Down at my local fitness centre I usually just use the gym, but wondered whether there are any real health/recovery benefits from using the "health suite" facilities (spa/whirlpool bath, steam room & sauna). I can't find much on the internet to recommend them apart from the relaxation aspect of things, so wondered whether anyone here reckons they can help (specifically at the moment with sore/stiff leg muscles, twinges etc). Or have I just been wasting my time and getting covered in chlorine over the last couple of days?
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am a big fan ..prefer steam to sauna tho .. great for relaxtion and sweating out ..feel very clean after
(again dunno why, but is fun)
Not sure about Jacuzzis - they have to be monitored all the time for icky stuff and cleaned with chemicals.
Basically, what happens to the body during a sauna is quite simple--your metabolism and pulse rates increase, your blood vessels become much more flexible, and your extremities benefit from increased circulation. Physical fitness fans will recognize that some of these changes can also be achieved through strenuous exercise. Not to say that a sauna would put you in excellent physical condition without moving a muscle (don't some of us wish!), but that it brings about the same metabolic results as physical exercise.
:-)
I like saunas though, they are good.