There is nothing worse than entering a sauna or steam room in a beautiful spa or leisure facility and being assailed by the smell of sweaty, stagnant air!
Hygiene is possibly one of THE most important aspects of any commercial venture, both in terms of how the rooms are built and also how they are used.
Whether you are currently refurbishing your spa or residential wellbeing space, or even building new rooms to complement your existing set up, it is important to take the following points into account.
The correct air flow in a sauna prevents air stagnating or hot spots being created. A correctly located passive air ventilation system will ensure fresh air is replenished and the heat is distributed evenly throughout the room. Fragrances can also be added to further enhance the bathing experience bringing in refreshing, pleasant aromas. Kicki Carlsson Essential Oils are a great way to add that perfect fragrance to revitalise or relax!
Ensure consideration is given to the type of products used for the construction of the rooms. The wooden benches in a sauna help prevent the spread of bacteria but the floors can harbour the growth of dermaphytic pathogens which can contribute to fungal foot disease. It is advised to choose large format, easy to clean tiles for the floor. Clean the sauna floor with an ordinary cleaning detergent daily. It is important to never keep water in a sauna bucket for longer than 24 hours, so ensure you change the water and clean the bucket daily to prevent bacteria growing.
Always encourage guests to sit on a towel while bathing
Advise, and encourage, guests to always shower before and after sauna bathing. This helps remove perfume and after-shave, the smell of which can become stronger in the heat of a sauna. It can also leave unsightly marks on the timber. The water also removes any chlorine on the body or swimwear which can become volatile in the high temperatures and cause irritation to eyes and lungs. Bathers should also be reminded to sit on a towel when using a sauna to avoid having to sit or lie in other peoples sweat.
Shower before sauna bathing to remove perfumes and after shaves which can leave residue marks
Corian is a brilliant low maintenance, hygienic material to use for steam room benches as there is no grouting to clean. Always have benches sloping away from the walls to avoid having to sit in stale pools of water which have collected on the seats!
Corian is grout free and easy to clean. Perfect for steam room benches.
It is also a good idea to install Kneipp hoses in steam rooms so that guests can cool themselves down and also wash down the benches after use.
Use a Kneipp hose to cool down and clean the seating!
Keep it clean ……… !