Some like it hot — the benefits of sauna and steam

Adding a sauna or steam room ritual to your weekly routine could reap lots of health rewards

The main differences between saunas and steam rooms are the temperature and humidity levels. A traditional Finnish sauna is heated to a temperature between 40°C and 90°C with a humidity of around 10%. The temperature in a steam room is usually between 45°C and 50°C with 100% humidity.

Bara Bada Bastu (Let’s Just Sauna) is the Swedish entry in the Eurovision Song Contest this year and, according to the odds, it's the ‘hot’ favourite.

Saunas originated in Finland more than 2,000 years ago and were used for bathing, healing and socialising, among other benefits. Using heated hot stones to produce dry heat, they became a central part of Nordic culture. 
Steam bathing, by contrast, dates back to the Roman Empire, when Romans used public baths daily while conducting business in a relaxed environment. Bathhouses or thermae were open to all and included steam rooms, changing areas, exercise rooms, swimming pools, cooling rooms, and massage spaces.