Build Your Own Sauna or Sweatlodge

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MEDITERRANEAN BATHS

Visiting the modern Hammam in Ankara and lstanbul
Early Greek and Roman Batths
Mass Bathing in the Balnea and Thermae
The Islamic Hammam is Born
The "'Turkish Bath" Visits Europe and
America
Private Sweat Bathing Cubicles

FINNISH SAUNA

A Visit in the Dead of Winter
History of the Nordic Bath
Sauna in Europe
Sauna in Japan
Sauna in America

NATIVE AMERICAN SWEAT LODGE

Joining Running Foot in a Navajo Sweat
Lodge
A Guest at an Oglala Sun Dance Ceremony
History of Sweat Lodges
Hot Rock Sweat Lodge
Direct Fire Sweat Lodge
Sweating Without a Sweat Lodge
Origin of the Temescal
The Temescal Today
The Sweat Lodge Joins the Modern World

RUSSIAN BANIA

A Boisterous Bath in Leningrad
History of the Great Russian Bath
Bannik, the Spirit of the Bania
The Birth Bania
The Wedding Bania
The Death Bania
Health & the Bania
The Bania after the Russian Revolution
The Spreading Influence of the Russian Steam Bath

SAUNA & HEALTH

Sauna & Health
Sweating
Skin
Heating & Cooling the Inner Body
Positive Effects of Negative Ions
Spirits of the Sweat
Social Sweating

USING THE SAUNA/ SWEAT BATH

SAUNA/SWEAT SPICES

PRECAUTIONS

SPECIAL SAUNA CONCERNS FOR WOMEN

BUILD YOUR OWN

Build Your Own Sauna or Sweat
©2011 Mikkel Aaland All Rights Reserved

I'm now offereing an illustrated, in-depth, how-to-build guide to constructing your own sauna or sweat bath for $9.99. The approximately 100-page epub booklet comes complete with simple, straightforward instructions and designs that accommodate just about any budget and a variety of building skills. You’ll learn how to build a traditional Finnish savusauna, how to build your own wood-burning stove, how to select an appropriate electric or gas heater, how to properly ventilate and insulate a sauna, how to select the best sauna rocks, and much more. You’ll also learn how to build and use a Native American inspired sweatlodge.

The booklet is now available for the Amazon Kindle, and the Nook, with other formats to follow. To purchase and download the book from Amazon, just click here. For the Nook, click here.

Excerpt from the Book

Copyright 2011 by Mikkel Aaland all rights reserved

The Proper Rocks

Each heating of a sauna rock equals thousands of years of natural erosion. Only the strongest rocks can survive constant heating and cooling, and even they will eventually crack and crumble. When this occurs, they lose their capacity to hold heat and in time they disintegrate and clog the kiuas.
The best sauna rocks are those least exposed to weather. Certain quarried rocks are therefore the strongest. Glassy rocks of high quartz or iron content are not recommended. Iron is a fast conductor of heat and when water is poured on, it becomes trapped in a shell of vapor and tends to form beads. As the beads slide off the rock a weak löyly is produced. Obviously, rocks that produce poisonous gases or offensive odors should not be used.

Quarried Finnish rocks

One of the best sauna rocks is peridotite, a quarried Finnish rock that kiuas manufacturers ship across the world. Certain North American rocks work as well. Freshly quarried basalt, black and fine grained, from the Cascade and Sierra ranges, is excellent. So is hornblende, found in many parts of North America. It's a textured rock, which has been re-crystalized at a high temperature, making it ideal for the sauna.
Locations of these types of rocks can be found on geological surveying maps available from offices of the Bureau of Mines, or through the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.




		Site Contents \| Search \| All about digital imaging \| Favorite Projects \| Sweat The Sword of Heaven \| County Fair \| Portfolio \| Links \| Your Comments

Return to main Sweat page MEDITERRANEAN BATHS Visiting the modern Hammam in Ankara and lstanbul Early Greek and Roman Batths Mass Bathing in the Balnea and Thermae The Islamic Hammam is Born The "'Turkish Bath" Visits Europe and America Private Sweat Bathing Cubicles FINNISH SAUNA A Visit in the Dead of Winter History of the Nordic Bath Sauna in Europe Sauna in Japan Sauna in America NATIVE AMERICAN SWEAT LODGE Joining Running Foot in a Navajo Sweat Lodge A Guest at an Oglala Sun Dance Ceremony History of Sweat Lodges Hot Rock Sweat Lodge Direct Fire Sweat Lodge Sweating Without a Sweat Lodge Origin of the Temescal The Temescal Today The Sweat Lodge Joins the Modern World RUSSIAN BANIA A Boisterous Bath in Leningrad History of the Great Russian Bath Bannik, the Spirit of the Bania The Birth Bania The Wedding Bania The Death Bania Health & the Bania The Bania after the Russian Revolution The Spreading Influence of the Russian Steam Bath SAUNA & HEALTH Sauna & Health Sweating Skin Heating & Cooling the Inner Body Positive Effects of Negative Ions Spirits of the Sweat Social Sweating USING THE SAUNA/ SWEAT BATH SAUNA/SWEAT SPICES PRECAUTIONS SPECIAL SAUNA CONCERNS FOR WOMEN BUILD YOUR OWN
	Build Your Own Sauna or Sweat ©2011 Mikkel Aaland All Rights Reserved I'm now offereing an illustrated, in-depth, how-to-build guide to constructing your own sauna or sweat bath for $9.99. The approximately 100-page epub booklet comes complete with simple, straightforward instructions and designs that accommodate just about any budget and a variety of building skills. You’ll learn how to build a traditional Finnish savusauna, how to build your own wood-burning stove, how to select an appropriate electric or gas heater, how to properly ventilate and insulate a sauna, how to select the best sauna rocks, and much more. You’ll also learn how to build and use a Native American inspired sweatlodge. The booklet is now available for the Amazon Kindle, and the Nook, with other formats to follow. To purchase and download the book from Amazon, just click here. For the Nook, click here. Excerpt from the Book Copyright 2011 by Mikkel Aaland all rights reserved The Proper Rocks Each heating of a sauna rock equals thousands of years of natural erosion. Only the strongest rocks can survive constant heating and cooling, and even they will eventually crack and crumble. When this occurs, they lose their capacity to hold heat and in time they disintegrate and clog the kiuas. The best sauna rocks are those least exposed to weather. Certain quarried rocks are therefore the strongest. Glassy rocks of high quartz or iron content are not recommended. Iron is a fast conductor of heat and when water is poured on, it becomes trapped in a shell of vapor and tends to form beads. As the beads slide off the rock a weak löyly is produced. Obviously, rocks that produce poisonous gases or offensive odors should not be used. Quarried Finnish rocks One of the best sauna rocks is peridotite, a quarried Finnish rock that kiuas manufacturers ship across the world. Certain North American rocks work as well. Freshly quarried basalt, black and fine grained, from the Cascade and Sierra ranges, is excellent. So is hornblende, found in many parts of North America. It's a textured rock, which has been re-crystalized at a high temperature, making it ideal for the sauna. Locations of these types of rocks can be found on geological surveying maps available from offices of the Bureau of Mines, or through the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.