Sweat - The Illustrated History of Saunas, Sweat Lodges, Roman Baths and More.

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

The definitive, illustrated history of saunas, sweat lodges, roman baths and more in a world-wide search of the perfect sweat.

Sweat bathing--be it in the form of the Finnish sauna, the Russian bania, the Turkish hamman, or an American Indian sweatlodge-- is as common to the world as the baking of bread and the squeezing of the grape.

I spent three years traveling around the world, photographing, researching, and yes, enjoying many of these baths. Here are some excerpts from my book Sweat, published in 1978 by Capra Press.* Although the book is out-of-print, I am working on a new edition and I've updated information when necessary. (You can sometimes find a used copy of the orginal book at amazon.com. It may be a while before I finish the next edition... I've got a family now, with two young children...you know what I mean. ) If you are interested in building your own sauna or sweatlodge, go to the Build Your Own section. Keep in mind, however, I've only posted a portion of the original information. If you want detailed instructions on this subject, I will mail you a specially prepared reprint for a nominal charge. Instructions on how to receive this reprint are found in the Build Your Own section.

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MEDITERRANEAN BATHS