Did you know that the very first sauna heater was invented some 2,000 years ago in Finland? The Finns have made saunas part of their culture and if you find a sauna heater for sale today, it will be based on those ancient traditions. Saunas are now popular the world over, but we will always have the Finns to thank for that.
Health Benefits of Saunas
We know that using a sauna has a number of health benefits, including:
- Relieving aching muscles.
- Clearing the airways.
- Easing arthritic discomfort.
- Ridding the body of toxins.
- Improving circulation.
- Relief from stress.
- Relaxation.
A History of Sauna Heaters
The sauna heater is the most important part of the sauna, and it has gone through a lot of changes since the first ones. The oldest one that is known of dates back to 1112AD, where stones were used in order to heat, with a wood fire in a stone stove. At that time, saunas were underground. When they went above ground, the heater didn’t change must. However, it was slow and smoky, needing at least 12 hours to get up to temperature.
Improvements were made over time. First, methods were found to heat the sauna quicker, and then to make it less smoky. As technology improved, it was immediately applied to heaters as well. By the 1950s, the first electric sauna heaters were invented. This is when things really changed, because a sauna could be heated up very quickly. This is also when it started to become interesting for other cultures.
Sauna Heaters Today
Today, there are many different types of sauna heaters. First of all, there are different forms of energy to heat them, including infrared, traditional wood fired heaters, gas heaters, electric heaters, and so on. Additionally, there are now infrared saunas, steam saunas, dry saunas, wet saunas, and combination saunas.
Usually, stones continue to be used to heat the sauna, but they do so in very sophisticated ways, particularly with infrared heaters. The temperature of the air and the stones is fully regulated, and energy is used to actually have heat transferred to your body. It effectively combines air convection, heat conductive materials, and radiant heat. Quite an impressive feat of technological innovation, in other words!
We have come a very long way since the sauna heaters of yesteryear. If only the ancient Finns could see what we were able to do today! It is said that the ancient Vikings, some of which are likely to have used saunas themselves, were actually the first to have discovered America, but their colony ended up dying. How strange would they find it if they were to return today and find America not just fully developed and inhabited, but also one of the most popular places for people to have saunas in their home? It would probably be a bigger culture shock to them than mobile phones and pocket lighters combined! We will never know.