Home› Health + Injury
Sign up to the Runner’s World newsletter to get the latest news, reviews and features sent straight to your inbox.

Spa pools, saunas & steam rooms...

[Deleted User][Deleted User]
in Health + Injury
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?
· Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Comments

  • [Deleted User][Deleted User]
    England rugby players used to sit in the jacuzzi for an hour to get rid of knocks during the World Cup


    am a big fan ..prefer steam to sauna tho .. great for relaxtion and sweating out ..feel very clean after
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • cougiecougie ✭✭✭
    I like the sauna. But dunno what benefit it has. You have to do the ice cold shower half way through to close your pores.
    (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.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User]
    The basic purpose of a sauna is to cleanse the body through perspiration. This means opening the pores of the skin and flushing out the impurities in the body through the process of sweating. The sauna of Finland is a tradition which some researchers date back over two thousand years. The Finns attribute their endurance and longevity to the tradition of sauna.

    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.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • cougiecougie ✭✭✭
    But I'm not impure at all !

    :-)
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User]
    hmm not had one for a while ... my impurity must be building up
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • SmitchSmitch ✭✭✭
    Hmm, ever since doing a pool water quality course and having to sample the local leisure centre spa pools, I personally would never go in one again. If you want to sit in a warm bacteriological soup with a group of strangers, however, I would recommend it.

    I like saunas though, they are good.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Sign In or Register to comment.