What is a sauna infusion?
In public saunas, the sauna master usually celebrates the infusion. After briefly airing the sauna cabin, he pours water from a wooden bucket over the glowing hot sauna stones using a wooden ladle. In this country, the water is often enriched with a few drops of essential oils. As the water hits the stones, it evaporates with a hiss, releasing the wonderful scent of the oils.
And this is how it continues
In order for the steam and the soothing scents to spread throughout the sauna room, the sauna master ″wavers″ the steam with a towel. The hot steam ensures that the humidity in the sauna is increased, which is why the skin sweat can no longer evaporate so well. As a result, your own body temperature rises even higher.
The scents of the infused water are then both inhaled and absorbed through the skin, so that they can best develop their positive effect in the body. The musculature is better loosened, body, spirit, and soul are brought into harmony. After a one-minute break in each case, the sauna infusion is repeated a total of three times.
Variety of scents
As is well known, tastes differ; this is probably also true for the variety of scents used in sauna infusions. But not only the scents are different, but also their effects. Sauna fragrances can have a health-promoting, refreshing, stress-reducing as well as stabilizing effect and thus influence the mood.
For example, the probably best-known infusion with eucalyptus oil is good for the respiratory tract, invigorating and refreshing at the same time. Mint has a similar effect. Especially in the dark, wet and cold season, people like to make use of its effect. Sauna infusions with lavender, cedar, or sandalwood have a relaxing effect. If sauna-goers are looking for something to lift their spirits and relieve tension, orange or ginger oil should be added to the infusion water.
In addition to adding ready-made essential oils, which are best used only natural, without synthetic additives, natural herbs or plants can also be added to the infusion water. For your own sauna, you can collect, dry and crush herbs yourself. With aroma-protecting storage, you will always have fresh herbs on hand for your favorite scent when infusing.
Very special sauna infusions
With the honey infusion, sauna lovers rub themselves with honey after the second infusion has warmed them up. On the skin and in the body the warm honey can unfold then its healing, maintaining and cleaning effect. The honey infusion is particularly recommended for skin diseases or irritations.
The Russian birch infusion, also called Wenik infusion, uses birch twigs. The twigs, soaked for several days, develop their healing and caring effect when their soaking water is poured onto the hot sauna stones. During the proper Wenik infusion, birch twigs soaked in water are even used instead of the wooden spoon. The twigs strike the sauna stones on the one hand and delicately on the back of the sauna-goers on the other. This additionally promotes blood circulation.
In the ice or snow infusion, crushed ice or snow, as well as essential oils as desired, are also added to the infusion water. When the water hits the hot sauna stones, this quickly creates an extremely large amount of water vapor and humidity. This increases the body temperature even faster and ensures good blood circulation.
During the salt infusion, after your body has been heated by the first infusion, you rub yourself with salt. Due to the heat, the skin pores are open, and the salt can penetrate deeply. It cleanses and soothes, leaving your skin feeling velvety soft afterward.
Caution is advised
In general, you should warm up your body slowly and only attend an infusion during the second sauna session. Unfortunately, there are also sauna fans who would do better to avoid a fragrant sauna infusion for the sake of their health. For example, people with heart or circulatory problems, allergy sufferers and people with blood pressure problems should only enjoy sauna infusions pure, without additives. Furthermore, they should check with their doctor beforehand whether they are allowed to take a sauna at all.
After the sauna
After the sauna infusion, sauna professionals cool down their bodies slowly. To do this, they first move around in the fresh air before gently taking a cold shower. Those who are really tough then immerse themselves completely in a pool of ice-cold water. Now it’s time to rest. Wrapped comfortably in a cozy bathrobe, and possibly a wool blanket, the sauna guest relaxes on the lounger in the relaxation room.
Allow yourself and your body a break of at least 30 minutes between sauna sessions. In total, no more than three sauna sessions should be taken. It is also important to replenish the body’s fluid balance after taking a sauna. This is because sweating causes the body to lose a lot of water. Therefore, you should drink at least one liter of water or juice spritzer.
But which sauna infusion is the right one?
There are an incredible number of different sauna fragrances that you can add to the infusion water. Therefore, we have compiled some examples with the corresponding effect for you:
- Alpine herbs: against colds, restorative and invigorating.
- Pineapple: invigorating, stimulating
- Anise: calming, relaxing, against asthma and colds
- Bergamot: uplifting, mood-lifting, balancing, refreshing
- Birch: disinfecting, diuretic, stimulating, invigorating,
antispasmodic (gastrointestinal tension) - Citro: refreshing, invigorating, strengthens the body’s defenses, helps with dejection and states of weakness
- Ice Fresh: stimulating, invigorating, promotes concentration, refreshing, activating
- Eucalyptus: activating, promotes concentration, cooling, against colds, fever-reducing, disinfects the room air, against sluggishness and listlessness
- Euka-Menthol: stimulating, increases concentration, cooling, against colds, cheering up, disinfects room air
- Fennel: relaxing, decongestant, calming, expectorant, soothes breathing
- Spruce: mobilizing, antidepressant, tonic, skin stimulant and circulation stimulant, against asthma, rhinitis and bronchitis as well as inflammations of the upper respiratory tract and sinus catarrh, against listlessness and general states of weakness
- Grapefruit: vitalizing, refreshing, euphoric, cell renewal, anti-inflammatory.
- Green apple: soothing, regenerates the metabolism of the skin, invigorates
- Honey: calming, stimulating
- Hops: similar to lavender, but even more soothing
- Japanese medicinal plant oil: refreshing, antispasmodic, slightly analgesic, invigorating
- Chamomile: harmonizing, balancing, calming, anti-stress, antispasmodic, antiseptic, relieves cough irritation
- Cherry: diuretic, refreshing
- Coconut: relaxing, balancing
- Mountain pine: stimulating, invigorating, cheering, against colds, disease preventive, disinfecting, against general weakness and weakness, deodorizing and cleansing effect
- Lavender: balancing, relaxing, invigorating, activating, antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, against asthma, sore throat, bronchitis, flu and colds.
- Lime: calming, restorative
- Passion fruit: refreshing, fruity
- Melissa: antidepressant, harmonizing, strengthens the immune system, refreshing, invigorating, antibacterial
- Menthol: refreshing, invigorating, stimulating for stomach and digestion, anti-inflammatory for the respiratory tract
- Mint: refreshing, memory enhancing, antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory and expectorant, helps with mental fatigue and lack of concentration, headaches, colds, coughs, and hoarseness
- Orange: harmonizing, warming, antidepressant, decongestant, calming, helpful in case of hypersensitivity and moodiness
- Papaya: invigorating, stimulating
- Polar: refreshing, cooling, against colds, disinfects the air in the room
- Rose: harmonizing, antidepressant, invigorating, sleep-inducing, calming
- Rosemary: nervine, digestive, diuretic, calming, antispasmodic, appetizing, tonic, concentration enhancing, memory enhancing, refreshing, antispasmodic and anti-inflammatory for colds, coughs and flu, against exhaustion
- Sage: memory enhancing, stabilizing, strengthening, warming, healing
- Sandalwood: soothing, relaxing, invigorating, aphrodisiac, sleep-inducing
- Slibowitz: invigorating, stimulating
- Spanish dreams: invigorating, stimulating
- Tropical fruits: refreshing, antispasmodic, diuretic
- Vanilla: calming, soothing, balancing
- Winter dream: digestive, antispasmodic, appetizing, diuretic
- Cedarwood: stabilizing, invigorating, warming, calms and deepens breathing
- Lemongrass: refreshing, invigorating, stimulating, promotes concentration, activates breathing and metabolism
Which sauna infusion is right for everyone personally depends on both one’s own taste and the desired effect. Since there is a wide variety of sauna infusions with the most diverse additions, the important thing is to simply try it out. Get your body used to the sauna infusion slowly and keep an eye on your health. With or without infusion, no one should do without sauna!
Buying tip: The most popular sauna infusions according to customer reviews
