mikajava

Review: Vevor 6kW Sauna Heater

I heat up my sauna perhaps 200-250 times a year. My barrel sauna came up with a Harvia KIP 6kW stove. After about 400 heat cycles, one of the coils failed. Luckily spare parts are available and replacing the coil is not all that difficult. A new coil costs about $80 and there are threeContinue reading “Review: Vevor 6kW Sauna Heater”

Ceramic Sauna Stones

Ceramic sauna stones are rather popular in public electric saunas in Finland nowadays. The main reason is that they are more durable and that they extend the lifetime of the heat elements. I have now used them for about 50 heat cycles in my sauna and I can recommend using them especially in small electricContinue reading “Ceramic Sauna Stones”

The Vault

My brother and his wife heard about this sauna concept a few years ago: a vault-shaped underground smoke sauna made of cylinder blocks. So they called the manufacturer and asked for a demo as they happened to be driving in that part of Finland. The owner could not make the demo at their showroom butContinue reading “The Vault”

Different types of sauna whisks

This article covers the differences of different sauna whisks. The sauna whisk ritual and tradition is discussed in another article on this page. Birch whisks The birch whisk is the most common whisk type in Finland. There are three main types of birch trees in Finland: Rauduskoivu (Silver birch, Betula pendula) Hieskoivu (Downy birch, BetulaContinue reading “Different types of sauna whisks”

Improving Ventilation in a Barrel Sauna

Note: I was asked to write a similar blog post to Saunologia.fi. You can see the post on their site at https://saunologia.fi/improving-a-barrel-sauna-a-case-study/. The findings are similar, but that article is a bit more condensed. Barrel saunas are popular especially in North America. They are rather easy to fit on backyards and also relatively inexpensive andContinue reading “Improving Ventilation in a Barrel Sauna”

Using Home Assistant to Create a Perfect Sauna App

Finns were eager to adopt all kinds of mobile applications especially during the heyday of Nokia about 20 years ago. The first SMS controlled stoves came around in late 90’s. After a few burned down saunas, we now have even a European standard SFS-EN 60335-2-53 for safety requirements of such appliances and applications. But apartContinue reading “Using Home Assistant to Create a Perfect Sauna App”

Humidity and the Löyly Index

When you are locked down at your home for almost two years, have lonely sauna sessions five times a week and have humidity sensors, you start pondering the scientific side of löyly. Or I have… The basic concept of löyly is of course that you pour water on the stove and it vaporizes and increasesContinue reading “Humidity and the Löyly Index”

Sauna Lights

I prefer dark saunas because they help me relax better. However, it is good to have some hue in the steam room to avoid accidents. My sauna kit came with a led bar that was supposed to be installed behind the stove. It was too bright to my liking so I started looking for alternatives.Continue reading “Sauna Lights”

Hot Tub (Palju)

For some reason, hot tubs became very popular in Finland in early 2000’s. Companies rent them on trailer for parties and many have added one on their backyard or at their summer place. I believe this popularity has something to do with our culture of sauna evenings, a tradition a will write about a bitContinue reading “Hot Tub (Palju)”

Garden Shower

People commonly ask if you should shower before sauna. Generally, yes you should as it is more sanitary. It’s sad to see people going in to gym “saunas” wearing their sweaty shorts and shirts and even shoes. My sauna is on a patio and while it is not difficult to take a shower before goingContinue reading “Garden Shower”