The right way – sauna infusion in 7 steps
The right sauna infusion in the sweat lodge. At the beginning of the last five minutes of a sauna session, the beneficial infusion is performed. Sauna masters pour aromatic water over the hot sauna stones. The hissing sound that occurs during the infusion announces the impending blast of steam. This gently caresses the skin like an ember. Moreover, this moment represents the center of the sauna bath and moves visitors to a meditative silence.
What is the purpose of an infusion in the sauna?
In terms of health, according to sauna purists, the infusion plays no role. Even if that is true, the brief moment of meditation relaxes visitors. For a fraction of a second, they forget their stressful everyday lives and focus on the hissing, the steam and the aromatic scent. Sauna sessions achieve positive effects thanks to the alternation between the heat and the subsequent cooling down. The immune system enjoys a boost due to this approach. Thus, the heat stimulus that results from the infusion at the end of the sauna bath does not cause any further advantage in terms of physical strengthening.
However, sauna fans of many years do not only sauna for health reasons. After all, there is now no public facility in which there is no infusion. Heat cabins that omit this brief relaxation ritual are not competitive. Infusions act as a balm for the soul and form the successful conclusion to a soothing sauna bath. In addition, sauna-goers report an increased feeling of relaxation, which they attribute to the infusion. They describe the brief moment as calming or stimulating, depending on the scent chosen. Citrus fruits have a calming effect, whereas herbs such as mint invigorate the senses.
What accessories are needed for an infusion?
Infusions only work with a sauna heater as well as with the corresponding sauna stones. The infusion also requires the wooden sauna bucket. Together with a wooden ladle, the water bucket is the perfect duo for a sauna infusion. This accessory is already enough for the infusion. Heat and steam are created. However, aromatic essences increase the ritual of well-being. There are numerous sauna fragrances on the market. Furthermore, wellness lovers can compose their individual scent mixtures. An infusion also includes a towel. This enables waving in the sauna. This distributes the warm air in the room.
Step-by-step instructions for sauna infusion
Public facilities turn the sauna infusion into a ceremony. In some heat cabins, visitors rub themselves with honey or salt. Before this ritual, sauna-goers have saunted for at least between five and ten minutes. After all, the body should be warm enough to feel the heat stimulus intensely.
- Before the sauna masters start the infusion, they open the cabin door beforehand to let a fresh air breeze into the room. Furthermore, they swirl it into the sweat cabin with a towel.
- Then they close the door before drizzling droplets of soothing fragrances into the water bucket and mixing them well with the water.
- In the third step, sauna masters slowly distribute the water over the sauna stones. Pouring quickly can be painful as the water splashes are hot.
- After the infusion, the water evaporates. For this reason, the humidity in the heat cabin increases for a short moment.
- After that, sauna masters grab the towel at the end and make it rotate in the air like a propeller. As a result, they swirl the humid air throughout the room.
- After a one-minute break, the process is repeated.
- After a maximum of three infusions, the ritual is over. Some sauna-goers continue to sweat for another minute or two if they feel the need to do so.
- Finally, they leave the sauna and cool down. They take a short walk in the fresh air before cooling off with cold water. For this purpose, they use a hose, a shower or the available pool.
What happens during an infusion in the sauna?
Visitors who look at the thermometer during an infusion notice that the temperature does not rise at all. This fact surprises the majority. After all, sauna-goers feel a glow for a brief moment during the infusion. However, this sensation is caused by the fact that the resulting water vapor settles on the rather cool surface of the skin. The heat energy is transferred in the process. It is generated by the contact of the water with the hot sauna stones.
In addition, the skin is significantly cooler due to the evaporative cooling caused by the sweating process. The increase in humidity interrupts this process. Furthermore, the waving techniques with a textile cloth reinforce this effect. The result is that the layer of air, which is between four and eight millimeters thick and cooler, travels away. As a result, the heat reaches the surface of the skin directly, without overcoming any obstacles. As a result, visitors feel the air to be much hotter, even though the room temperature has not risen at all.
What amount of water does an infusion require?
Sauna owners often ask themselves what amount of water is needed for an infusion. However, sauna experts do not agree on this issue. There is also disagreement about the recommended formula. This is especially true for public facilities. According to the recommended calculation formula, no more than 15 milliliters of water should evaporate per cubic meter of a room, which is calculated according to the formula “length times width times height of the room”. In a small private sauna, this is 2.3 liters of water at 15.5 cubic meters. If this is distributed over three infusions, it may seem too little to one or the other. For this reason, sauna masters as well as sauna owners should start with this amount of water.
If necessary, they simply feel their way forward and increase the amount of water. This approach is a better alternative. Otherwise, sauna-goers would expose themselves to extreme heat, which, however, causes counterproductive effects and usually drives sauna-goers out of the room. However, after this process, the door should be left open so that the resulting moisture can escape from the heat cabin.
