19 posts
Seven apps that log sauna, cold plunge, and bath sessions from an Apple Watch, side by side. What each records on the wrist, what it costs, and why Furolog, which is ours, is the one to pick if your visit includes water as well as heat.
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岩盤浴 is a Japanese heat format that is not a sauna and not a bath: you lie on heated stone slabs in a 40°C room, dressed, for a long time. What it is, how a session goes, what it does to heart rate compared with a sauna, and what the watch makes of it.
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One is defined by a law about the water, the other by a law about the building. Price, water, atmosphere, and what each is good for, plus the third thing, the super sento, that most people actually mean.
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Wash before you get in, keep the towel out of the water, tie your hair up, know the tattoo situation before you arrive. Every rule of the Japanese hot spring in order, with the reason behind each, and a note on the watch.
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What to bring, how long to stay, whether to try the cold bath, and how to rest. A practical first-sauna guide that puts symptoms ahead of timers and watch readings.
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You did the sauna, cold bath, and rest, but the feeling never arrived. Here are seven things to review, using your heart-rate chart as a clue rather than a diagnosis.
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Five to ten minutes is the standard, and it is the part of the cycle everyone cuts short. What happens in the first two minutes, why the rest is where the good feeling comes from, and the single clearest signal for when it is done.
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Thirty seconds to two minutes at 15 to 18°C is the standard. What happens in the first ten seconds, why staying longer does not help, what a single-digit bath changes, and how to read the drop on your watch.
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Six to twelve minutes is what every guide says. It is a fine starting point and a poor rule, because the room changes and the number does not. What the minutes are for, when to ignore them, and how to leave by heart rate instead.
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Every Finnish sauna has a small guardian living behind the stove. Where the belief comes from, what he punishes, what you leave him on Christmas Eve, and why his rules read like a safety checklist.
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Kiuas, löyly, vihta, lauteet, avanto, saunatonttu. A glossary of the words you will hear in a Finnish sauna, how to say them, what they mean, and the Japanese sauna word that comes closest.
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The oldest public sauna still running, the largest smoke sauna, the seaside architecture in Helsinki, the free one on the shore. A short list of Finnish saunas worth a trip, and what to expect at each.
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A bundle of birch branches, soaked and used to slap the skin in the heat. What it does, how it is made, why half of Finland calls it vasta, and what your watch makes of it.
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Finland has about three million saunas for five and a half million people. Here are the kinds you will actually meet, how each one feels, and how they compare with the Japanese sauna you may be used to.
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Wood, electric, or smoke. Continuous or once-heated. A heap of stone or a thin tray. The kiuas decides what kind of heat you get, and a Finn will judge a sauna by it before anything else.
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Löyly is the burst of steam when water hits the stones, and the word once meant spirit or breath. What it does to the room, to your heart rate, and how to throw it without annoying anyone.
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Japanese onsen are classified by what is dissolved in the water. Here is each official type, its typical temperature and feel, a famous example, and what it means for your skin, your watch, and your session log.
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The standard answer is 8 to 12 minutes, 1 to 2 minutes, and 5 to 10 minutes. The better answer comes from your heart rate. Both are here, with what to do on your first day.
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Apple Watch is water resistant, but that does not make every bath or sento visit risk-free. Learn what Apple says about soap, hot water, Water Lock, and care.
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