Finns like it hot: “In the sauna, anger goes away and the bile dries up,” is a saying from the north. If you want to be relaxed, experienced sauna goers recommend sweating it all out two to three times a week. Recent medical studies even suggest that taking a sauna helps against depression. In sick people, thermoregulation is often disturbed, which improves in the long term when the body has to react to heat stimuli from outside.
The Germans are in fourth place in the European user rankings, after Finland, the Netherlands and Sweden. According to a survey by the IfD Allensbach, around 26 percent go to a sauna or steam bath at least now and then, mostly people between the ages of 30 and 70. Many sauna fans have their own sweat booth built in their house or, alternatively, they place a mobile sweat barrel on the garage entrance.
But what is good for the body does not necessarily have to be climate-friendly. A sauna like this consumes considerable amounts of energy. Can you, with a clear conscience, afford your own heat cabin? Or should you use one of the around 2,000 public sauna establishments?
Access to all STERN PLUS content and articles from the print magazine
ad-free
Already registered?
