Sauna Library

Sauna is simple—until you start asking questions.

The Sauna Library provides concise, evidence-based information on sauna science, health, safety, Aufguss, physiology, construction, operation, culture and professional practice. It brings together scientific questions, practical explanations, myth reviews, historical perspectives and selected topics from the publications of the International Sauna Academy.
The aim is to make sauna knowledge accessible, transparent and verifiable — based on physiology, physics, scientific research, professional standards and current evidence rather than marketing claims or tradition alone.
The Library asks questions that are often overlooked: What actually happens to water on hot sauna stones? Why can the same Aufguss feel completely different on different benches? Can heat alter essential oils? Does a hot sauna disinfect itself? How did sweat bathing become part of human culture — and what can modern science tell us about practices that are thousands of years old?
Some questions have clear answers. Others reveal limits in current knowledge. In both cases, the principle is the same: distinguish what is known, what is plausible, what is tradition — and what remains uncertain.
Good answers begin with better questions.