7 Must-Have Home Sauna Accessories
The word sauna originates from an ancient Finnish word referring to the traditional Finnish bath and the bathhouse itself.
“Learn to relax. Your body is precious, as it houses your mind and spirit. Inner peace begins with a relaxed body.” Said Norman Vincent Peale, author of The Power of Positive Thinking.
When you are well-rested, you tend to be more energetic and productive. A good number of people consider sleep to be the best way to rest. But there are other effective ways of resting, such as bathing in a room full of steam, popularly known as sauna bathing.
However, as cozy as it may be bathing in steam, it can be better. For added comfort, consider buying sauna accessories to spruce up the room and enhance your experience.
Must-Have Accessories In Your Home Sauna
Having one or two sauna accessories goes a long way to add some spice and additional enjoyment to your home sauna. Not to mention the added health benefits some of these accessories have.
Alternatively, to avoid construction expenses and use up space at home for a sauna room, you could purchase a sauna blanket.
Below are 4 examples of home sauna accessories.
Sauna Scents And Oils
Using a traditional sauna has plenty of undeniable benefits on its own. Adding aromatherapy into the environment considerably increases these benefits and makes the general experience far more soothing and enjoyable.
Aromatherapy has for thousands of years has been recognized for its therapeutic quality and medical benefits. Some of these benefits include:
- Relief of physical pain.
- Improving sleep.
- Stress reduction and depression.
Using a sauna in conjunction with aromatherapy has the particular advantage of allowing scents and oils to continuously be inhaled and absorbed (by the skin) dermally, increasing the therapy’s overall efficiency.
Sauna scents and oils, unlike essential oils, don’t vaporize to form carcinogenic as they are developed explicitly for sauna use. They cater to all the benefits essential oils provide without the hazards.
Sauna scents and oils are added into the sauna pail (bucket), diluted with water, and lastly poured into the sauna stones – giving rise to the therapeutic steam.
These scents and oils come in different fragrances, ranging from arctic berry, eucalyptus, and smoky glow. Each has its own benefit and unique atmosphere to the sauna environment.
PS: Do not directly pour the sauna scents and oils into the sauna stones as it can damage electrical sauna heaters.
Sauna Whisks, Scrubbers, And Brushes
One of the most significant benefits of a sauna is improving and maintaining skin health and blood circulation.
For thousands of years, sauna whisks (or vuhtas/vasta) have been used in sauna bathing. However, in modern times, specially designed sauna scrubbers and brushes have replaced whisks.
The sauna whisk is an exceptional traditional tool for cleansing and refreshing the skin while at the same time creating a pleasant and bona fide Finnish aroma throughout the sauna.
Birch (a deciduous tree plant) is used to make the sauna whisk due to its healing properties and composition of its leaves. These leaves embody the ideal blend of saponins and tannins to create the perfect soap.
When you dip the whisk in water when having a sauna bath, it provides a cooling effect.
The primary function of scrubbers and brushes is to stimulate the opening of pores and oil-producing glands in the skin; this improves the overall appearance and health of the skin.
Using the sauna whisk, scrubber, or brush to stroke the skin also helps move the lymph throughout the body and immensely increases circulation.
The lymphatic system carries white blood cells to the entire body. This system depends on the movement of joints and muscles to help it move throughout the body as the blood does not pump it.
Sauna Hat
In Finland, the sauna hat is a must-have for those that love sauna bathing.
Sauna hats are uniquely designed to protect the head from the sauna’s heat. The hat keeps your head cool and prevents premature overheating, enabling you to enjoy longer sauna sessions.
Having longer sauna sessions and repeating them in higher frequencies results in far better physiological benefits, including a decreased risk of developing high blood pressure (BP) and respiratory blood disease.
Other benefits of the sauna hat include:
- Cooling your head while simultaneously refreshing you. Soak the hat in water before putting it on for a sauna bathing session. The hat water evaporates, creating a soothing and cooling system to your head.
- Protecting you from hair loss and damage, commonly associated with regular sauna users.
- Acting as a good insulator and are comfortable to wear. Sauna hats are mainly made of felt and linen-cotton blends, regarded as two of the best fabrics for making these hats.
Sauna Towels
Whether a regular or irregular sauna visitor, all sauna users are meant to have a sauna towel as it’s the most basic requirement for sauna bathing.
Sauna towels, along with sauna seat covers, have three main functions. These functions are:
- Providing a comfortable surface to sit and relax on.
- Ensuring a hygienic sauna environment by preventing body fluids from being excreted and remaining on the sauna benches and other surfaces.
- Protecting the skin against potential heat emitted from the bench’s surface.
Sauna towels and seat covers are typically linen and cotton due to their excellent absorbent and insulating properties coupled with a soft and luxurious feel.
Sauna headrests and pillows are also made from the same material as towels and seat covers for additional comfortability for an ultimate relaxing experience.
Sauna towels are usually thicker and softer to touch than pillows as they are also used to wipe off excess sweat during and after sauna bathing.
Go Ahead, Give These Sauna Accessories A Try
If you have a sauna or want to build one in your home, consider purchasing some of the accessories mentioned above.
Imagine arriving home after a long day at work or from a tiresome workout at the gym and stepping into your home sauna fully equipped with accessories – they’ll help soothe your muscles and relax your mind.
Very little or no effort is required to use any of these sauna accessories as they are meant to put you at ease. Putting on a hat, wrapping a towel around your waist, or using a scrubber to stroke your skin is light work.
Remember, in case all this seems like too much to do, purchase a sauna blanket.
