Consider a good quality Barrel Sauna For Your Home Or Cabin

A traditional Finnish style sauna barrel is really hard to beat when it comes to getting both a good dry sauna followed by a hot steam sauna. The sauna has been used by many cultures from around the world. Native American's used sweat lodges as part of their healing and religious practices for thousands of years. The Finnish people have also used the sauna for many centuries to stay healthy and increase well being. Finnish immigrants brought their sauna culture with them when they immigrated to North America.

The Finnish sauna became very popular all along the South and West shore of Lake Superior. Many homes were built with a sauna and even more had a sauna built adjacent to the house. Across the Upper Midwest there are many traditional sauna designs. Most are made white cedar and have a wood fired sauna stove for heat. Floors are either concrete or wood and are designed to drain water away during the sauna. In recent years the barrels sauna design has become very popular.

The barrel sauna design has a lot of things going for it. The shape of the sauna allows one to stand up in it yet have the room have a bench on each side. Not all barrel saunas are round but the essentially have the same shape and utility. Since they sit on a couple of cradles you do not have to deal with building a floor or foundation. Most have a drain hole or bung in the bottom that readily allows all the water and sweat to drain out onto the ground. Most saunas are built of Northern white cedar that is light, very durable and rot resistant and also a great insulator not to mention that this wood has a great aroma as well. The sauna is held together with steel bands just as any cooperage product. We recommend that you opt for the stainless steel bands to prevent staining and increase the life of the sauna.

In most cases you cannot buy an outside traditional sauna as a kit. However due to the fact that they are relative small and lightweight you can transport a barrel sauna in a regular utility trailer which means you can go to the manufacture and pick it up yourself. Last year 4 of us not too young men unloaded and set up an 8 footer without any power equipment. It is our opinion that you should purchase the largest sauna that you can afford. This allows the maximum amount of people to use the sauna at one time which will save you wood in the long run.

Most barrel sauna manufactures provide different heat sources options for your sauna. You can use the traditional wood fired sauna stove or you can opt for an electric stove. Electric stoves normally require a 220 volt hook up that will require a licensed electrician to complete. Electric saunas tend to stay a lot cleaner than wood stove saunas due to the fact that you do not have all the wood and ash mess to deal with. However you can purchase a wood fired sauna stove that is loaded and cleaned out from the outside which will keep the inside or your sauna clean. In both cases sauna rock racks are on top of the stove for you to add your rocks or opt for the manufactures lava rocks.
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Sauna Barrel Canada