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Does the sauna provide a significantly different outcome to a hot shower?

by fareesh 4y ago

bobthepanda 4y ago
A sauna is hotter than a hot shower, unless you're showering regularly at 150-195 F.
- yellow_lead 4y ago
  A better question would be the effect on body temperature. Obviously, water transmits heat better than air
- smilliken 4y ago
  The shower is higher humidity though, and the hot water makes direct contact, so the heat is more conductive. Similar for a steam sauna, they are more potent at the same temperature. Also infrared saunas, but for a different reason (the light is absorbed directly into the tissue, without needing to heat the air). So it's definitely not just about temperature.
- crazygringo 4y ago
  I can definitely turn my shower up for a hotter body experience than any sauna I've ever been in, and obviously it's nowhere near 150-195 which would be lethal. Because the water is making direct contact with my body for much more heat transfer. The dry air of a sauna is vastly slower, plus you're sweating which provides evaporative cooling which isn't happening in the shower. So I too really don't see how saunas are appreciably different from hot showers here.
  - randomopining 4y ago
    You're sweating long after a sauna way more than any hot shower i've taken... so there is def something different going on
  - Scea91 4y ago
    You said one difference yourself already: sweating. Also in sauna you breathe the hot air in.
  - bttf 4y ago
    You simply have not had a proper sauna before. It can get your body way hotter inside and out than a shower ever could
- mateo- 4y ago
  i imagine hot shower also worse for your skin
scyzoryk_xyz 4y ago
Absolutely - it is nothing like a shower. Your skin releases sweat and your airways clear up because you breathe the hot air in and out. As you sit there and wait, your mind calms down too, much like it would during a proper work out. A sauna visit warms you up down to the core especially in a cold winter climate. For several hours afterwards you feel warm, even when out about in the cold. It’s like that nice hot feeling after a shower sticks around for several hours instead of half an hour.

Does the sauna provide a significantly different outcome to a hot shower?

bobthepanda 4y ago

A sauna is hotter than a hot shower, unless you're showering regularly at 150-195 F.

yellow_lead 4y ago
A better question would be the effect on body temperature. Obviously, water transmits heat better than air
smilliken 4y ago
The shower is higher humidity though, and the hot water makes direct contact, so the heat is more conductive. Similar for a steam sauna, they are more potent at the same temperature. Also infrared saunas, but for a different reason (the light is absorbed directly into the tissue, without needing to heat the air). So it's definitely not just about temperature.
crazygringo 4y ago
I can definitely turn my shower up for a hotter body experience than any sauna I've ever been in, and obviously it's nowhere near 150-195 which would be lethal. Because the water is making direct contact with my body for much more heat transfer. The dry air of a sauna is vastly slower, plus you're sweating which provides evaporative cooling which isn't happening in the shower. So I too really don't see how saunas are appreciably different from hot showers here.
- randomopining 4y ago
  You're sweating long after a sauna way more than any hot shower i've taken... so there is def something different going on
- Scea91 4y ago
  You said one difference yourself already: sweating. Also in sauna you breathe the hot air in.
- bttf 4y ago
  You simply have not had a proper sauna before. It can get your body way hotter inside and out than a shower ever could
mateo- 4y ago
i imagine hot shower also worse for your skin

scyzoryk_xyz 4y ago

Absolutely - it is nothing like a shower. Your skin releases sweat and your airways clear up because you breathe the hot air in and out. As you sit there and wait, your mind calms down too, much like it would during a proper work out. A sauna visit warms you up down to the core especially in a cold winter climate. For several hours afterwards you feel warm, even when out about in the cold. It’s like that nice hot feeling after a shower sticks around for several hours instead of half an hour.