We all know the great benefits of saunas in helping to recover after a hard workout, or to relive pent up tension and frustration when visiting a hotel or luxury resort. What few people realize is that saunas have many more benefits than these. In fact there are a wide variety of benefits that can be enjoyed by having access to a sauna at home.

The ancient Greeks were the first to understand the benefits that the body can experience when alternating the environment from hot and dry to hot and moist. The Romans took the idea of temperature based bathing to its full potential by building entire complexes that used saunas and other temperature extremes. Through the years it has been understood that there is no better way to relax than with a hot wet steam or a warm dry resting.

The idea of home based saunas was first introduced in the first part of the 20th century when major catalog retailers started to sell steam cabinets. These large metal boxes had a chair in them that allowed a person to sit and be enveloped by the steam generated by the heated element and tank of water located under the chair. A fabric hood was able to be placed over the head to allow the breathing of steam as well.