Santu Sauna

The dream and creation process

 

The dream of the Santu Sauna was created from the love for sauna. I loved how I would feel during and after, the community and intimacy in conversation shared while in the sauna, and the need to fulfill an inability to sauna due to the pandemic. The conversation for the Santu Sauna began amongst friends who have the living and valued experience of community work and for my desire for a shed that needed to be rebuilt. I knew I would not be able to afford to hire someone to do the work of building. So, the inspiration for the She-Shed/Sauna/Greenhouse came.

 

We would have work days and gather safely during the pandemic. It was a slow process and one that required patience and trust that folks would come and the work would be done with ease for all and a joy in the process. I didn’t want to tax anyone and realized the ask was a big one, and one I did not have much comfort in. We all found the process to be mostly joyful working side by side with one another, getting to know each other and creating something that we knew would be beneficial for the whole community. 

 

I believe this Santu Sauna is in its very infantile state, as the dream of it all, has a very expansive feel to me, and many other dreams are being imagined alongside it. 

The community that built the sauna has been steadily using it now for the past few months, and it has been delightful.

We are delighting in the warmth of the fire and each other, in the shared communion the sauna creates, and a long list of health benefits we are now being able to feel and experience in our bodies and mind. 

 

It has come to me at this time that we would like to begin to offer this experience to the larger community. 

 

We are still working on the practices of the Santu Sauna as a sanctuary and for not only great conversation, but also giving more spiritual purpose to the sauna to call upon our prayers, intentions and desires, to purify our hearts, minds and bodies. Santu means “holy,” and this also goes along with the original practices of sauna.  

 

“Rumi also uses the analogy of the furnace to represent this process of spiritual transformation, where the rusty iron of our hearts is tempered and purified and polished until the reflection of the “Unseen” is beheld clearly within. To perfectly reflect the image of God in one’s heart is to achieve union with God.” ~ Juliet Mabey “Rumi A Spiritual Treasury”

 

I spent some time researching the history and more technical information around the health benefits of sauna practice and really enjoyed these websites and what they had to say. Please check them out, to see the more detailed list and learn more from others experience and knowledge.

 

Sauna Health Benefits according to these websites:

 

Finlandia Sauna ~ http://www.finlandiasauna.com/sauna-history.html

 

  "SAUNA is the only bath in the world in which both dry and damp air is present at the same time. It is the body's natural way to cleanse itself through perspiration. The high heat (average of 180° F) and the low humidity (about 25%) create an environment which promotes over-all perspiration and the deep cleansing of pores. The body's impurities are flushed away (even nicotine from a smoker's body). This total perspiration helps maintain clear, healthy skin and provides a rosy afterglow. Saunas are first and foremost a place of relaxation. The soft heat and humidity soothes and relaxes tired muscles, relieves stress, and promotes a wonderful after Sauna feeling of satisfaction and well being. The body's natural painkillers, beta-endorphins and norepinephrines, are released to provide a feeling much like the runner's high. During a Sauna, the rate of blood circulation increases, the rate of breathing increases, and the pulse rate quickens. Saunas are like mild exercise, or a cardiovascular workout for your heart. Calories are also burned in a Sauna session. A Sauna should be used in conjunction with a proper diet and exercise program."

 

Sauna Health Benefits according to ~ https://almostheaven.com/pages/health-benefits

 

"A sauna doesn’t just help get impurities out; it also helps your body generate some good stuff too. As your core temperature increases, your body is tricked into believing that you have a fever, so it kicks up its production of white blood cells. For people who are on the go all the time, using a sauna is one way to decrease your chances of getting knocked off your feet by cold or flu."

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Here is another website to learn more of the history and its deeper meaning 

https://medium.com/estoniansaunas/heres-why-the-history-of-the-sauna-is-deeper-than-you-might-think-d8e5127a8232

Requirements and Suggestions for fun and enjoyable

sauna bathing experience

 

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Please be sure to shower before coming for a sauna. 

 

What to bring?

You will need to bring a towel to sit on, another to dry yourself with and plenty of water to drink.

 

What to wear?

Please wear swimwear or something like it, t-shirts, bike shorts, light dress, or some covering when sauna bathing, unless the folks you are with are comfortable with less. That must be discussed and decided amongst a group before arrival.  Make sure that swimwear has no metal fasteners, since these will get very hot. Also, no jewelry for safety. Flip-flops or slippers to walk to and from the house to sauna can be helpful.  Consider arriving with swimwear on, underneath clothing.

 

In maintaining a sacred and safe space, no sexual activity is permitted.

 

There are restrooms inside our home to use and to change clothing. 

There is water to fill water bottles, extra towels, hand towels, showers, cubbies to store belongings. 

 

Covid 19 precautions:

Unless medically unable, we require all using sauna to be up to date on vaccinations and boosters, to care for ourselves and others.

We will be taking extra care for cleaning and airing out sauna after each usage.

 

How hot does the sauna get?

Sauna ranges, depending on the temperatures outside, between 125 and 175 degrees F.

 

Please contact Jamie Jackson at jamiejackson2@mac.com to schedule your sauna bathing session, establish relationship and express your desire to visit.

Small-group and private sessions upon request.