Build Your Own Sauna or Sweatlodge

©1997 Mikkel Aaland All Rights Reserved

Sweat, the book, included 50 pages of detailed information on how to build and use your own Finnish Sauna, American Indian sweatlodge, and private sweat bathing cubicle. Unfortunately the book is out of print.

The Sauna

Whether to use an electric, gas, or wood burning stove is the first decision in sauna building. Geographic location may influence your choice. If you live in the country where firewood is plentiful and fires have minimum of environmental impact, the wood burning stove is the best performer and must be considered first choice.

Electric or gas stoves hardly match the pleasing aroma and smoothness of the wood stove. But in cities, electric and gas heated saunas are the most practical. No preparation like cutting and carrying wood and priming the fire is needed; they are easy to clean and leave no ashes. Although electric stoves outsell gas stoves by far, gas is three times cheaper than electricity in most parts of the country.

Local building codes may also determine the type of sauna you build; for example, ordinances, which vary from community to community, may restrict the use of wood burning stoves. Some times they require specific types of stoves, fire insulation, flues and chimneys. But generally, since most saunas are not used as habitual rooms, building regulations are minimal.

After you have chosen a stove begin planning for the following:

# Size of the sweat room where the heater will be placed. Size depends on the number of bathers, the capacity of stove and bench arrangement. Specific dimensions are discussed later.

# A provision for washing. A separate washing room is preferred, but space or budget limitations may necessitate washing inside the sweat room (a common practice in Finnish countryside saunas.) In either case, plan a means of producing hot water.

# A dressing/relaxing room or some protection against the elements. This can be a simple placement of wind breakers or even an open porch adjoining the sweat room.

# A clean, simple design using wood. This warm, friendly material inspires quiet socializing, meditation and a retreat from the rigors of the day.

# Location. Since a place to cool the body after a session in the sweat room is needed, the ideal place for a sauna is near a lake, river or an ocean. However, a swimming pool or a simple shower will serve well. Be considerate of your neighbors. Locate your cooling area (where you don't want to be hampered by clothes) with discretion.

# Orientation. Know the course of the sun and moon and plan your windows, doors and porches to catch their light. This will beautifully enhance the mood of the sauna.

Here are a few Finnish words which apply to the sauna and I use throughout the text. They are easy to learn, at least as easy as cappuccino.

Kiuas (ke-wus)-sauna's stove or heater.

Loyly (lou-lu)-super-heated vapor that hisses off hot sauna rocks.

Vihta (veh-ta)-a bunch of broad leafed twigs for flagellation.

Sauna (sow-na)-now part of the English language. Often pronounced saw-na by those who dont know better

KIUAS

A perfect sauna depends upon the proper rocks and a source of heat that will make them red hot.

The kiuas is the sauna's heart.

A good kiuas, be it electric, gas or woodburning, will pour heat evenly all through the sweat room. If hot enough, water will explode off the rocks and fill the room with short bursts of loyly and create the right bathing humidity.Since the beginning of this century, many types of kiuas have been introduced, and all of them use rocks to store and radiate heat.

ROCKS

Each heating of a sauna rock equals thousands of years of natural erosion. only the strongest rocks can survive constant heating and cooling, and even they will eventually crack and crumble. When this occurs, they lose their capacity to hold heat and in time they disintegrate and clog the kiuas.

The best sauna rocks are those least exposed to weather. Certain quarried rocks are therefore the strongest. Glassy rocks of high quartz or iron content are not recommended. Iron is a fast conductor of heat and when water is poured on, it becomes trapped in a shell of vapor and tends to form beads. As the beads slide of the rock a weak loyly is produced. obviously, rocks that produce poisonous gases or offensive odors should not be used.

One of the best sauna rocks is peridotite, a quarried Finnish rock that kiuas manufacturers ship across the world. Certain North American rocks work as well. Freshly quarried basalt, black and fine grained, from the Cascade and Sierra ranges, is excellent. So is hornblende, found in many parts of this continent. It's a textured rock which has been re-crystalized at a high temperature making it ideal for the sauna.

TESTING THE ROCKS:

Exploding rocks are dangerous. Perform a simple test to guarantee their safety. Thoroughly heat a sample for two hours or more. Drop it into a pail of cold water, then look for cracks. When the rock is cool, test it further by hitting it with a hammer or against another rock. If the rock cracks or makes a soft grinding sound when rubbed against another rock, discard it and find another source. If it survives you have a safe sauna rock. A more elaborate test can be made by your local metallurgical laboratory. It costs a few dollars.

THE AMOUNT AND SIZE OF THE SAUNA ROCKS:

The best sauna rocks are the size of large potatoes. With sufficient heat replenishment, the amount of rocks can be as little as 25-35 kilos (55-75 pounds). Heat storage kiuas, which are only heated once, need at least 120 kilos (264 pounds) of rocks. A savusauna takes anywhere from 250-500 kilos (600-ll00 pounds) of rock depending on the size of the room.

Too large or too many rocks take an unnecessary amount of time to heat. Too small or too few rocks will cause the sauna to cool after a few splashes of water. Rocks, in order to heat properly, must not be packed either too tightly or too loosely.

HOW HOT SHOULD THE ROCKS BE?

5OO-800 degrees C (950-1500 degrees F). Wood burning kiuas often heat rocks until they turn brilliant red. It's not necessary to measure their temperature. If water thrown on the rocks makes a sharp crack, like the opening of a carbonated drink, and one or two seconds later an invisible loyly fills the room, they are hot enough. Water tossed on tepid rocks will bubble slowly and turn the sauna into a steamy bath.