Michele Brurian-Quintiliano and her husband, Marcus, find refuge in their sauna. It’s the place in their day where Michele can meditate, do “energy work” and even sing and chant. For Marcus, it’s a place to sit in hushed silence, letting it all go.
“Especially if you’re by yourself, or people you’re comfortable with, I will often just make up songs or chant. It allows you to get a lot of stuff out, and it’s such a small space, the acoustics are really good,” Michele said.
The Harbor Springs couple has had an outdoor, wood-fired sauna for four years and they’re keenly aware of its health benefits in terms of relaxation, toxin release and purification.
For the Quintilianos, sauna season has begun again and they’re looking forward to cold winter days of relaxing in the hot room, even exiting to roll in the snow and hop back in.
How long they stay inside the approximately 180-degree room varies depending on how much benefit they’re feeling, Michele said, which can be dictated by what they’ve consumed during the day.
As a massage therapist at Howard Street Massage in Petoskey, Michele is focused on ways to relax the body and treat discomforts. She said the sauna use, with aromatherapy of essential oils purchased medicinal-grade, such as rosemary or eucalyptus, help the unwinding process.
Before entering, she’ll often use a coarse, natural bristled brush on her skin to exfoliate and prepare the exterior skin tissue for toxin release. Once inside, she also enjoys stretching warmed-up muscles for further relaxation.
The Quintilianos are also avid outdoor sports enthusiasts — tele-skiing, backwoods cross-country skiing and snowshoeing — and they look forward to coming back and sitting in the sauna after an intense workout.
When they fired up the wood sauna a couple weeks ago for the first sauna of fall, the couple lit natural beeswax candles, as Michele advises sauna users to not use any chemicals in the sauna, and soaked in the heat.
“We were both commenting on how it feels like a sanctuary,” she said.
 

Workout then work it out

Tom Behan has long enjoyed the health benefits of using a sauna and has recently installed two in his new downtown Petoskey gym, Petoskey Health and Fitness on Mitchell Street, which is set to open mid-November. He also has a popular sauna on-site at Bay Tennis and Fitness in Harbor Springs.
“A sauna provides a fair amount of relief to people with asthma and chronic bronchitis,” said Behan, an asthma sufferer himself. “And obviously it feels good and it adds a level of joint mobility, especially to people with mild arthritis and stiffness.
“A sauna is also a great pain reliever. Studies have shown that the benefits of being in a sauna are better than taking an over-the-counter painkiller. Not very many people know that.”
Behan, a local fitness expert, added further that saunas do not dry out skin as is commonly misconceived; in fact, saunas and steam rooms can help people who suffer from psoriasis and other skin conditions.
“A sauna is also good for people suffering with mild depression or those on a weight-loss regimen,” Behan said.
Along with a good workout, use of a sauna can help those suffering chronic fatigue, and often 15 to 20 minute sessions can help alleviate symptoms, he added.
“The No. 1 reason people use a sauna is that it feels good to them and they sweat,” Behan said. “It feels good, yes, but there are many, many more benefits to a sauna.”
He uses a sauna personally to slow down. “There’s not much you can do in a sauna but sit there and think,” Behan said. “It calms me down and clears my head.”
 

Public and private

Whether using a sauna at a public location like Behan’s health facilities or having one constructed inside or outside a private home, it can quickly become an addictive experience in the colder months, said Sam Trufant, owner of Northern Forest Products in Harbor Springs, which installs saunas.
It’s also a feeling that one may have to grow accustomed to as far as heat and toxin release. “The first time you do it, it feels hot and maybe even uncomfortable,” Trufant said. “Primarily your pores start releasing and the oils come out, and your sweat glands can be blocked a little bit unless you perspire all the time.”
After repeated use, however, the release feels refreshing. “Pretty soon you start going into the sauna and your perspiration starts right away, and it comes quickly and easily … It becomes sort-of habit forming. You just feel clean.”
The saunas constructed by Trufant are made of cedar and are available as a liner kit for inside the house or as a free-standing structure that can be built outside.
For those considering a steam bath or sauna, generally speaking saunas are easier to build and require less material and labor than a steam bath. Self-enclosed steam baths can be installed in any bathroom.
Both types can be installed in a small space. Pre-built saunas can be placed in a bedroom or basement and can be put together in less than half an hour. Steam bath enclosures are usually installed in a bathroom and require the services of a plumber to connect the steam generator.
The heat source for a sauna can be either electric or wood-fired, like at the Quintilianos and Trufant’s own outdoor sauna. Wood-fired versions can take 20 minutes or so to fully heat.
A common practice for most sauna users is to sprinkle scented oils, mostly eucalyptus or sandalwood, and water on heated rocks set atop the unit’s heating mechanism, creating a bit of humidity in the air and a relaxing aroma.
“That’s your aromatherapy, it’s like a sudden infusion of Vicks,” Trufant said. “It’s a lovely aroma, and it kind of cleans out your nasal passages pretty well, too.”
 

Are there health benefits?

Relaxing in and of itself is a health benefit for many people, and a sauna or steam bath can go a long way toward releasing stress along with toxins. As far as other health benefits, some claim the following benefits from using a sauna regularly:
Loss of water weight;
Burning calories: You can burn over 300 calories in a single sauna session. However, regular exercise is still better for your body, because in addition to burning calories, you will be working your muscle groups and in some cases putting on more muscle, both of which will burn more calories in the future;
Lowering blood pressure: Being in a sauna can temporarily lower blood pressure. The high heat will cause your blood vessels to dilate, or widen, which results in a lowered blood pressure. Do not expect permanent lowering of blood pressure from saunas, however;
Easing of muscle pain: The high heat can loosen up all of your muscles which will in turn ease any muscle soreness, and in some cases even joint pain;
Relaxation: Achieving a state of relaxation and mental calm is important for overall health. Mental stress can wear an individual down and can even weaken the immune system, leaving you more vulnerable to sicknesses.
Most health professionals agree that both sauna and steam room heat are good for blood circulation and can cleanse and rejuvenate the skin through heavy perspiration. They are good for easing muscle tension and promoting feelings of relaxation and well-being.
Some people find the dry heat of the sauna to be uncomfortable to breathe. Those with respiratory problems like sinus congestion and asthma may prefer the moist heat of the steam bath. Steam inhalation is often used for treating bronchitis, sinusitis and allergies so people with these conditions may benefit from steam baths.
One final word on the subject, from a Harvard expert: “All in all, saunas appear safe for the body, but there is little evidence that they have health benefits above and beyond relaxation and a feeling of well-being,” said Dr. Harvey Simon, editor-in-chief of Harvard Men’s Health Watch.

Caution to men, heart patients

Excess heat such as from frequent use of saunas or hot tubs can temporarily impair sperm production and lower sperm count by overheating the testicles. This can create infertility problems in couples trying to conceive.
Further, heart patients should check with their doctors before taking a sauna. Studies show them to be safe for people with stable coronary artery disease, but patients with poorly controlled blood pressure, abnormal heart rhythms, unstable angina and advanced heart failure or heart valve disease will probably be advised to stay cool, according to Harvard health researchers.
More cautions:
Avoid alcohol and medications that may impair sweating and produce overheating before and after your sauna.
Stay in no more than 15-20 minutes.
Cool down gradually afterward.
Drink two to four glasses of cool water after each sauna.
Don’t take a sauna when you are ill, and if you feel unwell during a session, get out immediately. 

Sauna vs. steam bath

The sauna has very low humidity. This means it can be much hotter than a steam bath. Saunas are usually between 80°C and 100°C while a steam bath is usually about 40°C. If the steam bath was any hotter than this it could scald the skin, but the dry heat of the sauna is safe.
Saunas are heated with stones placed on some kind of heater — usually electric or wood-burning. From time to time, water is poured on the stones that produce a thick cloud of steam. This has the effect of raising the temperature in the sauna by several degrees, but the steam quickly dissipates.
A steam generator, on the other hand, heats steam baths. The steam is fed into the almost airtight room where it builds up to create humidity level of around 100 percent.
Source: www.worldfitness.org