Sauna Rooms
For Greater Health, Homes and Happiness

by Pertti Olavi Jalasjaa

Adding a sauna room to your home can improve your health and personal finances.

Indeed, many health benefits have been attributed to regular sauna bathing, including improved blood circulation and respiratory function and strengthened immunity to illness. A British Medical Association study found that people who take sauna baths two or three times a week reduce their incidence of colds and flu by more than 65 percent. Consider the impact that could have in your own life: fewer visits to the doctor and pharmacy, and fewer days away from work spent feeling not up to snuff.

Even if a health insurance plan covers your medical expenses, a sauna room in your home can still save and even earn you a substantial amount of money. If you already enjoy the benefits of sauna bathing at a local health club, spa or gym, calculate what you would save in usage fees and gas expenses if you stayed home to sauna.

Also worth considering is the extra money a sauna room could bring you if and when you decide to sell your home. Often seen as luxury items by real estate agents, special features such as indoor saunas typically help to increase the resale values of homes. Yes, the addition of a sauna room carries its own cost, but the potential payoffs will more than make up for it.

Remember that an indoor sauna room need not be the same size as your living room or family room. Many homeowners choose to transform just a portion of their bedroom, bathroom or basement into a sauna room. After all, the less expansive your sauna room is, the more efficiently you’ll be able to heat it.

For practical purposes, though, you don't want your indoor sauna room to be too small. You'll need to have sufficient space in your sauna room for you to move around freely, lie down on the sauna benches, and share your sauna comfortably with family and friends. Ultimately, the decisions on size and other aspects of design are yours to make, as your indoor sauna room can be completely customized to reflect your unique personality and individual preferences.

And thanks to the popular option of do-it-yourself sauna kits, you can get as involved in the sauna building process as you choose to be. Once you decide on the size and features of your sauna room, finding and assembling a DIY sauna kit should be quite easy. Don't worry if you don't possess any previous sauna building experience; the do-it-yourself sauna kits contain the pre-cut materials and detailed instructions needed to assist even the most apprehensive first-time sauna builder.

Whatever steps you choose to take to add a sauna room to your home, do not ignore the importance of home sauna accessories. Sauna accessories such as loofah sponges, sauna fragrances, and cedar headrests and backrests can constitute the difference between a sauna bath session that true sauna buffs would judge as being mediocre and one that is superbly relaxing, refreshing and remarkable.

For its proven positive impact on human health and happiness, an indoor sauna room should be considered an absolute must for anyone who owns a home.