Growing up on the shores of Lake Superior meant that a traditional Finnish sauna was a part of your life. In fact, some houses did not have a shower or bathtub in the home. In its place, a Finnish sauna with its tap or cold shower took its place. Most of the saunas were built by the home owner using local designs. A cedar sauna was the most common type built. However, some were also built with Eastern Hemlock.
A northern white cedar sauna was the preferred construction. For more than 300 years, white cedar was used to line the cedar chests in which people store their clothing. When the clothes were taken out of the trunk, it had that great smell of fresh cedar that we all loved. A cedar sauna also provides the same great aroma as it gets hot. The sauna stove was often fueled with white cedar firewood. A cedar fire will break out hard and quickly give off a hot fire that will heat up the cedar sauna in a matter of minutes, even in the dead of winter.
Once the cedar sauna was heated, water was poured over the rocks in the stove releasing moisture which further increased the scent of the cedar. A white cedar sauna had more benefits than just a great scent. White cedar is a softwood that is very easy to work with, but probably one of its best features is that it resists rot even in the wettest of conditions. A sauna built with white cedar will last a long time despite the recurring cycles of high temperatures and humidity that would cause most wood products to decompose and rot. The sauna benches, buckets, front door, and ladle were also built from cedar.
In most cases, the walls of the sauna were double-sided, and the old saunas had cedar logs on the outside and cedar walls on the inside, all of which provided the cedar sauna with great insulation. Floors were also frequently constructed of cedar planks that were spaced apart to allow water to drain naturally through them. A cedar floor is also much warmer during the winter months. In some places that have poorly drained soil, a drainage system must be built under the sauna to remove excess water. A good sauna must also have a good door that isolates and seals the heat inside. Because cedar is a good insulator and is a very light wood, it is ideal for building a sauna door.
Choosing a good sauna stove is essential for your sauna to perform to its full potential. A good waterproof firebox is important to make sure that when you pour water on the rocks in the stove the fire doesn’t go out. A good sauna stove will have the strength to hold enough rocks to provide the radiant heat that gives a cedar sauna all of its great health benefits. If you live in an area where a wood-fired sauna is not feasible, you can still build a traditional sauna that uses an electric sauna heater. There are a number of manufacturers who build good quality electric sauna heaters.
A cedar sauna is the best type of sauna no matter what type of heat source you use. There is nothing better than the smell and look of a Northern White Cedar. No matter what type of sauna you build and operate, there is no better way to totally cleanse your body and improve your physical and mental well-being. Start checking out sauna sales and plans today and build your sauna.
