Information on Saunas

Sauna is a great way to unwind, relax, and warm up during the cold weather. Among many health benefits,

sauna is thought to be able to relieve pain, improve performance in sports, temporarily relieve cold
symptoms, and reduce stress. However, it's important to use a sauna in moderation.
Avoid saunas if you have any high-risk medical conditions. Saunas are considered safe for most users, but
some people need to take extra precautions. If you are taking medications or have any medical conditions,
also if you are pregnant or trying to conceive - always check sauna question with your doctor first. Some
illnesses, such as a cold, might benefit from a short visit. Others might get worse. You should definitely
avoid using sauna, if you have high blood pressure or heart disease.
In a steam bath (also called Russian) the air temperature reaches 70°C and the humidity reaches 80-100%.
Before going to the sauna room, you need to take a shower and stay in the sauna for the first 10-15
minutes. It is recommended to visit the sauna 2-3 times. Before you go to the sauna again, it is good to cool
down to avoid stress on the heart. Low temperatures and high humidity do not frustrate people, but they
are pleasantly warming up and relaxing.
Using moderate temperature of around 70°C is beneficial not only for your health, but also for your sauna,
which is important if you seek to prolong its service life. High humidity and moderate temperature prevent
timber splits, gaps in walls and resin leakages, which may appear if extremely high temperature is used.
To prevent this from happening, make sure sauna temperature does not exceed 80°C.
If this has already happened and resin leakage has appeared, the resin drops have to be removed by using
sandpaper or a polishing device. Most of the time, the resin will appear first above the heater. To avoid skin
burns, it is mandatory to remove resin before it starts leaking. Do not perform this action while the sauna is
still hot, let the sauna and the heater to cool down first. If resin is still liquid, we recommend cleaning it
with a special cleaning agent, please refer to your Sales Manager for the cleaning product available.
To generate high humidity, water the benches and sauna walls before turning on the heater/kindling up the
oven. This will not allow for wood to dry out and prevent from movement in the walls, which may appear
for its natural origin put in extreme conditions. Therefore, we recommend watering the sauna before use
and sticking to moderate temperatures of below 80°C and thus enjoying healthy bathing sensations.
Moreover, the specialists say, that the best health effects can be attained by using the sauna 4 to 7 times a
week at a temperature of below 80°C, for approximately 20 minutes at a time.

BASIC SAUNA SAFETY RULES
It is important to follow certain sauna safety and health guidelines every time you visit a sauna.
 Never wear any jewelry in a sauna and make sure your swimsuit does not contain any slimming panels
or metal parts. The metal may heat up and possibly burn skin.
 Never wear any creams or lotions. They not only will run with your sweat and make an oily mess, but
also, they will clog up your pores and keep your skin from breathing and sweating.
 Bring a clean, cotton towel to sit on. This will help keep you clean, as well as protect the benches from
body oils.

 Protect hair with a towel or turban, regardless of its length. The intense heat can dry out the hair
shafts, causing hair to be brittle and possibly break off.
 Do not eat before you take a sauna as you could become nauseated.
 Never eat in the sauna or drink alcoholic beverages. Drinking alcohol can possibly lower blood pressure
and cause dizziness.
 Be very careful when moving in the Sauna, as the benches and floors may be slippery.
 Keep away from the stove when it is hot. The stones and outer surface of the stove may burn your skin.
We recommend acquiring safety fence together with the stove for your own protection.
 Never throw water on the stones when there are people near the stove, because hot steam may burn
their skin.
 After leaving the sauna, step into cooler air, a swimming pool or a cold shower to cool down.
 Alternate between the hot and cold to get the most out of a sauna experience.
 To prevent your body from dehydration, drink plenty of cool water—between 2 to 4 glasses—after
leaving the sauna.
 Follow up with a shower, but skip on the soap. Start off using warm water. Once the sweat is all gone,
lower the temperature to a pleasantly cool one. This will help your body cool down further.
 If you must use soap, go for a mild, natural soap. Saunas cause your pores to open up, and harsh soaps
can irritate your skin.
 Moisturize your skin after you use the sauna. Your skin can quickly become dry when it hits the air
again.
 Stick to moderate temperatures of around 70°C and attain the best health effects from sauna.
 Do not stay in a sauna for longer than 15 to 20 minutes. It's okay to get out sooner if you start to feel
uncomfortable. The human body is not made to withstand such high temperatures for long periods of
time.
 Leave the sauna immediately if you start to feel dizzy, nauseous, or lightheaded.
 Do not leave children or disabled people without supervision in sauna. Sauna is strictly forbidden for
babies and not recommended for younger kids.
 Do not leave the sauna unattended, if you use the wood-burning heater.
 Rest for at least ten minutes after getting out of a sauna. Don't jump straight to your next work out.
Instead, find a cool place where you can sit still or lay down. This will give your body some time to
recuperate and your heart rate to slow down.
 Do not hang clothes to dry in the Sauna, as this may cause a risk of fire.
 Keep in mind, that sea air and a humid climate may corrode the metal surfaces of the stove.

SAUNA MAINTENANCE GUIDELINES
Sauna Cleaning
Proper maintenance of the sauna will keep the environment clean, prevent bacteria and mold from
growing, and make sure you get a great experience each time you use it.
Keep your sauna clean to prevent the build-up and spread of bacteria. Wash your feet before entering the
sauna. As your sauna routine may include jumping into the lake and going back and forth many times, make
sure you do not bring unnecessary debris.
Scrub the benches, walls, and backrests after use. If you have a personal sauna and use it regularly, you'll
want to clean it once a week using a natural cleaning product, such as vinegar. Never use anything with
chemicals. Here is what you should do:
 Vacuum the sauna to get rid of dust, hair, and dead skin cells.

 Dip a hand brush into a bucket of water and scrub down all the areas. To disinfect the sauna, wipe
down the benches and backrests with diluted white vinegar.
 Use baking soda on stubborn stains, especially oil-based ones.
 Rinse the wood down with clean water when you are finished.
 If stains are particularly difficult to get out, use a light sandpaper to sand down that part of the wood.
Also make sure to clean the ashes from the wood-burning oven each time after sauna usage. Never clean it
while it is still hot, let it cool down first.
Sauna Ventilation
 Ventilate the sauna each time after usage. After usage, once you clean the sauna, leave the door open
in the warm season and vent-hole in the cold season so that sauna can be aired out completely.
 Empty wooden bucket and place it upside down to dry, preferably outside the sauna.
 Lit up the heater to make sure it is completely dry after sauna usage.

REGULAR MAINTENANCE
Rinse out the sauna. Clean out your sauna with soap, diluted white vinegar, baking soda and a hose to rinse
it down. You don’t want anything stronger than a mild cleaner, so avoid stronger chemicals. Also make sure
that the cleaner is suitable for wooden surfaces in humid rooms and follow the instructions and never clean
a sauna while it’s still hot, let it cool.
Sand the benches annually. At least once a year, make sure to sand down your benches with fine
sandpaper. This will help get rid of any impurities that may have gathered over the year, as well as smooth
out the surface again. When you are finished, the wood should be a “like new” white color.
Clean out mold. If you notice mold, go after it immediately.
Mop the floor. It can be beneficial to mop the floor with a deodorizing cleaner to get rid of any odors left
over. Remember to avoid stronger chemical cleaners, and stick to soap and water.
Periodically pressure wash the exterior. If your sauna is a separate building outdoors, use a pressure
washer to clean off the outside. This will keep your sauna looking nice. Be very careful not to use the
pressure washer on the interior. The wood inside the sauna is softer, and the pressure washer can damage
it.
Perform general maintenance. Like any room or building, your sauna will probably also have little things
that need work. Make sure to tighten any loose screws and brush out water spots as they appear. This will
keep your sauna in good condition, and prevent you from having to do more work later. If your sauna has a
wooden door, the humidity may cause the door to swell. Keep an eye on the door’s hinges to make sure it
opens and closes properly.
Sauna Barrel band adjustment. In a cold or/and rainy season, when the humidity is high, you may need to
loosen the barrel bands as timber swells. In a hot and dry season, you may need to tighten the bands as
wood tends to shrink. Adjusting the stainless-steel bands prevents from sauna barrel deformation.

SAUNA TREATMENT
Sauna Exterior
Pine-wood: Pinewood is a natural material and it changes depending on weather conditions. Therefore, it is
recommended to process a sauna exterior immediately after assembly with wood impregnations to protect
it and prolong its service life. We definitely recommend that you process the door and windows with a
wood impregnation agent, and do it namely both inside and outside. In general, we recommend for the
conclusive finishing a weather protection paint that will protect wood from moisture and UV radiation after
the product is assembled. Consult a specialist regarding paints suitable for unprocessed softwood and
follow the paint manufacturer’s instructions. Sauna service life will be much longer after having properly
painted. We recommend that you inspect it thoroughly at least once a year.
Using Oil: Over time the wood is affected due to sunlight, precipitation, and other weather conditions,
therefore the outside of the sauna should be oiled at least twice a year in order to keep its color and look.
Linseed oil is one of our recommendations for the exterior parts as it is natural, forms a weatherproof layer,
thickens the wood and brings out its texture. We strongly recommend treating the door and windows with
a wood impregnation agent, both the inside and outside, in order to protect them from twisting.
Thermo-wood: All timber products, including the ones produced from thermo-wood it is mandatory to
impregnate to protect them in different weather conditions. Semi-transparent oil, wax or pigment coating
protects the thermo-wood from exposure to UV and maintains its natural appearance. Most often brown
pigment containing outdoor oil or paintings are used. After coating, the thermo-wood looks a bit darker.
Sauna Room
Usage of different sauna wood oils for particular parts - will keep natural wood color, reduce moisture
absorption and protect from dirt. Before starting using the sauna you should decide whether you are
keeping your sauna natural or you are willing to use preservatives inside the sauna. You may also use it only
for particular parts, like benches, floor or for the whole surface inside. Sauna wood oil will keep the natural
wood color, reduce moisture absorption of wood and protect it from dirt.
Proper maintenance of the sauna will simply extend its lifetime.

STOVE

Please read carefully and follow manufacturer’s instructions in “User Manual” (provided together with the
heater) of how to install, use and maintain your stove properly. Please read below some important notices,
we like to exclude:
PREPARING THE STOVE FOR USE
Perform the first heating outdoors. The stove body has been painted with protective paint, which will
vaporise during the first heating. This will cause the stove body to emit smoke. When the smoking stops,
the stove is ready for normal use. Remove leftover paint mechanically e.g. with a wire brush and a vacuum
cleaner.

Install the smoke pipes for draught. This will cause odours to vaporize from the smoke pipes as well. The
outer casing has been painted with heat-resistant paint, which reaches its final cured state during the first
heating. Prior to this, rubbing or sweeping the painted surfaces of the stove must be avoided.
 The sauna stones should not be placed in the stove before the first heating. Place the stones in the
stove only when the stove has cooled completely after the first heating.
 Stove with a water container: Clean the water container carefully prior to use. Fill up the water
container prior to the first heating.
 Do not throw water on the stove during first heating. Painted surfaces can get damaged.

BURNING MATERIAL
Dry wood is the best material for heating the stove. Dry chopped firewood clinks when it is knocked
together with another piece. The moisture of the wood has a significant impact on how clean the burning is
as well as on the efficiency of the stove. You can start the fire with birch bark or newspapers. The thermal
value of wood differs from one type of wood to another. For example, you must burn 15 % less beech than
birch to obtain the same heat quantity. If you burn large amounts of wood, which has a high thermal value,
the life span of the stove will shorten!
Do not burn the following materials in the stove:
 Burning materials that have a high thermal value (such as chipboard, plastic, coal, brickets, pellets)
 Painted or impregnated wood
 Waste (such as PVC plastic, textiles, leather, rubber, disposable diapers)
 Garden waste (such as grass, leaves)
 Liquid fuel

SAUNA STONES
 The stones should be 10–15 cm in diameter.
 Only proper stones meant for the specific purpose should be used as sauna stones. Peridotite, olivine-
dolerite and olivine are suitable stone types. Stones found in nature may contain harmful substances,
such as iron pyrite, and therefore should not be used.
 Wash off dust from the stones before piling them into the stove.
 Place the larger stones at the bottom and the smaller ones on the top.