes, the more easily the installation becomes available for home use. Big screen TVs were once a movie theatre feature. Now sizeable flat screens adorn living rooms, family rooms, and bedrooms throughout Canada. And so it is with infrared saunas…

Contemporary bath design is sleeker and more “spa-like” than ever. Everything from fixture finishes to gleaming tiles evoke relaxation. Many homeowners have even abandoned the idea of installing tubs in lieu of a shower room and sauna combo. In this design, they reap the maximum benefit of the space and are instead installing elements they will actually use.

Home infrared saunas are no longer relegated to the basement or the backyard. They are very much a mainstay of the modern bath.

Image by melintelinas via DeviantArt

Many of our sauna models come with built-in speakers and mp3 inputs. While it's definitely nice to listen to your favorite songs while detoxing, did you know you can use these audio features to benefit your health? It's called sound therapy, and it pairs really well with sauna use.

Check out our sauna models with built-in mp3 input.

What is Sound Therapy?

Sound therapy is the use of any kind of sound to achieve a number of different health benefits. These sounds can be songs--often classical or instrumental music is used, but mellow vocals are also suitable. Sound therapy can often use natural sounds such as rain, trickling water, bird song and so on. Lastly, sound therapy sometimes uses white noise or repetitive sounds such as beeping , chanting, or ringing noises. Regardless of the type of sounds used, it should suit the desired effect.

What are the Benefits of Sound Therapy?

The benefits of sound therapy are extensive, ranging from alleviating anxiety to losing weight to developing social skills. Here are just a few of the many ways to use sound therapy:

• Reducing anxiety
• Relieving pain -- Songs with personal meaning especially can help reduce pain. Perhaps this is one reason why we listen to music after a break up?
• Losing weight -- Listening to music while eating slows the rate at which you eat, which causes you to feel fuller while eating less. It can also make your food seem to taste better.
• Lowering blood pressure and heart rate
• Increasing blood pressure and heart rate
• Increasing endorphin levels
• Relieving muscle tension
• Improving motor skills
• Rebuilding physical patterning skills
• Improving immune function
• Sharpening mental acuity
• Assisting in relaxation
• Enhancing memory and learning
• Increasing concentration

And if that's not enough, here's an even bigger list of benefits: http://www.soundtherapyperth.com/benefits/

• http://www.nextavenue.org/article/2013-01/surprising-health-benefits-sound
• http://soundtherapyhealing.com/benefits-of-sound-therapy/

What is Restless Leg Syndrome?

Restless Leg Syndrome, or Ekbom's Syndrome, is a neurological condition characterized by uncomfortable sensations in the legs. Sufferers describe these sensations in a variety of ways: like insects crawling inside their legs, as burning or tugging sensation, or like someone is tugging on their leg muscles. The severity can range from merely uncomfortable to extremely painful. There is usually an uncontrollable urge to move the legs in order to experience some relief. Individuals with RLS can experience injuries due to the need to move their legs, can have their ability to walk disturbed during an episode, and often have difficulty falling or staying asleep.

Women, overweight individuals, and older individuals seem to have higher rates of RLS, and it appears to be genetic, as well.

What Causes Restless Leg Syndrome?

Doctors believe RLS may be caused by dopamine imbalances in the brain, and it is thought that sodium levels in the body may also play a large part. Some individuals report increased episodes of RLS after ingesting large amounts of salty foods, and decreased episodes when they abstain from or decrease salt in their diets. There are other factors as well, including hormone levels. It is an issue that likely has multiple factors.

How is Restless Leg Syndrome Treated?

Current treatments usually include prescription medication, such as Dopaminergic Agents (which regulate muscle action), Benzodiazepines (which suppress muscle action), and Opiates (which cause relaxation). Sufferers are also advised to increase the iron in their diets, as iron is essential in the creation of dopamine.

Many people with RLS also increase their intake of other nutrients and vitamins, such as magnesium, and take estrogen to balance their hormone levels.

Many also use hot tubs, heat pads, and saunas to help alleviate symptoms.

How Do Infrared Saunas Help Alleviate Restless Leg Syndrome?

Many RLS sufferers report that their symptoms decrease when they undergo detoxification, either through diet, sauna use, or a combination of the two. There are a few reasons why saunas are helping:

• Sweating cleanses the body of toxins and salt. High sodium levels seem to worsen RLS, so sweating them out appears to decrease episodes.
• The high temperatures of a sauna create heat stress in the body, which causes it to release dopamine. This may alleviate dopamine imbalances in the brain and, thusly, alleviate RLS symptoms.
• Saunas relax the body and mind, and when used an hour or two before bed they help create a deep, restful sleep. The relaxation of the muscles alleviates much of the muscle soreness RLS sufferers experience, and the deep sleep is something most RLS sufferers don't get often enough.

Check out our line of infrared saunas here and get relief from your RLS symptoms!

Do you suffer from RLS? Have you found saunas to be useful in alleviating symptoms? Tell us in the comments below!

• http://www.promolife.com/cart/health-articles/health-management-articles/restless-leg-salt
• http://jonbarron.org/article/restless-legs-syndrome-natural-alternative#.VAoXrfmwLnQ

This article is Part Four of our four-part series on the extraordinary effects of hyperthermic conditioning--or heat acclimation--through sauna use on athletic performance and general health. If this series doesn't convince you that a sauna should be a regular part of your health regimen, nothing will! We believe this information is so important, that we are featuring the series on both our Saunas US and Saunas Canada sites.

This series focuses on and breaks down the information provided by Dr. Rhonda Patrick in her YouTube video "Hyperthermic Conditioning for Hypertrophy, Endurance, and Neurogenesis". See the full video pasted below. Throughout the article, we will direct you to specific points in the video so you can jump straight there.

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Hyperthermic Conditioning / Heat Acclimation Through Sauna Use

Heat acclimation--or hyperthermic conditioning--through regular sauna use can have profound effects on health and athletic performance. Specifically, in the following areas:

1. increasing endurance capacity
2. increasing muscle mass
3. improving brain function, including neurogenesis (the creation of new brain cells)
4. causing the effect known as "Runner's High"

Refer to 1:08 in the video.

The Runner's High (10:11)

It's a common report among runners: they push themselves through a long and tough run, and then afterwards find that they feel really really good. Like maybe too good, as if chemically altered. This "high"--or euphoria--is sometimes mistakenly thought to be caused by endorphins, but it's not. Well, not really.

What happens is this: during a run, your body releases dynorphin, which is the opposite of endorphin. While endorphins make you feel good all over, dynorphins actually create a feeling of dysphoria. These dynorphins essentially "reboot" your system, making you more sensitive to endorphins.

You can get this "high" effect from activities a release of dynorphins, such as exercise, eating really spicy food, and--you guessed it--heat stress, such as you experience from a sauna session.

So if you'd like to experience this euphoria without having to run a marathon, have a seat in a nice hot sauna!

Be sure to check out the entire series on heat acclimation/hyperthermic conditioning:

1. Building Athletic Endurance Through Sauna Use
2. Increasing Muscle Mass Through Sauna Use
3. Improving Brain Function Through Sauna Use
4. The Runner's High Explained

This article is Part Three of our four-part series on the extraordinary effects of hyperthermic conditioning--or heat acclimation--through sauna use on athletic performance and general health. If this series doesn't convince you that a sauna should be a regular part of your health regimen, nothing will! We believe this information is so important, that we are featuring the series on both our Saunas US and Saunas Canada sites.

This series focuses on and breaks down the information provided by Dr. Rhonda Patrick in her YouTube video "Hyperthermic Conditioning for Hypertrophy, Endurance, and Neurogenesis". See the full video pasted below. Throughout the article, we will direct you to specific points in the video so you can jump straight there.

--------

Hyperthermic Conditioning / Heat Acclimation Through Sauna Use

Heat acclimation--or hyperthermic conditioning--through regular sauna use can have profound effects on health and athletic performance. Specifically, in the following areas:

1. increasing endurance capacity
2. increasing muscle mass
3. improving brain function, including neurogenesis (the creation of new brain cells)
4. causing the effect known as "Runner's High"

Refer to 1:08 in the video.

The Effects of Heat Acclimation on Brain Function (8:05)

The following effects occur during hyperthermic conditioning through regular sauna use:

1. Neurogenesis is increased. Neurogenesis is the creation of new brain cells.
2. There is improvement in learning and memory. The brain's ability to learn new things and retain memories increases.
3. Focus is improved. The ability to sustain concentration during a mental task is increased.

What Happens in the Brain During Sauna Use (8:14)

Regular sauna use causes a 3-fold increase in norepinephrine. Norepinephrine is the hormone and neurotransmitter most responsible for focus and attention and other cognitive functions. The increase in norepinephrine levels means a greater ability to focus and pay attention, as well as an increased capacity for storing information for later use (memory).

Norepinephrine is often given in drug form to treat ADHD, so it is suggested that increasing the levels more naturally through regular sauna use can relieve symptoms of ADHD and similar disorders.

Levels of the hormone prolactin are also increased, by a whopping 10-fold. Prolactin encourages myelin growth. Myelination is the formation of myelin around nerve cells. This process enables faster transmission of information and allows for more complex brain functions. More prolactin = more myelin growth = faster, more complex "executive" thought processes that exhibit as improved planning, decision-making, and reasoning skills, as well as improved impulse control and self-discipline.

Read This Part--It is Extra Amazing (9:14)

The stress of the heat during sauna use increases the amount of brain-derived neurotophic factors (BDNF) released (when combined with exercise). BDNF is amazing stuff. Increased BDNF levels do the following:

1. increase the growth of brain cells
2. increase the survival rate of existing brain cells (they live longer)
3. improve learning and retention
4. reduce depression and anxiety related to early life events
5. improve the ability of muscles to repair themselves throughout the body

That's pretty amazing stuff.

Be sure to check out the entire series on heat acclimation/hyperthermic conditioning:

1. Building Athletic Endurance Through Sauna Use
2. Increasing Muscle Mass Through Sauna Use
3. Improving Brain Function Through Sauna Use
4. The Runner's High Explained