SAUNA BATHING BECOMES THE FASHION! New Zealand Ranks Second only to Finland

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31381, 29 May 1967, Page 11

SAUNA BATHING BECOMES THE FASHION! New Zealand Ranks Second only to Finland

still behind the Finnish pro* portion of 500.000 sauna baths to a population of 4,000,000, New Zealand is ahead of the rest of the Commonwealth in acquiring the sauna habit. \

Although the sauna bath was intro* duced here after countries like Norway, Sweden, Germany, Switzerland and the United States, New Zealand is fast becoming the second most sauna conscious nation in the world.

People from diverse walks Of life—businessmen, sports, men. housewives, models and teenagers have sampled the beneficial effects of home sauna. They have discovered that for a mere £4O, there is available an effective technique for relaxation and health improvement

Why does a custom that has survived 1000 years of change and progress still increase steadily in popularity? The answer surely lies in the reason that almost every Finnish home has a sauna bath of its own it is truly beneficial.

In Finland, where sauna began, it is a regular part of everyday life as natural as eating and drinking. And as essential to the preservation of mental and physical well-being. In fact so important has ft become to the Finn that when he embarks on a new home he builds the sauna bath first and the house follows.

Today, the popularity of Finnish and Home Sauna is universal Much of this is due to the simplicity of home sauna, which is so easy to erect—and so handy to store.

The sauna bath provides mankind with relief from a wide range of ailments. These include arthritis, rheumatism, neuralgia, neuritis, sciatica, lumbago and gout In addition, the regular we of sauna baths can bring about a state of health which is resistant to certain diseases, notably the common cold and influenza.

But one of the most significant aspects of this treatment is the evidence that it can provide considerable relief to the thousands of New Zealanders who suffer from asthma or a similar ailment. In the Finnish Army, regular sauna baths are a compulsory routine. The Finns are a truly hardy race m fact, one of the hardiest on earth. Their prolonged resistance to the full armed might of Russia during the Second World War astonished the whole world. Convinced of the health benefits to be derived from its regular use, the Finnish

soldier has taken the sauna room even to the front lineal Science and Sauna

Has there been scientific investigation of sauna effects?

Most medical testimony naturally enough comes from Finland where the Sauna Seurra (Sauna Society) maintains a research centre. The German Sauna Society has been operating on

a similar basis for more than 10 years and publishes its findings •in fts journal “Sauna.” Norway and Sweden have similar associations while in Switzerland extensive sauna research is conducted at the University of Zurich. A bibliography of sauna medical literature prepared by an American doctor II yean ago lists no fewer than 138 publications, and much has been written since. How Sauna works It is dry-heat that promotes perspiration and thereby the elimination of toxic wastes from the skin. It is not lust a way of getting clean it encourages complete mental relaxation and the easing of tensions; it assists in reducing weight and benefits the complexion. Best of all, it can help to relieve many aches and pains.